The Demon’s Bride

"Then let's go now, puppy." Ian turned his back to the White's Mansion and Elise followed from the back fidgeting on her way. 

Ian's raven nesting on Elise's shoulder wasn't a normal kind and it wasn't a living animal. It was created from Ian's magic as his tool and in some times work as his eyes by transferring the view it has seen directly to Ian's head. When the raven saw Elise's fiddling her fingers in guilt, it transferred the sight to his master.

Seeing the transferring image of the girl's guilty face to his head, Ian suddenly halted his feet to turn back at the girl. "What's it, puppy? Is there anything wrong?"

"I'm so-" Large beaded tears drizzled her pink cheeks. "I'm sorry." She repeated with sobbings and loud hiccups.

For the first time since he was made, Ian felt the panic hitting to his heart when the little girl cried. A little speechless, he took out his hand from his pocket and wiped her tears aside. "What are you apologizing for?"

Elise rubbed her eyes and tried to stop the tears that she thought would be unpleasant for Ian, but she was too upset to think that she had made him disappointed. He patted the girl's head, still a little perplexed by the sudden tears as the girl didn't cry aloud even when she had been whipped by the slaver trader, or he should say as the late slave trader.

Ian picked her up to his hand and carried her out. He remembered to read a book saying that to calm a crying human child would be carrying her on his arm and did so. "Calm down. Talk to me now." He walked again, the raven on her shoulder transferred next to his side. "What made you so upset, little puppy. If you don't tell me I can't understand. Speak with your mouth." he pointed out the use of her mouth thinking that perhaps the little girl couldn't understand it. 

Rubbing her eyes from her cheeks Ian stopped her hand from doing so as it would only worsen her swollen eyes. Elise pursed her lips, "I walked out of the house at night." She sobbed again at the silence that Ian gave at her. "Master Ian told me not to, but I walked out." a sad cry escaped from her mouth. 

He gave a long oh, making a face that it wasn't a big deal as the girl made as. "I'm not angry." He exited the forest and walked down the hillside. The moon that was hidden over layers of the clouds manifesting the light to shine over Ian's face. "The Sulixs are very good at seducing. They always did that to the people they liked, but it's rarely done. They must have lured you out of their power. It isn't your fault." Those words brought warm comfort to Elise's heart. Her large tears also stopped coming out slowly.

"Let's go back home, I brought a dog that the cat told me you like." The cat that he mentioned was none other than Austin. 

Elise's eyes sparkled with some tears still hovering on the rim of her eyes. "Dog?"

"Yes. They're named Cerberus, but now they don't look like one and have only a single head. I tried to make it less frightening." Elise returned with clueless eyes, unable to understand what he meant. 

"Anyway, he's good for protection. A good and obedient guard dog." He cut off the chase, drawing his wand for a red mist to appear and entered it. Elise shut her eyes and as she opened it the second time, they have arrived at the house. Her eyes stuck in confusion, wondering what happened as they were still far from the White's Mansion a moment ago. 

"Teleportation magic-" Ian explained but before Elise could reply, Mila, Cynthia, and Austin appeared before her. 

"Elise!" They called her name. Ian let her down for the people to greet her and for the first time, the raven beside him praise his master for his thoughtfulness. Mila glanced at her, ignoring the dirty nightgown, she embraced her little body. Worriedly, Mila grabbed her head in utter shock and asked. "Elise, where have you been?" She shifted her gaze, looking all around her while turning her whole body to examine her. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm not." Elise replied softly making the three people sighed in relief. 

Austin glanced at her reddened eyes and chided. "But why are your eyes red? Did you cry?"

Cynthia and Mila didn't notice it until he mentioned it. Looking again on the second time, her eyes clearly had traces of tears. Being the largest suspicion, Ian noticed his two servant stealing glances at him, thinking that perhaps the Lord scolded the little girl harshly. But Ian couldn't care less about their judgment and stated. "She cried. Now clean her up and tuck her in." he turned his face and threw off his coat to Maroon who came out of nowhere with his thin presence. 

Walking back to his room, Ian left the matter aside. 

Cynthia glanced at Austin and both shook their head. Mila who forgot about the Lord felt agitated when he talked but now that he had exited the place, she could breathe a little better. 

