The Demon’s Bride

Elise woke up feeling her morning a fresh. Upon opening her eyes she could feel her sight turning clearer than ever, her body that ache from pain, now feel far more comfortable than before, maybe even better than what she ever felt. Was it the goo sleep? Wondered Elise.

She slipped out of her bed, and after she had changed to a fresh dress, she exited her room when she meet Mila who seemed to be passing by the corridor, "Lady Elise," Mila bowed, showing her respect before she looked up and Elise found the woman's concerned expression, "How are you faring?"

"Much better," Elise answered. She passed out before she left the village which why she wasn't sure how much Mila knew about her wound, but she could see the head maid didn't buy her words. 

"Are you really?" Sighed Mila and Elise watched the woman trying to rummage something from her pocket and pulled out a small silver cross and handed it carefully by wrapping her hand underneath Elise's, "I don't know what you are facing but keep this with you. I hope that danger should never come to you again, my dear. I... don't want to lose anyone again," the woman's last sentence fell into a whisper and Elise lowered her brows when she saw Mila's eyes sinking in a pool of sadness.

She squeezed back the woman's hand, and offered her a gentle smile, "I am alright, Mila, and I promise this will be the last time you will ever see me wounded. Thank you for the cross," Elise then lifted the conversation, bringing the cross closer to look at, she saw the gleaming silver color of the metal cross, "It is very lovely."

"A person who reside in the Church, gifted me this. They told me it is for protection so evil creatures and misfortune won't ever approach you. I say this to myself and I might be overstepping my boundary as a lowly maid, but Elise, I think of you as my own daughter, just like my late daughter," repeated Mila, her eyes softening to a motherly look which Elise had seen before but not from Mila, rather her late mother, Adelaide. 

"You raised me when I was young, Mila. I have never thought of you as a mere maid, if I might say it myself, I also think of your as my mother figure," when she didn't remember her mother, she truly see Mila as a figure of her mother, a very warm person who shower her with an unconditional maternal love. "But I didn't know you had a daughter."

A little trace of surprise came on Mila's face which then disappeared in a blink— it passed so quick that Elise was not able to notice, "She died when she was young, very very young. It was a very old memory of mine. During that time, my husband was still alive but they..." the woman heaved a sigh, "You wouldn't like to hear this story the first thing in the morning. It will ruin your good morning."

Elise could see the hesitation appearing on Mila's face. Having lost her family over and over again, and the people who she was closed to, Elise was considerate to not pressure the woman to tell her story. Everyone had one or two story in their life which they wouldn't want to tell anyone, and often times those memories were about the people who they lost in their life.

Elise squeezed Mila's hands tenderly, and she wished to be the woman's place to talk to, "If there is anything you wish to talk with, I am here with you."

"Thank you," Mila whispered, her black eyes looked back at Elise's bright and blue one. "Speaking of it, you must be on your way to find the Lord; he is in the dining room along with Mr. Beel."

"Um, Mila, have you seen Esther?" Elise questioned and Mila took her time before responding with,

"I am sure I have asked one of the maid to call her, I should ask them again or come to her myself."

Elise raised one of her brows slightly, her red hair was swept to her right shoulder. Strange, Elise thought. Although she couldn't tell Ian's plan in the beginning she understood it soon enough that Esther was her for them to keep an eye on her. Yet contrary to how a person in her situation would do which was to snoop around, she only heard of how Esther spent most of her time in her room.

Elise can't seem to find the answer by asking herself, therefore, she left to the dining room, the two valets who stood in front of the door seemed to be nervous as they stared at the door. When Elise came from behind, they turned their eyes with a faint gasp, their eyes nervous as they both bowed but she could see that it wasn't her who they were nervous of.

"Please open the door," Elise asked the valet because the two of them stood in front of the door, getting in between the door knob.

"M-milady, I don't think you should enter now," said the first valet who stood on the right side of the door. 

A sudden foreboding perception slithered to Elise's heart, and she knitted her frown, "Why shouldn't I enter the dining room? Ian is there isn't he?"

"T-the Lord is here but... but," the man whispered, trying to force his words to come out.

"Please open the door," Elise then instructed, her words tight. She could not be at ease after seeing the valets' expression and the way they seemed to be nervous. She saw how the valet looked at each other, still not moving. "Please move," Elise demanded this time, her nervousness crawled on her veins. The valets still did not move and without a choice, Elise strode her way to the door pushing it despite the two valets' pleaded her not to.

Pushing the door open, her eyes went still upon seeing Ian standing against the wall and Beelzebub in front of him. From the corner of Ian's mouth was blood, a lot of blood that it spilled down the the blue carpet placed below on the floor while Beelzebub stood with a dagger on his hands and blood spilling all over his clothes.

Over the scene, something deep in Elise's mind snap clearly on the back of her mind, her lips parted, "Mr. Beel," and alone in that one word, one could tell how deep her emotion stormed in her voice. A sudden black fog came from beneath her feet and without her order, the living shadows who loyally served her rushed to fill the entire room with darkness. The two valets who stood behind her was thrown to the wall nearest to them by force.

Beelzebub who was standing in front of Ian then gulped. His eyes lowered slowly to stare back at the reflection of his neck on the sharp black blade where the sharp tip drew blood from his skin. Everything happened suddenly that no one could react and Elise who stood at the end of the room quickly ran toward Ian's side, both panic and anger contoured her face as she reached out her hand to feel the warm red fluid covering her palm.

"Ian..." Elise weakly said, feeling her eyes burning with both the tears and alarm.