Argan

Kalliope stood by the floor-to-ceiling French window and quietly watched the scenery outside. It was before noon as the sunlight had yet to reach its peak. Thus, she could still see the gardener tending the vast patches of flowers that covered the estate. They were beautifully arranged in a position that allowed them to bring out the austere grandeur of the duke's estate, showing not only mere beauty but also the owner's rich taste.

In the end, it was all about wealth that represented a noble's prestige. First and foremost, of course, before magic. It had been that way long ago when magic had yet to exist. Now, it did, it became another element to measure one's status.

But, in all honesty, Kalliope was quite amazed by the size of this estate. It wasn't any less than her own back in Zarronium. Through this, she realized the original owner of this body might have come from not just any wealthy family but possibly a high class noble.

"Right, if I remember correctly, the doctor mentions a duke," Kalliope muttered as she thought back to more than an hour ago when she first arrived in this body. She had been bridled with surprise, but she did hear the doctor mentioning 'duke'.

[Yes, you're right, My Lady. I heard the same. So, Alice must be the grand duke's daughter.]

Kalliope pinched the spot between her brows upon hearing that. "What a terrible irony."

And the demon just had to speak right at this moment. [I believe the correct word is 'coincidence'.]

"Shut up!" Kalliope bristled. She didn't know what to make of this so-called coincidence. Was it truly accidental?

Because she just had this nagging feeling since just now that her arrival on Earth as the duke's daughter had been a part of a set up. She narrowed her eyes. If the truth came out as so, then whoever it was, she would never allow them death, but a life where they wished for one yet was never able to instead.

Kalliope sucked in a deep breath as she put her hand upon her chest. Her heart was beating rather loudly. "Tch!" she scoffed, before turning around to take a seat on the armchair near the window.

She wanted to deny it and wished so much for this pain stringing in every heartbeat was not her own but Alice. Wouldn't it be a good enough excuse? Sinking into the cushion, Kalliope closed her eyes for a moment.

'Stop…'

'Don't let it in.'

'You don't need this.'

The usual habit, the same words, the same pattern. She just needed to follow it through and then, it would all disappear without fail, as always.

When she opened her eyes again, that pair of rose-colored eyes were back to their original tranquility. No more ripple of emotions, just pure steadiness. She stared apathetically at the room decoration while she laid weakly against the chair.

A crystal chandelier that gleamed every now and then as the sunlight spilled upon it. Light blue wallpaper embossed with floral patterns in the color of silver and a hint of blush on its petals.

At first glance, it might look plain and simple, but if one were to look closely at the details, they could see how opulent her bedroom was. Not in a glamorous manner but more of a feminine elegance of a lady. It was very much suitable for a young blossoming girl as Alice. Without kalliope noticing it, her lips had subconsciously curved up.

However, a few minutes passed and a frown formed on her face. Alice… was surely loved, wasn't she?

"How did she die?" Kalliope suddenly asked as she sat up abruptly. She hadn't questioned this when she first arrived. But now, sitting down in silence helped her think more clearly.

Since she was now Alice and her condition was unstable, she needed to know who attempted to kill her. Even though Alice could be considered trash for her zero aptitude towards magic, she was still the daughter of a grand duke. Her status itself was a form of protection, yet she died in this very house where it was supposed to be the safest place.

A black mist radiated from her body as it ebbed towards the space beside her. It soon materialized into a devastatingly handsome man. His long silver hair fell gently upon his poker straight back in a loose ponytail.

"I believe it was poison, My Lady. You weren't completely conscious when the doctor mentioned it before your bed. I've also checked and although the poison has been obliterated, there's still a leftover side-effect."

As he explained, the demon bent down before Kalliope and leaned against the chair's arm. Thereafter, his fingers reached out to tuck the loose strands covering her face.

"I think that's why the body is especially weak and it's suffering from a fever," he explained softly as he looked at the pale-faced Kalliope in Alice's body. His lady couldn't even sit for a minute long before she fell back onto the chair. Her labored breathing sounded especially painful.

Feeling a cool sensation from his touch, Kalliope subconsciously leaned her face closer into his palm. She exhaled in satisfaction as she enjoyed stealing his coldness, rubbing her cheek slightly every now and then. The demon was amused at her behavior which was similar to that of a cat. He couldn't help but actively pet her.

"It's going to take a long time for me to recover," Kalliope voiced out the fact herself. Since she was currently inhabiting it, she was aware of how much damage the poison had caused to it. After all, the culprit's intention had been to kill Alice.

