The Demon’s Bride

The three of them gathered again in the underground where Lady Caroline had allowed them to make the space their planning room as secrets would be buried in the underground forever. Beelzebub pressed his hand over his forehead.

"Where you last saw her?" Elise questioned. Knowing her aunt, she believe Esther wouldn't made any hasty or stupid decision such as leaving the castle which is their safest place at the current moment. 

"In Gabriel room," Beelzebub's frown turned deeper, "We had a small argument and Esther decided to leave."

"A quarrel in such a time. Children you two are," remarked Ian and while Beelzebub was annoyed he had no words to refute as what he had done was indeed childish for his age. However, it wasn't something he could control either.

Elise walked to Lady Caroline when seeing the older woman ducking her head to enter the room. With a sigh, the lady said, "She isn't in any of the castle's perimeter. Count your stars if she is alive. First, she could either be feasted by the demons or second, she has been eaten by the monsters around the castle. Entering this castle is not easy and leaving them as well."

Beelzebub clenched his fists where it was boiling with the urge to beat something, perhaps himself for causing the trouble in such moments where his small action now could endanger Esther. 

Elise didn't know what to do. There was too many things on their plate for them to solve. Ian bluntly stated aloud, "You do know Beel, we cannot spent anymore time of ours to find Esther. There are lots of troubles we have to take care and mess to clean up."

Beelzebub didn't have to meet Ian's eyes to know his friend was sincere with his words. While Beelzebub was frustrated, he didn't blame Ian as carrying out one's greater importance was something any demon and humans would do even if it would sound cruel, there are priorities some cannot avoid to not do.

Elise pulled her brows, "Ian—" she looked at Ian who shook his head in answer as if he knew what he was doing. Elise decided to kept a silent, trusting Ian and the action he took.

"It can't be help," Ian said to Beelzebub, "Go. Find her. You are responsible for your action Beelzebub. What's the hesitation? Are you waiting to witness her dead body?"

At this Beelzebub's red eyes flared when he saw Ian smiled as if expecting this reaction from him. 

"Yes, that expression make you seem more humanely. It's amusing," he hummed with his curling smile.

Beelzebub straightened his back, "You do know you have some twisted enjoyment and method to take pleasure of amusement don't you?" 

"You can say that again once you have been reborn as an angel, Beel. Keep yourself and your composure. It makes me very disgusted to see your wishy washy attitude," Ian then waved his hand as if he was shooing a dog. "Go, go away."

"I heard you the first time," Beelzebub clicked his tongue and at once left the room by rushing through the doors. 

Elise who saw what happened pulled Ian's sleeve and whispered, "Does Mr. Beel…"

"Matter of like or love hasn't been decided but Elise, there is something called dependance. From what I can see, Beel is still adjusting his emotions. For a demon who never know care nor love, doesn't it seem fun?"

Elise tilted her head. Where's the fun?

But Lady Caroline laughed, "Truly fascinating. Now children we should put that plan of ours in action. Considering Apollyon, I can say this to you two. He must be waiting for your arrival now. Thinking a step ahead of him is impossible. That man doesn't only have one plan in his head but hundred and even thousands of it. Therefore consider all the choices in your hands. Sometimes to turn a table, you don't need a large action. Even the words you said can change your disadvantages to your winning advantage. That's all I can advise you." 

Lady Caroline hand out her hand then, "The blood."

Elise pulled the flask of red liquid which Ian had taken from Dalton. Not a minute was waste by Lady Caroline who hurried to pull a wide bowl in black color. A golden pattern adorn the body of the bowl. Raising her hand and muttering a spell, the older lady pulled the large jar beside her, pouring the glassy liquid to the vessel. 

From the side, Elise witness how the once crystal clear color slowly darkened itself to the point where it turned entire pitch black. When the blood was added, she saw the once black liquid, shifted itself again in color, creating a fog over the bowl when all of a sudden the colors of the liquid disappear from the bowl, remaining itself to its first stage of the transparent color. 

Lady Caroline narrowed her eyes and swiped her hand over the bowl for a view of a house was reflected on it. 

"This should be the place. It's vague, but the name of the town where this house was erected at is called 'Venues', it should be in the same land where you two live in, Warine." the woman announced. 

"Venues," repeated Elise. She didn't remember such a place exist in her mind. "Was there such a town in Warine?"

Ian's expression looked gradually worse in anger. "There was."

"Was?" Elise emphasized his word.

"It's the town where I once lived at when I was still a human, also the place which I had wiped clean," Ian answered, "By wiped clean, I didn't clean them but emptied the entire land into a forest."

"There shouldn't be anyone there then," Elise murmured yet somehow Ernest had managed to build such a large house under no one's attention.

"Strange," whispered lady Caroline. "I seem to know this house as well… isn't this one of the very first house Satan had with Ariel when they reside in the mortal's world? Now I understand. That crazy man… he wants to bring Elise as the descendants of both Satan and Ariel to death. It's revenge."