002: The Demon King's bride

I closed my eyes and wait for the wolf to tear me apart. But instead, I feel warm hands catching me from behind as I fall down from the tree.

'Hands???'

I open my eyes and saw a figure of a man in front of me. The moonlight shines dimly upon his face. I cannot see his face clearly, but at least, he has a human form.

'Uhhh… He has nice toned arms too…'

"Beelzebulb?" I couldn't help but ask if he's the devil I summoned just now.

"Beelzebulb? Who is that?" A deep, masculine voice comes out from his mouth.

"Not Beelzebulb? Then are you Lucifer? Satan? Belphegor? King Yama?"

"I'm not one of those."

'Uhh… Thank god. I don't have to sell my soul yet.'

"Thank you for catching me. Can you put me down?"

"Ahh… Right."

He put me down on the ground. I fix my clothes as I try to get a closer look at his face.

"Where's the pack of wolves?" I ask out of curiosity.

"They went to the other side of the forest."

"That's good."

I don't have to be food tonight.

"May I ask, who are you?"

"I live around here. I just happened to pass by here early this evening and I saw you sleeping. I passed by this area again and you're still here falling from the tree a few times. I never saw you before, are you a newcomer?"

"You can say so. I got lost and I don't know my way back," I laugh sheepishly as I speak, "I was planning to sleep on top of the tree while waiting for the rescue team to save me."

"Rescue team? You'll get eaten by beast first before someone comes to save you."

"Most likely," I said.

"I live nearby, why don't you take shelter in my place tonight?"

"I have no other choices… Thank you in advance." I smile, both grateful and awkward.

'I couldn't see his face clearly but his arms are tough. He's a strong, muscular type. Is this where I offer my self to be his bride?'

"May I know my benefactor's name?"

'Or my future husband's name?'

"You can call me Griff. You are…?"

"I'm Lumiere. You can call me Lumi."

Yes, that's my name. Lumiere. The dumb drunk girl who successfully transported herself into the middle of nowhere.

I walk behind him as we walk through the wilderness. After some time walking, we reach a small village inside the woods. There are a few wooden cabins within the village. He led me to his cabin, it was located on the higher ground compared to the other cabin. It looks quite spacious and well-made compared to the other cabin. I was surprised to find such a nice, well- built cabin in the wilderness.

'Maybe this is not in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it's a tourism village. Maybe a town or city is just nearby here. I'll ask around later.'

Feeling assured, I follow a stranger home. Well, soon he's no longer will be a stranger, right? Maybe soon he'll ask me to be his wife?

I nodded and agree to my own wild fantasy of offering myself to my savior and living my life as a housewife, probably bearing a child or two for him, we'll grow old together as we watch our child grows up.

He opens his cabin's door and shouted, "Honey, I'm home."

There goes my wild dream. Crashed into millions of pieces.

A slim, petite, and beautiful lady was sitting in the living room, reading a book in her hand under the kerosene lamp. She smiles at her husband, and look at me.

"Hey, it's you. The careless lady who sleeps under the tree this evening. I'm glad you're not eaten by beast yet." Her smile was sincere but her words feel like a thousand knife cutting my heart.

CARELESS GIRL. EATEN BY BEAST. YET.

'Am I that easygoing?'

"Hahaha.. Yes, it's me, that's me. Still alive. God must have favored me."

"I saw her still waiting under the tree. I offer to take her home so she won't get eaten by a wild beast." Griff explained to his wife.

"That's very nice of you. As expected of my beloved husband," She speaks as she walks over to take off his jacket and hang it over the wall, "You must be hungry. Dinner is ready. Come, let's have dinner. You brave girl, come and have dinner too."

At this moment, my dignity and self-preservation have long gone since I wake up in a strange place, replaced by my sense of survival. I won't hold myself back. I even already make a plan to hold tight to Griff's thigh and begged him to let me stay here tonight if his wife said no to me staying over.

Luckily, she didn't say anything.

Dinner was served on the table. Hot potatoes, freshly baked bun, and meat stews. It's a simple dinner, but a beggar cannot be choosers.

His wife, Luisea, take a wooden bowl and scoop me a bowl of hot meat stews made from potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and meat. I couldn't figure out what kind of meat is that. It doesn't look like chicken, goose, pork, or beef – at least in my knowledge. This is the only kind of meat I ever eat in my whole life. But hey, we're in the middle of the wilderness, it might be some kind of wild animals, right?

The potato and the bun go down easily, but the meat stews take me a long, long, long time to eat. If it's not because there are two pairs of eyes watching me as I eat and I don't want to be rude to my host, I would already throw out the meat stews. There's just something I couldn't understand with the meat, my human instinct rejected it each time I put the spoon closer to my mouth.

Under the pressure of being observed, I smiled and gulped down the stew in one go.

"Nice stews." I look at Luisea and smile, "What kind of meat is this?"

"Lost animal that walks straight into the trap my husband set up last night."

"I see." I rubbed my fluffy ears instinctively.