For the next two days, the head cleaner, Mrs. Ingrid, and the manor’s chef, Chef Ressu, followed a routine. They would leave breakfast at seven in the morning in a dining area set up inside the sitting room of the Master and Mistress’s chamber. By ten, while the lovers were away for another horse ride, Mrs. Ingrid together with Tessa would come inside the room to clean and restock fresh towels and toiletries. At twelve, lunch would be served in the same dining area and they would only come and pick the dirty plates and empty bowls an hour later, taking considerable effort not to disturb the next room. Tea would be served sometime between three or four in the afternoon, while dinner would be prepared at seven.
Solene noticed that she hadn’t seen the faces of the staff for three days in a row now since their brief introduction on the first day. She would have wanted to thank them for their great service and delicious cooking, but Henri’s intimate activities with her kept her from doing just that.
She of course didn’t mind as she had been more than enjoying their time together.
They made love on almost every waking hour, on almost everywhere of their chamber, and on occasions, outside the manor for a very explosive quickie.
Henri had indeed made true to the definition of honeymoon. He showered her with so much attention, so much passion that Solene almost felt like she was the luckiest woman in the world.
On the fourth day, both decided to stay inside the manor. Solene, dressed in a printed maxidress, was at the balcony enjoying the late afternoon sun when Tessa walked in and brought snacks. She had her eyes trained on her husband the whole time who was enjoying a dip in the pool. She admired his shirtless form and the way he confidently swam as if he was one with the water. Henri had invited her earlier for a swim but she declined, thinking it was her time now to ogle him.
“Your tea is ready, Milady,” Tessa informed just as she straightened and faced her Mistress. Her presence consequently cut Solene’s desirous examination of her husband. She cleared her throat and adjusted her position in the cushioned rattan chair.
“Thank you, Tessa,” she stated whilst giving the maidservant a smile. She reached across the table and picked up a hot croissant. After taking a bite, a moan escaped from her lips.
“Ohh, this is so delicious,” she exclaimed and tossed Tessa another wide smile.
“I’ll inform the chef that you enjoyed it, Milady,” Tessa stated as she dipped her head.
Solene saw this as her chance.
“By the way, I know our meetings were limited these past four days,” she started, “so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your great service and cooking. Chef Ressu sure whips up incredibly delicious food, and you and Mrs. Ingrid had made sure our room is clean and well-stocked.”
The maidservant’s eyes fluttered upon hearing this.
“Oh, of course, Milady. You’re welcome, Milady,” she cried out in haste. “It is a pleasure for us to serve the Master and the Mistress.”
“You can call me Miss Solene, please,” Solene advised. “I’m not accustomed to such formal title.”
“O… okay, Milady, or er… Miss Solene,” Tessa stammered which inevitably earned a loud chuckle from Solene.
Again, the maidservant was taken aback. She never expected her Mistress to be so… easygoing and down-to-earth.
“Can I say something, Miss?” she quickly stated, wanting to express her feelings.
Solene nodded after putting the croissant down. “Sure, what is it?”
“Uhm, well… you see, Miss, I had been working in the Rantzen Estate for ten years now and it is my first time seeing the Master so happy,” Tessa started, her cheeks began blushing a deep red. “Well, he is mostly away on business and rarely shows himself in the estate, but a month before you arrived, he had taken residence completely in the mansion, and ever since you’re with him, he has shown a side nobody of the staff or even the family knew about. We are completely at a loss for words, Miss. We never expected he was going to marry, but we are so happy you came into Master Henri’s life.”
“Wait…” Solene blinked a couple of times. She couldn’t believe what she was just hearing now. “What do you mean ‘you never expected Henri marrying?'”
“The Rantzen Clan, Miss, and the staff,” Tessa answered innocently. “We didn’t know he was getting married until lately.” She smiled a wide smile and lowered her head again completely oblivious to the confusion she just created. “Anyway, again, I’m honored to serve you as my Mistress, Miss Solene.”
Solene forced a smile on her way, making sure the maid wouldn’t notice just how much turmoil she created inside her mind.
She was definitely under the impression that the entire clan knew of the marriage arrangement since she was six. How come the maid was claiming otherwise? But Lady Ursula had met her when she was fourteen… Surely, she knew already she was his betrothed.
