Belle looked at her surrounding, still feeling surreal that she had travel to the memory of the past. When she recalled what she saw, she could feel her heart falling to the depth of her stomach and her blood ran cold.“How long have I’ve been asleep?” Belle questioned, looking at Leon whose eyes stared at her in concern.“Eight hours,” he answered without looking at the time as though he had been counting each seconds, awaiting for her to wake up. “If you still sleep for another two hours, I would have called my brother to check on you.”Belle chuckled, placing her hand on her forehead when she winced from a pain, “I guess I am weak physically and mentally.”“No,” Leon responded to her words at once. “You’re not weak. Physically, humans are weaker but witches are also as fragile as them, sometimes they are even more weaker. And mentally—”Belle who had been listening closely to his words stared at him, awaiting for the rest of his words as he said, “—If you are mentally weak, you wou
Belle’s eyes turned wide open, “That would mean we can find out the person who possessed him?”Leon nodded his head, “If a demon was to possess a human, their eyes turns red. Only those of highest blood like me could change their eye color but in Hell, that wouldn’t work.”“But his eyes were purple,” Belle noted.“It means a witch had possessed him,” Leon concluded for her. “It would be difficult to catch the perpetrator if it was a soul that had possessed him. I would have to kill your brother.”Belle’s face turn pallid hearing his words which he quickly soothed by brushing the outline of her cheeks.“Even if it was the case, I would find a way to not harm your brother. I know how much you love your family and how much they matter to you. I wouldn’t hurt the people you love darling.”Belle felt relieved and moved hearing Leon’s words. Knowing how he had been, he would have killed Damian as it was the easiest solution for him. As a demon, he would prioritize himself but for her, he ha
Belle felt the same shadow that had hovered over her when she was in her sister’s memory. Her muscle tensed as though someone had put her in the spot where blade was right against her neck while her blood went icy as it flow to her nerves. Damian caught her pale face that only worried him more. As he reached out his hand, Belle felt haunted as the same hand had once stuck out a dagger to a heart.Belle gritted her teeth as she looked back at Damian. She told herself while watching his worried expression that this was not the same person who had killed Rachel.It wasn’t him, Belle told herself in her mind.“Are you alright sister?” Damian’s concerned words were sincere. He looked scared as if afraid that his sister would get even worse in her health. “Yes,” Belle forced a smile. “What’s wrong?”“No, I thought it was strange that you haven't been waking up,” Damian turned his fist into a ball and when Belle noticed, she saw how his fingers were red.“What’s wrong with your hand?” Bell
While Hell was peaceful, Leon’s residence was one of the most peaceful one with most of the servant being fired the day they step in, leaving only two servants. The first servant being the most loyal, Mephisto, the second one who always hid himself in the darkness, Nameless. He was called Nameless as he was born without the ability to speak, rendering him to have no ability to utter his own name. When he first stepped into the mansion to serve Leon, he was asked what his name was and to this he only wrote: “Nameless.”The servant was clad in black and his head covered in hood. Covering his face was a white mask that hide his entire face, leaving not even his lips to be seen and only his mouth. The servant reacts well with other creature, only his problem was that he couldn’t speak. That evening once Belle stepped in Leon’s mansion, she found herself locked inside a cave with the servant.How did this happen… thought Belle to herself while she took a peek at the servant who did not
Damian bent down as he couldn’t hear the elderly woman’s voice, “I’m sorry can you repeat that once again— ouch!” Damian recoiled his hand as he felt the woman’s fingernail carving deep on his wrist. As she frowned in pain, the woman continue to pull him nearer.Damian who was shocked at once swatted the elderly woman’s hand, and stood behind the door, “What are you doing?!”When Damian lifted his face for the second time, he found how the view in front of him empty. Spooked, Damian stepped out from the mansion. His face looked to his left and right, completely shocked and bewildered as the elderly woman had disappeared from his sight.He thought he had just experienced a fever dream but the wound on his wrist told him that what he experienced was indeed the reality. Finding the servant who was busy watering the trees, he quickly went to ask them, “Did you saw an elderly woman who passed by?”The servant looked confused, “I am certain no one passed by… what is wrong young master?”Da
Slightly startled, Belle straightened her back. Her blue eyes looked at him, confused, “Killed? Isn’t it a romance story?”“A tragic, romance story. I believe there are many like those in your land. Like the couple from different families who treated each other as nemesis, where in the end one killed itself.” Leon pointed out. “It’s similar but different for ours.”“Why did the witch killed the prince?” Belle questioned, feeling somewhere unsettled knowing that she was a witch and Leon a demon prince. Although she knew it was a story, it put her off ease.“The demon prince had unknowingly killed her parents,” Leon responded. “Their love story started like any others; where both creature meets each other for the first time, astonished by their differences and curiosity. They fell in love but witches and demons were enemies.”“So?” Belle whispered her questioned, feeling fearful of what she asked. “The prince’s brother told him to kill the witches who had been wrecking havoc in the hum
