章 3: Contestant
The surroundings returned to their silent peace once more, if one ignored the gruesome scene on the ground not far away from them. The devil's eyes then focused again on Aerine.
He stared at her for a moment before he mumbled and called a name. "Elise..."
Suddenly, the darkness behind him rippled as a figure emerged. As the moonlight shone on her, the image of the voluptuous woman became clear. The woman, whose name was Elise, bowed to the man.
"Yes, Master," she greeted and then added, "I'm sorry; because of our negligence, your rest has been interrupted."
Elise chose to admit responsibility; her eyes glanced at Aerine for a bit, and a dawn of understanding seemed to light up in her eyes as she saw her.
"It's fine. It's not everyone's fault." The man chuckled and shifted his gaze from Aerine to Elise. "Can you believe it? She summoned me." He pointed at Aerine and then at himself, his face filled with incredible expression.
At what he said, Elise's face showed a look of surprise, and the way she looked at Aerine now hinted at curiosity. She observed her condition and judging by the devastating scene, the woman lying on the sand had a hopeless situation and had no choice but to call for someone's help.
It wasn't rare to call for the devil's help in a desperate situation, but... Her master wasn't a simple devil at all. To be able to summon him, Elise couldn't help but look at Aerine in a new light.
"I knew you'd be surprised." The man looked rather carefree, but if one wanted to also be casual with him, that was another story.
Elise knew this especially well, as she maintained her respectful stance, waiting for any orders.
"Look after her," he pointed at Aerine. "The contract is now established, and it will be a waste if she suddenly dies after all that." The man then glanced at Aerine.
Elise nodded her head. "Master... If I may ask, how do we treat her?"
It was a very important question. Aerine was a contractee under her master; she could have a privilege if so his master wished.
The man shook his head and shrugged, his body turning around, intending to leave. "I don't care. Only make sure she's living well. Treat her as you see fit." He wasn't bothered by these things, and Elise was his secretary; he trusted she could do the job well.
Before he left, he didn't forget to point out the scattered flesh of the deep-sea creatures.
"And, clean up that mess as well. I don't want any trash on my island."
Soon, he was nowhere to be seen. Only after she couldn't sense him anymore did Elise shift her attention and look at Aerine. She stared at her for a long time before she waved her hand, and five people emerged from the dark.
She looked at them and instructed.
"Bring her to a room. Be careful, she's..." Elise still couldn't directly say it, but once she did, the five clearly flinched. "...the Master's contractee."
And so, Aerine was treated and brought carefully to a new room, where she slept and stayed for a few days. She only woke up three days later.
Aerine felt as though she was submerged in a long dream, but it soon became a nightmare once she saw her mother and the way she escaped from the clutches of her pursuers.
She hoped to wake up, and once she saw the familiar, handsome face of a man, she finally did.
One thing that greeted her was the ceiling. She looked at the side and roamed her eyes.
Where am I?
She frowned, but she clearly remembered that she had already signed a devil contract, so perhaps the devil had already brought her to his place. Honestly, with all the things that happened to her in a single night, having offered herself to the devil was considered the least of her concerns.
Aerine sighed and sat up. There wasn't any more exhaustion or pain in her body, but her mental wounds were still fresh. Now that reality had sunk in and she wasn't pressed for time to survive, she could finally think of what happened.
Thinking of her mother, her eyes couldn't help but heat up. Aerine was too weak; she could only listen to her and escape. Until now, she didn't understand who the attackers were and why they killed her mother and tried to kill her as well.
In her life, she had never once seen her mother having enemies; Aerine didn't even have the real concept of enemies other than in the stories she read or movies she watched.
Sighing again, she leaned on the headboard and looked closely at the room. It was clean and almost looked way more extravagant than her room or the small hotel room her mother always rented when they visited the city. In fact, it couldn't even compare.
Is it really Mr. Devil's place? But... Where is he?
In her leisure and wandering thoughts, the door of the room opened. A beautiful and voluptuous woman entered. Aerine was slightly surprised before her eyes looked in admiration at her.
She was so beautiful! Even the most beautiful actress she knew might not even compare. Aerine then looked at her curves, and that... uh... Aerine should stop comparing herself to her, or she might get even more depressed.
Although she never once became insecure about her appearance, it was really eye-opening if one met someone better than you.
"You're finally awake, Ms. Aerine?" The woman spoke and approached the bed. Her long, black ponytailed hair moved at her every step.
This voice, which was also rather enchanting, woke her up. She averted her eyes and blushed. She was obviously checking her out! Gah, how embarrassing, Aerine!
She cleared her throat and nodded.
"Ah, yes... Miss?" Aerine looked again at the woman and wondered who she was. Was it possible that she was Mr. Devil's woman? Of course, that could be a possibility! After all, they were both extraordinary-looking.
The woman still stood straight, and her curves were emphasized because of this.
"You can call me, Elise." She still sounded serious and had an almost business tone, and then she added, "I'm Master's secretary, and I'll be the one supervising you."
Aerine nodded in understanding, but then she paused.
"Master?" She frowned, puzzled. Who was she talking about?
Elise wasn't surprised at this and still answered patiently.
"My Master is your Devil contractor." When Elise said this, she already could say it more naturally, unlike the first day when it felt surreal.
Aerine's expression lit up. "Ah! You're talking about Mr. Devil! I get it." She smiled innocently and continued. "Also, I'm really grateful for your help. I'll be in your care; thank you." She was indeed sincere in her words, to the point of looking so foolish.
The corner of Elise's lips twitched after hearing Aerine call her master, Mr. Devil. She looked at the woman, and she became more intrigued than ever. She had never once seen someone so pure and innocent before, even among humans.
Still, she proceeded with the conversation. She also handed Aerine the files she was holding. Aerine gladly took it and glanced at it with extreme curiosity.
"Although you're the Master's contractee, that doesn't mean you will be living with us completely free either."
Aerine agreed. She wasn't that comfortable with free things; as her mother said, free things cost the most. She read the document and became bewildered, so she raised a question.
"What is this?"
Aerine read it carefully, but she only understood it as guidelines for something called Voice Arena; it seemed like a singing competition.
"What I'm about to say is regarding that. Ms. Aerine, if I'm not mistaken, you're a... Siren, am I right?
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