Sad News

THE ball ceremony ended magnificently. Now. All that remained was the union ceremonial between Young Lord Damien from House Gregory and Lady Vanessa from House Collins. According to the plan, Damien's coronation as the fifth Demon Lord would happen after three weeks of the wedding ceremony. Thus, there were lots of things to be done and to be prepared. The wedding was a week away. In Gregory tradition, every ceremony must be the grandest of all.

However, the future bride asked for sudden special treatment for the wedding at the last minute. Yes! Damien understood a bride wanted to be the luckiest person on her big day, and to feel special, of course. But Lady Vanessa requested to change the design for her wedding gown. She wanted the designer to adorn her wedding gown with millions of Swarovski stones. It was a hasty request, and the wedding was coming soon. But Lady Vanessa demanded even more! She also wanted her wedding ring studded with exquisite blue diamonds enchanted with blessing magic and made of gold.

What happened to the plain-featured Lady Vanessa? After the ball, she changed. Was she finally showing her true self?

Lady Vanessa asked for impossible things, but Damien just let her do what she wanted. He did not care. Like always. As the future groom, Damien did not take part in the wedding plan. He ordered his head secretary, Felix, to handle and organize the wedding ceremony. Damien made his servant decided what he needed to wear. And all Damien did was doing the fittings. Instead of preparing for his wedding, Damien spent his time in his study, doing a much more serious job.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Milord, may I come in?" Ryan suddenly came. After receiving permission to enter, Ryan hurriedly went into the study. And he saw his master, Damien, was standing at the bookshelf, searching for a book. Ryan greeted Damien first.

Then Ryan walked straight to the windows. He saw his little lady and the human guest were strolling through the garden. "Is it alright to let her wander outside, milord?" his voice faltered as he spoke. Ryan saw them from the first floor. But to not make it noticeable that he was watching them, Ryan went to the study. It was easy to observe them from the study room on the second floor without being suspicious.

"Who?" Damien stopped searching, and he moved to his table.

"The human." Ryan looked at Damien. His eyes had worries. He dreaded the thought of what would happen if others suddenly discovered this secret?

"Is she with Grace?" Damien asked.

Ryan watched the young ladies walking into the white gazebo in the middle of the garden. "Yes. I believe they are enjoying a pleasant tea time at the Rose Garden now." He said.

"It is alright. As long as the human is with Grace, and her mortality identity remained a secret, she is free to go wherever she wants. Except for the first manor," said Damien before continuing his work. "All of them already regarded her as a vampire, anyway."

Ryan voiced his concern. "What was happening during the ball? You danced with the so-called mortal, milord." His mind was occupied with thoughts about things that happened during the ball. Ryan saw his master, Damien danced with a person other than his little sister, or his fiancée. Ryan could not believe his eyes.

Damien stopped writing. He sighed heavily. Damien could not remember how many times others had asked him that same question. Ryan was not the first to ask about that.

"I danced with the human. It was nothing more than that. I just asked for a dance." Damien answered.

"You did not dance with Lady Vanessa, though. The nobles are gossiping about that. It is a hot topic right now in the town." Ryan spoke about his worry.

In a split second, Damien recalled that dance. It was the memory that he vaguely remembered, but it was still there. The memory of the dance played like a piece of old film in his mind. It stuck like glue.

"I don't know." Damien refused to expound his explanation. He also had some doubts about himself. How to describe this? It was like a magnet. Something attracted him to go to Yuki at that moment when he first saw her standing in the crowds.

"I am sorry to say this, milord. But maybe you had too much wine," said Ryan. Maybe his master drank too much that he could not think wise as he used before.

"I never drank 'too much' wine, Ryan," Damien laughed. He did not understand his behavior during the ball. He was not acting himself.

He was the first to offer the dance with Yuki. It was not because of emotional feelings, and offering a dance was a trivial matter anyone could do. However, Damien felt nervous and bitter, especially when he saw other noblemen almost asked for a dance with the human. Damien felt strangely annoyed when those nobles approached her, looking at her with their disgusting eyes. He did not understand how he could describe this feeling. Possessive? Infatuation? Maybe he already considered the human as his new belonging. And Damien thought like those men might take her elsewhere if he looked away for a moment.

