The carriage ride home starts off bouncy. She tells the butler her address, and they set off.

The rain has long since ended, but the chill in the air remains.

Sable doesn’t know what to say to Malcolm.

Aside from Evie, she doesn’t really have friends.

And outside of Silas and her father, she’s barely spoken to any men.

She’s also clearly never spoken to a demon before today.

What do demons even talk about? she thinks to herself, clenching her fists against her now clean gown.

Malcolm looks at her, and without even looking at him, she can feel his gaze on her. But his eyes do not make her uncomfortable the way Silas’ do. Silas looks at her like she’s either a piece of meat or some piece of jewelry.

In a way, Malcolm looks at her like she’s a puzzle that he can’t figure out.

“Not many people would do what you did tonight,” he tells her suddenly, breaking the silence.

She blinks up at him. “Hm?” she asks.

“After hearing I’m a demon, most people would be running far, far away, instead of being the ones to offer a contract.”

Sable smirks. “True, I suppose.”

“Why did you want to make a contract with me?”

Sable wants to wrap her arms around her legs, but her cumbersome skirts prevent her from doing so. “Well…” she begins. “As I said, my fiance is a bastard.”

“Understood,” Malcolm replies. “What sort of curse would you like placed upon him?”

Sable thinks for a moment. “Hm. Well, he has a deep love of money. He’s already inherited his father’s factories, but that isn’t enough for him. That’s why we’re engaged; he wants to own my father’s textile company.

“So…” She leans back. “Perhaps something related to money.” Her eyes sparkle. “Oh. He loves to gamble. Maybe a curse that disrupts that. A curse that ruins his factories. Makes it so he can’t make the money he loves so much.”

Malcolm chuckles. “That’s quite cruel, Sable.”

She glances up at him. “Judgemental words from a demon,” she answers.

“Demons are not inherently evil,” Malcolm tells her. “That is a mere myth.”

Sable tilts her head. “So, what are some other myths about demons and angels?” she asks him. “Why are they still…well, why is their existence still so debated?”

Malcolm cups his chin in his hands. “Well…let’s just say that demons who come to the human realm prefer to blend in as humans. Hereafter is meant to stay mostly a secret. We can divulge some truths about it, but humans aren’t meant to know what happens to them after death. And angels prefer to stay far away from living humans.”

“I see,” Sable says. “I was going to ask about Hereafter, but…”

Malcolm’s jaw tightens. “I am not permitted to tell you about Hereafter. You’ll have to find out about it after you die, the way most humans do.”

“Understood,” she replies.

Malcolm’s eyes glint. “You truly are a strange human, Sable,” he says.

Hearing her first name come from a man’s mouth, a man who isn’t her father or her butler or even Silas, is strange to her. “What do you mean by that, Malcolm?” she asks him.

“Again, most humans would be pestering me about Hereafter, about what happens after they die, and what demons and angels’ roles are in all of that.”

Sable shrugs. “You’re not supposed to tell me, and I can respect that,” she replies. She’s been pestered by too many questions she either doesn’t want to or can’t answer her entire life, ranging from “Where are you from?” to “Are you truly Buenavairan?” She doesn’t want to bother Malcolm with vexing questions herself.

“Besides,” she says with a smile. “Perhaps you’ll tell me such secrets in your own time in the future, who knows?”

Malcolm laughs softly. “Who knows, indeed?” he asks.

The carriage stops, and Sable looks outside to see her manor. She can’t help but gasp; the carriage ride seemingly went by in no time at all.

Up until now, only her conversations with Evie have made time feel like liquid.

The lights in her manor are still on, and her stomach swoops.

Malcolm exits the carriage first, and as Sable makes her way to follow, he offers her his hand to help her out.

She takes his hand as she leaves.

She has to take a few deep breaths before ringing her doorbell. How on earth is she going to explain this to her family?

Father, Mother, I want to break off my engagement to Silas Montgomery. Why? Because I want to marry this man I met only a few hours ago.

Although Malcolm has already proven himself to be a better man than Silas could ever hope to be in those few hours, it sounds ridiculous to even her.

He looks at her confusedly. “Shall we ring the doorbell?” he asks her.

Sable swallows, then nods. She presses the doorbell.

