The Demon’s Bride

 When there were two stubborn people in a single room, only a single taunt was enough to provoke the other to agree on the other's taunt. Which was what happened to Beelzebub who smiled in response to held back his frustration of being unable to reject Esther, "All men are wolves and you would be better not in a room with a wolf."

"Thank you for your concern," Esther snatched the key from the innkeeper's hand. "But I only see a toothless dog that could only bark in front of me."

Inside the room, Esther sat on one side of the bed while Beelzebub sitting on the other side. None of them want to stay out off the bed and sleep on the couch out of spite. 

While Beelzebub wanted to show by his action he has no interest in her to stop Esther for her own good, Esther wanted to test Beelzebub as she could feel the burning emotions from him. She refused to believe the affection he showed in his eyes to her was only an illusion. 

"It's late," Beelzebub said and he laid down on the bed after taking off his coat, pulling the blanket even though the room was warm for him. 

Esther also laid down on the bed, holding back her sigh as every breathing she made seemed to echoes around the room.. She could feel herself flinching every time the bed sheet crumple. The anticipation for Beelzebub to move from his side of the bed put her on the edge of her seat.

Esther pulled the blanket when Beelzebub snapped his hand to extinguish the fire around them, leaving only but a single candle on Esther's side.

Esther was surprised by the lights, noticing this was Beelzebub's consideration for her again as she was uncomfortable in the darkness.

"When you were locked on the dark box last time, did your past haunt you?" Beelzebub then asked. He had been wanting to ask this to her but didn't had the chance to. Considering this would be their last time on a journey together, he decided to fill up his curiosity of her to move forward from his greed on having Esther.

Esther wanted to answer with a nod which she was certain Beelzebub won't be able to see as he had turned his body to the opposite side of her, "It was an old memory. I am uncomfortable by the night as it always bring me anxiety of what is about to come. Not knowing what is about to come makes me scared."

Beelzebub didn't answer but kept her answer in his mind. 

Unable to sleep, Esther decided that being stubborn wasn't enough to bring Beelzebub's real heart and thoughts. 

"Are you afraid?" Esther asked him. 

The question surprised Beelzebub because no one had ever asked him the same question she had uttered. 

"I have killed what makes me scared, nothing else can make me cower in fear and run away again," Beelzebub replied to her. "Have you ever seen me scared?"

"Never," Esther admitted. "When you fought, you were gallant. Whenever danger was in front of you, I can find you looking at the danger with intrigue, just like a child who had found his treasure box. But at the same time you were a coward."

Beelzebub's red eyes narrowed when he heard a sudden action beside his ears as Esther had sat up from the bed. Before Beelzebub could look beside him to see what Esther was doing, she had pulled his arm and climbed on top of him.

There was no moment for Beelzebub to act as Esther had taken him by surprise. But he was stunned only on Esther's daring behavior but also how she looked on top of him. 

Her long black hair scattered over her shoulder while one strap of her nightgown has slipped over her shoulder, subtly enhancing the upper curve of her breast. The way the dim light deepened the mood of that night makes it even more difficult for Beelzebub to stay unattracted by her.

But out of everything that had turned him on, it was Esther's eyes on him that aroused him further. 

His attention was drawn back when her lips moved and she spoke, "I have been watching you. My eyes followed you more than I can control myself with. I noticed that at first you were active in approaching me. Was there really nothing that you feel toward me, Beelzebub?"

Beelzebub's red eyes looked away from her. Esther didn't know how difficult it was for him to hold on to his sanity. The very thought of having her near her almost drives him mad and now with her on top of him, straddling on his stomach, how can he keep a straight mind?

'Push her down then?' His own voice played on his head. It was his greed that spoke to him again. 'You will regret it if you don't'

He knew he would regret it! 

He knew how pushing away Esther would make him regret his entire life for letting her go. But he also knows how bottomless his greed was. If he had agreed to his greed's wish, in exchange his greed would want more, he would want more of Esther. He would want to possess her, make her for his own and his obsession won't end until he possess her entirely deep down to her soul. 

For that, he would. Kill her. 

He had seen the previous Beelzebub's greed and what the greed had resulted in. 

He cannot afford to lose Esther. 

Esther's eyes looking at him hoping for the word she wish to hear hurt him too. He had to hardened his heart, "No. I approached you because you were interesting. I have seen what I wanted to see and my interest goes until there."

Esther frowned at his words. She felt a desperate need to find his traces of lies. But Beelzebub was such a good liar that she wasn't able to find anything. 

Beelzebub sighed, "You got your answer can you move now?" 

Esther bite down her lips. Was all this time she was played by her own emotions?

Esther's eyes sank at once while Beelzebub was battling his inner greed that beckoned him to push Esther down.

"I guess I was the only one who had felt it," Esther leaned forward to look deeper into Beelzebub's eyes, "I was dumb for allowing myself to open to you."

Beelzebub watched Esther as she pushed herself off him. Her defeated back slumped as she walked out from the room, pulling her coat with her.

Beelzebub pushed himself from the bed. After looking down at the area of his legs, he then slammed his fist to the bed. "You should die, Beelzebub," he cursed to himself.

Esther took a fresh air outside of the inn. She could feel the area around her eyes burning but she didn't cry. She had forgotten when was her last time crying and stopped shedding tears to strengthen her resolve. 

She closed herself from people to protect herself and thought it was okay to let Beelzebub into her world. He managed to break into her heart and she wondered why she had accepted him so readily. 

"Such a fool," Esther said to herself. If she had known that the interest Beelzebub showed to her in the beginning would disappear the moment he found out about her true self, she would rather to never let him in. 

But regretting now was futile. It was true that she loved him. The painful ache that squeezed her heart spoke true about her love for him and being rejected coldly by Beelzebub didn't stop the love at all, it only made it worse.

"What a fool, Esther," she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest and bending her head to bury her face over her knees.

When morning came, Beelzebub walked out of the room. In fact, he hadn't been sleeping, waiting for Esther and finding her entering the room again not long after. However, she had decided to sleep on the couch rather than to stay beside him. 

Esther had woken up first and Beelzebub purposely walk out off the room after her to not make the situation awkward.

The only table that was opened for him to sit was in front of Esther and he reluctantly took a seat. 

Esther silently spread the butter over her bread. Beelzebub took a glance on her drinking the red tea when Esther said, "You don't have to pretend you are asleep or wake up after me again. I won't ask for the unreasonable thing nor will I force you to accept or understand my feeling to you."

Beelzebub was stunned at her words. He looked to see her eyes red but there was no trace of tears in her eyes. The sight caused him to be angry— angry to his foolish self.

"It was my mistake to have allowed you played with my feelings and although I wish to have nothing to do with you now, I have promised to help you and will continue to do so until this journey ends," Esther continued. She forcefully suck in her breaths that hitch. "I will try to keep a distance between you and me. Rest easy."

Beelzebub saw Esther ate the last piece of the bread before pushing herself from the chair and walked up to the room. 

Seeing her pained expression, Beelzebub could fathom that her expression would burn in his mind forever to the end of his life.