"Milord. How about the human's wish?" Ryan asked. That question still mingled in his mind.

Damien answered, "Grace already asked about that this morning. And I will not reconsider it. Instead, I will provide a house for her. But I cannot help her return to the human's realm." It seemed like he already made his final resolution.

___

IT was surprisingly a beautiful day in the Underworld Realm. The sun was shining brightly, and there was not a cloud to sully the brilliant blue skies. The skies were so blue that one's eyes were almost blinded by the clarity. Winter was going to end, and they would welcome the upcoming spring soon. The snow was clearing up. And it was a good day to go out. Definitely!

Recently, Yuki got permission to walk outside ever since she went to the ball ceremony. Others were surprised to see her attending the ball, but they did not question her. Yuki enjoyed the ceremony, and she avoided Damien since then. She also met a new acquaintance. However, she could not properly introduce herself to that woman as they ended the ball not soon after she arrived and had a dance.

Since that night, Yuki spent most of her days locked in her room. She was more interested in reading than walking under the sun. Yuki hoped to get the answer to return home by reading the old books about the underworld. Maybe she could find something. Suddenly, Grace appeared and invited her to take a stroll in the Rose Garden behind the second manor. Grace looked like she wanted to say something important.

The Rose Garden was breathtakingly beautiful. The gardeners truly outdid themselves and took great care of the garden. They decorated the garden with various types of roses with multiple unique colors. There was Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Polyantha, and more. Yuki felt like she was living in a fantasy. It was winter, but the flowers bloomed beautifully. The gardeners planted half of the garden with lovely crimson, coral, and apricot roses. And they trimmed the other half with the roses Yuki never saw in her life, like blue, orange, and yellow roses.

The ladies walked to the gazebo to have a little tea party. It was a great day to enjoy the scenery.

"Isn't it beautiful? Our mother loved roses so much." Grace said as she took a sip of the freshly brewed rose tea.

Yuki nodded as she agreed. It was hard to focus on the tea and snacks served on the table when there was a magnificent sight to behold in front of you. Even though the tea and snacks smelled nice and had a tint of rose fragrance in them. Yuki almost forgot the fact she was in the underworld. The beautiful and serene scene could make one astounded and forgot all of their troubles.

However, Grace had bad news to tell. "Sister Yuki. I am going to the academy soon." Grace finally said it.

Yuki was snapped by the sudden news. "What? Academy?" She looked puzzled.

"Yeah." Grace had a slight smile on her adorable face.

"What do you mean by the academy? Grace, you are ten. Right?" Yuki could not fathom the unexpected news. She was stunned!

"It is normal here to send the children of noble births to the academy from the age of ten. Next week is the wedding. And when Brother Damien is crowned as the fifth Hades, I will follow him to the Central Domain and admitted into the academy, St. Regina Royal Academy. Brother does not wish for me to stay in the Gregory Estate with our stepmother. History might repeat itself." Grace paused. "So I will become a first-year student in Spring." She said after a brief of silence.

"Then… how about me?" Yuki could not help but ask. How about her? Yuki knew it was not respectable to depend on a young child, but Grace already promised to help her return home. Grace was her only key to return to the Human Realm.

Grace continued, "Brother said he will arrange for you a house. Probably a manor. We have one in the Western Kingdom. It is the territory of elves and fairies, and probably the safest place in the Underworld Realm."

Yuki was truly speechless. She did not know what to say. Everything was happening too quickly. And sudden. She was not expecting this at all. When she was busy reading and hoping to find a way home, Grace already discussed and planned that matter with her brother. They already decided things for her.

"I cannot let you live in here. I cannot let you be in the Gregory Estate, where you will see the Duchess. It is not safe. She is the first person you need to avoid meeting." Grace looked sorry. She tried to explain everything slowly so Yuki could understand her good-intent purpose.

But Yuki lost her words. She felt emotional and was holding back her tears. She stared into space and wondering, 'Does this mean that she could not return home? Forever?'