The Demon Innocent Wife

Chapter 1

"I'm not going to meet her, not today," General Griffin stated seriously to the Lieutenant.

"But it's your betrothal wedding today, General. Shouldn't you be there?"

"It doesn't matter. I was just dragged into this sh!t. You can go instead of me."

"B-But General, the First Lady has already prepared your outfit. Surely some VIPs attending the betrothal wedding will be looking for you."

"Security threats are more important than that. There's no need for this to reach the First Lady. Do your part. No information on that wedding should be leaked or else..."

"I- I understand, General. I will do what needs to be done," the Lieutenant quickly responded, knowing the implications of failing this task.

"Good."

"Ah, General,"

"Yes?"

"H-how about your wif--"

"Miss Torres! That's how you should address her. She's too young to be called my wife. It takes time!" he remarked.

"O-okay. I-If that's the case, what should we do with her after dinner tonight?"

"Take her with you to Manila. My house is ready. Nanay Tacy is there, waiting for her. She knows what to do with Miss Torres, so you can just leave her at my house."

"Copy that, General!"

"She's just in 11th grade. She needs more time to build herself and mature. I don't want to be a babysitter! I'm not a babysitter after all!" he said in a mocking tone before loosening his necktie with a grin.

Shu Torres often wondered when or where she would meet the man she had married.

For two years since their wedding, she had neither seen him nor heard his voice.

Yes, she had moved in and lived for two years in the house owned by General Griffin, but she had not even glimpsed his shadow.

"Mother, I really don't know anything about marriage. Besides, I'm only fifteen years old."

"Shu, my child, we understand that. But you agreed, didn't you? Besides, this isn't final; it's just a preliminary arrangement to fulfill the agreement between Señora's family and the first family of the country, the Villarialles."

"Your mother is right, Shu. Don't worry, this is just a pre-wedding. The proper wedding will be held when you're of the right age."

"But why do we have these kinds of agreements?" she complained, causing Señora to smile.

"Hmm, we may have many questions about these things, but we have no choice but to follow. It's important to honor the words and wishes of our family's ancestors for a peaceful and harmonious life. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe. We will be cursed forever, and I don't want that to happen."

She could only tremble at Señora Agnes's words.

"Shu, I know this is not easy for you either, but you understand the situation, right?"

"Y-yes, Señora," she replied timidly as something crossed her mind.

"W-wait, Señora, isn't the young master of the first family supposed to marry my twin? I mean, marry me? And my twin mentioned that the young master is reluctant to follow the agreement because he's already in love with someone else."

Señora smiled at her words before turning serious.

"The young master will not be the token offered by the first family in this agreement, Shu."

"W-what? B-but why? Who?" she asked, eyes widening at what she heard.

"The first-ranked General of the palace, Shu."

"G-general? W-which one?" she asked nervously as thoughts raced through her mind upon hearing the word "General."

"No one else but the general you're thinking of right now, Shu. He is the only general in the palace."

"GENERAL DEMON?!" she exclaimed in fear, her eyes widening. "No, Señora. I didn't want to marry that playboy and jerk of a young master, let alone that ruthless, terrifying General Demon!" she protested, scooting back in her seat.

Señora sighed and nodded before speaking again.

"That's why I'm more determined not to offer my daughter Cera in this marriage, Shu. She has had a heart condition since she was a child. She cannot handle being the wife of a general like General Griffin. No one knows him except the first family, but his reputation throughout the country is notorious. Moreover, he has lost two wives less than a year after marrying them. I'm afraid my daughter will suffer the same fate," she said with concern in her voice.

"S-so it's true that General Griffin has already had two wives and they both died a few months after marrying him?"

"Yes. That's not just a rumor."

"S-so it's also true that h-he is the reason for their deaths--"

"Shhh... that's enough, Shu. You're just scaring yourself. While there are many negative rumors about him, as I said, no one knows General Griffin except the first family and... and soon, you, once you marry him."

Shu's face was a picture of unease as her mind raced with thoughts about the general.

Although no one outside the first family and palace staff had seen or met him, negative rumors about him still spread among the public. If General Griffin were to be compared to someone with a bad reputation, the president of North Korea would be a perfect match.

She was busy overthinking and fretting when Señora suddenly approached her and took her hands, prompting her to stand and face her.

"Shu," she began, her eyes filled with emotion. "Since you were a child, your mother brought you to this mansion, so you grew up with my daughter. Whatever she has, you have too. Whatever her interests are, yours are the same. You are identical in every aspect, even physically, which is why you call each other twins. This is why you are the only one who can help us in this situation. You will be the daughter we offer to the first family as General Griffin's wife. They won't suspect anything because you and Cera are identical. The only difference is that you are stronger and more cheerful. So, I know you can handle being the wife of someone like General Griffi--"

"D-Demon," she interrupted, causing Señora to smile bitterly.

