Chapter 742: Apologies and Confrontation-I  

Before leaving, Beelzebub had bandaged Esther's ankle which he had broken. He was absorbed with his own greed that he wasn't able to stop himself from harming Esther. The thoughts of her scream haunts him endlessly like a broken violin.

He imagined the pain he had caused her and how she must have yelled in pain for his name. Hurting people might not make him feel guilty, as he believed those people deserve what comes to them but Esther— she never deserve any pain that he should cause.

Esther's eyes were tightly closed but she could feel the pain that aching on her ankle. In her nightmare she felt a large hand grasping tightly by her ankle, pulling her down and dragging her across the floor.

The sharp branches around the forest floor caused her skin to be scarped and wounded. She yelled for help but no one had heard her voice. In that moment, only one person's face came in her mind. She yelled then, "Beel!" Her voice cracked as fear caught her. "Please help me!"

Beelzebub would always protect her. Deep down, and as her nightmare had reflect her deepest desire, Beelzebub was the person she trusted the most and would call for help in the middle of danger.

But Beelzebub didn't come. Esther struggled to release her ankle from the demon in front of her. She tried to kick him aside and managed to kick the demon by his face only for the grip on her ankle tightened.

Even as she had kicked him, the demon was unmovable, frightening Esther even more.

"Let me go! Release me!" She yelled, looking all around her for an object that could protect her, Esther's eyes were locked on the large piece of stone that settled near the root of the tree beside her face.

She reached out her hand for it, struggling to get her finger close to the rock. As it was far, she had to wiggle her way from the demon's grip that only tightened the more she struggled to release herself. Finally, Esther managed to escape from the demon's clutched. Using the small window of time, she crawled over the ground, clutching tightly to the rock near her which she then swung to the demon that had chased her, hitting his skull in a crisp hit.

She raised her face when she had protected herself well. Her eyes were stunned when she saw the demon's face as he lifted his face upward.

Beelzebub!

The red eyes that brightly look at her was Beelzebub's eyes. He stared down at her. His warm gaze was completely gone— it even appeared as if it was never there before.

The man who looked at her was cold, icy even. His gaze was soulless and as he looked at her, it was holding a grappling sensation that sent chill to her spine.

Esther didn't disregard all this signs but she didn't fail to notice it either even when she was under the influence of her fear that the man in front of her was Beelzebub whom she loves.

"Beel?"

She heard Beelzebub whispering to himself. His eyes were still on her, affixed as he couldn't look anywhere else but to her. Yet at the same time, he wasn't there. His words were thrown back and forward to someone— perhaps himself as there was no third person after them.

Worried, Esther called his name again, "Noe?"

Beelzebub's whispering became more intense as it turned into a bickering. He yelled back to himself when all of a sudden all sort of emotions were gone from his face. He looked back at her, this time, his consciousness was back that had Esther to be happy but not for long when she found a colder mien on his face.

"I should have put you in a place far away. Away from anyone's reach. This world is dangerous and you are fragile," his fingers slowly crawled from the back of her sole that wasn't covered by her shoes and continue trail upward. "If I could bring you to my house, lock you away, will this anxiety of mine be resolved? I don't want to see you sad but I don't want to lose you either. Losing you— I should find a way to keep you for myself, far away from anyone."

Esther felt his grip tightening on her ankle but also saw the bright smile from his lips, "It will only hurt now, Esther."

Esther snapped her eyes wide, faced with the whit ceiling on top of her head. She looked at it in a blank state. Her heartbeat could be heard even though it was underneath her chest.

She pushed herself from the bed. Even though her mind was scattered, she had a feeling in her heart that told her she need to hurry. Hurry where?

Esther didn't know but she still pushed herself from the bed, resulting in her almost falling forward, face first.

Someone had held her arm before it could happen and Esther's eyes hopefully looked into the person's face only to be disappointed when she didn't see whom she had expected to see.

"Elise," Esther called her niece's name.

Esther looked at her aunt with her eyebrows furrowed in worry, "Are you alright? Jett, please let her sit."

Elise was in her last month of pregnancy and Jett had always accompanied her everywhere and every second to make sure no harm would ever come to his beloved master. When seeing Esther about to fall, he had moved to protect Elise so she wouldn't fall in helping her aunt.

Esther sat down on the bed after Elise had coaxed her to. She looked at her and shake her head, "Is he gone?"

Elise did not need to ask to know who Esther meant by him. She nodded her head, "Auntie, can you hear me a little?"

Esther could tell what crossed on Elise's mind as Elise could read her determination to find Beelzebub. "You cannot stop me, Elise. I need to find him. All this about protection and whatnots. It is not him who are speaking and I know this very well as a fact."

"I do not mean to hold you back here, Auntie. I only wish to tell you to spend your time and stay here only until the situation have calmed down," Elise explained to her gently, her blue eyes always managed to bring out the goodness of other people. Even though Esther was weak to her pleading gaze, she still remained firm on her answer.

"I saw it. His greed is slowly corrupting him. I won't leave him alone, only to suffer."

"You are not leaving to make him suffer alone and Mr. Beel didn't leave you because he didn't want to share you his misery," Elise smiled while meeting her aunt's eyes, assuring her, "I saw his eyes. It wasn't the gaze of someone who had given up."

"But—"

"Well isn't that romantic?" Ian's voice came as he appeared out of thin air inside the room, leaning by the wall. "To chase and run away in order to protect one another. I always think of him as a coward— a proud coward. I would have guessed he left you here because he was afraid to confront his happiness. Not all happiness is free from pain, after all. But last night—"

Ian's smile widened when he recalled the determination that Beelzebub had on his face.

"—he was the bravest man I have ever seen."