My eyelids felt on fire as warmth and light poured onto them. I tried my best to shield myself from the encroaching menace but failed. I shifted my head a bit and realised that the Sun has won this time. Making any movements had sealed my chances of going back to sleep. I'd just have to give up and get on with my day.

I opened my eyes, taking in the light brought by the new, wonderful day. I breathed in, hoping to smell fresh air and flowers. It did not, and I couldn't have stressed this enough, smell anything like flowers.

A smell of dread permeated my bedsheets as I swiftly abandoned them, moving to the other side of the room. Several steps away, I realised the smell coming from the bed wasn't unlike the smell coming from my own body. I realised my entire body could've been made of grime and sweat at this point. I quickly found any kind of cloth to cover my nude body and almost screamed. "Tiana!"

The black skinned Demon rushed inside the room. "Milady?"

I looked over myself, her, and then the scene around us. Everything was exactly like people would've thought if they were to see what I had been looking at. I tried to disperse those thoughts. "I need a bath, a shower, anything, just please get me cleaned somehow."

As I pleaded, Tiana's face lost the look of urgency and gained a small but encroaching smile. "Lord Cerolus had already called for a bath to be drawn. If you would follow me."

'Speaking of, where is he?' I glanced at myself, then gave off a less-than-smart comment about my current situation. I pointed at the thin bedspread I had managed to wrap around my body, tangling it somehow. "I'm supposed to go out... like this?"

"You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, milady. Only a guard and I are here to escort you. You'll have utmost privacy provided." She gestured for me to follow her out the room. I spared a passing glance to the bed. Memories of last night rushed through me, and I caught myself smiling. It was wonderful.

I walked out, a guard walking in front of me, his back turned to me the entire time, as we walked to a nearby room. I shuddered thinking someone would see me like this, but nothing of the sort happened.

I entered the room and almost ran to the basin of water, stepping inside before Tiana could even manage to close the doors. I scrubbed my body off fervently while the sweet smell of the bath salts permeated the air.

I had read and heard about what sex was like, but nobody explained the smell afterwards. That, however, was only a minor inconvenience compared to the feelings I've gone through last night. I slowed down my ravenous scrubbing to take a moment to close my eyes, lean my head on the edge of the basin and enjoy the warm water, taking everything in while Tiana washed my hair.

I heard a chuckle and panic coursed through me, the instinct of jumping barely contained to keep my body hidden in the water. I opened my eyes and saw Magdalene sitting close to me, smiling. I sighed in relief.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Her eyes inspected the entirety of the basin, my body almost completely covered by water. I tried to sink further, but the hard bottom wouldn't let me. For the first time, I thought of asking Cerolus if he knew any magic that would make me invisible. It would've been handy. I only nodded and tried to look away as I blushed. Magdalene laughed.

"What are you embarrassed about? I'm happy for you. Now tell me, what was it like?"

"Magdalene!" I tried to contain every important emotion in that word.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me," Magdalene stood up and walked away from my impromptu bath. She stopped at the doors and turned back to me, the expression on her face a bit solemn this time. "Are you going to be alright? With everything?"

I took a moment to remember everything that happened before. Father not bothering to listen to me. People around me not wanting to understand. Everything that happened with Gavin. I thought long about that last part. 'Is Cerolus right? Should I care less about what people would think of me? Was I correct to retaliate like that?'

I convinced myself that maybe it wasn't all about me after all. People would think of me differently now, and maybe that wasn't so bad. I briefly considered going to Gavin and apologising, but decided against it. 'He would have to come to me. And I don't think it would be enough.'

"I think I'm going to be fine." I thought about Cerolus and what happened last night again. "More than fine actually."

"Am I going to see you soon again?" I thought about trying to mend things with Father. Or speaking to Renald about any of this. He wasn't even there when everything happened.

"I think I'll stick to letters for a bit. Actually try sending some this time as well." 'Let things cool off. Try to see if they could understand me like that. Maybe it would be better, or maybe it won't. Wouldn't hurt to try.'

"I'll always be there if you need me, Soph." She hasn't used that nickname for me in a long time. "You seem different now. More determined, and willing to speak, or act, out. I think it suits you."

I tried to remember what I was like before meeting Cerolus, and how I behaved back then. 'Maybe Cerolus isn't too bad of an influence, after all, Father.'

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"Thank you. Goodbye, Maggie." I snickered, and Magdalene's face flushed red for a moment. "I'll miss you."

She straightened up. "I'll miss you too, Sophie."

Maybe it was supposed to be like this. In time everything would find its place. I think my place, for now, is with Cerolus. But my family will always remain nearby.

Magdalene left and I turned to Tiana, who has made some wonders with my hair as usual. "I think I soaked myself enough. Now, where has Cerolus gone off to?"

'I have to thank him for the bath. And for everything else.'

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"Stay still." The Demon spoke while Gavin grunted in front of me. I'd tried healing his face the best I could, but scars from magical fire worked differently than those from a normal one. The Demon held Gavin's face tightly as he tried to worm out of his grasp.

It did not help that he was in Gavin's room and that I was actually covering myself with the sheets. I thought about what happened last night, coming to realise one simple mistake I made. 'I shouldn't have tried to dispel the sleep.'