Footsteps. She already hears footsteps.

Olivia is the one to open the door, and she squeaks upon seeing Sable. “M-Miss Whittaker!” she cries. “Mr. Whittaker!” she calls behind her. “Miss Whittaker is home!” She sees Malcolm, and for some reason, she seems to turn ashen the moment her eyes rest on him.

Even more footsteps. Sable buries her fists in her skirts.

Father and Mother arrive in her line of vision. “Sable!” Father cries. “Inside, now!”

His brown eyes dart up, and for the first time, he sees Malcolm. “Who are…” he begins, but then she hears more footsteps.

To her great displeasure, Silas walks into view.

Malcolm smiles politely. “Hello,” he says. “My name is Malcolm Leroux. I have some things I would like to ask of you.”

Silas opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Father says, “Come inside.”

Father’s expression is unreadable.

Sable gulps again as they walk inside. Malcolm waves at Carter.

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The doors slam shut.

Mother turns to Olivia. “Olivia,” she begins. “Please prepare some tea for our guest.”

“Y-yes, ma’am,” Olivia says with a curtsy. She glances at Malcolm once more before rushing off to the kitchen.

Why does Olivia seem so wary of Malcolm?

Father leads them to the main hall, where Malcolm sits across from the Whittakers. Silas opts for a chair next to them.

Mother turns to face Sable.

“Sable, what on earth were you thinking?” she hisses. “Running away from your own engagement party on a rainy night! Anything could have happened to you, don’t you know that?”

Sable can’t even meet her eyes. “Mother…” she begins.

“Sable,” Father says. “What happened? We understand your behavior is…unconventional at times, but this recklessness is beyond even you.”

Silas’ gray eyes almost look black. “I thought we were having a splendid night,” he says. “So why did you run away like that?”

Sable wants to scream that she ran off to get away from Silas, but she can’t say that, not right now, not while he’s here to lie to her family. All in good time.

Unfortunately, Malcolm doesn’t seem to realize. “A splendid time, eh?” he asks. “I’m sure you did, Mr. Montgomery, dancing with another woman all night.”

Sable gasps and Silas glares at Malcolm. “I’ve never seen you before tonight,” he tells him. “You clearly weren’t at the party, so why do you seek to besmirch my name like this?” He scoffs. “What sort of lies did my fiance tell you?”

“Lies?” Malcolm coughs. “I can see it merely by looking at you. Sable has no need to lie to me.”

“S-Sable?” Silas sputters as her family gasps. Sable buries her face in her hands. “Who are you, to call Sable by her first name?!”

Malcolm smiles, and oh god, Sable knows what he’s going to say before he even says it. “Why shouldn’t I call the woman I wish to marry by her first name?”

Silence for a moment.

And then a crashing noise makes everyone in the room jump.

Sable whirls around on the couch to see that Olivia has dropped the tea set she was carrying. “M-marry?!” she cries.

“Olivia!” Sable yelps, but all Father says is a brusk, “Clean that up.”

Mother’s eyes are huge, and Silas is red faced. Father seems calm, however. “You wish to marry my daughter,” he says. “Explain yourself, Mister Leroux.”

“Well,” Malcolm says, and begins to weave the lie they had concocted before entering the carriage. “A few months ago, I ran into your daughter at Henderon’s Books. I was immediately captivated by her beauty, and upon speaking with her, ensnared by her mind. We’ve been meeting intermittently these past few months.”

Silas scoffs loudly. “And here you’ve been complaining about my dancing with other women. Sable, you hypocrite.”

Sable flushes and before she can stop herself, gets to her feet. “At least I had no idea of Mr. Leroux’s intentions before tonight,” she snaps. “While you and Miss Bellowes certainly…” she trails off, her implication clear.

She can sense Father stiffen beside her. “Have you been seeing Miss Bellowes during your engagement with my daughter, Silas?”

“Is that truly an issue here when your daughter has just admitted to doing the same with another man?”

Malcolm coughs into his fist, but Sable can see the way his lips curl into a smirk beneath the fist.

Gooseflesh erupts on her skin.

It’s the first time he’s looked even a little demonic this entire night.

Father groans, resting his forehead onto his fingers. “Good lord,” he groans. “This has gotten very complicated, very quickly.”

