The Demon's Bride

Chapter 179: Listening-I

Ian left the garden with Maroon following him. Over reaching the entrance, he saw a sight of a man with blonde curly hair and red eyes peering down on one maid over another, as if he was searching for his lost items amongst the maid; but Ian knows who the man was searching of.

It was clear that the face of the man was a fake, and something that Beelzebub had taken from a passing human. This was how most Demon put on a human-like facade when leaving hell to the mortal's world; except for him.

"Ian!" Beelzebub called when seeing him, who was walking toward the place he stood at, "I missed you."

The word 'miss' had Ian to roll his eyes. Ian reached out his hand as if to stop the man from getting closer, and waved his hand to cue the servants to leave. Although the maids were curious of the new guest, no one dared to ask the Lord, and left.

"Please spare me from your bullshits, Beel," Ian said, truly feeling the disgust when hearing Beelzebub saying his name. "What name do you goes by this time?"

"Hm," Beelzebub cocked his head to the side, his smile was a cunning one that could be seen well, "I am still thinking of it, but Mr. Beel is good enough for now. I will think of a name when the time comes."

Beelzebub then turn to look at the butler, the only servant who didn't leave the entrance after Ian's order and his lips twisted wide, "Maroon," he called his name, and the butler for once showed a bleak expression when seeing the man, seeming not to like his presence either, "I thought you would die by now, after what you did last time."

"I apologize," replied Maroon briefly, his words sounded as if he didn't meant what he said, and Beelzebub could tell.

"You know in Hell, no one apologize by words. We apologize by our limbs," saying this, Beelzebub's red eyes flickered an evil glint swirled on his eyes, "Would you cut your limbs one by one and pull a show?"

"Do that and you will leave this castle at once," Ian interjected before Beelzebub could continue with his charade he believed was for his empty amusement. As much as Ian like to see people suffer, he didn't like the thought of having others punish what was under him; and Maroon was included. "Remember not to mess with a single life in this castle. I like blood, but not when others are drenched in it. You will be staying at the East side of the Castle."

"Where is your chamber?" Beelzebub quickly asked. He didn't care about his room but was curious of Ian's.

"Somewhere in this castle. Let me remind you Beel, I often kill people who comes to my room uninvited. It's in my blood to do so," Ian has accepted Beelzebub's stay because he was curious of the information the Demon hold against Elise. "Unless you want to die, stay where you are settled in," Ian gave him an empty smile, his words were as dark as his humorless smile.

By being the sweet child and a demon's bride at the same time, there would be power in Elise that no one could explain. Seeing that Elise's power was not to break things, but turn the, to ash like the time of the glass she shattered in his room, proofed that her power was raw and dangerous.

Ian didn't mind if the danger of the power could affect others, as nothing mattered to him other than Elise and himself. But if Elise's power was harmful for herself, he had to find ways to prevent her from getting hurt. And first, he needed to bring Elise's closer to the truth of her birth.

Something tell Ian that Elise's parents were not any normal human.

Of course I won't, but if this person in question," said Beelzebub and when noticing Ian's narrowing gaze, he raised his hand with his smile still wide, "Hypothetically speaking, if there are anyone in this house who is dangerous, could I dispose them?"

"You could cut their limbs, but bring them to me first, and notify me of their faults," Ian said unhesitatingly. He didn't see the problem to kill people who are problematic when there was enough problem and enemy he had to face.

Ian saw that over his words, Beelzebub's eyes brightened. The reason why Beelzebub and him could be close was their instinct. As people often said bird of the same father flocks together, Ian knew that Beelzebub was somewhere close to him, and if he had to specify his words, it would be Beelzebub's cunningness that was the same.

However, there was still a wall between them as Beelzebub often did drastic thing, Ian didn't like.

"Wonderful! So where is your bride?" Beelzebub inquires, curiosity was itching on his finger to see the bride that would soon kill Ian. In one instance, the flowers in hallways wilted. Noticing the flowers, Beelzebub raised his hand he had just rested on his side, "I swear I would not do anything, I was just curious. Do you know how your bride is famous in Hell?"

"Hell is always noisy without their entertainment. The amusement of torturing humans in hell would come to an end soon. Unless the surface of Netherlands freeze, it is impossible for Hell to ever be silence," remarked Ian, by now they had stepped far from the garden, reaching the second floor which what Ian had intentionally did without Beelzebub knowing. "Why is my bride famous there?"

