The Demon’s Bride

Once again Elise shifted her glance slowly to Ian who had offered a very kind help which he doesn't often do to strangers, especially Oliver who had been pushing his luck. Not wanting to look strange, she didn't react, but her eyes that sought to him question what he did.

"He needs help. Helping is a good thing, right?" Ian asked her with a wink of his eyes.

"I will be alright," refused Oliver as he looked at the Warine Lord with eyes filled with suspicions. One thing for sure that Oliver knew was never to accept a hand of help reached out by Demons. 

Ian sighed, "Yes, you will be alright, but my butler don't. You see, the shovel you use is his and he is very attached to it but I see you have no gentleness in your hands, no wonder you are still single," suddenly Ian looked surprised, "I'm sorry, that must be a thorn on your heart?"

The veins on Oliver's forehead popped, anger came on his eyes as Ian continued to make fun of him when Dalton couldn't help to let a faint chuckle. This had Oliver to look at him sharply and the man cleared his throat. "I think it would be better to accept the Lord's help. We know that he is in a hurry, and marriage takes ages to prepare from what I learned during my parent's talk. It would be bad for us to stall them," spoke the younger human man.

Oliver have a look of cross, "We don't know what he might do, it's better to not accept than be fooled."

"I won't do such an unfair thing," and with a snap of his finger the ground where Oliver and the rest of the Church member stood at shook. Quickly, Dalton and Kyle moved away without forgetting Oliver who was on the ground and pulled him away to the place where the ground didn't vibrate. The green weeds which was nurtured an inch away from the ground began to shift as the soil from below started to crack before it floated in its own. 

Ian had lifted all the soils and had them suspend mid-air to show what was under the ground. Oliver was angered when Ian had used his magic when he refused his offer but now that his goal was achieved, he forgot about his anger and went toward the large hole, thinking that the bodies he expected to be would be there when his hope was diminished. What he saw after was only dark brown soil. 

Elise was also nervous, she could tell Ian had his own trick not to be found out and after seeing his carefree attitude, she trusted this even more. But she can't help to worry what if the body was there. Moving forward, just enough to see the hole, she found nothing.

"Find anything?" chimed Ian, his voice was like a sneer that had Oliver angered. "Kyle, would you mind drag this man out from my castle. I have tolerated so much and we all know I am not patient." The smile on his lips had disappeared at this point, "One more disobedience and accusation from your dirty mouth, I will be dragging you to the scaffold. Know that it is not only the Church who have the authority to execute the Lords, but also Lords to punish Church Members."

Oliver wasn't happy with how the Demon had instead blamed him and make it as if he was a fool and a madman who wanted to accuse the Lord when he know he was correct. Although the soil has no bodies underneath them, he could still smell the faint scent of dead bodies. But what happened?! The smell of death lingered almost too thickly in the castle that he knows there must be many bodies buried here, but even the place where the smell of death was the strongest had no body in it.

Before Oliver could speak, Kyle walked before him, giving him a deep look, "You should stop now, Oliver." and before they make a larger scene, Kyle spoke to Dalton, "Bring Oliver back to the carriage. What happen today we will surely report it to the high authorities, milord."

"Fair enough," Ian shrugged his shoulder and he saw how Oliver was stubborn on his feet, leaning forward on the hole as if he wanted to stick his head there in doubt. "Maroon help Oliver if he can't walk."

Maroon obediently stood before the man, but Oliver swatted his hand, "I can walk on my own!"

"Great to hear that," muttered Maroon underneath his breaths which Oliver didn't miss but the butler looked down on the shorter man with his dull eyes holding no expression.

With a loud and heavy footsteps, Oliver vacate from the garden, Elise had moved away from the man when their eyes briefly met and somewhere in the back of her ears, a faint low whisper echoed, 'Stay away.'

Elise break her eyes from Oliver, she looked at Ian to see that his eyes wasn't at her but Kyle. It appeared Ian didn't say anything and Elise would have taken the thought that she had hallucinate the voice if not for the fact she had heard voices like that before. The whisper belong to the same one that had tried to talk to her during her latest visit alone in the gallery. 

Remembering the voices, Elise felt all hair on her back stood up in a cold chill. She wanted to tell Ian but Kyle has spoken before her, and it would be bad if they know what the suppose to not know.

"We will be leaving the earliest now, milord. Once again I apologize for intruding your time. As a compensation, would you like to hear of a few church that I think might be suit for the marriage ceremony?" questioned the man, being polite as he knew they would soon get married. Another reason for Kyle to offer this was as an apology to Elise as he knew he must have traumatized her when she was still such a young girl. To be torn from their own house are not something anyone would ever want to experience, much less a little girl. 

Elise was now again recalled about Ian's previous statement about the Church, she looked at his side profile where his smile seemed to raise further, "That's not necessary. We already have our own option in mind."

They do? asked Elise.

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A/N: Update schedule~ I am keeping a very busy and very disorganized schedule. I am trying to post two chapters I am preparing for stocks but it isn't easy as I thought it would. But I will keep up about two chapters. Estimating with Beijing's time, I will post a chapter at 12:00 (night) and another chapter would be up at the latest 9 (morning)