The Demon’s Bride

Elise frowned at what had been told to her from Esther. She knew her father must have reason for him to leave. When she was young people rumored and blamed her mother that she was unable to hold her father's interest either her mother had slept with another man, causing her father to leave them, disappointed and whatnots. Know she knew that she wasn't wrong and there were more than what meets the eye.

"What exactly do you mean by chased? There are many type of being chased, method, and people who chased them. Who chased your father and you?" Ian didn't believe Esther's words which came as a fact as he couldn't prove whether Esther and Elise was truly siblings. Her scent was similar, but there are ways for people to mask their scents. 

"I don't know, father never give me a true answer. I asked but he never told us. However, I do remember one memory when father and I were chased. It was around when I was still ten," Elise kept her ears close to Esther's story, frowning a little as if she was trying to think. "At that time I didn't manage to see close how they look but I do remember they have horns. The horns were tall, some were crooked. Because the hood they wore fell, I managed to see that it was horns."

"Do you see any other features from them that might set them different from each other?" Elise asked. She knew that there are two creatures with horns: Demons and corrupted angels and to know if they are different lays on the color of the eyes.

Fortunately, Esther's reply was, "I do remember! They had bright red eyes," and she looked around at Beelzebub, chiming, "Just like their eyes."

So it was Demon, thought Ian. He took Esther's words by a grain of salt but he could tell the girl was mixing truth. The spice to create a perfect, unseenable truth is to mix both lies and truth at the same time, meaning that somewhere around in Esther's words the truth was hiding there. 

"Did your father ever tells them what they are?" Ian questioned and Elise saw Esther shook her head.

"He often avoid talking about it," Esther said with a gloomy face, "Until the day he died, he didn't tell me who it was that chased us but I found something. I found that it might be some being that came from Hell."

"Do you mean Demons?" Elise questioned, pretending to not know. It was often better to show you know nothing than everything when it comes to questioning either.

Esther enclasped her hand and pursed her lips, "It must be strange, isn't it to hear this? I don't know if you will believe me."

"No, I do believe you. I have not seen Demons before, but I do have some stories about ghost. Since I was young, I often see things that others don't," Elise encouraged, "How did our father died?"

"It was an accident," answered Esther, and that alone Ian could tell was bullshit. "Father was traveling away from the house that day. He didn't came back home and I was worried so I requested the head village of my previous village to help me and search for my missing father. Three days passed and we were not able to find him."

"So he is still missing?" Elise questioned which then Esther answered by shaking her head.

"He was found the next week after in the river, his body was..." Esther gasped, blinking as if to stop her tears when she stood up to find a handkerchief like a shining knight, Beelzebub came next to her, one hand on her left shoulder and the other presenting the snowy handkerchief. 

"Tears don't suit your beautiful face, Esther. Please use my handkerchief and wiped off that single drop of tears from your eyes," Beelzebub said with an overly dramatic concerned expression where he shook his head and scrunched his eyebrows as if he could feel the pain that Esther had.

Esther frowned when Beel mentioned about the fact there was only a single tear on her eyes. She didn't let her guard down, knowing that this two Demons suspect her and to her calculation, Elise was the one who could be on her side. It was clear. Before Esther was sent here, she had been briefed a little about Elise's pasts and in truth, Esther had always laid her eyes on Elise, even before the Dark Sorcerer Lord appointed her with this mission.

Knowing how craft the Dark Sorcerer Lord, Esther wondered at times whether he knew that her interest fell on Elise which why he had given her this mission. But a second thought came on Esther where she denied the earlier guess as impossible.

"Thank you," Esther said tonelessly, removing Beel's hands again from her shoulders. 

Ian who was looking around finds something and grinned, "Do you remember your mother, Esther?" he then asked.

"No, but my father often told me about her and Elise. He told me that lives goes that way, that sometimes people separate from each other but family remain a family. There are bonds that could never be broken by others and that bond is what tied a family. Even if I wasn't able to remember you two or your appearances because I was a baby when father brought me away, I still remember his stories about you," Esther said with a smile, dabbing her handkerchief underneath her eyes to wipe her tears.

Elise didn't know whether Esther lied to her but if it was true, she felt touched for what her father had thought about her and her mother. 

"So you must be curious as Elise of how your mother look like or how Elise look like. But from what I have seen there are no portrait available in this house that might help us to know how he look like. What was his name again?" Ian raise his brows at Esther.

"His name is Levi," answered Esther who passed the first interrogation. The name was similar to what Barner had said and Elise wanted to ask more to see whether Esther was truly her sister but she had little to no information about him to begin the question. 

"We are not privileged to take portrait drawn from us. We were quite busy moving between villages but I can tell you how he look like. If you still have time, Elise, I would also wish to show you father's graves but the place where he is buried is quite far from here. By the time we come it would be midnight." Esther threw a trap while pretending to be concerned.

When Elise was taking things to consideration, she heard Ian spoke, "That time would be unsafe for travel," he played inside his trap while Esther showed a smile.

"Yes, that's why I suggest you to stay a day here. Traveling back and forth would troublesome, isn't it?" Esther questioned, staring at Elise's blue eyes, and added a pressure, "I was alone all this time after father's death. I have been thinking of finding you or mother, speaking of which how is mother?"

Elise shook her head, she doesn't think Esther as her sister yet but she didn't stop her from calling her mother, "She has died," Elise answered, "Ten years ago."

"Oh dear," Esther gasped and she spoke with sadness, "Then we only have together. It's more so that you should stay here for the night."

"That's not necessary," Ian spoke on Elise's behalf, "We have a very good carriage and a new coachman who could bring us back home without danger. Also I have wings."

"Wings?" Esther questioned, waiting for the Demon to answer which didn't come. "It will be tiring and dangerous to be on the road now. Truthfully for the past few days, I have been noticing a presence of someone following me everyday. I don't know if this person is dangerous but I fear they are the same creatures who had been chasing for me and father."

"How dangerous," Beelzebub chimed, "It could be them or stalker who find your beauty enchanting, Esther."

Esther rolled her eyes internally, deciding to ignore the other Demon who had been testing her patience.

Elise then shifted her gaze to Ian, waiting for his opinion when she caught from the side profile of his curled smile, "I have to agree with Beel. It's dangerous for a girl living alone to be followed by someone everyday. I can tell they have followed you for dangerous reason and it's more so we cannot stay here," said Ian as if he didn't know who had been following Esther.

Esther's smile didn't falter but a light frown appear on her forehead. Is this Demon telling her to stay here alone and face the danger because he couldn't be bothered about her safety?!

"But you are Elise's sister, I can't also make her sad by having you dead," Ian said with a thoughtful expression, "Pack your things Miss Esther and move to our castle."

Esther who was smiling had her smile slipped from her face. Her eyes wide that she repeated the Demon's words multiple times in her head, before asking, "What?"

Elise appeared unbothered in the surface but her blue eyes that looked at Ian also widened. Ian turned to meet her gaze as if knowing her gaze and give her a smile, "I still remember your words, Elise. That you wish to have one of your family members to attend your wedding. We cannot find your father in the end, but here, we still have Esther with us." Ian spoke with an underlaying meaning which only he and Elise could take. 

Elise pulled a smile, deciding to play with his act, "I'm flattered that you still remember my words."

"Of course, I can give my life for you, why won't I do this small thing?" Ian asked, bringing her hand to plant a kiss on her knuckles. Lifting up his chin, his red eyes glistened with a hidden malice.

*****

It's my birthday, therefore the one chapter so I can have a little holiday^^ thank you for the whites everyone~