After the accident that brought Elise to be a little more aware of the Sulixs and faeries, Aryl came on one bright afternoon when she was playing on the garden with the butterflies. 

"I'm sorry, Elise." She apologized with a sad face as she knew that Elise took a step back wearily when she greeted her. With such an apologetic face, the kind-hearted Elise didn't last long on her words. "I forgive you. But next time don't do that." 

Aryl broke into a delight, flying over the sky with a twirling dance. "Thank you! I was worried that you'll grow to hate me."

Elise shook her head, making her hair which was tied up in a loose ponytail today to wag along with her head. "The Sisters told me to never hate a person." to these words Aryl disagreed solemnly. 

"You can't do that Elise. Hate is one thing and dislike is another thing." Seeing the girl still unable to understand her words, Aryl decided to use an example for the girl. "If alright, if that woman over there was killed by someone, wouldn't you hate the killer?" Elise looked over to the person Aryl pointed which was none other than Cynthia. 

Hearing the word 'Killed' which led to death, her heart felt a painful pang, and tears began to swell up to her eyes. Aryl face veiled with shock she flew over to her face and wiped her large tears in shock. "Why are you crying? It's only an example. Don't cry alright. I'm sorry!"

Elise rubbed her eyes and nodded to Aryl's words to have her talking about the topic again. "Would you hate the person who kills her?"

Elise sunk into a contemplation, clearly, if someone were to hurt the people around her, she would feel angry. But the Sisters in the Church told her hate isn't a good thing and stayed on the path, but after hearing the words from the Sulix she nodded. 

Aryl could sense her guilt, "Hate isn't something good, but it is also a feeling Elise. It is something that a human could never stop to feel. Especially when they have people they love. It is valid for someone to hate another person and feel like that doesn't brew only from having people dear to you hurt. There are still many other factors." she chuckled, "Humans are capable of having feelings and to us, faeries that what made them foolishly adorable."

Elise had her ears glued on Aryl's words. "So hating is not a bad thing?" 

"It isn't," Aryl replied with confidence. "But it is wrong to let your hate get over your head. If you do so, you could forget about anything in front of you." She warned. 

Elise nodded to her words. Aryl flew away and swung her eyes to the side where the flowers were blooming and took the chance to steer their conversation to it. "The flowers there are beautiful. Did you learned how to make a flower crown from that little girl before?" She pointed at Cynthia and Elise replied with a nod. 

"I know how to make a ring out of it, let's go over there and make one, shall we?" Aryl saw the girl nodding with bouncing joy and giggled. Aryl noticed a black furry object ran following Elise and frowned at the little pup behind her. From the scent, she could sense that the dog is something dangerous, but its appearance at the moment looked like any other normal and adorable puppy. Thinking that it perhaps only her imagination, Aryl turned back again and flew over to follow Elise. 

A pair of red eyes stared at the little girl running over to the bushes after having a small talk with The Sulix that dared to show her shameless face again after bringing away his little puppy from his mansion. He thought about a few ways that could make sure the Sulix would repent on their behavior such as breaking their wings or destroying the gate forever but seeing the girl laughing he placed the case aside. 

Maroon knocked on the door thrice and Ian turned his back from the window and called him in. Maroon entered the room to push the serving trolley with almost little to no fear. He was the only person other than Cynthia and Austin that could face the Lord with only a few disturbed or fright to him. He placed some parchment across the desk for the Lord to read. "My Lord, Mr. Brown had been sending invitations to the mansion."

Ian saw an invitation appearing upon Maroon's hands and sneered. "Another invitation?" He turned the invitation letter lazily and scoffed apathetically. "I thought that he was assigned to a small town in Charlemont. As a governer with a very poor town, he still has the audience to toss his money down the drain."

Maroon gave a silent answer, thinking that he shouldn't reply to any of the Lord's ramble. The Lord loved his quietness and people all over the Lands knew that. It wasn't a question why he disliked parties but nevertheless he attended them as a part of his job. 

"Any other report?" He asked his aide to have him reply with a little change to his expression. 

Maroon poured over the boiling tea to the teacup on the trolley and passed it over to Ian who was currently drawing out his eyes at the window behind him. "The daughter of Mr. Brown, Lady Eleanor urged to meet you. Other than that everything has been recorded in the parchment, My Lord."

Hearing this, Ian's expression turned unamused.