The Demon’s Bride

Leviathan waited for her daughter to come out of the underground which happened when the clock ended the history of her visit in a single hour. Seeing Elise whose blue eyes were in a contemplation, Leviathan didn't had any good idea about this.

Like a dutiful father, he first checked the smell of blood which didn't help as the underground was filled with the rusty smell and used his eyes to see around his daughter while holding to her shoulders. When he didn't see a wound, he expected Lady Caroline had took good care of his daughter but on a second thought, he saw Elise's expression that seemed to be at lost.

"What's wrong? Did she asked you for the impossible?" Leviathan questioned.

No quite the contrary, thought Elise.

A few minutes before she left the underground, to her question, Lady Caroline's eyes on Elise trained narrowedly and Elise could feel the hard beating of her own heart against her chest while awaiting for the reply.

"A negotiation you utter. A deal you mean?" The woman didn't immediately deny her and Elise sees this as an opportunity she had to seize.

"Yes," Elise answered and she reached out a smile, "But we can go with other term if you want to."

"Fascinating," Lady Caroline uttered and while Elise search for a nerve of anger on the woman's face, she noted none.

She wasn't angry for her objects to leave the underground? Then it hits to Elise's realization of her father's words and the words that were spread about Lady Caroline. She wasn't possessive of her objects. She was rather obsessed about her underground. Therefore, stealing harm her underground as the culprit would break in her small castle beneath the ground but exchanging the objects doesn't as the person had asked for her permission.

...what a puzzle Lady Caroline was, thought Elise. But that had its own charm on her.

Then her attention was taken again to Lady Caroline who hummed, "Agreeable, but I want an exchange in place of a deal."

"Exchange?" Elise pulled her brows as she thinks.

"If you take an object from the glass cases I have here in my underground, I will then have to find a new objects to be placed inside the case, don't I? Searching isn't easy you know. I want an object that hold story but I am sure that an object from the only princess of Hell would already make a story of their own," answered Lady Caroline whose eyes brightened but the sparkles were on the eerie side rather than the joyful one.

"Do you want me to give you my limb?" Elise questioned for Lady Caroline to look her with wide eyes before bursting into a loud laughter that echoed throughout the corridors.

"No, no your highness. I won't dare ask your parts but now I see what you want is one of the objects from this room?" Lady Caroline asked her and she nodded, not giving more informations as trusting people was still a fearsome action for her. "How about... you give me something of equivalent exchange. I wish to have an item that is no less of importance of the item you want to request to me."

"Item? What kind?" Elise asked and the woman smiled a meaningful smile.

"I leave that on your hands."

Back to the present, Elise relayed what she talked to Lady Caroline and the man was in a deep thought and furrowed eyebrows. "It won't be easy for her to agree on your term, Elise. I suggest that we took Ian's wings from her. It is efficient in time as well."

Correct, thought Elise. They cannot be idle as they were running out of time and it had been their first idea to come and steal Ian's wings. Elise still feel the same about doing anything in order to get a hand of Ian's wings however after meeting Lady Caroline, she knew that it was better to befriend the woman than making her as an enemy. Sadly if Elise stole Ian's wings they would become one.

"I have an idea that I want to do," Elise said before turning to her father. Her smile widened with a faint sprinkle of slyness.

The next day arrives in Hell and most people were busy, Satan was busy as well. He was busy teaching Elise of how to become a great Queen. They were in the middle of discussion where her grandfather taught her about their Great War against Heaven.

"Today should end until here," Satan said, dismissing her but Elise didn't plan to leave yet, 

"Grandfather," Elise smiled while calling the man whose eyes slightly brighten when she had called him grandfather. 

"What is it?" Satan inquired. Through their short time they spent together, Satan found Elise as an extremely obedient child and wondered what kind of question she would have as it was rare for her to question. "Go on," he heed.

Asked and without beating around the bush, Elise asked, "Are you still angry to father?"

When Satan's eyebrows furrowed, Elise's expression didn't change but her eyes were calmly assessing the man's features and what he had in mind through it. 

"What do you mean?" He inquired as if her question was difficult to understand.

"During the time father was punished why didn't you intervene?" She asked again, this time another question that had her grandfather at lost of words.

"Because he had done what he supposed not to do," Satan replied. "Even if he was my son, there are things that I cannot bend only for it to fit my son. If I become lenient once will it be fair for me to not do the same to other demons?"

He wasn't lying, thought Elise. 

"But what..." Elise appeared as if she find it hard to speak. "But what if one day I was accused of killing another demon? Even when I didn't? Will you also leave it for others to judge without trusting me?"

Her words greatly affected Satan who was stunned in his chair with eyes wide. He was shocked and perhaps he was shocked by her question but Elise want to think that the man was shock about her faint accusation that he had not trusted her father.

Without reply as Elise didn't expect one she then asked, "If one day I am in danger will you really protect me?" 

"That is for certain," Satan answered quickly.

"Even if it is difficult to do so?"

"You are my granddaughter I would do anything to protect you Elise."

Elise break into a smile, thinking that she finally got what she wanted. Her grandfather didn't know that her question that might seemed normal at first had traps inside it. Traps that she would tinker for her to get Ian's wings at the cost of nothing.