The Demon's Bride

Esther followed where Dalton bring her to. She looked left and right of the barren forest where the trees lack of leaves to give a life into it. Red wold flowers grew over the dry path underneath her shoes.

"Where are we going to?" Esther questioned, wondering how Dalton could find Beelzebub.

Worse than her, Dalton is a human, someone much weaker compared to the rest of demons living in Hell. Yet miraculously he managed to spend one year in Hell without losing a single limb from his body.

This was a puzzle to Esther and she could only guess the witch that Dalton talk about dearly treasured Dalton enough to help him.

Not to mention, he was able to escape from the gambling house despite the place being crowded by demons and demonic servants.

"I met a person who had helped me through the span on one year which I spent here in Hell. You might be confused, milady, but I assure you to trust me," Dalton promised.

"Was the object of teleportation and the smoke earlier was made by the same person you are speaking of?" Esther questioned, finding Dalton nodding his head.

"She is a witch, they said," Dalton explained.

"A witch?" In Hell? Confused Esther wondered in her mind. "I trust you, Dalton because I can see by my own eyes what kind of person you are but I do not trust this person whom you are calling as a witch. In Hell, nothing is free."

Dalton didn't go against Esther's words, instead agreeing, "Yes, milady. I have seen how in Hell nothing is free. One help for even a drop of a water, require a payment in change. I have seen how things work here and I have also learned that using my personal belief as a human would never work against this place, where demons live and strive in. She was the one who told me this as well."

"She as in the witch," Esther made it clear and Dalton nodded his head once again at her explanation.

"It's that, in a turn of fortunate event when she was in need of help, I was somewhere near her and was fortunate to help her from a danger that could have taken her life. She was almost kidnapped by a soul trafficking demons. It is because half of her soul is a human's, the soul trafficking demons tried to capture her to sell her soul," Dalton explained in details.

"And in repayment for helping her, she promised to help you?" Esther questioned for Dalton to confirm.

"Yes, milady. I couldn't refuse her as I am also aware that the chances for me to remain alive in Hell is close to zero," Dalton pointed out a point which Esther agreed to.

"I don't think she would be please to know you bring me to her location," Esther whispered.

"I am sure not. The witch is a very kind person, milady," Dalton stepped deeper to the forest instead of leaving the forest. Esther thought the location of the witch would be hidden somewhere inside the forest but instead, the made a stop in the mouth of a large cavity over the foot of a burning mountain.

"A cave?" Esther asked.

"We are yet to be there, milady. Please follow me," Dalton made his way inside the eerie looking cave without an ounce of fear.

Esther felt unsettled at the cave as the place was narrow and dark. When Beelzebub's face come to her mind, however, Esther's fear left her and what was left was determination for her to find him. Find him and help him. Also this time, she swore to let out the words she wasn't able to say to him last time.

While she was in a deep thought, Esther didn't notice how Dalton suddenly disappeared from in front of her. Esther only noticed it when her eyes that had been looking at her own shoes noticed the dead end of a wall in front of her.

Her chin lifted up, confused as she couldn't find Dalton.

"Oh shit," cursed Esther to herself when all of a sudden a hand appeared from the wall she was standing before. The hand at once pulled her inside, causing Esther's heart to jump.

She stifled her scream, almost falling forward when another hand had caught her shoulder, helping her to regain her stability.

She looked up, finding it was Dalton.

"The wall…" Esther said in startle.

Dalton smiled, "It is an illusion, milady. The entire mountain is not here but a mere illusion."

Esther realized what Dalton meant by illusion when she looked around her, witnessing that she was suddenly inside a luxurious interior of a room.

The fluffy red carpet on her shoes was clean to the point that it held no dust. The floor around her was squeaky clean, sparkling as if it was a gem. The chandelier silently brought light to the room.

Her venture using her sight ended when she heard a toned cough.

"Dalton. I did say you can do what you like to do but bringing a demon inside my home is not what I would like you to do," said the woman. Her dress was pitch black in color. A frown on her fair forehead and her pale complexion made her appear chilling.

The contrast of her long blonde hair and her red eyes also made an impact to Esther.

"No," the witch hummed, "You are not a demon but not a human. You are… someone like me."

"Pardon?" Esther tilted her head, "Someone like you?"

Dalton politely bent his body forward, "I apologize for not notifying you beforehand, Lady Venervy. It was urgent and this person is someone who I am acquainted with. She was in a bind and I am not able to turn a blind eye into the need of help the person I know."

Venervy raised her hand, "That's not the problem. You. Who are you exactly?"

Esther replied the woman's question with a smirk, "I wonder who you are as well? It's inappropriate for you to ask my name without introducing yourself."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "I would feel that we can be a friend if not for that smart mouth of yours. You are not a demon but not a human either. Am I correct?"

"And so are you, I suspect," replied Esther while staring back at the woman's eyes.

"Lady Venervy, she wishes to help me to meet Ernest again and I would like if you can help Lady Esther to find the location of the demon, Beelzebub," cut Dalton. She could see how the woman had started at the wrong foot and didn't want them to fight.

"Beel? You want to meet Beel?" Venervy questioned with her eyes brushing up and down on Esther's entire figure. "You must be one of his lovers. Coming for revenge? I advised you not to."

"L… Lovers?" Esther almost choked on her words as she repeated the word. With her eyes wide she shook her head, "No that's not how it is."

"Don't be shy. I know it because once I have shared that kind of relationship with him. What can one expect. He is a high demon, famous all over Hell, young, and handsome," Venervy explained. "Though I doubt with the amount of women he slept around he would even remember me."

Esther felt as though waves had hit her. There were many things for her to process, but it was more difficult for her to process the sharp pain that stung her heart when Venervy retold her past relationship toward her.

"You were in a relationship with Beel?" Esther could feel how her voice break and hated the way her own voice waver as she asked the question.

"It was a casual relationship," Venervy shrugged her shoulders but narrow her eyes in a smile when she noticed the stormy expression which Esther had on her face. "But he did whispers lots of sweet words to me."

"I see," Esther looked away. Why should she be in pain hearing this? Beelzebub live as long as her, perhaps she was even older than him, but no demon would keep their chastity like her did. It wasn't that Esther want to keep her pure until her marriage. She didn't care about such things but because she didn't want to give her body to a person she can't trust and in her entire life, she could only trust herself.

The opinion hadn't change and she couldn't expect Beelzebub to have the same mindset as her. After all, demons chase for the amusement of the world, to satisfy their lusts, greed, and pride.

It should be normal for him to sleep around.

It should be normal for her to listen to this.

But the pain that stab and squeeze her heart was not normal.

"I didn't came there to meet him for such reason as you said," Esther firmed herself. She had to build walls to protect herself and somewhere Beelzebub had melted the sides of the wall only for her wall to harden again now. "I came here only to help him. I don't care what relationship you had with Beel but I have to say this to you that it is embarrassing to see and adult woman trying to prove their better than the other. But yes, you are still a child, what can I expect."

Venervy looked at Esther with a deep frown as her hand that held the railing of the staircase tighten. Sparks seemed to sizzle when Esther's blue eyes met her red ones.f𝚛e𝗲𝔀e𝚋𝑛o𝘃𝒆𝗹.c𝗼𝒎