Hello, this is my first time writing a novel (short story) for the website. Anyway, read and please give some feedback ^^

Which way? The girl looked around in confusion. When every path looks the same

And how will she get home? She thought hopelessly after trying to find her way home for so long but seemed to get more and more lost.

What's that?

The girl looked through the darkness of the forest to a small, tiny thing standing in the middle of the forest. His steps brought his body closer to that thing. before stopping when he got close enough to see that it was a castle

Is there anyone there? She thought before deciding to walk into that castle.

“Is there anyone there?” she shouted into the dark room.

“Who are you?” a low voice asked.

“My name is Meris. I'm lost. Can I stay here for the night?"

The torches attached to the walls lit up one by one until you could vaguely see the contents of the room.

A figure stood in a spot where the light could hardly reach, causing Meris to see only a black shadow that she assumed was a man.

“Walk closer. Please," he ordered. The young girl followed it easily. The man was silent. She started to feel restless so she spoke.

"I promise I won't disturb you at all. Just one night and then I'll be gone."

“All right,” he finally replied. “Once in a while, that's fine.”

Even though I didn't understand what he meant, just having a place to sleep tonight was enough. She thought and walked towards the sofa that was vaguely visible.

“What are you doing?” the castle owner asked curiously.

"yes?"

“Are you going to sleep on that sofa?” he asked again.

“Yes,” she replied.

"No need to, there are plenty of rooms here."

The girl hesitated slightly before following the shadow of the castle owner.

The tall figure in front of her led her up the steps, where torches lit up the dim light every now and then. Then follow the path until you reach a door. When he opened it, he saw a large room with a fireplace already lit.

"Relax," he said, closing the door softly. The girl turned around and surveyed the room excitedly. She sat down on the bed before falling asleep.

"Good morning," said the man who was probably the same person from yesterday. Meris let out a small greeting, feeling embarrassed that she was asleep. From initially thinking of going as soon as the sun rose, it turned out to be late by the time I woke up.

“Do you want to eat?” The young man pushed a bowl of fruit towards her.

"Thank you, but I'd rather not bother you."

"Eat it. I won't eat it anyway. If you don't eat it, you'll have to throw it away."

because of those words Finally, she agreed to sit down and eat the fruit in the bowl, secretly glancing at the young man from time to time. He is a man who is considered to be quite good looking. Plus, the long, flowing black hair looks really good.

"How did you get here?" Suddenly he asked, causing the girl to flinch.

“I...I just kept walking. Until I got lost and came across your castle."

“Is that so?” the young man said, staring at the girl in surprise. She wasn't afraid of him. In fact, she probably didn't even know who he was, but that was good. He hadn't seen anyone for a long time. It's always good to talk to someone, even if only for a short while.

A gust of wind blew in and blew the hair covering Meris' left eye. The girl looked startled and quickly grabbed the strand of hair. But the young man could still see a black mark above her eyebrow.

The girl looked at him in shock.

"That mark above the eyebrow."

"It's...nothing."

The young man didn't care. He walked up to the girl and stretched out his hand to brush away a strand of hair, but Meris held his hand.

"It's okay," he soothed. "I will not judge you."

At those words, the girl released her hand as if under a spell. The young man used his fingers to tangle a strand of hair until he could clearly see the black wing-shaped birth mark above his eyebrow.

...black wings, symbol of an angel tainted with evil, symbol of the devil Lucifer.

“It's just a birth mark.” The voice made the girl conscious. She shook her head, raised her hand to cover the mark and spoke.

"You don't understand. It is because of this birth mark that I have been hated and bullied by everyone.”

“But I don't hate you.” He pulled her hand away before using his fingers to spread her hair behind her ear and lightly touch the birth mark. Well, isn't it your actions that are judged?"

"If other people think like you, that's good," she said and acted like she remembered something. The girl turned her head towards the window and saw that the sun had risen very high. “Ouch. So far? I must excuse myself first." She said and stood up, but the young man held her back and spoke.

"Don't rely on it."

The girl looked at him with confusion.