Belle flinched hearing her family name being spoken in her dream. As though she had been pricked by a cold silver needle, her eyes went wide as she tried to make out the face of the demon in front of her. Her anger was uncontrollable. The person inside her was filled with hatred, despair, and extreme sorrow where she could feel herself wanting to kill the demon in front of her. Yet from the softest part of her heart, she didn’t couldn’t bring herself to move her body or to hurt him.“My family might be unreasonable but I thought there should be a way for us to make them understanding each other,” she gasped for air as though she was stifled but soon Belle realized it was to stop the tears that ran across her cheeks. “I thought… I thought I’ve changed you. I’ve helped you. I’ve… I had…”“Unfortunately you could never change the heart of a demon,” said the man who suddenly reached out his hand to pull her wrist. “Didn’t you do the same to me? You think I’m heartless but what about you
Belle who was now alone pushed herself from the chair. She walked over to the balcony. After pulling aside the curtain and leaning her face forward, she found that the view in front of her was at night. Now that she thinks about it, she had never seen Hell at the morning. Or do they not have morning?Walking back to the room, she turned toward the door. Although she felt hesitant to travel around the home, she also wanted to look around Leon’s home, wondering how does every location appears as it was the home of the man she loves.Right as she stepped out of the door, she was startled by the figure who was covered in a black cape in front of her. The person looked at her, lifting their face that was covered by mask and immediately shrink back as though they were shocked. Belle didn’t expect there would be a servant other than Mephisto and a taller man.“Wait!” Belle stopped him before he managed to run. She looked at the masked man who appeared as though wanting to escape her but at t
As she settled her hand on Gorgolta’s hands, the man instructed, “Imagine the face of the person. You’re doing great.” Belle’s closed eyes moved slowly as she avoided the bad memory and sight of her bloody sister, only focusing on the man’s face that stood behind Damian. She tried to make it clear but alas, his eyes were blackened in her memory. But even though she couldn’t see the man’s eyes, she was certain she had seen every part of the man’s face, starting from his hair down to his neck. Leon looked at the drawing that Gorgolta had sketched instantly. The charcoal shades left dusts over the parchment but the drawing that started from a line slowly formed a face of a person. Meanwhile, back at her home in that afternoon, Damian who woke up felt a sudden itch from his wound that was given by the strange old woman he had seen two days ago. He felt his throat parched and pushed himself from his coach only to feel dizziness hitting his head and his bod losing balance to the poi
Belle followed right behind Leon, finding the two elderly men had quickly jump on their feet and looked behind as if trying to find another way to escape. Leon sighed, bringing the boy in front of him that stopped the two men at once.“Wait! Wait! Don’t harm him!” Shouted the first man whose hair had turned all gray. While the man beside him who looked less older also stopped and raised his hand to show he won’t escape again.“We can talk about this. Release that child,” said the second man.“When did I say I would harm this little one?” Leon scoffed. “Which one of you is Gorgolta?”A faint sigh could be heard from the second man’s mouth as he stepped forward, raising his hand, “That would be me. If you’re business if with me—”“He won’t harm this boy,” Belle cut in. Gathering the two’s attention that looked surprised seeing her face, more startled when he saw her eyes were blue instead of red. She noticed this and offered them a smile to break the tension in the room. “We only wish
“We should go now,” said Leon, offering his hand for her to touch.“I do know his face but I can’t describe it for you well enough,” Belle started, looking at him who was smiling, “Do you have an idea?”“Of course I do,” Leon closed his eyes which she followed before feeling a pull that shake her body that happened in a second. As she opened her eyes again the next second, she found herself in a different space. They were standing in front of a pub where men and women gathered but with most of them ignoring their presence, as though Leon’s presence matter so less to their eyes.“Where are we?” She asked, looking around again at the place they had stood at.“The slum of Hell, where only those who are born from the lowest type of demons come,” he pulled her hand, holding her tight. “In here they would sell anything, even the people they just met in exchange for their livelihood. Don’t stray away from me.”Belle noticed the eyes that watched her after a while. It wasn’t that they hadn’t
