The Demon’s Bride

Elise looked at him wide eyed. Her eyes first looked at the manor and then toward Ian's handsome face brimming with a thought full of mischief he didn't hide to his eyes. She couldn't possibly hear Master Ian's words wrong, didn't she? But from the hand he reached out, it didn't seemed so and he didn't look as if he was joking either.

"Are you not going down?" he asked, his hand was brought forward so her eyes would look clearly.

Elise looked torn to whether she should go down or to refuse his offer and stay at the carriage. Her blue eyes darting around and the little action was followed by him. "Will I be accompanying you to the manor?" finally asking, Ian retracted his hand down to the side. But he wasn't going to stop.

Taking a step forward, he leaned for his body to face her. She could tell how his expression showing an obliviousness to why she would ask such a question. "I didn't planned for it, but isn't it a good time?" What time? wondered Elise, "Austin was supposed to accompany me today, of course as the Lord's companion but he had a work to do." and Elise saw which business he had spoke of. "I have never heard a Lord to attend a soiree without a companion nor will I go alone."

"But I'm not dressed to the occasion." she whispered, her eyes felt little disappointment as she had said the words. If she had known she would be accompanying the Lord, she would have wore a better dress than then one she had currently wear. The dress she had wore was a dress which was brown in color. It wasn't in a tattered condition but the dress itself old and wasn't a clean one as she had traveled all around the market.

"I don't see any problem with your dress?" he asked while having his eyes trained on her bright red hair.

"Why do I feel that is not only your reason? Speak sweetheart, I had told you before I wouldn't understand what you feel unless you open your lips." As he was close to her, his words came off as breathy. She looked up, finding his gaze on her lips as if he was stroking her lips as he had said the words which made her feel bashful. When Ian had called her with the term sweetheart she tightened her hand which she placed on her laps, her eyes looking at him with both shyness and glee that he could see very well.

"I don't have any other reason." she replied, her eyes looking away before looking again to him. She found his red eyes to be hard to resist from being looked at but at one point she felt his intense gaze too hot that it was hard to keep an eye contact without having her breaths shallow.

"Great to hear that. It would mean now we have no problem at all." said Ian tugging her hand he brought her out of the carriage.

"Master Ian-" Elise hesitated going down the carriage when she felt his finger pressed her lips. The cold touch of his gloves made her surprised and blinked at him.

"I didn't remember you to be a disobedient girl. We only have less than five minutes before the soiree would start, do you want to spend more time here, Elise?" His gaze was hard for her to resist, she gave a hesitant nod after seeing that she couldn't refuse him with all the thoughts running in her mind.

"Good. Let's go."

The Soiree was held in the late afternoon, with the Sun still high in the sky a moment ago, now it had slowly goes down, hiding between the clouds for less sun to come and grace the lands of Warine. Elise still hadn't yet entered the place and lingered on the entrance to see how other than Master Ian's carriage there were more carriage that followed after. Women and men dressed in expensive gown and clothes stepped out of the carriage as if it was a grand ball held inside the manor.

Looking at their dresses, Elise became more unsure if she should accompany the Lord with the attire she was now. As the Lord, he was the highest of all people in the land, the man who no normal person could ever touch and if it wasn't because of her past, perhaps Elise wouldn't also be able to have the chance and talk to him. Much less accompanying him to a soiree held for the nobles. It would have been better if she was wearing her maid uniform which make her less conspicuous than now, she wouldn't want to have Lord Ian once again involve in rumors which was false like the time where she had dinner with him.

Ian noticed what Elise was thinking and his red gaze moved to see how she was being very aware of her surroundings. He pulled a smile, the grin he had became even over the plane of his lips, thinking that the little puppy was being a little silly at the moment for thinking too much about her own attire, seeming afraid that she would be a drag to the Lord's name. But he should teach her things like this slowly, so the girl would soon know that other than him in this land there is no one she should be polite of nor be afraid of.

Elise walked through the entrance so that she wouldn't attract much more attention than needed, she kept her eyes firmly over the Lord Ian and looked around only for a moment. The manor was created tall and large as what she had imagined when she saw the building from the carriage. The place was bright with crystal chandeliers hung high to the ceiling, the handles was colored in gold that had her wondered a little whether it was created with real gold but then remembered how there was also chandeliers hung on White Mansion but was always hidden by shadows and darkness because of the Lord preferring less light as possible. Though it couldn't hold a candle to the Castle of the Lord which Ian called as White Mansion, the place was magnificent on its own way.

Her face turned around to look at the curtain that was colored in maroon and the women and men who stayed near the curtain looking back at her with their lips opened and closed to talk. The talk that they had, was none other than about her.