“This forest is only accessible at night. You can't find your way out of the forest right now,” he explained. “Wait a minute. Tonight, I'll send you off myself."

Even though she had free time while waiting for the night to come, Meris just sat on the sofa out of consideration, with the castle owner sitting on another sofa nearby.

"So, do you live here alone?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, why?"

"No, I just think this castle is so big that it's hard to believe there's only one person in it."

"I, like you, have been judged and shunned."

Meris looked at him in surprise.

“Why?” she shook her head.

"I just can't believe that people like you would be shunned."

He revealed a slight smile. “If you knew why I was detested. You might hate me."

"There will never be a day like that."

young man looking at young girl Eyes sparkling with joy But at the same time, it is filled with sadness and, above all, hopelessness.

“Want to walk around the castle? I'll lead the way." He changed the subject. When the girl agreed, he led her to various locations. The castle has a library with many books and a music room with a large piano.

"This is my favorite place in the castle," he said as he led her out onto the balcony. Looking out, I saw a forest that had been turned red by the evening sun.

"wow"

"Beautiful, right?" The girl nodded.

"Very beautiful. Thank you for taking me on a tour of the castle."

"It's okay," he said, turning to look at the sky. "Let's go. It's time to send you home."

The sky is getting darker and darker. As the young man led the young girl out of the forest, the girl held onto the young man's shirt tightly, fearing that she might get separated from him. The young man suddenly stopped and held out his hand in front of her, looking at him suspiciously.

"Hold my hand," he explained. The girl then shifted and held his hand. Then the two of them continued walking.

“Can I...go see you again?” Meris asked when they reached his own house. The young man smiled before answering.

"Always got it, little one."

After that, almost every night Meris would walk into the forest to find the young man and spend the night talking or reading quietly. with the other party nearby

“Why are you so disgusted?” Meris asked one night.

The young man raised his eyebrows. "Why do you ask that?"

"Well...I don't see any part of you that I hate. There's no disability, no sign of anything frightening." She lightly touched the birthmark above her eyebrow. “So I wonder why other people hate you.”

The young man smiled. "I was judged by others because of a little boy's story."

"A story?"

young man nods "The story that I am evil and hostile to God."

"But you're not like that."

"But other people don't know this. It's no wonder they're afraid of me."

"So you're not lonely at all?"

He turned to look at her, "I'm lonely, but now I have you." But he didn't know how long I could have you...

"I don't want morning to come," he said softly. While leaning on the balcony, looking at the sky

Meris took her eyes off the moon to look at the young man in surprise. "Don't you like the morning?"

The young man shook his head. "I don't like my mornings without you," he said, staring meaningfully into the girl's eyes. Meris's face became hot and she hurriedly closed her eyes before asking to go home and walking out of the castle.

After walking a short distance she stopped. He raised his hand to his chest and felt his heart beat rapidly. This...what exactly happened to you?

"Come quickly," Meris said when she heard a knock at the door. And when he opened it, he found a young man already waiting. Today the two of them were going to a festival in the village. Meris was in a skirt that complemented her bright look.

"Let's go."

"Wait," the young man called before the girl walked out. She turned and looked at him suspiciously. The young man gently rubbed the mark before grabbing the strand of hair covering her eyes and tucking it behind her ear.

"But other people will see it."

"I don't see it. Let's go."

The two of them walked hand in hand and looked around the festival until late into the night when the sound of music sounded.

"Let's go take a look," Meris said, pulling the young man's hand and leading him to walk with her. When they arrived, they saw many musicians playing music with a cheerful rhythm and the villagers, both men and women, dancing nearby.

"If you want to dance, then go," said the young man.

“But…” She raised her hand and touched it above her eyebrows, looking hesitant.

"Go, it's okay, I'll be right here," he said, pushing the girl's back away.

Meris looked at the young man for a moment before walking in with several other villagers as she danced to the rhythm of the music. Because of her beauty, she was the focus of attention without realizing it. No one knew or remembered that the girl was the one with the black wing-shaped birthmark that they hated.