Helios frowned, trying to remember Belle’s face but couldn’t as he didn’t put much thought in remembering the person whom he was set to kill. As there would be no use in remembering the person’s face and name when they would die in the next second. “I don’t remember,” brushed Helios aside, thinking that there was no use in remembering the woman's face again. “I thought Leon would become more obedient now, seeing how he had kept quiet for the few decades. But I could see now how he’s slowly rebelling like what he did in the past. He never learned from his mistakes.”Rachel crooked her eyebrows, folding her hand underneath her bust, “So you’re saying that he brought a witch, is that correct? Can it be the soul of the witch whom you asked for him to bring?”Helios scoffed, as if refusing her words, “He should be done with it by now. I asked him and he told me the soul is already in his possession. If that’s true, the witch must’ve been long dead by now. If everything went to the plan th
Belle stayed beside Leon until morning, carefully watching his wound and making sure he was at the most comfort. She found out that truly there was no medicine from the side effect he suffered due to breaking the contract.By morning, the blackness that appeared on his arm had disappeared which took around eight to ten hours.“It’s better now, you don’t have to look at it that way,” Leon chuckled seeing how her blue eyes carefully studying his arm.“Is this really the only side effect?” Belle asked him only to see him smile.“My brother could have killed me but I guess he thought it would be a shame since I haven’t finished what he told me to do,” Leon moved his finger, frowning a little that made her worried.Deep down she had the urge to question what Helios had ordered him to do but couldn’t knowing how it would only trigger the same wound to appear again on him. She didn’t want him to suffer from the pain or to have being at unease as he didn’t want to lie to her.“Don’t worry ho
Leon looked at her face, noticing the pain that hurt his heart. He quickly shook his head, holding both her hand gently as a way to reassure her.“No. I do not have a lover,” he responded firmly. “In the past there was indeed someone who I fall in love for. But it was only an attraction.”“But the masked man told me,” she whispered. “It’s a doll,” Leon answered to her. “They don’t know feelings or emotions but perhaps to their mind they associate friendship as lover.”Belle trusted him and nodded but she wondered how the doll didn’t have feelings or emotions as she saw it by her eyes how the doll would risk itself to protect her.“And who is that person?” She carefully questioned, “The one who you fell for.”Feeling Leon’s red eyes studying her, she quickly waved her hand, “It’s not what you’re thinking. I know that it’s been a long time and I’m not asking because I want to put you to the corner. I was just curious.”“I know,” Leon chuckled. He rested his head on the head rest which
Belle was shocked seeing how Helios pulled out his sword, ready to cut down the servant who had used his life as a shield to protect her. Not wanting him to get attacked, she closed her eyes, wrecking her mind to remember the magic spells she had seen from the books she read. She then remembered one magic and squeezed out a whisper that was difficult for her to say, “A Le’el.”Helios was unprepared for the bright light that suddenly appeared from the woman whom he thought was a human. He didn’t have enough time to close his eyes and grunt as he suffered from a bright light that stab his red eyes sharply. Although he couldn’t see, Helios turn angered. The woman whose face he didn’t see well had harmed him. “You’re a witch,” he said, and Belle could hear bell tolling in the back of her mind. She could feel more rage radiating off his words after finding out she’s a witch.Just before Helios would attack Belle, Leon appeared in front of him. His hand quickly placed itself on his elde
The stuffiness that she felt made her tongue tied. Belle fiddled with her hands while the masked man’s gestures turn flustered as he couldn’t comfort nor take back the words he had wrote. He knew the only reason why Leon had brought Belle here was because they had fallen in love for each other. To Leon his castle was similar to his heart. Only a few people could be let to enter his castle and not even his brothers were let invited.And that explain everything of Belle’s presence in the castle.Worried, the masked man wrote quickly, “But lady, that is what happened in the past. By past I mean, hundred of years ago. Lord Leon now looks back at it as simply a past memory.”Maybe, thought Belle silently. But it could be true that Leon’s love stays for centuries that he couldn’t forget his past lover. Belle quickly shook her head, reminding herself that this was only her thoughts and nothing has been confirmed. She needed to talk with Leon and made sure the fact before falling into the r
Looking inside the room it was indeed snow that had turned the room icy and white. Belle reached out her hand as she was hesitant to step in. Feelings the snowdrops on her fingers which disappeared on her touch, she made certain that it was a real snow.“How could there be snow?” Belle whispered her question aloud, finding the masked man quickly pulling the glass quill and the pile of parchment. This time instead of talking he had drawn an easier figure of a book and a human. On the human’s hand was a magic wand.“Magic?” She questioned. “So… Leon could do things like these as well…”The masked man shook his head and wrote, “Not the lord, but a close friend of his.”Belle stepped into the room that was small in size, as though it was built simply to showcase the snowflakes that drops from the ceiling of the room. There she found the crown that was hidden inside a glass case.“But why the snow?” Belle questioned, seeing the masked man’s parchment paper turn slightly wet as the snowdrop