When A Ghoul Falls In Love

“Here.” The receptionist gives me two cards. On the pale green card, I see my information printed in small black letters: Name, Nell Solomon; Species, Human; Magic type, Moon.

Okay, I can absorb this.

I glance at the white card with a Q-Code and a red seal. So, this is a travel card. I guess that I don’t have to buy tickets. Still, how much would it cost? Is it like going to planet mars? I can’t ask Eli. My questions sound foolish even to me.

“Eli, what would happen if a normal person sees this?” I show him the identity card.

“A normal human can’t see that information.” He puts his hand on my back and steers me toward the exit. “Even someone like me can’t see all the information. I can see your name at most. The higher officials from the council can see all the information provided there.”

“There’s not much information here.” I give it to him. “Only name, species, and my magic are mentioned.”

“That’s more than enough.” He gives it back to me. “Keep it safe. It has a tracker.”

That’s not creepy at all. I click my tongue and put the damn cards in my pocket.

“You didn’t have breakfast today.” His mood is light. “Want to go to Michael’s place?”

“He talks too much.” I make a face. “I know a better place.”

“You are right.” He chuckles. I get into the car and look back. The Devil cat is still asleep. His belly is smaller. His fur has changed a little. There’s a faint silver glow on his body. Where did I find this cat?

“We can leave tonight.” I hear Eli speaking, “We will go to the temple straight away and get married. Then, we will come back to this world.”

I guess he wants to avoid his family at any cost. “Eli, is there anything else you didn’t tell me about your family?”

“Well.” He hesitates. “My father is a duke.”

I don’t know how to react to that. What the hell! It’s worse than a billionaire. Doesn’t it mean that Eli is a nobility?

“Nell, are you okay?” He glances at me, worried. “Don’t change your mind about marrying me.”

How did he guess that? “I want to know everything about your family.”

He releases a heavy sigh. “My family is not that interesting. My mother was the previous King’s youngest daughter. Her marriage to my father was a political move. Her body was quite weak. My mother died a few hours after giving birth to me.”

“Did you miss your mother?” I ask him. Am I an idiot?

“There was a time when I felt that I needed her,” Eli answers me with a casual tone. “I never knew her at all. Can we miss something we have never known? I don’t think that I ever missed her. However, I envied my siblings when I saw them with their mothers. Later, I learned how not to care about it.”

He must have had a rough childhood. I don’t want to ask him any more questions to appease my curiosity. “I understand what you are trying to say, Eli. I never felt any connection with my stepfather. I was planning to look for my biological father after graduating from high school. It’s not that I missed him or wanted that man to become my father. I knew that my mother still longed for him. I wanted him to meet my mother once.”

It feels so stupid now. My mother would never speak of that man. She never gave any hint. She could have said that he was dead or something, but she didn’t tell any lie either. Whenever I ask him about my biological father, there was only silence. Her family didn’t have any idea either except for the fact that the man disappeared after impregnating her.

“Don’t think about the past.” Eli tells me with a comforting smile in his eyes, “I want you to look forward with me–”

The look in his eyes changes in an instant. Eli turns the steering wheel suddenly. I turn my head and see a tall figure in a dark robe in the middle of the road. The hood of the dark robe flutters. I get a glimpse of his face.

Shadows wrap around my body, glueing me to the seat. I realize that I can’t hear anything. A shadowy hand covers my eyes. I can’t see anymore. But I want to open my mouth and tell Eli that I know that person.

However, I can’t remember him.

***

The car hits the street pole. He takes a look at Nell. She isn’t hurt. But it’s not safe to take away the shadows at the moment. The Devil cat is still sleeping. The spirit must be trying hard to digest the wrath of the moon. The robed figure is still standing in the middle of the road. Eli realizes that people around them are still ongoing with their daily lives as if the accident didn’t happen at all. The Fae could cast such a large-scale compulsion? He kicks the door of the car and steps out.

When he gets close to the Fae, he realizes that something isn’t right. The Fae’s body is flickering in and out of existence. It’s only a projection.

“Who are you?” Eli might look calm, but he is doing his best not to show his emotions.

“The spell is getting weaker,” The Fae tells him with an amused tone.

“Answer my question.” Eli frowns. “You can’t come to this world, can you? If you want her, why did you try to send her to prison?”

“Someone was being a fool. I taught them a lesson.” The Fae c.o.c.ks his head. “I see that she cares about you. Maybe I should make her watch you die this time. I remember how she begged me not to do that to Baek Joon-Woo. What would she do this time?”

Eli punches the man, but he hits only air. Frustrated, he turns around. The Fae is gone from the spot. He sees the figure standing next to the car.