There was a moment when the girl turned to the young man and saw that he was looking at her as well, but what made her quickly avert her eyes and turn around was the wide smile on his face, the heart of a child. The girl beats in her chest. Just thinking about that smile on his face, his face warmed up.

After dancing for a while, the girl walked out to find the young man, but he was not in the same place. She walked away from the group of people, walked around to look for him, but couldn't find him.

"Who are you looking for?" A voice called out as a hand grabbed his wrist. Meris turned to look at the man holding her hand, trying to shake his hand away but to no avail.

"You'd better go for a walk with me," the man said, looking at the girl with a lopsided expression. But when he noticed the birthmark above his eyebrows, he froze before giving a sneering smile.

"Oh, I thought that pretty girl was actually a cursed girl. Oh, I've been missing from the village for so long, I thought she was dead."

The girl's expression changed from the front of her hand to the back of her hand. The girl looked at the man in fear. But before he could do anything, the girl placed a hand on his shoulder.

“This child comes with me. Please let go.” His words were smooth, but the hand on his shoulder squeezed tightly. It turned to look at the long-haired young man who was holding its shoulder before speaking.

"Your child? Be careful, one day it will bring disaster to you.” After saying that, he let go of his hand and walked away.

The young man turned to look at Meris. "Is something wrong?"

“Dammit, sir, why are you waiting for me? I don't know where I've gone. It's really crazy," he said with a small hand. and slammed it on the young man's chest.

"Sorry, I saw you were having fun so I walked over to have a look." Meris then felt something touch her neck. When he looked down, he saw a small silver crescent-shaped necklace.

"Stop being angry at me." The girl nodded a little sheepishly.

That night, the two stayed at the event until the event was over. When they returned to the girl's house, the sun had already risen. Meris fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Good morning," the young man greeted when he saw Meris open her eyes. He needed to stay at the girl's house to wait for the sun to set so he could return to his castle, but looking at the girl's face while she was sleeping wasn't bad.

“It's almost dark. Do you want to give me a ride?” the young man asked and the girl didn't refuse.

The two of them walked slowly into the forest. With Meris speaking clearly on one side. The young man just listened and smiled. But then he had a serious expression on his face before quickly turning around.

Cabinet

An explosion sounded before Meris knew it. The girl closed her eyes and instinctively raised her hands to her face. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a pair of black wings spread out in front of him.

"Long time no see, Lucifer," the stranger said. He floated in front of the young man with white wings on his back. “I didn't expect to see you again. It's been gone for a long time. I thought you were already dead,” the angel said.

The young man didn't say anything, just stared intently at the angel in front of him.

"You don't have to stare at me like that, I can't do much in front of humans." The angel said, "I just stopped by to say hello. Goodbye." After saying that, the angel disappeared.

The young man folded his black wings before they disappeared. He looked back at Meris, who was in a state of shock.

He is Lucifer. is a fallen angel This is the reason why people are afraid of her black winged birthmark.

"What's wrong?" he asked, reaching closer.

Meris closed her eyes instinctively. Her body trembled slightly in fear. After a moment, she slowly Opening her eyes when the hand wasn't on hers.

The young man was still standing in front of her. Both hands were at her sides, the eyes looking at her had a hint of understanding. But at the same time, it was filled with the utmost sadness and pain.

“I'm sorry I never told you, I just didn't want you to be afraid of me.” He took a small step back, “Thank you for all the time. Keep that necklace.” With that, he walked into the forest that was beginning to be shrouded in the darkness of the night.

He is Lucifer. Meris thought as she sat on her bed in her own home the next morning that for the first time she had to admit that she was terrified. But when she calmed down, she felt sorry for his behavior. She judged him only because she knew he was Lucifer, judging even though she knew him and knew that he was not at all like the stories that had been told. Kind and gentle, even different from the story. I don't know how upset he was when she acted like she was afraid of him.

You have to apologize to him!

Thinking so, when night fell, she immediately walked into the forest.

Eh?

