You were summoned by a village boy named David to a field. You weren't exactly sure why—you'd spoken to him twice (out of necessity) at the market.

Nonetheless, with nothing better to do, you steeled yourself for whatever was to come and set off for the field.

You knew what this was about. You weren't a girl anymore—you hadn't been for a long time—and it seemed that with each day, more and more suitors showed up at your doorstep like lost puppies. It was 'unbecoming,' your neighbors would whisper when you passed by, for someone your age not to be wed yet.

"She'll be a spinster yet," an older woman muttered to another as you passed by their porch. Damn this trail for cutting straight through the meager town. "Such a shame, too. What a sight for sore eyes."

Upon arriving to the field, David brushed his sweaty palms on his dirty trousers. It looked like he'd been caught in a storm, the boy was sweating so much. Must've been nervous.

"Miss. It's so good to see you," he breathed, and you politely nodded, jaw clenched. "I... I'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind. You don't got to respond right away, but..."

He began speaking so quickly that you couldn't make out a single word he uttered. And then, before you knew it, he was down on one knee.

Suffice to say, you shut that down very quickly. It began to pour outside as you declined, reciting what you'd told countless others. But there was a fire in this man's eyes, a rage which could not be extinguished by drops of rain alone.

"If you ain't my bride," he spat, fingers twitching as he approached like a predator. "Then I'll offer your life." David looked to the sky and began to shout. "I call upon whatever demon is listening to take this soul in exchange for a wife!"

That was the day you died. Just like that. It was quite unceremonious, really. You saw your life flash before your eyes, sure, but there wasn't much to see. You'd barely lived, after all. A shame indeed.

But, unbeknownst to you, there was indeed a demon listening. Aelia. And as she saw your soul fall down, down, down into the fiery depths, her breath hitched.

The woman was beautiful. More beautiful than any woman the demon had seen. Oh, and it felt as if Hell itself froze over. The demon was in love. She couldn't let that go to waste, could she?

She stood from her throne from which she watched her henchmen torture the sinners of her domain and barked out a harsh command to continue in her absence.

Not long later, you woke up. You woke up with a start, hands coming up to your throat instinctively... but David was gone. You could breathe again.

You were in an opulent bedroom adorned with dark furniture and ashen walls. The bed you lay in was soft and fit for a king.

How was any of this possible? You'd died, hadn't you?

From behind the closed door, you heard the harsh sound of heels clicking on the floor as a woman with a deep voice coldly spoke to another.

"She should be waking up now. Leave us."

And then, in walked the demon. She was tall, with red skin and long, dark hair. Her sharp, calculating eyes focused on your relatively small form before softening a fraction.

And Aelia just stared at the woman in her bed, her presence somehow both menacing and strangely comforting at the same time.

"Hello, my dear."