his rising demon

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─────────────── a few days later.

Returning from work, I entered through the main door as Holden greeted me. I gave a slight nod and walked towards the kitchen, wanting to grab some water. My hand held onto the calefare while listening to the worried voice of Grecia, "Good heavens, it's already nine!"

"I've made some soup," Osbert said. "Had to trouble you to bring it upstairs."

"What's the matter?" I interrupted, wondering what was causing the old couple to worry.

"Sir, Wren hasn't left her room since noon," Grecia sighed. "She even skipped her dinner."

"Is that soup for her?" I asked.

"Yes, she hasn't eaten anything since noon and we thought that soup would be a good meal, at least," Osbert explained, reaching his hand into the breadbasket to pick out two butter bread that would go well with the creamy soup that he prepared.

"I'll bring it to her," I offered. "Please go ahead to rest. I'll take care of her."

"We'll leave her to you, Sir."

"Have a good night," I smiled.

Grecia gave me a small pat on the back of my hand and said, "Good night to you too."

I grabbed onto the silver tray and went towards Wren's room. It was all dim except for the bright desk lamp and the lit screen of her laptop illuminating piles of documents. In order to grab her attention, I cleared my throat and noticed how her shoulders jumped at the sudden sound in her quiet room. I said sternly, "I didn't allow you to work on the case at home so that you could skip your meals, angel."

"What time is it already?" Wren asked, slightly confused when she quickly reached for her phone and gasped, "It's already nine?"

"Yes, and you have skipped dinner," I mentioned.

"I don't really have time to eat," Wren sighed. "This section of the agreement was rather tricky, I couldn't—"

"Shh," I cut her halfway, putting the tray of warm soup and bread in front of her. "Eat up."

"Aillard—"

"Grecia and Osbert were worrying about you, and they made this warm soup for you since you haven't eaten anything since noon," I interjected.

Wren finally placed the documents in her hands back on the desk and picked up the wooden spoon on the tray. She ate slowly, savouring the love and care that the old couple put into her meal. It was absolutely adorable how she expressed her happiness about tasting something delicious with a small shoulder dance. I asked, "Is it good?"

"Of course!" she claimed. "Osbert's mushroom soup would never go wrong."

"That's good, angel," I laughed. "Don't skip your meal again."

"Aillard," Wren called my 'name' softly.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going somewhere?"

I was surprised when she asked. It was as though I was never able to hide anything in front of her because her keen senses would catch me red-handed right away. Concealing the rising panic in my heart, I smiled and patted the top of her head, saying, "What are you saying, my little songbird?"

She said nothing in return, only staring at me fixedly with her beautiful pale blue eyes. I did nothing to hide from her gaze, but my heart was aching while trying to remember the exact shade of the boundless sky that was filled with pure light. Cupping her cheek with my palm, I bend down to leave a peck on her soft pink lips. I whispered against her lips, "Are you done with work today?"

"Not really," Wren sighed. "But I seriously need a break."

"Good, come with me," I said, holding onto her hand and tugging her closer to me as we walked out of her room together.

Aillard walked me to the wide balcony and settled me in the lounger by the pool. I still looked at him when he lay in the lounger next to mine. With a gentle smile on his face, he pointed towards the sky and said, "Lay back and look up, angel."

I did as told and nearly lost my breath to the sea of stars against the endless night canvas. Although I had been in this mansion for years, I hadn't realised this breathtaking sight right above me. My days rotated between work and him, and I didn't have the freedom and time to roam this mansion to discover any beautiful secret hideouts too. It struck me as a sudden realisation that I wasn't as perfect as I was brought up to be. The old me was living in a cage — a golden cage was still a cage, after all.

"Wren."

I jarred into attention upon a call of my name, and I looked towards him. I stammered, "Y-Yes?"

"Have you ever wondered how people fall in love with each other?"

Turning my head towards him, I saw him staring longingly towards the sky with a tinge of sadness washed by the silver moonlight over his expression. I shrugged my shoulder a little and cosied myself back onto the lounger to trace the stars in the sky with my gaze. I replied, "Everything comes on its chosen day. Falling in love works in the same logic."

"Will you choose to follow Clarence if you knew everything then?" he asked.

I wasn't expecting he would raise such a heavy conversation, but it wasn't a question that I never asked myself before. Over and again, I tried to find an answer to this question, and I never knew I had to share my thoughts on this one day. I answered firmly, "Yes, I will still choose to follow Dad to enter the Illiades."