"Shu, I know this is a huge and lifelong sacrifice for you, which is why we will compensate you handsomely. We will take care of your family. Your mother will no longer need to work here in the mansion. But if she still wants to be a supervisor, she can continue. But we will cover all your expenses, including your siblings' education."

Shu wiped away her tears after recalling the agreements she made with Cera's family two years ago. These agreements were why she was now living alone in Griffin mansion, far from her family, with only the guard and Nanay Tacy to talk to every day, especially when she was at home.

At school, apart from her friends Ivon and Pao, she didn't have anyone else to talk to, especially since she was a transferee.

Since the pre-wedding with General Griffin, she had been taken to Manila to live the rest of her life there. She had to stay in the Griffin household and study at a premier school for all the rich kids in the country. Of course, there were also poor kids, but they were the town's scholars, descendants of Einstein, if that makes sense.

The highlight was that the young master of the palace, Khallib Spencer Villarialle, attended the school, along with his cousin Dhark Han Villarialle, who had no other intention but to bully her.

For some reason, since their paths crossed, Dhark had never left her alone.

In fact, Dhark had become the center of her daily life at school and, unexpectedly, the person who completed her days.

To Be Continued...

Chapre 2

"His name suits him perfectly, 'Khallib'. Isn't it beautiful? But he's colder than this ice candy in my hand, huh!" Shu complained before taking a bite of her ice candy.

They were in the canteen, watching Khallib, who was on the ground with other men and Dhark, who was always by his side.

"Hey, stop your flirtation. Aren't you married?" Pao said, snapping her back to reality.

She let out a deep sigh. "That's just it. I'm married, but I'm an abandoned wife. That demon general! He took me to his house but never comes home!" she said, frowning, making her two friends smile.

"Oh, why are you smiling?"

"Well, girl, you sound like you miss your 'demon husband'," Pao teased, raising two fingers to quote what she had just said.

"Miss? I haven't even seen him, so how could I miss him?"

"Asus! There you go again. You can still miss him. Of course, he's part of your life even if you haven't seen him yet."

"Correct! Besides, we know you're excited to finally see him so you can put a face to your imagination!"

She paused before responding.

"Well, I don't know either. You see, during our pre-wedding, I was only 15, so I was very scared to see him. But after two years, and since I'm about to turn 18, I feel like I've matured a bit and yes, I found myself wanting to meet him. Who wouldn't be curious?"

"We're excited for you too, friend! We hope he's handsome, young, and dashing so fak na fak!" Pao exclaimed, making her smile.

"Huh, don't get your hopes up. He's old." She grinned before taking another bite of her ice candy.

"Old? Maybe not, maybe you're just saying he's old." Ivon interjected.

"Trust me! The fact that he's had two wives before me and I'm the third proves he's old. Is there a 20-year-old who's had three wives? And besides, he's a general! Like, a literal general, and not just any general, he's the first-ranked General of the palace! It requires legendary merits and years of experience to reach that far, nu! Just the fact that he's a General means he's been in service for many years to get there. Let's say 15 or 20 years."

As the two began to count, she spoke again.

"Don't, don't count! I've already computed it. Let's say he graduated from college at 20. Two years of training and exams. Then 15 to 20 years of experience to reach where he is now."

"OMG! So that means, that means he's in his 40s?"

"OMG! You're correct!" Pao agreed but smiled after a few minutes.

"Hmm, oh my! Lee Min Ho, Lee Dong Wook, Gong Yoo! Who else! Even if he's 40, if he's a fafa! Keri boom boom!" Pao said flirtatiously, making her laugh.

"Sigh, don't get your hopes up! He's not Korean!" she responded negatively, but the two remained positive.

"Hmm, I'm excited to see your General Demon! When will he show up? Is he hiding in the palace?"

She just shrugged. Because every time she tried to sneak a peek into the palace, she was always blocked.

"But haven't you been visiting the palace? Haven't you gotten any information yet?" Ivon asked with a frown, causing her to scowl even more.

"Huh! Nothing! It's because I always get blocked. If not by his Lieutenant, then by the young master!"

"Y-Young master?"

"Yes. I always see him walking around outside the palace. Sometimes he's talking to Lieutenant Carber. Of course, I don't proceed. If they see me there, they might imprison me for trespassing. Besides, you know how grumpy Khallid is. I've never seen him happy. Whether at school or in the palace, he's always serious."

"You have a point. That's why no one talks to him except his cousin Dhark. For all of Khallid's seriousness, Dhark matches it with his playfulness," Pao added with a smile.

"Speaking of Dhark, don't you see him there?" Ivon interjected with a smile, clearly having a crush on the person.

"Hmm, no. I only ever see Khallid with the Lieutenant."

"Ah, maybe he's fulfilling his duties as the young master of the palace. You know, he's the future. He might be learning the ropes."

"Hmm, you have a point," she said with a sigh.

"So are you going back there today? It's Friday, right? You usually go there on Fridays or Saturdays," Ivon asked after a while.