I managed to cleanse off the sleep and to somehow arouse the man at the same time. I would've thought the drink and the fire would lower his enthusiasm, but somehow the exact opposite happened. He kissed me as soon as I stopped channelling the spells. 'The rest was, well, I'm not sure if it was bad.'

I awoke to see the Demon nonchalantly looking at Gavin's face as he squirmed in place, trying to spout curses.

"Not bad," was his initial comment.

"The healing?" I asked, as a bit of pride swelled inside me.

"No, the slap. She managed to instil distortion mana as well as fire mana in it. The healing is... well, it could be better." The Demon put one hand on the side of the face that was burned, now disfigured into a multitude of scars and wrinkles, a result of quickly healing the affected spots.

Light seared from his palm as Gavin screamed in agony. I screamed myself. "What are you doing?"

Gavin's arms flailed around as he tried to wrestle the bigger man off him, unsuccessfully. Cerolus shot a glance at me, his palm firmly embedded on Gavin's face. "Just keep him still, will you? I'm peeling off the scarred skin, then slowly mending what's underneath. I have to get the mana out, his body is not used to it."

The explanations made little sense, yet I did what he asked nevertheless. I held Gavin's hands close to me as I let the Demon do what he wanted. I don't know why, but something made me think he didn't want or try to hurt Gavin.

Some torturous moments of Gavin screaming and panting in turns, the Demon removed the hand from his face. There was much less scarring compared to what I've done previously. The skin itself seemed a lot pinker, as if newly grown. 'He could promote that much healing on a fresh wound?'

"There, just cover it up a bit and don't touch it excessively. The eyebrows and the hair should grow back after a while. Although, this look suits you better," the Demon spewed almost threateningly.

Gavin felt up his face, shocked. He then closed his eyes one at a time and looked up to the Demon in confusion.

"Your sight should be back to normal by evening, although it could take a few days." He shrugged, stood up, and turned to walk away.

I leapt off the bed, still holding on to the sheets for cover, uncaring of how inappropriate that looked. "Lord Cerolus!"

He stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned towards me, remaining silent. It was hard to figure out anything from looking at his face.

"Could you teach me your magic?" I could've gone to my knees to beg at this point. He was unlike anything I've seen at home, his magic seemed so different than ours. It would've been a boon to anyone who could obtain a sliver of what he could do.

"No." He simply shrugged the question off. I stared at him, my mouth opened, taking in air like a fish out of water. That was it. My chance at something that could be great was getting away from me with a simple shrug. And I had no clue what to do about it.

"Please?" I tried to whisper the words out of my throat, only the first syllable going through.

"I might consider taking you in another time. Now, though, I am unable to."

"But... why?" I could only look at him in confusion. 'What did he mean by unable? Did something, or someone, stop him from that? Or did he not think I was worthy of learning from him?'

"You really think I'd reveal that much to you, girl?" He scoffed at my words and left me alone in the corridor.

I went back in the room, picking off my clothing from the floor. Gavin gaped at me with one eye open, the other one presumably blind from what much I've gathered. His breath was ragged as he tried to speak, moving his jaw unnaturally. "Did we...?"

'Great, he doesn't even remember.' My palm slapped my face. The simple motion explained everything perfectly.

I stood still for a couple of moments, letting me regain some semblance of composure.

'Alright, Ophelia, you have a new goal now. Learn more about the Demons and meet that Demon again. Maybe next time you won't be so stupid and he'll agree to teach you.'

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I stood in front of the doors of the Palace as I watched Cerolus walk around the convoy he had brought with him, uttering words that I couldn't understand. Why no one else decided to come out to send them off was understandable, if only barely.

I had been briefed of what happened after I left the dinner last night. It was perplexing. On one hand, I considered what my brother did. On the other, he was my brother, and this was almost a stranger.

'But Cerolus didn't actually do anything wrong. And Sophia just defended herself. Granted, she used force, but it was still defence. And also...' I recalled the small pouch Cerolus gave me yesterday, and what joy it had provided me last night. It was marvellous. I felt like I could do anything I wanted. Elena enjoyed it thoroughly.

'He actually wasn't a bad guy overall, maybe just misunderstood.' I approached him slowly, the Demon noticing my hesitation. He was much more relaxed than I was.

I stopped at an arm's length away, putting my right hand up. He took it in his own and grasped it firmly as we shook hands. For a moment I didn't know how to proceed, but it came to me shortly.

"Thank you for the present brother. May you have a pleasant journey." His face brightened and he winked, and even I managed a smile. I noticed Sophia looking at me from behind Cerolus' back. She came to hug me firmly.

"I'm not sorry what I did to Gavin, but I am sorry it happened during your wedding." She spoke in my shoulder. I don't think she was like this when I saw her the last time. I should've treated her better before she left.

"Don't worry. It's fine. Send a letter sometimes, though. At least to me." She nodded in response and left to go stand next to Cerolus, taking his arm in her hands. They actually looked well together.

"Ready, Sophia?" Cerolus' question was met with a small nod and a smile from my sister. I tried to suppress a tear coming out of my eye as they turned towards their carriage. I think she would end up being the best one out of all of us.

I heard her speak loudly to the people around, mostly servants and guards that came with them. "Demos har nos."

'Yes, she would definitely do well.'

End of Arc Five: A Husband and a Wife