The Demon’s Bride

That night, Elise went back to her room and ended her night for the day while tucking herself under the warm quilt. Since working here, she have made new friends and had taken a step forward. Her right hand that she buried under the pillow felt the cold touch of the metallic object. She pulled it from the pillow, taking the key of the library that Ian gave and a gentle smile passed over her face. She hadn't yet had the chance to use the key but in her next break, she decide to use a key. After all, Ian told her to take a great use of the library.

As she fluttered her eyelashes and closed her eyelids to fall into a dream, suddenly she felt as though she was swallowed into the darkness. When she opened her eyes, a woman with the similar features of her face sat in front of her, her hand holding her neck and wring it firmly. A gasp escaped from her mouth, her tears mixed with the cold sweats dripping off from her forehead. She called weakly to the woman who was strangling her and pleaded. "M-Mom, please don't. Help. I can't breath."

Yet hearing this, her mother felt utterly disgusted. Her expression twisted with a distorted look. "DON'T CALL ME THAT! YOU'RE NOT MY DAUGHTER! CURSED BEINGS! GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!"

The shout that escaped from her mother's mouth rang her mind. She became dizzier from the lack of air and soon enough Elise almost lost her sight.

Elise jolted up in surprise from the nightmare. She held her neck, feeling it. Even though it was only a nightmare, it was real enough that she could feel a hand strangling her neck, trying to wring it to the point she had to gasp for air. Cold sweats dropped down of her forehead, Elise sweep her forehead only to notice how horrible her hand was trembling. She held both of her hand to her chest, calming herself by organizing her harsh breathings. "It's a dream, Elise. It's only a dream, a nightmare." She cooed herself, chanting the words like a magical spell.

The woman at her dream was none other than her mother. Her mother who she didn't really remember because to her, the earliest memory she had began when she had already thrown out from her biological mother's house. Yet there's only one memory that she had of her mother, it was when the woman strangled her in hope to kill her. She didn't remembered what happened after it nor her mother's face.

Aryl who was woken up by her abrupt movement, flicked her finger to create a fire and panicked when she saw Elise's pale face. "Are you alright, Elise?"

Elise nodded, trying her best to pull a smile. "I'll bring a drink." She spoke and went to see the water jar beside her bed to be empty and stood up to exit her room to the kitchen. Aryl being her little lamp followed her from behind, perhaps due to dark hallway or perhaps because of how she remembered the massacres that happened nine years ago in the mansion, she felt a chill running down her back. Seeing ghosts didn't help her in not fearing the dead, instead it make it worse, Elise thought to herself while passing the first floor's hallway. When she passed by the hallway with the large window, Elise heard a pitter patter from outside. "It has been raining?" She muttered aloud.

"Perhaps? I also don't know." Aryl replied.

Elise tucked the curtain aside, trying to see whether it had been raining while she was asleep but the sky had turned pitch-black, making it hard for her to see what was happening outside. Retracting her hand, suddenly a bolt of thunder rang aloud, following the ringing sound, a blue glare of light appeared at the garden, showing a man with red hair, digging a hole and a body lying beside his shovel.

Elise gasped in surprise, she covered her mouth to let go of the curtain from her hand and stepped behind. Wasn't that the butler, Maroon? Although she only saw it for a slight second, she was sure the man was digging something with a large human-like bundle beside him.

"It would seems that your habit and curiosity still haven't changed, puppy." The silvery voice rang behind her ears. She turned her eyes to be greeted by the peering crimson gaze that glowed even brighter than the light that Aryl used.

"Master Ian." She called, her voice a little uneven.

Ian brushed his eyes over her pale complexion and the cold sweats forming on her forehead. He brushed his hand over her forehead lightly, asking. "What happen to you? You look deadly pale." And he was right, she can't see her own face but she could feel how drained she was

"I had a nightmare." Elise replied and turned again to open the curtain behind her. But to her reply, there she couldn't see anything outside.

"What are you looking there?" Ian gave another question.