Ian had called Elise as bride because soon she would become his bride, and for another reason that Beelzebub doesn't learn her name, and snoop around like a dog to find her.

"Well, it's you we are talking about. Everyone is curious of who is strong enough to kill you. I, myself, is very curious. But in my case, I do not want to elicit fights between us, so my curiosity is pure out of wonder," Beelzebub looked around, his eyes stopping at a vase before his whole body stopped. "I smell something."

"Honey?" Ian remarked and Beelzebub looked at him with his expression scoffing.

"Just because my first demon form was a bee, doesn't mean I smell honey all the time. This is the smell of a grim reaper, did you kill one?" He asked kill because he doubt Ian would bring one alive. Beelzebub sniffed around, walking to one specific vase where the flower was still fresh.

"Milord," said Marooon to Ian, which stopped the blonde haired man from getting closer to the vase. "A commotion happened in the Wisher village, the magistrate had come to report."

"Bring him to the sitting room," said Ian, and he then turn to see Beelzebub, "Make yourself at home, Beel. Protect the rules and we can stay peaceful. Until when will you stay in my castle?"

"Until Lucifer search for me," saying this Beelzebub saw Ian's brows lifted and he pulled a wider smile, "I'm joking, why are you so serious every time? I was thinking of leaving after six months."

"By that time, leave this castle and search a place for yourself to settle in. I can give you a house if you want to," Ian would be more than happy if Beelzebub could leave his castle. Although from all Demons, Beelzebub was trustworthy. He failed when it comes to be the most trustable person to Ian's eye. He believes that trust had to be gained but more than gaining, one have to hold a credibility and Beelzebub had none.

"I will think about it," replied Beelzebub and Ian only nodded. His red eyes brushed over the vase to see the shadow of yellow passing from the vase.

Before Ian left, Beelzebub remembered something and say, "That reminds me, Ian. Do you mind if I look around?"

Ian didn't miss the glint on Beelzebub's eyes. It was not a violent one but one which was like those of a snake, "Go on," Ian offered. There would not be much he could do in the castle under his protection anyway, thought Ian. "Don't forget to say what you offered to stay here for."

"I will tell you when night comes. I will take my time." There was still many things he want to explore in the castle, and Ian looked at him with a smile.

"As you like," said Ian before he left with the butler behind him.

Beelzebub turned his body as soon as Ian had left. He raised his hand to take the base when he saw that there was nothing behind it. Sniffing the air again, he noticed the smell had gone.

Did Ian hold a captive of a grim reaper in his castle? wondered Beelzebub when he heard sounds of footsteps and his smile appeared to the maid who had walked through the same corridor he was standing at.

"You," said Beelzebub for the maid to stop her feet. She looked at the man with blond hair, his features was strong and sharp which was handsome. The maid couldn't keep her smile to blossom when seeing how Beelzebub was looking at her features, as if seizing her look, "Look at my eyes," and when the maid did, her eyes that were filled with glitters slowly faded to a bleak look. "Tell me what are you hiding?"

The maid's eyes looked at Beelzebub blankly before her lips moved to say, "I stole the jewelry my friend had in our room."

"Good," whispered Beelzebub. It seemed to him that his power works in yhe mortal's world well enough with the same effect he had when he used them in Hell. With still a smile, he then question, "Do you know a maid with a bright red hair?"

"Yes..." replied the maid who seemed to be out of it.

"What did you heard about her?" came Beelzebub's next question. He took time to gather information from the maid. He didn't planned to use much of his Demonic magic if he knew it would work too well that the maid become slower to process things.

"Because of her, a few maids died," said the woman. The maid was the same maid who had talked about Elise in the time of the storage room. There was envy that Beelzebub could sense from the woman's heart. For a Demon, it was one of their power to see a human's emotion and their most favorite emotions were the negative feelings human had. One of them includes envy.

"What is her name?" was Beelzebub's next question.

"Elise... Scott."

Beelzebub pulled a smile, he closed his eyes, and the next time he opened his eyes, the maid felt as if she had woke up from her daydream. "You can go."

The maid was in confuse. What happened? Did the man stopped her only to look at her? The woman didn't question further as Beelzebub had left.

While leaving the place, he stopped at one window and pulled the thin curtain to see the red haired man near the stable. "There she is, Ian's bride."