The Demon’s Bride

Beelzebub was locked at his room for the rest of the days when around afternoon, the door of his room which had been closed tightly as the servants feared his father, finally opened. 

His mother's blonde hair was first to shine over his eyes. "He is a liar. He doesn't protect his own promise." 

His mother sighed hearing this. Her husband was extremely stubborn but so was her son who inherited many of her husband's qualities, both good and bad. 

"Honey," Belizabeth spoke but Beelzebub shook his head in answer. 

"No. If you are here to persuade me that he is a good person deep inside then I don't need it. Why do I have to endure all the anger he poured on me?" Beelzebub frowned, his large eyes showing his extreme disappointment. "I am his son."

His mother silently come closer to him and when she was two steps before him, her fair hands quickly pulled him for a hug. "I know, honey. I think he was on the edge yesterday due to your uncle but that's not a reason nor excuse he could use to harm you. I have thoroughly give him an earful of what he did."

Beelzebub looked unconvinced. "Only an earful?"

"I made him to promise that whenever he got angry to you, he should leave his position and go back to his room for a reflection. When he was young, your father was forced to keep all his emotions to himself until where he hits the boiling point. Yesterday was his heating point and though I understand him, I do not condone what he did."

Beelzebub felt his mother's hand slipped over his cheeks gently, "Tell me, how is my dearest son? Is your cheeks alright? Did you cut the insides of your mouth?"

Beelzebub in reply shook his head with a smile. "But I will still be locked here, aren't I?"

"About that, of course you would not. I have come to a conclusion to him that you are a growing child and we shouldn't continue putting you into a punishment like a child," His mother uttered. "I saw you with your uncle. Did he said anything to you?"

Beelzebub shook his head, "Is there something wrong with what he could have said to me?"

"Nothing, however, yesterday he went home pretty early with a very wide smile on his lips, I can't help but think he is hiding something…" his mother drawled. 

During the evening, Beelzebub visited the greenhouse again, finding the woman asleep and tottered beside her to look at what she was holding so tightly even when she was sleeping. 

"The key?" Whispered Beelzebub to himself. He came closer to see that it wasn't key the woman held, it was something smaller, more compact, that could fit in a person's palm.

Beelzebub was curious and his hand slowly inched forward but remembering how rude it would be, he stopped, making his way to the bench at the same time when Wylan woke up, after sensing a person's presence near her.

"You came early today. In a good mood?" She teased but when she saw the red and bluish hand mark on his cheeks, she turned alarmed. "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing," Beelzebub wasn't a child who constantly need praise and he grew up with less praises than other children as his father had never once tried to do so. But to be given care and concern from his mother and Welyn was something he didn't dislike.

"Ice—"

"My mother had put ice on my cheeks, more ice and my skin will turn numb," answered Beelzebub with a chuckle, not noticing the slight startle from Welyn's face. 

"Your mother," she whispered, "Yes your mother."

"Are you okay?" Beelzebub for the first time showed his concern when he saw the confused look on Welyn's face. 

Welyn looked at him and heard head moved left and right like a bell, "Yes, I was having a slight headache from lack of sleep but it should be alright. What did you cone here for this early?"

"Hm, nothing. I just wanted to ask you, do you think it is possible to force your son's name into the reincarnation book?" Beelzebub asked her out of curiosity and was responded by Welyn's silence.

"I don't know," she replied sincerely. "All I know is that I have a chance in front of me with this useless life of mine and I am determined to see through this plan."

"I see…" Beelzebub hummed. As he concluded from his observation, humans do care about the people around them, including their beloved child and the rest of their family members. Such as Welyn who still held to the faint chance of her being able to reincarnate her son. Yet she didn't care of how thin that possibility was and still remain on her hope. 

Compared to demons, humans were filled with emotions, some emotions that could strengthen them and those other emotions that could destroy them wholly. 

"I have decided," Beelzebub crossed his hands on his back and his smile widened, showing his gleaming with teeth across his childish giggle. "Since I think I have learned enough about humans that I wished to know about; once your injuries had been healed, you can leave any time from this greenhouse."

"I can?" Welyn questioned him with a visible confusion. "This is not a trap is it?"

"In the beginning, I have given the thought to depose you away from my parents sight, but you have provided me with important information of what I wanted as a reward, you can leave the greenhouse safe and sound. I will also make sure that no one will notice you while you leave."

Beelzebub held lie in his words but not all. In truth, he had released Welyn without taking her life was not only because the woman had given him informations which he had been wishing to know. 

But along their constant meeting, Beelzebub felt that he had formed some kind of bond and attachment to the human, thinking that to kill her now would be a waste for him. 

Shock on Welyn's face was sincere as she had never been expecting that there would be a chance for her to leave unscathed. She remembered clearly the cruelty that Beelzebub had shown and never expected for the demon boy to even consider the thought of letting her leave the greenhouse alive. 

"Thank you," Welyn quickly said to him. "You do not understand but you have helped me a lot by doing this."

"Strange for you to thank your own captor. Although it was you who broke the rules first by attempting to enter my house. I suggest you leave by next week. My parents are terribly perceptive and I think they would know your existence in a mere five days. I don't want to get scolded," Beelzebub raised his two fingers while the rest was folded. "And i think it would be a shame if you wouldn't make it after what you have done. It's just a simple reward."

Welyn had no words left to say. She hastened and circled her hands around Beelzebub, whispering slowly, "Thank you. Thank you."

Beelzebub didn't know what weight the simple word of gratitude could bring. Being thanked made him happy and his smile to blossom. 

"You should thank me a lot because I am the only person in Hell who would do such a thing. When do you think you are going to leave?" Beelzebub then questioned, his eyes waiting for Welyn to reply. 

"I think in another two days. That should be enough time for me to recover. Why do you ask?" 

Beelzebub kept an idea on his own mind and grinned, "Nothing. Take more rest so you can recover better!" 

Feeling cherry, Beelzebub skipped steps as he walked outside of the greenhouse. Although he was still miffed by his father's action, his heart felt somewhat light to him, enabling him to enjoy his day much better compared to the early morning. 

When he saw his mother, he quickly waved his hand and ran toward her. Meanwhile, Welyn who was still inside the greenhouse looked at the scene from afar while her hands continue to shuffle the object she held tightly inside her palms. 

At night, Beelzebub was accompanied by his mother to sleep. It wasn't because he was scared of ghosts, not definitely. It was that, he could tell his father and mother had a fight and his mother would rather spend her time with him than his stubborn father. 

Belizabeth continues to tell him stories that she knew, slowly allowing him to depart into her sweet dreams. When Belizabeth noticed her son sleeping peacefully, she leaned forward and planted a sweet kiss on his forehead. 

Beelzebub could feel the soft kiss and giggled. His eyes quickly bring him away from the reality when all of a sudden he woke up at a loud blasting noise. 

His heartbeat went awry and immediately he sat up on his bed. He thought it had just been a second ago when he had closed his eyes but he knew he had been sleeping for at least more than three hours. His eyes quickly searched for his mother who had disappeared from the side of his bed. 

A premonition washed his blood with icy water. He could feel goosebumps brushing on the back of his neck while he refuse to acknowledge the idea on the back of his mind that something dangerous was happening inside his house. 

Beelzebub bravely opened the door of his room which was dark only to see how the hallway was darker than his room for once. There was no light, not even one glimmer of light to help him regain his sight. 

Amongst the darkness, however, there was one thing he could sense the most. 

The iron scent; the thickness of the fragrance to the point where it made him stifled, he could tell from the smell that it was blood that had spread all over the house. 

Someone was here.

Someone who attacked his family.