In Bed with an Incubus

The Demitri Household

Bella did not wait for too long. It was only a couple of minutes when a grand, luxurious-looking black, shiny car stopped in front of her. She could clearly see her reflection on the car’s paint.

Her jaw parted in awe as she stared at the car and waited for someone to come out.

‘Tell me this isn’t the Demitris,’ she mumbled in her mind as she tried to stop her expectations. ‘This car will only pass through me,’ she added, and tried to take a peak of who’s inside the car.

She heard a clicking sound before the car’s door on the other side opened.

‘God, they might really be the Demitri’s,’ she said at the back of her mind as she fixed her posture to make herself look presentable.

It was not too long when a tall man in black suit came out. Bella can’t help but to scan his physique. On her guess, the man might be on his mid-fifty’s. He has this midnight shade hair with some gray strands that is neatly brushed upwards. There are noticeable lines on his face but Bella can’t deny the fact that the man before her eyes is stunning. And she can’t help but to wonder how handsome he must be during his prime.

She wanted to stare a little more to memorize the details of his face but she chose to avert her gaze, thinking she could make the man feel uncomfortable.

“Is this the Dawnsons’ Residence?” the man asked in a manly voice. His voice was firm and shouting with formality.

“U-Uh, yes,” young Bella awkwardly answered, trying to stop herself from staring too much. “And you are?”

The man slightly bowed his head, as if Bella is of royal blood. “I am Hugo La Trasse, the butler of the Demitri Family,” he introduced himself. He looked at Bella as soon as he raised his head. “You must be Ms. Dawnson, am I right? I am here to make sure that you’ll reach the Demitri household safely.”

The young girl nodded before extending her arm. “Yes. Nice to meet you Mr. Hugo. Please take good care of me,” she replied with a vibrant smile on her face.

Hugo accepted her hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you, too. Looking forward to working with you,” he responded before their hands parted. “Shall we go? My masters are expecting your arrival.”

Bella nodded in response as she carry her things and put them at the car’s compartment. Hugo offered her help but she refused since her bags are not that heavy and could be carried by her two hands all at once, so the butler just opened the backseat’s door for her.

As soon as she got inside, Hugo closed the door and went to the driver’s seat.

Bella can’t help but to be amazed by the car’s interior. At her lifetime, she had never been inside a luxurious car. And she could really tell that she’s inside one right now.

The feeling of comfort she felt is way beyond what she feels when riding a cab. The seats are so soft and comfortable. The scent of expensive leather mixing with the car’s air freshener is lingering in the air.

“You can take a nap, Ms. Dawnson, since it will take us at least seven hours before we could reach our destination full speed,” Hugo said as he turned on the car’s engine.

“It’s really far, huh,” Bella murmured before leaning her back against the soft seat. “Well, if you say so, I’ll take a nap since I haven’t had any good sleep these past few days,” she added, closing her eyes.

She did not hear Hugo respond. She only felt the motion of the car.

And just when she’s about to drift into sleep, she realized that Hugo must have woken up way too early to get her at such time. She felt guilty and insensitive. She wanted to stay awake and somehow talk to him, but the comfort she’s feeling is making her feel all the draining and exhausting sensations she have been repressing so far.

——

Bella’s sleep was interrupted by the sudden shake she felt, as if the car ran into a bump or fell on a small crater on an uneven road. She quickly composed herself and shyly wiped the saliva that has leaked down her lips. And when she felt presentable again, she sat confidently before looking outside the window.

Her mouth slightly parted in amazement right after seeing the view outside. The vast sky is painted with pastel pink and blue shades, while some part near the setting sun looks like burning in bright red-orange shade.

The view and the surrounding place before the young girl’s eyes are no longer familiar. She heaved a sigh before leaning again on the soft seat since everything is really true. She has left her town and is about to enter a new one to live for at least three years.

“Did I wake you up? My apologies,” Hugo said as soon as he saw young Bella. “I did try to drive slowly when passing through uneven parts of the road so I won’t interrupt your peaceful sleep,” he added, explaining.

Bella just gave the old butler a warm smile. “It’s perfectly fine, Mr. Hugo. I had enough sleep already. And it’s a good thing that I’ve woken up, since I can now enjoy the sceneries of Lemonville before night kisses the land,” she answered, widening her smile.

Bella was hoping to hear a few more words from the butler but she did not. Hugo just gave her a nod as a response, completely putting an end to their conversation.

The young girl can’t help but to pout in frustration. She badly wanted to talk with Hugo but it seems like he’s the one-question-one-answer type of a man.

In Bella’s mind, maybe it was because of the nature of his work where he mostly follows orders. So instead of trying to talk with him, Bella decided to kill some time by looking outside and enjoy the view.

“Woah,” she whispered before her mouth hanged open after seeing the central part of Lemonville right below from where they are.

She can vividly see the houses and establishments at the heart of the town. And with the golden light coming from the setting sun, she can’t help but to appreciate the beauty of the most prosperous town in their region.

While looking at the breathtaking view, Bella let out a sigh before smiling again. She can’t still believe that her life is about to take a major turn. And aside from being excited, she cannot also ignore the fear she have that her employers might not be as what she thought they would be, and that instead of enjoying her new environment, she will just end up suffering in silence instead.

“We’re only less than an hour away, Ms. Dawnson, but you can still take a nap,” Hugo told Bella who’s currently lost in her own thoughts.

And it seems like Bella did not hear him, so instead of repeating himself, he just let her take her time. He got his focus back on the road with a thought in his mind, ‘Too innocent. I wonder how she’ll adjust inside the mansion, especially when she meets the masters.”

