"I will speak! I'm speaking!" Shouted Hallow. He was told not to speak but he was on his wit's end, and this wasn't his fault!

"Oh you did," Beelzebub said but his hand was still high up with the flame dancing on the top of his finger.

Hallow brought his wings and a smile, "Are you not going to extinguish that fire of yours there...sir?"

"Did I promised you that?" Beelzebub put up a confused front. He enjoyed the sight of the grim reaper in fear while stealing glances of his expression before then looking to the blue flame on his finger.

You fucking Demon! That's it I will not believe Demon ever again! cursed Hallow in his mind. He was planning a good peaceful life here that he can't have for being a grim reaper but this was out of it!

Yet despite the curses rolling in his mind, Hallow smiled, his words keeping an even tone that was evident from worries, "You certainly did not." Put the fire away for Hell's sake! "But please let me down. I'm getting dizzy, sir." Once he settled his feet on the land he would run!

"That can't do," Beelzebub grinned, his eyes that were red expressively showing his amusement while watching him as if he was about to dissect him alive. "Tell me one thing, grim reaper, do you know the maid name, Elise Scott?"

Quickly Hallow opened his beak to deny when Beelzebub pulled his finger, "No lies."

"I...do," sighed Hallow. This was a matter of his survival. Hallow had thought of it for many time, and he also considered the situation where he would have to choose Elise's safety or his safety. And although Elise considered him a friend, Hallow believes that his safety comes first. That was how humans, mythical beings, and Demons strive to live.

"Are you close with her?" Beelzebub pulled his finger closer as if noticing Hallow was about to lie.

"Not very much I would like to consider myself to. She is a maid like no others here," Hallow didn't know why he had spoken politely but seeing the blue fire that felt hot even though it was still far from him, he knew if he lies he would die here. The gaze Beelzebub had was without mercy. It was likely that even if he answers he would die but not answering would put him through more Hell.

"Then let me offer you a very appetizing option, little chick. One where you would save your life not to be burn here and another where you'll turn to ash. I wonder which would you pick?" 

To Hallow's eyes, everyone had gotten larger than they were, but Beelzebub won by being both large in size and pressure. The air felt stifling when the shadow of the Demon's head covered his face as he had to make a choice between the two options.

Coming back to the present, Hallow looked down on the floor, "You know, I will walk on my own," he said when he got back from his reverie.

"Will you be alright?" Elise recalled how Hallow complained about going out as he was afraid of being stepped on.

"I am not a chick! I will be alright on my own two feet!" Hallow pressed his tone when jumping off Elise's pocket. He felt sorry and bad for Elise, but his life came before everything. He didn't want his soul to perish and this was what he had been doing.

Elise tilted her head. She felt something was off from Hallow and it wasn't his quietness that stood out. He felt prickly as if a slight bump would make him angry. She wondered why but the chick had left before she could ask, and asking seemed would only make Hallow more angered.

Leaving the hallways, Elise took a straight stride when she saw Mila walking out of her door. When she found Elise, she pushed the door with her wrist. Elise walked toward her and a smile accompanied her, "Last night I wasn't able to clean the Eastside."

"No problem, someone took care of it. I heard you got a stomachache, are you alright?" asked Mila, concern wrinkled her face as she stared at the younger maid who she had taken care of since a child.

Who made the excuse? wondered Elise. She had to point out that the excuse was poorly made. "Yes I am," said Elise. "I just had a few sleepless nights," she lied, making sure Mila didn't find her lie.

"Is it nightmares?" probed Mila, "Winter is said to be the worse season for sleeping. Dreams at this season would often turn to nightmares," she explained.

"Just a little," answered Elise. Maybe that was why she had a nightmare of turning Hallow to ash but the dream was not a simple nightmare. It warned her of her power and this had Elise to think that her dream could be important. She told herself to look out for the future whenever another dream came as it was possible that the nightmare was another warning. "I want to ask, Mila. Have you seen Vella around the castle?"

Elise can't get it out of her mind with how Vella missed dinner last night. As she was having dinner with Ian, she didn't manage to speak with either Carmen and Vella. She was worried about Vella with the situation she was going through. At times like these, Vella would need people close to her to be beside her, and be an ear to listen to her worries,

She looked at Mila who hesitates when saying, "Carmen told me about this, and I think I should tell you too. Vella had been skipping dinner for the last few days. In the morning people rarely see her, but she did her chores. I don't know what she was doing or where did she goes to, but roaming around the castle is dangerous. I am weighing whether to discuss this with Maroon, as you know he is a strict man and I fear if I talk to him before meeting Vella, he would put an immediate end to her working contract."

Elise frowned heading this, "Please give Vella some more time, I will try and speak with her. She is having a rough time and I think she just needed some space alone." Currently, Vella needs her work, Elise knows her friend needed money, and getting fired from the castle would be the last thing Vella would ever want to happen to her.

"Would you please?" Mila requested her, "I know Vella since she entered. She had been a quiet girl and I also heard of her family's situation. I don't wish this to happen to her either, but I have a responsibility to keep. As for now, I will keep this for myself, use this time to find and talk with her."

"But I don't know where she would be now," drawled Elise. Carmen who stayed in the same room wasn't able to meet Vella either which make her chance to meet her even less.

Mila sighed and her eyes looked at Elise when she recalled something, "I think I remember Maroon said that Vella is taking a break in the afternoon, she should be in her room now, but I'm not quite sure. The last time I tried to her room, she wasn't there."

"I will try going to her room then," Elise didn't waste time and left. The time of afternoon break was only half an hour and she only had a few minutes left to spare before the break ended. 

When reaching Vella's room, Elise knocked. As somewhere Elise guessed, there was no one replying to her call. "Vella?" asked Elise for the fourth time, and this time she heard a slight sound inside the room.

Merry christmas my dear readers! Exciting news, there's would be mass release of six chapters on the first day of new year, look forward to it~~