"And yet, you look extremely calm. Aren't you afraid they would attempt to kill you again?" The demon asked teasingly while still stroking her cheek.

With his playful remark, Kalliope slowly opened her eyes and met that pair of beautiful amethyst orbs. The corner of her lips lifted. The demon halted his movement when he saw that familiar smile of hers. It was always the commencing bell of someone's misery.

Yes, Kalliope was waiting for that person to try again.

In fact, if one were to listen to their conversation, they would notice how a discussion of who was the prime suspect never came to the table. After all, there was nothing to fear for someone so insignificant.

Right now, she was already so damn tired, why would she bother to find out about this murder case? There was a more flexible way and that was to wait. So, she would do just that. Whoever came wouldn't survive anyway.

The demon dissolved into a series of laughter. His violet eyes gleamed with murderous joy. "It seems you're enjoying this game, love," he remarked as he stroked her cheek again.

She smiled, welcoming his cold hand. "I told you we're playing house. We have to make it exciting, don't we? We don't want to disappoint the other actors when we have so many of them to play with in this estate."

"Just like how you played with that priest earlier?" He laughed.

"Ah…" Kalliope gasped. "That was different. We needed to test the water since you told me you sense black magic from him. But, we don't want to let the cat out of the bag yet, do we? So…"

"Dead men tell no tales?" The demon raised an eyebrow smilingly as he summarized her meaning into one phrase. Kalliope grinned.

However, it was at this moment when a sudden pain struck her and disappeared right just as it came. Still, it made Kalliope jump in surprise. Cold sweat beaded down her temple. Her grin turned even wider.

"The curse has been activated."

The black aura surrounding them swirled violently. The demon wiped the sweat away as he spoke, "Now, we have one more piece of information. Not only the humans on Earth could use magic, they also practiced black magic. And the number one suspect who colluded with demons is the church."

Kalliope knitted her eyebrows at this new discovery. "So, the history that states humans couldn't use magic is false? Then, why did they hunt the witches down?!"

Her voice raised at the end of the sentence. It clearly showed how agitated she was. The demon, who witnessed her emotion becoming unstable, frowned. He then initiatively held her hand to calm her down. "We don't know enough to draw a conclusion. So, calm yourself, My Lady. The stress will burden your health more."

Kalliope clutched her chest and took a deep breath. Perhaps it was due to this fever and having landed in this powerless situation that made Kalliope rather sensitive. However, with the demon's reminder, she slowly tried to calm herself down.

While she had her eyes closed, suddenly she felt her body leaving the chair. She opened her eyes in confusion and found herself being carried by the demon.

"Umm...what are you doing?" She asked in surprise.

"Delivering you to bed so that you can rest comfortably, My Lady."

"Umm--"

"What you need to do right now is to rest and stabilize the merging before thinking of other things. All of them can wait after you've recovered." He set her down on the bed and tucked the small body under the bed.

As he bent down and set his cold lips upon her forehead, a sinister smile came to his face. The dark aura blanketed their surroundings, descending night upon her room. "You need your energy to play, don't you?"

Her misty eyes turned dazed as sleepiness suddenly came over her within the bleak room. "Rest well, My Lady."

The demon was about to pull away when a small dainty hand grabbed his sleeve. Blinking sleepily, Kalliope ordered him.

"Hey Blackie, sleep with me."

The demon, "...."

Kalliope tugged at his sleeve again when she received neither answer nor movement. The demon gritted his teeth and irritatedly obliged. He climbed into the bed and laid beside her. As soon as he settled down, Kalliope unabashedly swooped into his arms, shamelessly treating him like a cooling human bolster.

'I have it, why not use it?' she thought happily.

Meanwhile, Blackie could only begrudgingly accept her in his embrace. But, he still grumbled at the way he called her just now. "My Lady, I did ask for a name but not that kind of lousy name!"

In her half-conscious state, she heard the demon's protest and she let out a giggle. Then, in a soft fleeting voice, she said, "Argan. That will be your name."

The demon looked down at the small fragile girl in his arms. He raised an eyebrow as he repeated, "Argan."

"Do you like it?" Kalliope asked softly as she lifted her head to catch a glimpse of his face. That was when she faintly made out a smile on his face before closing her eyes, slowly drifting into dreamland.

"I like it," he whispered from above her.

Kalliope smiled. But, a second later, she quipped with her last bit of consciousness, "I'll still call you Blackie though…"

Argan, "....."