the devil's bride

getting settled in

"Elana Allens."

Elana looked at the marriage certificate and spoke softly. The name sounded foreign in her mouth, but she liked it. It made her name sound like royalty.

She paused as reality hit her. She was no longer a Carson, but actually an Allen. She couldn't believe this was happening.

After getting down from the car, they had walked hand in hand to the registration office. It was surprisingly empty, and Elana suspected that Ethan had made that possible.

"So... what now?" Elana asked as they stood idly in front of the registration office.

"What now is that we go to the Allens estate,My home. And get you settled in." Ethan said while walking toward the car with Elana following behind him

"Okay," Elana replied, not knowing what else to say.

Soon they reached the Rolls Royce.

Ethan opened the door for her. "After you, dearest."

"Thank you," Elana said politely, and climbed into the car. Ethan followed suite. The car door shut, the engine roared to life, and the Rolls Royce accelerated onto the road.

The journey to the Allens mansion was silent. But this time, it wasn't tense, It was oddly comforting.

Both Ethan and Elana were lost in their thoughts.

Ethan was still awestruck by the fact that Elana _ was finally becoming his wife. It felt surreal, Like he was dreaming. He even pinched himself to check, but he wasn't.

While Elana kept thinking...

Why had Ethan married her? Why was he behaving so unlike the rumors?

Was he still serious about helping her get revenge?

What if he had a grudge against her and was just marrying her to humiliate her later?

Different thoughts kept roaming through her head.

They only came out of their thoughts when the driver informed them they had arrived at the Allens mansion.

Elana's jaw dropped at the sight of the Allens mansion .The mansion was so big it looked like a palace. She saw gold everywhere. The doors were gold, There were golden statues, A golden fountain at the center. Beautiful flowers lined the sides. "Beautiful" felt like an understatement.

It felt like a fairytale....

A castle...

A majestic building.

Ethan saw Elana ogling his mansion and chuckled softly. Hearing him, Elana's cheeks turned red. She realized she had been staring.

"You like it?" Ethan asked, amusement still shining in his eyes.

"Yes. It's really beautiful," Elana replied softly, her gaze still on the mansion.

"Well then, are you just going to stare, or are we going to look at the inside?" Ethan said, one eyebrow raised.

"Let's check the inside," she said. She wanted to see if it was as beautiful as the outside.

They got out of the car, walking hand in hand. When they reached the huge doors, Ethan pushed them open.

The moment the doors opened, Elana saw two long lines of servants. They bowed respectfully and greeted them. "Welcome, sir! Welcome, ma'am!"

It was loud and unexpected, so Elana flinched and covered her eyes. Ethan, however, remained in his spot, clearly unaffected.

A middle-aged woman stepped forward out of the line, along with a man in his late thirties and another woman in her early thirties.

"Elana," Ethan said calmly, placing a hand on her back. He pointed at the woman in her forties. "This is Adele, the head maid of the house." He pointed at the man. "That is McJohn, and he is the butler." He pointed at the younger woman. "And this is Margaret, the head chef."

"They are in charge of all your needs. And everything else you might need."

Elana looked at them. They bowed briefly before her.

She smiled politely and turned back to Ethan, giving a slight nod. "Okay," she said softly.

"Adele, the head maid, will show you to your room," Ethan told Elana. Then he turned to the head maid. "Make sure she settles in."

Adele nodded politely and motioned for Elana to follow her. "Please come with me, madam."

They went upstairs to a room, and Adele pushed the door open.

Elana was awestruck again. The room was huge. Twice the size of the room she had at the Carson mansion, or even at Daniel's.

It was neat and clean, smelled like mint. A king-sized bed with pink sheets and pink curtains. A huge teddy bear on the floor beside the bed. A white cozy couch. Shelves filled with books. A reading table. Vases. Flowers.

Everything felt surreal.

Elana heard Adele chuckle. "I'm glad you like it, ma'am. It was specifically decorated like this. Magical. Just for you."

_For her?_ How had Ethan known her taste? She didn't dwell on it and stepped inside for a better look.

"Ma'am," Adele spoke again politely. "The bathroom is over there." She pointed at a white door. "All your necessities are already there. Bathe, relax, and call me if you're hungry or need anything."

"Okay, I will," Elana said, smiling at her.

With nothing else to say, Adele smiled back. "Have a good day, ma'am." Then she walked out, leaving Elana alone.

Once the door shut, Elana went straight to the bathroom. Another shock hit her. Inside were gold tubs, taps, and showers.

_Oh my._ She thought Daniel was rich, but compared to Ethan, Daniel seemed poor.

Everything in this mansion screamed wealth. _Was Ethan really this rich?_

She filled the tub with warm water, added soap, scented oils, and a few petals, then sank in.

"Ahh," she moaned softly. The water felt like it was massaging her skin. She could've slept there, but she didn't. She finished quickly and wrapped herself in a towel.

"s**t!" she cursed when she realized she had nothing to wear. Then her eyes caught another white door, just like the bathroom's. Curiosity pulled her forward, and she opened it.

Her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened.

To her right were clothes. Different types. Shirts, blouses, shoes, jeans, underwear, tank tops, gowns, pajamas. All brands. All sizes.

To her left were jewelry. Earrings, beads, necklaces. Some gold, some diamond.

Elana pointed a shaky finger at herself. "Are these for me?" she asked no one in particular.

She'd come from a rich family, but she'd never seen this much for one person.

'No, these couldn't be for me'But when she checked the sizes and saw they were hers, she was convinced.

_How did Ethan know my size?_ Elana murmured quietly.

Had he really investigated every single thing about her life?

Well... she didn't care anymore. She was already married to him. What was the point?

Elana picked a casual knee-length blue dress. She dried her hair and let it fall. She applied light makeup, making her glow.

She looked at herself in the mirror, smiled, and flipped her hair. "oh,I took beautiful, I'm practically glowing"she commented on her look

After commenting on herself, she smiled and lay on the bed. It was so soft, so comfortable.

And soon, Elana fell into a deep sleep, snoring very softly