"I saw something outside." Elise replied but then rethought whether she should ask Ian if Maroon was there or not. Yet another thunder rang again to her ears along with the light that showed down to the ground. But unlike what Elise saw before, there was nothing on the ground outside. No shovel, no holes, body, or Maroon. Did she perhaps miss look due and hallucinated it due to her nightmare? That seemed to be true after seeing that there was no one outside.

"I don't see anything though?" Ian leaned forward to the window, his chin was only a few inches away from her face. Feeling the soft collected breaths brushing her forehead, Elise felt her unsettled heart thudding louder. She became even more conscious by the distance created between his face and her.

"Perhaps, I saw it wrong." Elise said hurriedly, hoping the lord hadn't seen her flushed face yet. But to her disappointment, Ian who has keener eyes than any mythical beings on the land had seen her cheeks growing red and had his grin raising in delight.

"Before you also did the same thing," he started. "Walking in the dark is dangerous, puppy. You should heed other's warning, especially at midnight where the beings of the nights lurks out. We can't have you harmed, can't we?"

Elise nodded obediently and heard him asking again. "Or perhaps do you want to share a bed with me?"

Her eyes widened, as though she had forgot the ability to form a speech, she stayed rooted at the place while staring back at his red eyes. "I-"

"Of course that one was a joke, puppy." Ian chuckled, receiving a slight frown from Elise forehead. "Master Ian, I don't think that is something to joke about." Elise returned, it was due to spiteful that she uttered the word. After she voiced the words aloud, she noticed how impudent it sounded for a maid and was about to apologize but Ian didn't seem to be angry by her words, instead he was chuckling with mirth. He brushed her hair to the back, ending his grin to an even smile that riled up her heart even more. "It is a joke only to you, puppy. Also it can also not be a joke for you too. Which do you prefer?"

"Okay! Stop there!" Aryl exclaimed, stomping her feet in the air. She glared to Ian and asked in anger. "How could you have such a smooth mouth?! Is it because you often invite ladies to your room?"

Ian crossed his arm, leaning his body to the wall. "Don't accuse me, Sulix. Do I look like such a frivolous man?"

"You do." Aryl was quick to rebuke him.

Ian gave her a threatening look for her chirping mouth and inclined his head down to Elise. "Do what you're about to do puppy, it's late now you should take a rest."

"Yes, excuse me, Master Ian." Elise replied before trotting down the hallway to the kitchen to refill the jar. When Aryl asked Ian of how often he invites other women to his room, Elise felt displeasure running across her heart. She felt unsettled and angry to the women who had entered the Lord's room. Ian is a handsome and charming man. His grin and mischievous smiles was also one of his charming points. Like an other-worldly image of a man, he was far more handsome than anyone could ever come to across. It must not be rare for women to desire in accompanying him in bed, Elise thought to herself and felt her displeasure growing from the thought.

She placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart.she has grown conscious to the feeling budding to her heart. The moment she understood what she felt was jealousy there was no more turning back for her. She had fallen in love for Master Ian. Her face flushed. "Elise, the water!" Aryl warned and when Elise looked down at her hand, the water jar had overfilled with water. "Oh my!" Thankfully she was quick to save the jar.

Aryl hummed while looking at her flushed expression, floating in front of her forehead to see her temperature and spoke. "You don't seem to have a fever but your face is too red. Are you feeling unwell?"

"No. I'm alright." Elise replied flustered and quickly closed the jar. "Let's go now."

After passing the long hallway, Elise retraced her steps again to her room but stopped when she saw Ian still standing at the same spot while holding the curtain to see the outside view. His blazing gaze peering the pitch-black view silently in a long thought. When he noticed Elise, he turned his face and smiled to make Elise's clear eyes stopped at his sweet smile.

"Are you not going to sleep, Master Ian?" Elise asked with her head turned down. Because she had understood her love for the Lord, she couldn't bear to see him in a steady eye contact before having her expression voicing out how much she love him.

Ian released the curtain, fixing it and walked before her. "The dark is dangerous, so I'll come with you."

"Thank you." Elise murmured shyly and followed him to her room.