Ch 04: The Devil

Seeing the redness in Alice's eyes, Grace tried to guide her to the room, but Alice remained seated.

"Tell me, what punishment should I give for this insolence?" Alice ignored Grace's suggestion and pressed on.

"If you've already decided on punishment, then you should finalize it too. Let's go downstairs," Grace urged.

"Grace, sit down. I still want to stay under the open sky," Alice said. The redness in her eyes began to fade.

Grace continued to gently massage her shoulders for a little while longer, then moved in front of her and looked into her eyes. The redness had disappeared.

Grace spoke softly, "You shouldn't get angry so quickly, Miss Alice."

"If I were quick to anger, I would have ripped out the heart that's begun to beat for me right there and then," Alice replied.

"What? And whose heart has started beating for whom?"

At the sound of a voice, both Alice and Grace simultaneously turned their heads toward the source. Standing near the stairs was Alice's elder sister-in-law, Zeenat, with a sly smile on her face. She had only heard the last sentence, which didn't reveal the full context, but she spoke as if she had overheard everything.

Alice turned her face away. "Is this why you came upstairs? You could have called me down," Alice said, making a face.

"I was just making conversation," Zeenat said, smiling as she approached.

"Don't take it the wrong way, sister-in-law. Your casual remarks always have a thousand meanings," Alice said, standing up.

"It's you who finds a thousand meanings in them. My words are straightforward," Zeenat replied.

Alice turned to look at Zeenat and asked, "How many acres of land do you own, sister-in-law?"

Zeenat smiled with an air of indifference and raised her chin as she responded, "I own two acres. My father still has to give me my share. If I want, I'll take it; otherwise, I'll refuse. And if I do take my share, I'll own so much land that if the property in this house were divided, your share wouldn't even come close to half of it."

Alice was infuriated by her words. Zeenat, among all the sisters-in-law, belonged to the wealthiest family. Her father was a prominent landlord in the village, and she had received two acres of land as her dowry.

Compared to the other sisters-in-law, Zeenat had a particular disdain for Alice.

After making her point, Zeenat asked, "But why are you asking?"

"Just curious to know if that two-acre toy still keeps you entertained," Alice retorted.

Zeenat laughed, took a stroll around the terrace, and then descended the stairs with a smug expression.

Alice's gaze was fixed on her. Her eyes began to redden once more, and her face flushed with anger.

Grace stepped forward and took Alice's hand in hers. Suddenly, there was a sharp sound. Grace was startled. The empty mug in Alice's hand had shattered into pieces. A shard had embedded itself in her hand, and blood began to flow.

---

"What have you done? Come with me," Grace said with concern, and she quickly led Alice downstairs. Blood was dripping from Alice's hand, but she was so consumed by anger that she no longer paid attention to the rustling sound she had heard earlier.

Alice's hand was now bandaged, and the entire household had gathered around her in her room—her parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and Grace, who stood to the side.

Alice's father, Nathan, bent down and asked with great affection, "How did this happen, and why, my dear? Did someone say something to you?"

"No one said anything to me," Alice replied.

"Still, tell me if someone said something to you," Nathan insisted.

"If something had happened, I would have told you. You're all just making a fuss over nothing," Alice said.

Alice's mother chimed in, "She was holding a mug and accidentally knocked it against something, causing it to break. Her hand got injured."

"Oh, Alice, did you really stumble, or were you just showing off your strength to Grace?" her elder brother, Stephen, who was also Zeenat's husband, asked with a smile as he stepped forward.

"Why would I show off my strength to Grace, brother?" Alice smiled.

"Come on, let me take you to a good doctor and have your hand checked," her other brother suggested as he stepped forward.

"I'm fine," Alice insisted.

"But it's Grace who bandaged it. Let's show it to a doctor. If stitches are needed, they can be done," he said.

Alice looked at her hand and said, "The bleeding has stopped. The wound will heal. It's not that deep."

"We won't know until the bandage is removed," Zeenat remarked.

Alice glanced at Zeenat. Among all the sisters-in-law, Zeenat was the only one who was always ready to challenge her.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Alice said.

A little while later, everyone began to leave the room one by one. Her mother stayed with her for a bit longer, but when she too left, only Alice and Grace remained in the room. Alice gritted her teeth and said, "I'll have to teach Zeenat a lesson too."

Grace picked up an old cloth and said, "There was blood on the terrace. I'll go clean it up."

"Come back quickly, Grace," Alice instructed.

Grace reached the terrace, but as soon as her eyes fell on the spot where Alice's blood had dripped, she froze in place. She stared at the area with bewildered eyes, then glanced around. The area was clean, with shards of the broken mug scattered, but not a single drop of blood was visible. It seemed as if no blood had ever fallen there.

Grace lifted her head, looking around with a puzzled expression, and then suddenly moved forward as if something had caught her eye. She kept gazing towards the distant sky, her face reflecting amazement. Suddenly, a change occurred in her expression; her eyes turned completely red for a moment, then returned to their normal state as if a red light had flickered and then faded. A strange smile appeared on Grace's lips.

She turned to leave, and in the silence, the mysterious rustling sound became clearly audible. Angrily, she looked down at her feet and stomped them on the ground in frustration.

The drops of blood that had left Alice's body were now shimmering on a green mango leaf, lying on a small wooden platform. It was a small room, and smoke was rising from the walls, though its source was unclear. In one corner of the room, a human skull lay on the floor.

The room had only one door. Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a terrifying man of dark complexion entered. He sat cross-legged in front of the small platform where the mango leaf with Alice's blood drops was placed. The man, with his horrifying appearance, stared intently at the blood, and a sinister smile spread across his thick, black lips. First, his teeth became visible, and then he nodded meaningfully. His smile turned into laughter, and the laughter soon morphed into terrifying guffaws, shaking the room as if it were trembling. As soon as his laughter stopped, he took a pinch of powder from his left hand and sprinkled it on the drops of blood. Suddenly, the blood caught fire. Moments later, the leaf was reduced to ashes.

He laughed again and, in a deep, menacing voice, said, "Yes, this is what will change your destiny. Yes, this is it."

He laughed once more, then abruptly fell silent and turned his head as if whispering into someone's ear. He said, "Take care of her."

This grotesque man's name was Lucien. He was an expert in dark forces, a demon in human form whose appearance was becoming more grotesque with time, yet he was engrossed in his work. He cared for nothing and no one. He had many followers who sought his services, and in return, he demanded whatever he desired from them.