CHAPTER#27: Deal

The fire torches were held by the iron sconces that lit the big room. It was lightly furnished with animal skin couches around a broad circular wooden table that bore a copper candle stand in the center. Some roughly woven sacks were placed beside the couch that contained the products brought by the merchants.

He ignored their proposal and looked back at the door.

The room became silent. The dark air surrounded him.

"Sir?.... My lord?"The man with a bald head in his fifties directed Erebus' attention back to him.

"We will continue about this deal later. Until then bring up a better offer before you become my prey."

He let them off the hook for a few days until they met his requirements.

"The head butler shall escort you to the guest quarters."

"Th-Thank you for this generosity Sir."

"Doesn't mean you are welcome here. Once you bring me what I need. Only then I shall let you off. You have a fortnight."

"But My lord! It takes days just to travel back and forth. Please I beg to ask you to grant us a little more time."

"That's not my problem. Or the deal's off."He got up and asked Blake to show them their room.

The butler opened the door as his master left the scared merchants.

Erebus stopped at the entrance and looked around the hallway. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

-"Strange."

He got out of the room and looked at the empty halls. Only the fire sconces were lit with fire and the warm sunshine entered the stained glass windows in the seemingly long endless corridor.

"Is something bothering you, my lord?"The elderly butler asked him out of concern.

He simply strode out without answering him.

-"He's suspected a mouse in here." Blake has been working in the Stygian Fortress even before Erebus was given the title of the noble.

The elderly butler was a former soldier of the imperial army abandoned in the hinterlands by his comrades.

He willingly joined Erebus' service when he was short on manpower in his domain.

He was awarded the position of head butler due to his old age. His hair which was once black or so claimed was now a mass of gray on his head neatly combed and styled as befitting of a butler.

He had a thin mustache that was also in greys and whites. But his skill as a fighter never rusted to this day.

"Sirs be sure to follow me."He instructed the two men. He asked one of the demons to carry their luggage to their room. The twilight sky appeared as the sun slowly left the frozen world. The days here were shorter than they were in Amanécer.

"That was a close one Lady."Jafar panted and broke into a cold sweat.

"Thank you, sir. Had it not been for you. I wouldn't know where I would be by now."She was grateful that she did not try to sneak out alone.

"No need for formalities my lady. I am but a mere servant."

She looked at him across the room. She still trembled in shock.

He offered her some black hot liquid to drink.

"Please drink this, my lady. It will help you relieve your fears." he offered her a small round wooden cup that was without a handle. It looked more like a tiny soup bowl.

The liquid was too black. She wasn't sure what kind of devilish-looking drink he offered her.

She looked at the cup then at him and back at the small cup.

The faint string of white steam danced over the black liquid. She brought the cup close to her lips. The aroma was bitter. She sipped it a little.

-' It's bitter!"She immediately withdrew from drinking it any further.

-"Wait! The aftertaste is like caramel."She started at the cup that felt too small even in her hands.

"What is this?"She looked up at him. His smile was ridiculous.

"It's coffee, my lady."He answered enthusiastically.

"Coffee?"

"It's a drink enjoyed in Wahrheit and in some parts of the human realm."

"Human realm?"She was surprised that humans enjoyed something this bitter.

"Well, humans are complex beings. They are comparatively weaker than us but still manage to surpass us in every possible way."

-"Humans came into being after the light bred with darkness."She remembered the ancient records she found in the old temple abandoned, a millennium ago.

"Then, if you'll excuse me, my lady." he bowed and left the room.

She looked at the glass-stained doors and put the cup on the table. She saw the faint crescent moon through the transparent colorless section. The clouds had partially vacated the night sky around the moon.

"I pray for a safe marriage life in the future."She clasped her hands and prayed in her mind.

It was not long before she lay on the bed and drowned in sleep.

Erebus entered the chambers moments after she was asleep. She recoiled with cold like a newborn infant. The fire in the fireplace was almost out. He put in more wood to keep the fire alive. The room warmed up. He closed the stained glass doors where the chilly wind sneaked into the chambers.

He took off the cloak and sat on the opposite side of the bed. He shifted in her direction. His gaze fixated on her sleeping face. It looked flawless and free of sin. He lightly stroked her cheek which was pale with a hint of rosiness in them. She squirmed a little making him withdraw his hand in a flash of light.

To him, she was a pure and fragile creature. He lay down beside her and watched her breath silently.

-"How can she sleep without a worry on a demon's bed?"He wondered in astonishment.

"Will I get used to her?"He thought uncomfortably.

The morning sun lit the frozen world once again. Luciana felt something wrap around her waist. She squirmed and tried to free herself and opened her eyes. It was the early morning shock she received when seeing his face in front of her.

-"So close."She tried to move away from him but was pulled towards him with a tighter grip.

She tried not to make noise. He was still asleep. She placed her hand on his bare chest trying to push him away but failed again.

-"What do I do now?"She sighed and looked at his sleeping face.

He looked less scary when he was sleeping. The frown on his face had temporarily subsided.

"He has a handsome face."She said under her breath.

She noticed a scar near the corner of his mouth. There were a few scratches due to his frequent battles.

-"He is a skilled warrior. But how painful it must be for him."She gently stroked back his hair that reached his eyes.

-"There is another scar."She studied it. It was deeper as if it was a fresh wound.

"Where are you touching?"He grabbed her hand.

"Ahh~! I didn't mean to wake you. I apologize."She said nervously.

"C-could you please let go of me?"She stammered.

"Hmm~?"There was a mischievous smile on his face.

"And if I don't want to?"