The Demon’s Bride

Elise arrived in the market and waited in the place to wait for Carmen and Vella as the three had promised to meet each other in the spot. Her eyes ran around standing with her back faced the pillars. People all around her wore a thicker clothes that were accompanied with coats or cloak. Once she met Carmen and Vella who walked behind her, Elise waved her hands.

"Sorry we were late, it was hard haggling these you see?" Carmen said pulling a ribbon from her basket.

"I have told her not to buy such useless things and look at you." Vella chided.

"I do need it!" Carmen replied.

"I never heard of someone who needed ribbon for the cost of one silver!" Vella felt that the money went to waste for buying a meter of ribbon which was deep in the color of blue.

"There must be someone!" Carmen defended.

"Leave her, let's go Elise." said Vella and Elise laughed to the two. She didn't have friends but having Carmen and Vella beside her, she felt happy and cheerful.

The market was as Elise expected was bustling with people. There were nobles who walked by the market and most of them took a complete turn the posh street which held shops directed for the wealthy people with money. As Elise had never come to such a crowded market, she couldn't keep her eyes to herself and looked around.

"Where should we go first?" asked Carmen.

"We should go to the thread store first, I think it's located on that side." said Elise after seeing the women who stepped out with bags of threads.

"Let's go there then." the three girls walked to the place and opened the door for the bell that was placed on top of the door to rang. The store was filled with mostly women, the three walked on their own way. While Elise was watching the thread she recalled Ian's kerchief and her hand hovered to search a golden thread.

She looked around, trying to find the golden thread when she find one on the far right corner and reached out her hand to take the thread when someone had taken the thread before her.

She looked up and found a lady dressed in a very bright red colored dress. Seeing Elise's eyes, the woman knit a frown. "What are you looking at?" there was certain annoyance in his words.

"Nothing, milady I apologize for looking." said Elise politely. She remembered her mother's words when she saw the lady. Her adoptive mother, Mrs. Scott had said to her over and over not to associates with nobles for the very reason that the nobles were not people they could associates with.

She kept her eyes down, not wanting to get into the lady's bad side as the lady seemed to be very easily angered.

The woman looked down upon Elise, seeing her dull colored dress and her hair tied in a high ponytail it was clear that she wasn't of a high class and rolled her eyes. She then noticed Elise was about to take the golden thread that she had taken and harrumphed. "What? Do you also want the golden thread?"

Seeing that the lady asked she nodded, "Yes,"

"Well that is unfortunate for you because I have gotten the thread before you. Don't even think to ask for the thread from me. It's already mine." the woman folded her hands across her chest, her eyes peering down on Elise.

"I understand that lady," it wasn't as if there wasn't anymore golden thread in the box but now that she saw there wasn't but Elise could still search for golden thread in other stores. As the lady seemed impatient and she was true as the one to take the golden thread before her, Elise didn't say anything.

"Monica, what are you doing there dear?" from behind her mother called her and Monica was quick to pull a smile on her lips even though her expression was unhappy earlier.

"Nothing, mommy." replied Monica when her mother looked at the red haired girl and like her daughter, the mother looked at her from the top of her head to bellow near the floor. Seeing a commoner, the woman made an askance look.

"Come with me, we should not talk with brash people like them, Monica." said the woman tugging her hand and before Monica accompanied her mother she grinned to say,

"Of course mommy, how could I waste my breath to her? This shop had the best materials but with people like these, we are not able to enjoy our time." she huffed, looking at Elise like a dirt or perhaps even worse than dirt.

Elise could feel the eyes of people around her looking at her. The people of the same class as her looked at her state being mocked by the mother and daughter duo with pity and sympathy while the people of the high class berated Elise at their mind. In all the lands without any exceptions, classes are important amongst people like a large bridge to show the poor and the wealthy. The poor life in shame where the wealthy boasted their endless riches.

Knowing that poor commoners like Elise would drown in shame, Monica pulled a wide grin over her lips with anticipation to see her face looking down to the ground but as time passed, Elise didn't move her gaze from where she had been looking at.

Elise knew the rules in the world, where the nobles are higher than the poor but Elise never felt ashamed for being who she was and thus she didn't felt small from the woman's words.

From behind, Elise could see Carmen and Vella came to place as all attention was placed in the spot where she was. Not wanting to continue standing in the place, Elise said, "Excuse me, miladies." said Elise pulling the edge of her skirt to bow toward them, not wanting to enraged the woman by leaving wordless as they seemed to be looking forward for a brawl and left the place.

"What happened?" Carmen asked once Elise walked toward them, her hand moved her wooden basket to held Elise's hand.

"Can't you see for yourself?" asked Vella with a frown, she found Lady Monica and her mother laughing as if mocking people in a rowdy place was a right thing to do. "That two women must have berated Elly."

"How dare they." Carmen said glaring, her fangs which she couldn't hide as a vampire protrude out as she speak.

"I'm fine Carmen, Vella. Thank you but we shouldn't fight them, there will be no end if we do that." Elise said stopping her friends from glaring the two women as they made their way out. To Elise, she didn't see the need to drag the problem. Most nobles saw them as a way to vent their distress and looked at them like trash which was pitiful thought Elise to herself. Every humans were born the same and wealth wasn't something that could change their position but there were people whose mind was clouded.

"You're right." Vella hummed but her eyes still showed how she still couldn't sit well to the two women's behavior. Carmen huffed feeling unfair on Elise's behalf as she was mocked in front of people without being able to help her.

Not too far from the place, a man pulled a smile, his red eyes were crinkling with fascination and his smile brought his fangs to protrude out...