----

Bella’s eyes glinted in awe as she saw the massive black and golden metallic gate that guards the house she’ll be working for three years. She tried peeking through the gates but she couldn’t see anything ahead since the sun has already hidden itself behind the mountains and sea of gray clouds. Her eyes were fixated on the elegant gate illuminated by golden lights at each side.

“We’re really here, huh,” she whispered as she tried to sort out her emotions. There’s this overwhelming excitement inside her and an overwhelming anxiety, too.

“Yes, we are. Kindly wait for a few seconds,” Hugo responded before getting out of the car to open the massive gate.

Bella’s heart pounded when she started hearing the sound that the metallic gate makes as Hugo pushed it to open widely. And when the gates are finally opened, she peaked through what’s ahead of her, but she can’t see a thing. It’s not dark, since there are lights at each side of the road. What’s blocking her sight is the fog that envelops the place.

“Let’s go,” Hugo said as soon as he got inside the car.

And when they passed through the gates, he stopped once again to close it then resumed driving.

Bella held her thumping chest before swallowing the lump in her throat. The place looks eerie, but there’s no turning back. She has to get used to this kind of environment since they’re literally in the middle of a mountain.

“This is it, Bella. This is where your life will change,” she whispered to herself before inhaling a massive amount of air to calm herself down. “Demitri Family, here I come.”

Bella was welcomed by a massive, golden chandelier in sparkling crystal decors. It was luxuriously hanging at the center of the two grand staircases in red carpet. The railings of the massive wooden stairs are made of well-sculpted pieces of woods.

“Welcome to Demitri Household, Ms. Dawnson,” Hugo warmly said as soon as he faced the astonished young girl.

The butler can’t help but to flash a slight smile when he saw Bella’s reaction. There’s this noticeable innocence in her face that somehow makes the butler happy and look forward for the coming days.

“Wait for me here, I’ll call Catarina to prepare you something to eat,” he said before leaving the young girl, and to give her time to explore the interior of the mansion.

Young Bella saw Hugo left but she’s too drawn at the house’s interior to even talk to him. She knew what she did is wrong, but she could always ask for an apology later since she will be staying her for a very long time.

“This is amazing,” she whispered as she looked at the wooden furniture in gold and red colors and decors.

Her eyes landed on the red sofa with gold highlights. She dashed her way there and touched the seat. She giggled when she felt her hands shrunk.

“How can a sofa feel like a soft cloud?” she wondered before touching the sofa again. “I bet this is really expensive. I shouldn’t be touching this,” she added, diverting her gaze to the massive ceramic vases at the corners of the room.

“The vases look expensive, too,” she commented. “Even the white roses it holds look expensive.”

She scanned the whole place and can’t help but to fancy everything she have seen. The golden light coming from the massive chandelier upgraded the ambiance inside. Everything around her shouts luxury!

“Am I really going to live and work here?” she asked herself, eyeing the part where the grand staircases meet.

At the center hangs a thick crimson curtain that seems to be covering something. In Bella’s mind, it might be a massive painting of a family portrait, just like what she always sees in movies and series.

Her sightseeing got interrupted when she felt as if someone is eyeing her from the dark corner of the room, already unreachable by the chandelier light.

Her eyes narrowed as she try to see if there’s someone looking at her but she can’t see a thing because it’s too dark.

“Hello?” she asked, taking a step closer to see if there’s really a person looking at her.

She was about to take another step when she heard someone clearing their throat. As she turned around to see who did that, she saw Hugo along with a lady in white and black maid uniform. There are visible strands of grey to white on her hair. Bella also noticed the lines on her face, especially around the eyes and mouth area.

“Ms. Dawnson, this is Catarina, the current household maid of the house,” Hugo introduced the old lady with such formality. “She will be assisting you until you get used here.”

“Hello there, young lady,” Catarina greeted politely, flashing a warm, welcoming smile.

“Hello, Ms. Catarina,” she greeted back with a wide smile on her face. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Bella’s heart melted with the way Catarina greeted her. It’s as if she was welcomed by her grandmother. There’s this urge inside her to hug the old lady, but she stopped herself and offered her hand for a shake instead.

“I am Bella Dawnson, the newly hired household maid of this house,” she introduced.

The old lady smiled before accepting her hand. “Catarina Alfuerto, the current maid of the house, and the oldest.”

“Since you’ve known each other already, I guess it’s time for me to leave. I still have some errands to do,” Hugo said as soon as Bella and Catarina’s hands parted.

“At this hour?” Bella asked curiously, brows almost meeting. “You’ve been driving since morning, Mr. Hugo. I think you should get some rest,” she added with concern in her voice.

“I will, but after I accomplished the tasks assigned to me,” the butler answered. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. . .,” he said, exiting the scene.

“Hugo has been like that ever since I started working here,” Catarina said, catching Bella’s attention. “He’s already working under the Demitri Household before I even started working here,” she added.

“And he’s been working that hard ever since?” Bella asked.

The old lady gave Bella a smile. “Yes and so am I. We’ve been serving this household for decades already,” she answered.

“Just the two of you?” Bella unbelievably responded, eyes slightly wide-opened.

“Yes, just the two of us.”

“Wow, you’re both amazing, Ms. Catarina,” she commented with a tone of amazement.

The old lady just nodded before looking straight at Bella’s eyes. “And soon, you will be, too. But for now, let’s go to the dining area before the food I prepared gets cold,” Catarina said, turning her back against Bella and started walking.

Right after hearing the old maid’s words, Bella’s stomach let out a growl, loud enough for Catarina to hear.

“S-Sorry, it wasn’t intentional!” she blurted out, face turning rosy pink.

The old maid didn’t bother to look back, but Bella still heard her small chuckles, which made the young girl blush even more in embarrassment.

"Let's go eat and have your fill."