The Demon’s Bride

Lilith could feel her breath stiffening over the words Maroon said— over his offer of staying with her even through death. On one hand, she, who also wanted to stay with Maroon wanted to agree to his offer but she realized just how selfish she was for doing so. 

"Maroon," Lilith called his name and showed him a smile, "Thank you." 

Maroon couldn't pull Lilith again to his embrace as the next second she had pushed him away from her and closed her eyes. The marks on her wrist turn golden and Lilith closed her eyes, expecting the pain as she was content with everything that she did now. She planned to stay quiet, letting Maroon defeat her before owing somewhere to die without his own knowing but she only realizes how doing so would only hurt him. Therefore she had chose to free herself from the living world and release Maroon for him to look forward to what the future bring.

As Lilith had died once she felt less tense or perhaps because this time she had felt fulfilled with all she had to do was finally fulfilled.

Waiting for the pain, Lilith suddenly felt something was off as the pain she had been waiting didn't come as she waited for it. Her closed eyes slowly open and she looked at Maroon's face as confused as she was. "W- Nothing... what does this mean?" Lilith pulled her arm where the mark was once at before when it had turned golden, she expected she would die yet nothing happened.

One side Lilith was happy but on the other side she was confused. 

Maroon was as confounded as she was, but at once, he pulled Lilith's wrist and covered her head to his chest. A sigh of relief escaped clearly from his mouth, "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that you are here now, Lilith. Thank God, thank God," he repeated again but in whisper the second time. 

Maroon took his time having Lilith in his embrace. With one hand behind her head, he enjoyed the time he had now but all of a sudden his heart squeezed a painful feeling that didn't only attack his physical heart but emotion appeared. A single drop of tears fell from his eyes without his own notice.

"Maroon?" Lilith questioned as she noticed the sudden change of expression on Maroon.

"He is dead," Maroon said with a look of stunned. It felt as if today he had found happiness but a deep sorrow as well.

Lilith couldn't understand, "Who, Maroon? Who died?" His expression that turned at loss worried her.

"The Lord. Ian... he has died," Maroon uttered in a broken sentences as he was still trying his best to understand what occurred, Mila stared back at his eyes with her own eyes widening as she realized the ultimate goal of the dark sorcerers were never Elise and instead Ian White.

Passing by half an hour, Esther was standing in front of the window. The living servants who managed to survive was all in shock and meanwhile the Church was on its way coming toward the White Mansion. Leviathan was in silence as well as Beelzebub, Lilith, and Maroon who was all in the same room. 

As most people in the white mansion was grieving the bodies of the dead were still scattered. Most went to their room and to the floor with less dead bodies in order to have a moment of rest.

Esther who had been holding the curtain sighed, "She is still outside. Don't you think we should come to her soon?"

"She is reading the memories of that maid," said Leviathan in reply. "She will come back soon but like anyone she need a little time of herself."

At the same time the door of the room burst open again and this time came in Lucifer. His entire eyes had turned black, leaving only his irises to be red in color. "My nephew," was his first word to Leviathan whom he could feel the presence inside the room.

The air turn stiff in second with Leviathan staring at Lucifer. His lips thinned, "He has died."

Lucifer's rage was clear on his eyes. He couldn't believe how he fell for this again. How he had not only lost his sister but now his nephew. The fists of both his hands clenched tight enough for a crunching sound could be heard.

"Who killed him?" He stressed every of his words with the deep wrath. 

Lucifer stood up from his chair. It was his task as a father to protect his daughter. Whether it was from the anger of his son in law's uncle, "My daughter. Lucifer you knew this would happen—"

"It should have happened next year!" Lucifer slammed his fist to the wall, causing the entire wall to break down. The servants who were in the neighboring room can't help but scream as they had passed through so much than what they could handle.

"What?" Leviathan pulled his brows together. "Lucifer how much did you read through the future?"

"I read nothing," answered Lucifer as he run through his hand to his hair in frustration. 

"What do you mean you read nothing?!" Leviathan could tell that was bullshit, "Under no normal circumstances Asmodeus can never see through the perfect timings of a person's death."

"I didn't see Ian's death date through Asmodeus. It was from the grim reaper's book!" Lucifer had shouted and reflected the answer to Leviathan as they both raised their voices. 

"I think currently we should be discussing about what we should do now rather than arguing," came Esther's voice. She might not be a high demon like Lucifer, Leviathan, or Beelzebub but during her time in Hell she was regarded as a person with a status as well. It wasn't her first time speaking to a high demon and although she felt nerved with Lucifer she voiced out her thought as Elise's aunt. "There are those who are still mourning. Your anger will do nothing."

Lucifer stared down at the woman his hands were itching to kill the one responsible for Ian's death but he was rational to know it wasn't Elise's fault some tricker must have been used. "Fuck!" Lucifer trashed the wall beside him again.

The door creaked opened and from the gap, Elise stepped inside the room. She looked at Lucifer, her eyes were dead and as soon as she got in, her eyes looked immediately at her father. "What should I do now? To bring Ian back?" 

Elise was prepared for everything. Even if she had to rule Hell as the Queen or never to step out from the kingdom again. It was tolerable than living without Ian to her.

"I can do anything," Elise said, "Tell me what I should do now."