The Demon's Bride

Crimson Eyes And Hair In The Inn-II

Jiterry with glazed eyes, Elise nodded very slowly and heard Ian tapping his fingers to thread his thoughts. "Why are you scared of me?" Ian asked with a gentle tone that he rarely used for at least a decade in human's life. Yet it was still frightening.

"The pweople in the place before told me that sorcerer would use me as a sacrifice-" her tongue slipped in nervousness. "-Mister, you are a sorcerer aren't you? Will you be using me as a sacrifice?" The small hands on her laps trembled between the silence created after her question.

Hearing no answer, her heartbeat accelerated loudly, loud enough for Ian to pick up the sound. She peeked under her head which was still bending down to read Ian's expression. But as expected with the mask in the way, she couldn't read the change in his face and feared that her words had gotten a large amount of displeasure to him.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'm a sorcerer but a different kind from the one who would want to use you as a sacrifice. Also, don't call me mister. Call me master Ian from now on." Ian softly ordered to which the girl responded by calling his name in a whisper. "Master Ian..."

Her heart had gotten more secure with Ian's confirmation that he wouldn't use her as a sacrifice. In her eyes, he was a rather kind person who healed her from her wound. Although his masquerade mask was very out of place, at the least he wasn't an evil person.

The road has slowly gotten quieter after the time passing to midnight and Elise who had been watching the street from time to time noticed the figure of families holding hands to reach their home with a warm smile. Shifting her glance aside to the bread vendor closing the shop, her stomach grumbled loudly, bringing Ian's eyes to her.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized, thinking that the sound of her stomach must have made Ian uncomfortable.

"Don't be. Hungry is normal for a human. You haven't eaten yet, puppy?" Ian's question brought a stop to the carriage who finally arrived at the inn. As the inn was near the outskirt of the city, they finally arrived after a great distance.

Elise replied with a shook of her head and saw Ian opening the carriage to walk down first. He saw his aide, Maroon also stepping down and ordered. "Bring me some food in my room."

It was rather rare for Ian to order food as he never ate anything outside of his house. Since he was first hired to Ian's mansion, he and the other servant had never seen him eat as he always chooses to eat inside his room. It made him wonder to himself what kind of food he should prepare so the lord wouldn't be offended by a commoner's dishes.

Ian who picked up Maroon's puzzled look replied while pointing his brows at Elise. "It isn't for me, but the girl. Prepare what you need, a normal dish should do fine."

Elise trotted to the door of the carriage, exiting it with the help of Ian. "Wait." Ian said, stopping Elise who was about to go down. "I didn't see it before, but you don't have shoes?"

He saw the girl stayed silent, not knowing what she should give as a response. "Come here."

In the end, he carried the slave on one of his arms, making Maroon's face nearly dropped to the ground. Due to the fact that he rode the front seat of the carriage first, he didn't saw Ian bringing Elise to enter the carriage before. But now seeing Elise with her dirty clothes next to the lord, he could almost feel his blood drained from his face. "My lord, you shouldn't do that!" Maroon raised his hand to the air in act of halt his lord's kind behavior to the slave.

"What shouldn't I do?" Ian looked at Maroon whose eyes stayed on Elise's dirty clothes.

"She's a slave, my lord. Please let me take care of her for you." Maroon reminded but was quick to reject by his lord.