The Demon’s Bride

Seeing how the expression of the Duke and Lady Ellen worsen where their mouth dropped, Ian grinned to then say, "Anyways, I have heard that the day before yesterday that there was a commotion happening in the Duke's Mansion. You should know better not to create havoc, Duke Gary." He remarked to continue to pick the spoon.

Duke Gary awkwardly laughed, answering politely, "There was a servant who had tried to poison my family but I have set a punishment worth for what he had done." As he replied, he saw Ian's eyes giving no reaction. Deep down, Duke Gary questioned himself how could the Lord know the event when he had rarely came out of the castle.

Meanwhile, Elise who was told to bring the plate back to the kitchen took it carefully from Ian's table and she felt uneasy the plate would fall from her hands and break on the ground out of nervousness.

"What punishment did you set him with?" asked Ian, without sparing a look to the people he asked, his eyes were on the hand that took his plate and came a smile on his lips.

"He has been beheaded, milord. The servants they came from lower families and for money they harmed people and as the people above them, we need to teach them what is wrong and right by setting up example." compiled Duke Gary and Elise's brows was subtly drawn but she didn't react much outward.

Lady Ellen who sat beside her father spoke, "Not to forget there was the accident of Georgia Family where they were all poisoned to death. The killer have been caught and killed in the scaffold to make a point for the lower class to understand their mistake." and at the end of her words, the Lady's eyes fell to Elise, the red headed maid.

Unlike her beautiful face, Lady Ellen was a lady with a cold heart despite being a human herself which wasn't rare in the higher class. Most nobles see people of the lower class lower than them and a single mistake done by the lower class would never be forgiven at all costs.

"That's right. It was what the scaffold is made for, to set examples." Duke Gary supported his daughter's words.

At that point, Elise who had heard the conversation after bringing the new plate with dishes heard their conversation and understood once again how the high society was different from the lower class. Such as in the way they managed the worth of the people that came in their view. The servants who had poisoned was wrong and despite their reason, Elise felt to kill a life was wrong, however, with the way they had put it, it was as if only servants would kill because they were poor but she knew that money some times wasn't the only reason.

Gary and Lady Ellen kept their eyes on the plate across them but they didn't forget to raise their heads to check Ian's expression at times. Ian didn't place a word in the conversation which was odd for him, but they could see there was still the smile he had on his lips which could either mean good or bad; but seeing that he didn't interject them from talking, it seemed to be a safe topic for them to discuss in the dining room.

Lady Ellen took the napkin from her laps when accidentally she dropped the napkin to the floor. Her eyes went down at the napkin but she didn't move as there was no reason for her to when there was maids behind her ready to be use at their disposal.

Seeing the napkin fall, Elise bent down on her heels taking the napkin to place it to the Lady's hand that seemed as if opened for her to place when the woman swatted her hands with a frown placed between her brows.

"What do you think you are doing?" asked Lady Ellen with a distasteful look on her face to the maid and Elise didn't understood what wrong she did to receive the Lady's anger.

"What happened, Ellen?" asked Duke Gary, his eyes narrowing at the red headed maid who was holding the napkin his daughter dropped.

Lady Ellen could have let the matter aside but for the lady who had been spoilt since childhood, she couldn't accept any mistake from the maid who had ruined her mood. "The maid instead of bringing me a new set of napkin she had placed a dirtied one again to me."

Lady Ellen's eyebrows were drawn closely for Elise to understood that she had done wrong by picking the napkin the lady had dropped to the ground again to her hands. But Elise was assigned as a chore maid, she wasn't used or taught to be a chef maid that she didn't know what was the ethics inside the dining room. The napkin had just stayed on the ground for less than a minute and it had her wonder if the napkin had been drowned in mud for the lady to be enraged.

"Are you new here? Where is your apology?" Lady Ellen looked at the maid as if she was a dimwit who hadn't understood her position yet after dirtying her hands with things that had fallen down on the ground.

Elise who knew this was her mistake, placed her hand before her waist, "I apologize milady for the mistake, I will bring you a new napkin now." Her hand retracted the napkin to leave and not instigate Lady Ellen's anger any further, but instead her fast act only made Lady Ellen to become irritated.

"Wait." Lady Ellen ordered for Elise to turn her face again to the lady but she knew not to look directly at Lady Ellen's eyes and instead kept her gaze on the ground.

"What may I help you with, milady?" Lady Ellen extended her hands the one that had touched the napkin after it had been dropped. Elise look at the hand for a good two second not understanding what the lady was doing by giving her hand to her until she heard the woman say,

"Bring a wet towel and wipe my shoes. It's dirty and I dislike being dirty after being touch by grime." A grin ended at the corner of Lady Ellen's lips who was happy to set a small punishment to embarrass the maid but the grin fell quickly when Ian clicked his tongue.

Ian had not stayed quiet. He dropped down the silver cutlery to the plate on purpose for the sharp sound to clatter, breaking Duke Gary and his daughter's attention from Elise. Elise was also surprised by the sound that her eyes quickly found its way to see Master Ian's displeased look. For once his face lost the smile he always had. The spark of glee also went away from his red eyes that now brood down on the two foolish humans who had crossed the line.

There came the thought to Elise that Ian was possibly angry to her for ruining the atmosphere but she also want to believe that his smile had disappeared wasn't because of her.

The loud clinking sound filled the room and it made Lady Ellen to turn her face and find Ian had indeed stopped smiling. Only anger that was appear on the Lord's face that he had never expected before. Duke Gary and Lady Ellen immediately thought that the Lord's mood had turn sour due to the maid's action which had stopped his smile and glared at her.

"I'm suggest milord, to find a new maid and hire this one, let alone her slow actions she also doesn't have any manner." Duke Gary placed down the glass of water to the side of the plate and Lady Ellen was somewhat pleased that the Lord had gotten angry after what the maid had done to her, believing that Ian's anger was directed at Elise.

Elise felt Ian's anger to be frightening but it wasn't because he was afraid of him, it was because that she was afraid his anger to her was due her carelessness and clumsiness.

Elise scolded herself for being clumsy today and have her mind on clouds. She knew the reason for her carelessness hadn't come from nothing. Her mind had been filled with the thought of Ian and Lady Ellen and somewhere in her heart seeing the two made her feel the painful feeling in her heart. As the father and daughter seemed to look at her with blame, her heart felt unrest that it couldn't help but blame herself.

Lady Ellen found that now was the chance for her to be on Ian's grace and gently suggested, "I know many other maid who would do better job than she does-"

"Silence." The Lord's red eyes grew darker with shadow and without their knowing the flowers behind them began to wilt and slowly turned to ashes. His eyes holding a dangerous glint that tell he would not tolerate if anyone defy his words. Only the maids who noticed the flower had wilted tried very hard to resist themselves from kneeling on the ground and beg for forgiveness for something that they didn't do.

Lady Ellen and Duke Gary was startled by the Lord's words which brew hostility and a sense of anger came stifling inside the room where the atmosphere turned taut. There was little lights in the dining room to suit Ian's liking but this only make the fear worse for others.

"Did I tell any of you to talk now?" Ian's voice was dropped low like a bottomless ocean that would make one to feel chill on their spine like all people in the dining room now. His red eyes stared down at the two humans who was stupid enough not to understand what he had ordered.