The girl looked down at her feet when she heard a strange sound and found that the ground her feet had just stepped on was completely white. Not only that, the road ahead was completely white.

snow? Meris looked at it in surprise as she looked up at the sky. Normally, in the young man's forest, the weather was always warm despite the weather outside because it was located in a magical zone that was completely cut off from the outside world. But at this time the sky had turned a gloomy gray and snow was falling heavily.

What happened here? The girl hurried forward in an anxious manner. Even though the snow was falling heavily and the air was cold, she didn't care. When she reached his castle, her body almost turned into ice.

She opened the door and walked into the castle. But the young man who was normally in that room was not there.

Meris wasted no time in brushing off the snow on her body and immediately ran towards the place she thought he was most likely to be.

The young man was there, standing on the balcony where he and she often stood and looked at the sky together. There was a lot of white snow stuck to his clothes and his long black hair. He turned around when he heard the sound of snow stepping and smiled slightly when he saw it was her.

"The weather is cold," he said and conjured a cloth to cover her.

"And you're not cold?" He shook his head.

“When I first came here, it snowed for a year straight. I'm used to it," he said. "Then why are you here? Have you lost your way again?”

The young girl shook her head. The young man turned his eyes to look at the snow-falling sky and spoke softly.

"Whatever reason you came, I'm glad to see you again."

He suddenly felt a strong hug on his waist along with a moist feeling on his back. When he turned around, he saw that the girl was hugging him. Her face was buried in his back, trembling slightly.

"Little child?"

The girl's body shook even more. Tears flowed uncontrollably, he wasn't angry at her. Don't hate her even though she judges him. Just because he knew he was Lucifer. Besides that, he was worried about her, happy to see her. How could you...hurt such a good person?

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Apologize for what?"

“Heck, sorry for the judgment. I'm sorry for being scared. In fact, I'm just shocked to know who you are.” She raised her head and looked at the young man. "You are not angry with me."

"I'm not angry." A hand slowly rubbed the girl's head, "I understand, so stop crying."

She nodded and raised her hand to wipe away her tears. I just noticed that the snow has stopped falling.

“It's almost morning. Come, I'll send you."

"I…" the girl pursed her lips in debate, "Is that one thing I can ask of you?"

The young man looked at the girl in surprise, "What?"

"I may not have as long a lifespan as you, but I...would like to be able to stay by your side."

“Are you sure?” The girl nodded immediately, and the young man smiled, a wide, happy smile without any traces of contamination.

The snow melted away. The air quickly warmed up as if it reflected the feelings in the young man's heart.

"Then welcome to my castle, little one."

Many years later

“A lot has changed,” the young woman turned to address the young man accompanying her.

"Um, I hardly remember."

“Aw, that shop is so cute. Let's go in." She pointed at the small bakery. one store before running to the store without waiting for an answer at all

The young man sighed as he walked into the shop and saw a young woman eating a cake with a happy expression on her face.

“Is it delicious?” He sat down on the chair next to the girl. She put the cake in her mouth and turned to nod at him. She was stopped when the young man ran a finger to the corner of his mouth before pulling his hand back and slowly licking the cream off his fingertips.

“Delicious,” he said with a smile. Seeing her face down shyly, the young man lifted her chin up and leaned in to press his own lips against the small lips of the person in front of him. It took so long that the little man almost lost his breath, so he pulled away.

The girl put both hands over her mouth and her face was red. The young man looked at him and laughed a little. He also held a strand of hair up to his ear and gently rubbed the black wing-shaped birth mark above his eyebrow.

"It's been a long time. Are you still not used to it?"

"Who's going to get used to it?"

"Come on, being shy like this is cute." The woman puffed her cheeks before lightly smacking the young man's chest.

"Lou is mean, always teasing each other."

The young man laughed and held his small hands together. who pounded his chest before pulling the woman's body into his arms

"Even so, you still love me, don't you?"

“Mmm.” She nodded against the young man's chest, so he raised her chin to kiss her again.

After the young man let the young woman eat all the snacks, he paid and the two of them walked out of the store.

The woman grabbed his arm and rested her head on it and the two of them walked out into the city. Until night falls when the entrance to the castle opens.