“I beg to differ,” Silas snaps. “I think it’s very clear that my fiance has been unfaithful to me.”

“As have you!” Sable retorts.

Mother glances at the clock. “It’s nearly 2:30 at night,” she says softly. “I do think we are at our wits’ end. I suggest we all go to bed, and gather once more around evening tomorrow when we are well rested.”

Father sighs. “I must agree with my wife,” he says.

Silas begins to try to interject, but a simple look from Father cuts him off.

Malcolm rises from the couch. “Alright then. I shall return around 5:00 in the evening, is that a good time?”

Mother nods. “Yes, it is.”

Malcolm’s eyes flicker once more. “Good,” he replies. He walks over to Sable, taking her hand in his.

Sable’s eyes widen as he raises her hand to kiss the back of it. “Until tomorrow,” he says with a smile.

She bites the inside of her cheek, fending off a blush despite herself. “Until tomorrow,” she echoes.

Malcolm bows towards her family before he leaves.

Silas glowers at her before leaving. “We have much to discuss tomorrow, Sable,” he spits out as he exits.

Mother and Father turn towards her once the two men leave. “I must agree with Silas on this, Sable,” Father says. “We have a lot to discuss tomorrow.”

She sucks in her lips nervously. “Understood, Father.”

“I take it things went well then, Mr. Leroux?” Carter asks as Malcolm enters the carriage.

He glances up. “Hmm,” he replies. “Is it so obvious?”

“You’re smiling, sir,” Carter says, closing the carriage doors.

Malcolm rests his chin in one hand. “Well,” he begins. “I was able to successfully curse her fiance.”

“How was he?” Carter asks.

“Just as she said,” Malcolm replies. “A cruel bastard. He didn’t even bat an eye upon hearing the story we came up with, he automatically believed the worst of his bride to be. Didn’t protest it, not even a little bit.” He pauses. “I may have only met Sable tonight, but even I can tell she deserves better than somebody like him.”

Better than a demon, too.

Carter chuckles, and then he starts the carriage.

As he rides home, Malcolm thinks.

She truly is an interesting human, a strange one as well.

Fear didn’t cross her expression once upon finding out his true identity. Instead, she’d simply propositioned him.

Usually, he’s the one to offer deals.

And her fiance…

Malcolm grits his teeth.

He truly is a bastard.

Even while berating his bride to be, Malcolm could read his expression like a book. He really does see Sable as a piece of meat to use to his delight, only to be discarded once he’s done with her.

Men like that…

Malcolm grins.

Definitely deserve what’s coming to them.

Malcolm is more than willing to be their karma.

He thinks of something else as well.

Sable didn’t even try to bother him with questions about Hereafter, about his role as a demon.

How pleasant, to not be pestered with such questions.

He sighs. Poor girl, he can’t help but think. She’s escaping one bastard fiance, only to be wed to a demon, of all things.

She truly hasn’t the faintest what she’s getting into.

The small red haired maid hurries on the cobbled streets, a hood obscuring her figure.

Miss Whittaker is being tricked, deceived! Olivia knew the moment she laid eyes on Malcolm Leroux.

The sweet girl, the girl who saved her, whom she’s taken care of since she was but an infant, is being tricked.

She cannot allow this to happen. She cannot allow her to leave Silas Montgomery for a monster like Malcolm Leroux.

One whose eyes are like a predator who has latched onto his prey.

She feels shivers race down her skin at the mere memory.

Oh, Sable, she thinks to herself.

The church is in sight.

She hasn’t been here in twenty two years. Will they even remember her? She can only pray they do.

She knocks on the wooden door thrice.

They slowly open with a loud creak. A tall, dark skinned man answers her. His honey brown eyes widen seeing her.

“Sister Olivia,” he gasps.

It has been two decades since she last saw him. But Olivia recognizes him right away, despite him having been barely eight years old back then.

“Brother Hunter,” she gasps. “I seek an audience with Father Edmund, I beg of you. The girl I’ve nursed since she was a baby…” She hitches back a sob. “She’s being deceived by a demon!”

Brother Hunter looks at her, expression dark and understanding. “Please come inside,” he says, and Olivia obeys.

The doors swing shut behind her.