The Demon’s Bride

The man who Ian had caught had a black hair half tied. His appearance was of a young man who perhaps barely aged twenty. Upon meeting Ian's eyes his gaze ran away, "I have reason for this, Diablo."

The name which the man had used to call Ian was enough answer for Elise to learn that this man was a demon. She looked between him and Ian, finding that the other man trying to run away by inching back as he could but was unable to with Ian's deadly grip on his shoulders.

Ian stared at the man, his lips smiling while his eyes show otherwise. "Do I have to question what your reason is, Orias or would you tell me everything. The first offer won't be done kindly."

Orias was a high Demon but compared to Ian whose power had been demonstrated right across his eyes, he was afraid one of his limbs would be torn. The Demon knew he would be defeated when a fight were to break between them. Therefore, he thought that it was better to tell as he had been caught. 

He didn't want to die! "I-I came as per Satan's request!"

Elise's eyes widened at what the man had said. People begin to gather around them again and they decided to vacate the ballroom, making way to the sitting room where Orias was seated in the chair while both Elise and Ian stood before him.

"Continue," Ian ordered the Demon who was still staring at Ian and his new bride.

"Uh... you don't know?" Orias questioned and when Ian's eyes narrowed he bite his lips and sighed. "Two days ago which would be a day ago according to mortal's time, Lord Lucifer came to the thirteen's dinner."

Elise didn't know much about Demon or Hell and she didn't know what Orias was speaking of. "The thirteen's dinner?"

"It is an annual dinner held on Sabbath on every six month of Hell. It is when the thirteen highest ranking Demon came to meet up," Ian was the one who explained her, and she nodded, seeing him looked at her eyes before adding, "Satan being the head of the dinner would always come."

Feeling the gaze of Elise coming to him, the man quickly said, "And sir Lucifer who had successful ended his punishment also came... that was when it happen..." Orias's memory came back to the start of his day on the important day where the thirteen's dinner started. 

Being the one of the highest ranking servants in Satan's castle, Orias had came to prepare the dishes. He made sure everything was perfectly crafted for each demons as most of the highest ranking Demon was stubborn with their interest and taste. If things don't go according to their wish, they would throw a tantrum and his job was to make sure it won't happen.

"...for the rest we can bring it to Lady Vephar. That's it for today," Orias said and he closed the book he held where on the spine of the book two small black wings begin to emerge. "Go to Lord Balam," he ordered. As if remembering one more thing he had forgotten, Orias then turned to the lowest servant whose skin was in the color of bright red, "We forgot about—" a sudden quake shook the castle.

The chandelier that was hung high danced like a drunk person and the fissures on the burgundy painted wall let out soft dusts all over the ground. A chilling shiver struck Orias but not only him, all the Demon including the thirteen demons who were sitting on the table felt the incoming presence. 

"Lucifer!" said the woman who was sitting on the furthest chair to the head of the table. Her body was tall that even though she had sat down, it appears as though she was standing. Pair of horns curled down from the sides of her head like the rest of the demons in the room.

As if knowing he had been called, Lucifer appeared all of a sudden in the room without using the door. Malphas also came behind his master but seeing the high ranking demons on the long rectangular tables whose eyes bulged out with glower on his master's appearance, the servant came nearer to his master.

"What are you doing here?! You are not invited to the dinner, Lucifer," said the man whose body was a bull while his tongue forked out like a snake. Every time he spoke a slurred whisper came lacing his voice.

"Shush," Lucifer put one finger over his lips but his action wasn't taken well by the rest of the demons who slammed the table and stood up. 

The Demon shouted, "Get out! We does not welcome a fallen—" in blink of an eye, the demon who had spoken burst into pieces. The two demons who sat beside the demon squinted their eyes at the black blood that splattered over their body. 

"I told you to be quiet, didn't I?" The smile on Lucifer's lips had fallen and his eyes that were in the color of red turned brighter in a shade of both black and golden. "I have been absent for a thousand year but that doesn't mean there is a place for newborn babies like you to shout or raise your voice on me. If I find you doing so again, I will make your life a living Hell." Lucifer didn't have to press his tone to emphasize his warning as he could see the words work well to the Demons who turned stun while looking at the Demon who had been killed into pool of inky blood.

The rest of the demons were quick to zip their lips. For most of the demons who didn't know and seem Lucifer before, they felt the pressuring air the Demon had. Even though they were high ranking demons, Lucifer was on his own par that put them into shivering fear. He didn't even lift his finger when killing Balam and that was enough introduction for him.

Lucifer smiled at the fear shown by the younger demons. He saw some of the demons who he knew and they were actually less than the amount he expected. His eyes then moved to the end of the table where the King sat at.

"It is morning, Satan. It's been a long time. Shall we have a good little talk? We are going to be a family soon. I don't like the idea I am here to be a bridge," Lucifer said while staring at the end of the table. 

A red velvet curtain had been placed to cover the end of the table and when a light appear, the curtain didn't move and it only showed a large shadow of a monstrous being covered in a coat with tall collars raised high when flames appeared on the candles placed on the sides of the curtain. The shadow of his hand showed his bony fingers and his head that was free from any blood, nerves, skin, or flesh as it was a skull that ride the top of his body. 

"Family?" came the voice of the King. The demons who sat on the tables turn quiet, their eyes sneakily watching back and forward from the two end of the table where the Duke and the King of Hell were talking from. 

Back to the present, Elise was a startled with Lucifer's words. "Lucifer came to talk with Satan? For what...?"

Orias pursed his lips looking at Elise with full hesitation and carefulness which was odd as he looked even more polite to her than Ian.

"Well... milady," Orias said her title with reluctance, "The Duke spoke about you, your highness. As the princess of Hell."

Any trace of smile on Ian's face then disappeared his eyes narrowed as the red color of his eyes deepened, "That fucker." 

*****

A/N: I have been forgetting this but check the comment to see Elise's second dress