How many members actually knew of the marriage arrangement? What was Henri’s agenda not letting all of them know?
The more questions Solene raised the deeper the mystery was, and she was certain only her dear husband could clear them up, and of course, along with the issue about his excessive attention on her. He had been so vocal about his feelings towards her that this made Solene wonder. What was his side of the story? How could he harbor so much affection towards her when this was their first time ever meeting?
Arranged marriages weren’t supposed to be this great. She expected distance, coldness, arguments, and misunderstandings—or at least that’s what she saw on television shows. Her relationship with Henri now was just too-good-to-be-true. She wanted to know the answer badly. She wanted to understand him, and maybe in the process, be able to sort out her growing feelings for him.
“Thank you for your honest words, Tessa. You are so sweet,” Solene blurted out.
Tessa, clueless, gave her a smile. “Let me know if you need anything, Miss.”
“I will, thank you.”
Solene rerouted her attention to Henri who was now out of the pool, engaged in a conversation with Mrs. Ingrid who was holding a tray that housed his cellphone. Despite dripping wet, he took it and answered the call.
While he was talking, his back was to her. She couldn’t see his expression and couldn’t gauge his reaction, but it looked like the call was very important judging from the attention he gave it.
By the time, the call was done. He placed the cellphone back on the tray, took the towel the old woman offered, and headed to the balcony.
Solene cleared her throat quickly and prepared herself to meet him. She wanted to seek his clarification about what the maid said, but once she saw the serious look etched across his face, she decided to defer it.
“You look sullen, Henri, what’s the matter?” she asked whilst looking up at him.
The man was definitely sexy up close and personal with his wet hair, naked chest, and sticking pants. This would have turned her on if not for the disappointed look of his eyes.
Henri reached out to caress her face. He was contemplatively silent for a moment before he began, “Solene, as much as possible, I want to give you my undivided attention. I had hoped that work wouldn’t bother me on our honeymoon, but it seems, my presence is needed for it to operate smoothly.”
Her brows arched up.
“Are we leaving the manor?” she asked. It was the first thing that came to her mind when he said he needed to return to work, but this word was so vague and so wide. She couldn’t be sure just what he was pertaining to. Was it something about soul collecting? Or did it deal with real business matters of the family?
“No,” he shook his head slightly, “just me, but I’ll be back. You just stay here until I return.”
Solene hoped he’d actually give more information than that. That he’d be more truthful this time since they were practically married now.
“Okay…” In the end, she accepted his words.
***
With Henri away, Solene decided to explore more the inside of the manor with Tessa. As a bookworm, she went to the library first wherein she stayed there for two hours, choosing to try a book about mythologies.
Their second stop was the music room. Inside, she saw different kinds of stringed instruments. They all looked expensive and well-maintained. Solene, having studied music in her high school years, sampled the grand piano with the only song she knew: Franz Shubert’s Ave Maria. The slow tune covered the whole room and blessed Tessa’s ears who was standing obediently on the threshold.
Solene chuckled after she finished the piece, feeling awkward about her skill, but the maid enthusiastically clapped her hands.
“You’re so good, Miss Solene,” she complimented.
Solene simply gave her a smile. “Where to next?” she asked.
“Well, we can go to Chef Ressu’s kitchen and check out the menu for tonight, Miss,” Tessa suggested. “Or I can bring you to the roof deck of the mansion. Mrs. Ingrid told me I should bring you there. You’ll love it.”
“The roof deck sounds great, Tessa. Can you lead me there?” Solene stated.
Tessa nodded quickly. “Sure, Miss.”
So, for two minutes, they passed by the second floor and climbed up the stairs going to the roof deck. Once they arrived, Solene’s eyes widened. The place was spacious, floored with marble, and it had a landscaped garden.
But what was the best thing about the roof deck was the view. It showed the entire Fair Silver Estate: the mountains, fields, and forests around it; and it also bragged the beauty of the evening sky.
“Wow, this roof deck sure is one-of-a-kind, Tessa. I wonder why Henri didn’t tour me here on the first day we arrived.”