Aillard exhaled, "Why?"

"Because on this chosen day, I get to lay in this lounger and stargaze with you," I laughed lightly. "And I would rather have today with you than forever with anyone else."

"Me too, angel," he breathed, with a sadness in his tone that I didn't understand. "I would give anything to have all the moments I could have with you."

My heart shuddered a little at his words as I jolted right up from the lounger and turned sharply towards him. I checked, "Did something happen?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Something's wrong," I stated. "But you aren't telling me anything, Aillard."

"I'm just tired, Wren," Aillard sighed.

I wished I knew how to lift off the heavyweights he wore on his shoulders, but he never allowed me to. Standing from the lounger, I walked towards him and sat by his side while opening my arms wide. Petulantly, I insisted, "I demand a hug."

"Of course, angel," he chuckled breathlessly, pulling me by my waist as he allowed me to fall into his embrace. Lightly scrunching the hair at the back of my head, he left a soft peck on my hairline as he whispered, "Whenever you want a hug, you will get a hug from me."

"You have to tell me whatever's on your mind," I asserted. "You brought me back to be here with you, and you're responsible for me."

"I am," Aillard said quietly, breathing into my hair. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Resting my head against his chest, I listened slowly to every beat of his heart that seemed to thump rhythmically with each twinkle of the stars above. Aillard reached for my palm and interlaced our hands. Our fingers weaved together, each and every one of them. As though nothing else mattered, I found the greatest comfort in the warmth of his touch. Snuggling closer to him, he responded by accommodating me in his embrace.

The following day, the shrills of the alarm woke me up as I reached to press my palm against the digital clock. It was fifteen minutes past six and I pushed myself up to get off the bed. Walking right into the shower room, I turned on the faucet and stood right below the warm water that showered from above until I washed away the last bit of sleep in me. I headed straight to the dressing room and realised that there was already a set of suits which was carefully placed on the ottoman. It said:

A matching outfit as we march into the war later. Hope you like my choice. (Wren)

I unwrapped the towel around my waist and dressed into the charcoal-black suit that was picked for me. Slipping my feet into a pair of merlot shoes while fastening the cuff links on my sleeves, I walked out of my room to find Wren already there as she smiled at me at first sight.

"Good morning, Mr Illiades," Wren chirped, sounding all professional but not forgetting to bring in the familiar warmth that placed me at ease.

"Good morning, Ms Ashenherst," I breathed out a laugh.

Wren put her hair up into a neat bun, and she was clad in a black blouse that was paired with charcoal-grey pants that matched the colour of my suit. Her black heels clicked against the marbled ground when she walked towards me and those pale blue eyes exuded confidence when she fixed her gaze at me. Her hands reached for my tie as she tugged lightly, and I conceded by lowering myself to peck a kiss on her lips. She let out a satisfied smile before letting go of her hold on my tie and adjusting it perfectly to how it supposedly belonged.

"Ready to go?" Wren asked.

"Always ready," I stated, placing a hand in my pocket as I led the way downstairs.

We got into the car that headed towards the main Illiades office. As we made our way towards the conference room, my eyes stayed on the confident woman who had walked ahead of me. I knew that my heart would've been quivering if I had to deal with this myself, but when Wren took the step ahead of me, I felt unusually at ease. Honestly, I hadn't been the one protecting her all along — she was the one shielding me against all evils. When the monsters within the Illiades had been clawing their way to rip my heart out of my chest, she was the only one who held my humanity right in place while tending it with warmth.

Tugging gently on her arm, Wren turned around to look at me. I nodded slightly and pulled her behind me. We reached the conference hall and the door slid open to reveal all the monsters that hid within. I spotted the biggest fiend, who was staring icily at me without a single emotion lingering in those dark-brown eyes. He said tonelessly, "You're here."

My will to protect everyone I loved was bigger than my fear right now. I gripped harder into my clenched fist, suppressing the tremble within my chest. I faced the person who was supposed to be my closest kin left in this world and replied in the firmest voice I could find in me, "I told you, I was never a chess piece on your board."

Eldrick breathed out a mocking laugh, pointing to the seats ahead of me as he mentioned, "Take a seat, son. We aren't here to murder each other."

I pulled on the chair, with unknown darkness engulfing my soul as I laughed lightly, "Yes, we are."

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a/n.

back after the longest time. i hope you enjoyed this chapter!