The Tired Maid

Chapter 14

       Good things never last, don't they?

And you having a fantabulous time with Cayn, helping him bake in his bakery, taking orders, and helping out at the desk...even doing financial stuff with him was fun! Well, it all came to a head when you were sleeping in his daughter's room, enjoying the silence and cool night.

Then your sixth sense felt movement on the first floor, where the Bakery was located.

'Ah, fuck me.'

A twitch of irritation ticked on your forehead as you sat up from your bed before heading down. Grabbing a candle and a robe, you step down the steps with a broom in hand, your neck crawling with anticipation while you prepare for battle against the intruders.

A creak from the floorboard stabbed a dagger of fear through, hand ready to use your mana should it be the intru—

"Hey, what's going on–"

You pressed a finger to your lip as you looked at Cayn which conveyed every word that you wanted to say, adding very few actions which included the shushing motion before pointing down at the first floor where the bakery is. The scuffle and shuffle sound was enough for Cayn to get the hint to be quiet.

Carefully tiptoeing, you avoided any wooden planks that made those annoying and inconvenient creaking sounds, your father behind you. It wasn't till you got to the stairs to the first floor that you heard the intruders' conversation. "Hey, remind me again why we're going after the maid again. Getting that spoiled princess would have the whole kingdom on it's toes—"

CRASH!

"ACK!?

"That's what we're trying to avoid, you imbecile!?"

You purse your lips, flexing your fingers to prepare a water-turned icicle to use, straining to hear any additional sounds that you may have missed—

"Lower the ice stick, sweetheart."

You whipped to see your father with a dagger at his neck, the assailant was covered in black, concealing any noticeable features he may have. You glowered at him, hating being backed in the corner. Tha man brought the knife closer to Cayn's neck, enough to press against the skin. Your father glanced worriedly at you, shaking his head. "Don't—"

No, you want him to live. He doesn't deserve to die because of your stubbornness.

You made the icicle dissipate and raised your hands in surrender.

"Hey, what's going on up there?" One of the voices below asked.

"I got our target and an extra eavesdropping, that's what." The man replied.

The next thing you knew, your hands were bound and you were kneeling with Cayn beside you, bound and kneeling too. The next thing to do is learn how to enhance your senses. Control over water can only get you so far.

"What should we do with her dad?"

"Kill him."

"Brutal man, he's not even our target. Why not erase his memories?"

"And let the chance of him recovering happen?"

You bit your cheek. You had the option of stopping the blood flow as you did with the mercenaries at Stella's debut, but that was only one man at the time...you would have to stop the blood flow of three men, which would take a lot of concentration. Aside from the fifty to fifty percent success rate in control, it's the most likely to succeed.

Somehow, Cayn seemed to have caught on to your thinking and was immediately shaking his head.

Fortunately for him, before you could do anything, a red light flashed in the bakery and blinded you and the rest of the people there.

"What the—" the sound of a blade swinging, the grotesque squelch of innards splatting on the floor, and the screams of men as death came for them. Your eyes hadn't adjusted yet as the massacre went on, and when they did, you were met with blood, guts, and dismembered bodies of your three intruders.

The hitched sound beside you let you know that Cayn was still alive, though horrified at the sight. You would have to take over the bakery for a while after this. And clean up.

In the middle of all this, was a tall man in a purple cloak with his back facing you. When he turned, wisps of white locks peeked out of his hood, a deathly pale face with sharp cheekbones, and when he smiled, fangs shone in the darkness. You knew the description, and you saw the fan art, but nothing compares to meeting the real thing...

Especially the power of death and everything inhumane that emitted from him.

This was the Demon King, and he just saved you and Cayn.

The king himself smiled at you under his hood, raised his hand, and with a snap of his fingers, the ropes that held you burnt quickly to ashes.

You were too much in your disbelief, however, to notice you were free. And when he started walking towards you, Cayn went to block you but with a simple move from his finger, the baker was stuck in place.

This overwhelming power was indeed fit for a man to be king, especially one as dark and ominous as a Demon King.

When he reached you, his fingers grabbed your chin and tilted your face up to meet his, glowing red eyes with cat-like slits for pupils met your silver irises.

You swallowed, "Thank you for saving us."

A finger caressed your cheek, gentle and soothing. "It's nothing, my dear. However, we demons have a thing when we do something for others."

"A hand for a hand, a life for a life, if I save you, you'll need to return something of equal value."

A tongue swept over his lips, pointed and blood red. "Knowledgeable, my dear." He leaned down until your faces were inches far apart. "Something had been stolen from my family for a long time now, and it's in a place where I cannot go."

...fuck, you knew where this was going.

"I want you, my dear, to retrieve the Cursed Heart from the Dragon's Keep. Bring that back to me and your debt will be paid."

You could reject, you could refuse—but you knew better than to mess with a demon, especially one that is a King.

"...alright, I'll do it."

"Good answer, my dear." And with quick movement, he pecked your lips, stood straight, and in a flurry of dark particles, he was gone.

Cayn gawked at the events that had just occurred, however, all you could think of was...

"Did that demon just steal my first kiss!?"