It didn't look anywhere close like Beelzebub was joking. He appeared even strained and the faint trace of his smile had disappeared, "Just once, Ian. That's all I need." A hint of plead was on Beelzebub's voice as he spoke.

A stab meant nothing to Ian as he was able to heal his wound without lifting a finger or casting a magic, but the problem was with what Beelzebub was going to stab him with. Considering this was Lucifer's order, he has to be more careful as the careful the better. 

"What happen if I don't?" Ian questioned.

A stagnant silence came in the corridor, Beelzebub sighed as if he never wanted to put the few words on his mouth which he did after, "I will have to stab your bride."

The thick black lashes fell over Ian's eyes, his gaze turn sharp with a wary look like how a wolf would glower when anyone dared to touch their mate, "Don't be crazy Beelzebub. Even if it's Lucifer's order that you have to order I would never let you do it." But then Ian wondered why Lucifer had told Beelzebub to stab him when the three of them know a mere dagger through his heart wouldn't kill him?

Sensing something strange, Ian made his decision, "Where the knife?"

"You can choose," Beelzebub replied simply, his answer was very prepared as if he had been told to reiterate the words and he knew Ian would agree to his request that set Ian's mood to the worse as he knew Lucifer was behind this.

"That son of bastard," Ian cursed before picking a dagger which he had always brought with him. "You don't only owe Lucifer now but also me, Beelzebub." Beelzebub didn't reply but he smiled. The dagger wasn't large but wasn't small either, just a perfect width to reach his heart. Without any single hesitation, Ian pulled the dagger from the scabbard and brought it toward his chest before pushing pressure on the handle.

Fresh Blood dripped from Ian's already blood-stained clothes. With another added amount of blood, the red liquid dripped to the bottom of his shirt hem. The scarlet water drop grew heavier before it fell on the ground.

Although Ian was an immortal, pain still affected him. But having enough suffering since nine hundred years ago, he had gotten accustomed to the mere pain of blade to his heart and it didn't matter to him as other who would have dropped to the ground, coughing blood, and groaning pain if they were in his position right now.

Ian licked the corner of his lips where a trail of blood appeared, raising his hand, his eyes stared deeply to Beelzebub's eyes where he could feel Lucifer watching him from, "Good enough, you fucker?"

Beelzebub tipped his chin, once again, his poise had changed like the way it happened earlier inside Elise's room. His eyes trailed down under Lucifer's control and a hum upheaved from his mouth when he stared at the wound that have begun to close itself like a living limb, "Good." He whispered and suddenly Beelzebub's body fell forward as if he had been pushed by a heavy impact that had just left his body, leaving him off-balance. A heavy breath came out from his mouth, panting for breath. Series of coughs then followed as if he hadn't been breathing earlier.

Finally regaining a hold of himself, Beelzebub looked at Ian who had begun to wiped the blood from his dagger, "Thank you. I owe you again."

"Don't thank me," Ian pushed the dagger to the scabbard, looking perfectly fine even though he had been stabbed a moment before, "I was doing for my own interest and curiosity. Not for you. Good night." 

Truthfully Ian knew the moment Beelzebub entered Elise's room there was more than meet the eye. Beelzebub appeared to be healthy and showed no sign of being in agony, but at times when he talked, Ian had been noticing the blue veins that crept under the skin of Beelzebub's neck and his hand had turned blue as if he couldn't catch a breath. 

But it wasn't Ian who know this, Beelzebub also could tell that Ian had stabbed himself knowing that he was on the edge of his life, almost tipping so dangerously close to death.

"Really, can't you ever be honest for once?" Beelzebub asked when seeing Ian's retreating figure.

Ian halted on his heel, turning with a sly smile, "Do what you have come to do Beel. Don't think I am not aware of what you are doing but let's keep this a secret. You don't want the Devil to know what we are up to."

"But you are also a Devil," whispered Beelzebub with a smile.

The next day arrived late for Elise who had woke up late after the piling fatigue when she woke up, she felt her body heavy and her muscles cramp as if she had just done a great deal of exercise in a day even though she didn't move her body that much.

After dressing up, Elise left her room, looking around to find whether Ian was in his room or the office. When she was walking through a vacant corridor, her body jumped in surprise by a tap of finger. Turning her back, she looked to find it was Maroon, the butler whose dear friend was a shovel.

"The Lord have went to go and meet the Churchmembers that is held in The Dunn's manor," explained Maroon passively, the way he looked at her seemed as if he didn't have anything in his mind, but Elise knew that the butler was only pretending to be normal.

"The Dunn's?" Elise recalled whose house it was, "Lady Ellen's house," she whispered, her smile coming as tight as she knew the affection Lady Ellen held for Ian. She knew Ian love her and the trust that framed their relationship but knowing that someone was pursuing him didn't set her to be happy.

"You should not worry, Lady Elise. Lord Ian is the type of man who only promised his life once for a single woman, until his death and what comes after," chimed Maroon and when they met eyes for the first time, Elise saw the butler smile that wasn't a mocking or something came out of politeness bit a sincere one.

"You seem to know it well," Elise said, she couldn't help herself by commenting on it.

"For once I have been watching Lord Ian longer than anyone in this house, and also I knew it because I have been on his shoes. There was someone who I love and I found at times an expression on Lord Ian's face which was similar to the time I was with my beloved wife," Maroon's words were clouded with a nostalgia and a faint sadness which Elise know as she had learned about Maroon and his late wife's tragic life. 

"Also, another thing. Lord Ian's father was a man whore," the butler said without filtering his word, "Most people said for a woman not to marry a man whose father had cheated on their wife. But I can say, for sure, for a child who was ignored, casted away, and seeing his own mother killed due to his father's infidelity, he won't do the same thing. People could cast away people they like but not people they love and treasure; you, milady belong to the people Lord Ian love. I believe what happened to the late Lady Lucy, it won't happen to you."

***

A/N: I just woke up and wrote this, sorry for being so late. And also good night, lol, I'm going back to sleep~~ have a nice morning for those who have mornings and night for those who are also in bed~