The Demon’s Bride

Lucifer's hand moved with speed, going across to stab where Ian had stabbed him on his stomach but before his hand could get close a black shadow appeared and deflected his attack. The two men for once was stunned and Elise quickly came in between them. A frown deeply knotted her forehead.

"I know you two have your own reason, opinion, and anger you want to speak but fight is not the way for you two to understand each other," she said, being strict with the two men whose eyes were still locked with each other, "Please enter the house, Mr. Lucifer."

"No," Ian said, stopping her, he clearly dislike the thought of letting Lucifer to enter the house.

Elise who was previously looking at Lucifer's eyes then saw how a slight sullen look appeared on his face that was wiped off quickly as if it was dusts blown by the wind. 

"He cannot enter the castle. Not on my watch," Ian for the first time had rejected Elise's offer and went the opposite side of her which never happened but Elise wasn't upset. She understood what he was feeling and the strongest emotion that drove him now— it was disappointment.

"Please, Ian," Elise turned to look at him, holding his hand.

Ian sighed, anger that flickered in his eyes caused him to narrow his eyes, "Are you helping him?" 

"I am helping you," Elise answered, she could tell from the way his hand was clenching tight to the point where the blood on his knuckles had ran away that he was on edge of his anger that was bursting out.

"I believe if I was in Lady Lucy's position, she would also wish for you to talk with him. It is just a simple talk and maybe we can sort out misunderstandings between you two if there was one and I feel that you need to have a talk. You told me that without conversing one would not be able to understand what the other is thinking," Elise persuaded. She did not trust Lucifer either but if this man was Ian's uncle and despite his weird and questionable antics, she want to find out the bottom of the problem. It was much better than the two fighting.

"If you insist on having me inside the castle, why not?" Lucifer's voice then pipped from behind her.

Elise sucked her breaths, wondering why Lucifer was trying to edge Ian and she patted Ian's hand.

Maroon and Malphas looked at each other as they both entered the house. With both being servants, the gaze they shared was as if they had mouthful of complaints and had just found the confidant who would understand the problem and stress they had been facing due to their master.

Hallow followed from behind, standing in between the distance of Lucifer who strode confidently behind both Elise and Ian as they walked across the corridor.

"There is something I must to sort out," Elise said when they arrived on the door which was the sitting room. "Please do not fight without my presence." Right now, the only reason for the two Demons not to fight was her and she was afraid if she was to leave, it will cause the castle to render into debris.

"Tell it to him," Ian answered, his chin tipping to Lucifer. "Just so you know and remember, I don't want to talk with him. Only because you asked me to."

Ian and Lucifer was both similar but then two people who have both strong characters, they do not fit to be placed in a room. There was a saying that alpha wolfs could not stay in the same mountain and Elise thought of how correct the saying was for this situation.

"Mr. Lucifer," Elise called the man who was looking around, keeping his mouth silent and even when he did that, it still cannot hide his strong presence in the castle. "I will be leaving to take care of a small matter, can I ask you to wait for me and not to incite any fight?"

"Fight?" Lucifer looked back at Elise and gave her an innocent smile, "I love peace, you shouldn't worry."

Elise turned to look at both Maroon and Malphas, her gaze lingering more on Maroon as she sent him a wordless request which the butler answered with a nod, knowing that Elise had just tasked him to look after the two Demons.

"Are you going to meet her?" Beelzebub asked, following Elise, "Esther, right?"

"Yes, do you want to come with me?" Elise questioned, watching Beelzebub reaction and finding the man's smile was filled with a hidden intention, one that seemed evil and ill but not to anyone but Esther.

As Elise and Beelzebub left, accompanied by Hallow who refuse to stay in the same room as two Demons in friction, who appeared as if in any second they could act on their temperaments and fight again.

Now left alone in the room together, Ian and Lucifer stood in front of one another. They did not speak. The air in the room was terse and stagnant with neither wanting to back down in their fierce glare. 

After a while, Lucifer was the one who speak first, "Lucy loved the night sky."

"And she died while staring at the night sky," Ian replied, causing Lucifer to narrow his eyes. "I will not ask you why you did not come when mother wished for you to come but I prefer if you keep away from me, my future bride, and my life. You haven't been there when time needed you, when mother needed you, and unlike mother, I don't need you; nor do I need you to be here."

Lucifer's grip on the teacup that was offered tightened and he set it aside on the saucer with a clunk. "Are you not going to ask me first why I did not come for her?"

"I don't care," Ian curtly responded, his eyes that were red looked at Lucifer. He remembered to have seen the Demon before as he had left quite a very deep impression to him by being the one who instructed the punishment of tearing his wings. And he was also sure of his own memories that had never failed him before but he noticed how Lucifer looked slightly different than how he was in Hell. 

Seeing the man, now Ian could tell that he was indeed his uncle for when he looked at him, he found himself looking back on his own reflection. That was just how similar they were to each other with the only difference being the long hair and the age.

"Rather than telling or explaining me why you were not there at that time when she had to be immolated to death, you can meet her yourself and explain the reason behind your action. You were a fallen Angel, once in the past you live in Heaven, meet her there and apologize on your knees. The person who rightfully require your apology is her and not me."

"I cannot. I have been banished there, punished for what I could not do. Believe me, just as much as you do, I wish to meet her again, and if time permitted me to turn back, I would have used everything in my hand to meet her again," Lucifer said, regret marred his face.

He couldn't understand either why this was happening to his sister. He was the Duke of Hell, strongest Demons that could be on par to Satan yet his only sibling was reduced to ashes while she was still alive. When Lucifer imagined the pain Lucy must have went through, he could feel his anger bubbling again.

"But time can never be rewind and ifs are only manner of speech because once a thing had happened it will never repeat again. Her death cannot be changed," Ian stated, gritting his teeth. The more he talk, the more he remembered the memories that he tried to suppress, the bad memories that haunt him and took nine hundred years for him to forget. All the emotions he felt that day, the despair, anger, and hatred surged back like waves on his heart.

Ian said, "Do you know why I do not need an uncle like you?" Ian then asked, his voice was barely holding the anger he felt. "Because even if you were near, you have disappointed me. Your folly is something I can never forgive. What is the point of having an brother who could not be there on his sister's side when she was engulfed by fire?"