“You and Master Henri could hold a picnic here, Miss, especially under the moonlight. That would be so romantic!” Tessa exclaimed whilst clasping her hands together.
Solene couldn’t help but agree. It would be romantic indeed.
“Maybe when he arrives, I can suggest we dine here instead,” she stated, slowly walking to a lilac shrub. “Or maybe I can surprise him.” A wide grin grew from her lips then and spun around to face the maid. “Hey, Tessa! Do you think you can help with-”
She abruptly stopped when her eyes landed on the unconscious maid. Blood oozed from her mouth and her eyes looked blank. A long and sharp hook-like object had gone through her chest, narrowly missing her heart.
Solene gasped and staggered to the floor.
Venturing past the maid’s body, she found the culprit. It was Mrs. Ingrid, but she looked unlike herself. Her eyes were a glazed red and the nails on her fingers were as long and sharp as the hook-like object she saw through Tessa’s chest.
“Oh my god… Tessa…” Solene cried out, her face turning pale.
“I got you now,” Mrs. Ingrid stated, her voice turning low and gravely and with a demonic echo. “This barrier you have built around your manor is strong, woman, but I figured I’d strike when the king is not with you.”
Solene’s mouth quivered. “Wha… what are you talk… ing about?” She wanted to run, escape from this threat, but she couldn’t just leave the poor girl to die. She had to save her, but how?
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” Mrs. Ingrid grinned evilly. “I’m going to defile you first, taste that delicious pussy of yours and then, I’ll kill you slowly. Very, very slowly, so that you’ll remember only me in Sattus. Then, I’ll use your body for me to wreak havoc in this realm.”
She tossed Tessa aside, her face hitting the marble floor with force. Blood pooled immediately around her head and this thoroughly terrified Solene.
“Tessa!” she cried out.
Ignoring the demon-possessed head cleaner, Solene sprinted towards the maid. Her concern for her outweighed her fear of the demon and his threats. She just wanted to give the poor girl first-aid, but then, Mrs. Ingrid blocked her mid-way by teleporting in her front.
“Don’t fucking ignore me!” the demon shrilled. Using the possessed body of Mrs. Ingrid, he grabbed Solene’s hands and pushed her down. “Don’t worry, you’ll be joining that girl soon. Let’s play first.”
“No!” Solene cried out whilst tossing her legs up, trying to kick him. Mrs. Ingrid was an old woman, but with the demon controlling her, she sure acted like she had unlimited strength.
“That’s it! Cry for me, conjurer whore,” the demon snapped. He lowered Mrs. Ingrid’s head and thrust out her tongue towards Solene’s cheeks.
“Arghh!” In a pained voice, Solene tossed her head back to avoid his advance. She squirmed once again and tried her best to pull her arms away from his grip.
With Henri busy, Solene didn’t expect he’d suddenly arrive and save her. She did however expect that Anklet, her bodyguard, would help her out of this demon mess. Maybe Henri was intuitive enough to allow her bodyguard’s presence despite their honeymoon.
The demon continued by licking her soft skin. Solene wanted to gag. She knew Mrs. Ingrid was a clean woman, but with the demon stench around her, she felt easily disgusted with it.
“Mrs. Ingrid, please! Wake up!” Solene cried out. “Wake up!”
Demon possessions were normally solved through exorcism rites, but still, Solene wanted to try. Maybe she could reach out to a part of the old woman’s thoughts and help her fight the demon from within.
“She’s dead already, bitch,” the demon informed. “She couldn’t help you anymore.”
“Oh, God.” A rogue tear slipped from Solene’s eye after hearing it. It broke her heart, it really did and it would break some more if Tessa would meet the same fate.
“No one will help you, bitch,” the demon continued. “No one will save you.” He cackled with laughter thereafter.
“I beg to differ, Etolis,” someone said from a distance. Then, Mrs. Ingrid’s body flew backward and up, away from Solene, and then, as if it was on strings, the demon hurtled towards a thick column, crashing against it thereafter with great force.
Solene quickly sat up, glanced at the destruction the demon had caused, and then to the one who saved her.
It was Henri, to Solene’s relief, and for the first time ever, she saw him hold his great scythe looking exactly like a badass grim reaper.