"Hmm..." she just sighed while thinking.

Shu exclaimed involuntarily in shock when someone spoke behind her.

She was peeking into the private part of the palace from the fence surrounding the mansion vicinity. She was leaning over a plant box she was standing on, so she immediately climbed down.

"Miss Torres, you're here again," Lieutenant Carber said seriously when she turned to look at him, so she forced a fake smile.

"Ah, eheee...umm, b-because I just wanted to see General Griffin even from a distance. I-is he here? Last time you said he wasn't at the palace. Maybe he's here now."

Lieutenant Carber smiled before responding, "Miss Torres, the General is busy. Besides, if he wanted to see you, he would come home to the mansion."

"Eihh, I know that! But it seems like he has no plans to come home, so I'll just go to him. Please, I'll just take a peek, I promise. I won't show myself," she pleaded, smiling sweetly at the Lieutenant, causing the General, who was watching from a distance, to smirk.

"Please! Please! I'll just take a peek," Shu pleaded again, rubbing her palms together and acting cute, causing the Lieutenant to swallow and glance at the General's location.

Seeing the General still looking at them seriously with his hands in his pockets, the Lieutenant swallowed again.

He immediately distanced himself after making eye contact with the General and became serious once more.

"Miss Torres, I repeat, the General is busy. He will come home if he wants to, so go back to the mansion and wait there."

"Hah? Again? Lieutenant, you're being mean again!" Shu tried to guilt-trip him, pouting a little, but it had no effect on the Lieutenant, who once again secretly glanced at the General.

"The palace gate is about to close. Go home, Miss Torres," he firmly responded and turned away, ordering the gate to be closed. Shu had no choice but to march out of the Palace gate, which was for public use.

She looked back at the Lieutenant, but he had already entered the private part of the palace, so she couldn't do anything more.

"Hays bad trip! Even his right-hand man has been tainted by his demon-like nature? So annoying! Why don't you want to show yourself, even just a shadow! Huh! I better leave!" she said, pouting before walking away from the palace.

"General," Lieutenant Carber greeted General Griffin as he approached the Gazebo where the General was.

"Did she leave?"

"Yes, General."

"What about her escort?"

"Don't worry, Sergeant Guillier is always secretly following her."

The General just nodded before loosening his necktie.

"And the mansion. Any update?" he asked, still staring into space.

"Ah, about that, I bought it this morning and sent the item Nanay Tacy mentioned to the mansion."

"Okay, good," the General responded briefly and coldly. As usual, that was him. He always spoke few words, but each one was meaningful and intimidating. His serious look could literally kill.

"Ah, G-General," Lieutenant Carber stammered, causing the General to frown.

"Yes? Anything else?"

Lieutenant Carber gathered his courage before responding.

"Ah, a-about Miss Shu. I can't count how many times she has come back here in the past two years just to-- just to see you. W-when do you plan to introduce yourself to her?" he asked cautiously, but the General showed no expression.

The General just pocketed his hands and looked at him. "You don't need to tell me. I'm aware of everything," he said seriously before patting the Lieutenant on the shoulder and speaking again.

"I'll attend a briefing tonight for the upcoming delegation from Indonesia. You take care of the security."

"Understood, General."

The General just nodded and turned away after adjusting his General uniform.

Lieutenant Carber shook his head and grinned. "Well,

To Be Continued...

Chapre 3

When she reached the third floor, the surroundings were quiet, and the door to the General's huge room was closed.

"Could it be just Nana Tacy?" she whispered as she glanced around.

"Hmm, maybe it was just Nana fixing something here. Nana?! Nana Tacy?!" she called out, but no one answered, so she decided to peek into the General's room.

She wasn't supposed to do that, but she was naturally stubborn. In fact, she had entered the room three times before just to look for a picture of the General, but there wasn't even one old photograph of him as a child.

The room was very plain, with only black and white colors. Actually, the entire mansion had a minimalistic design, which was fancy. But for her, it was boring. It looked newly made, with no traces of use. The furnishings were in neutral shades, white, or gold.

Her hands were itching to decorate it with paintings if she could. But in the past two years, she hadn't done so. First, she was afraid the General might get angry when he returned and saw her paintings. Second, she didn't have good painting materials. She had been longing for it but didn't have enough money. Her allowance from her husband was limited.

Not to be rude, but the General was stingy. Her daily allowance from Nana Tacy was just enough for her daily expenses.

She didn't have an ATM card or credit cards. Actually, she didn't even have a bank account. Everything was in cash or in kind. According to Nana Tacy, that was the General's golden rule that she had to follow. She didn't know why, but that was it.

She looked around every corner of the General's room when suddenly the lights turned on, nearly causing her to jump. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest.

"Oh, sorry darling, did I startle you?"

"Nana Tacy, it's you. You surprised me," she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She thought it was the General. For a second, she felt fear and nervousness at the thought of seeing the General Demon she had been waiting for.

"Hmm, you were scared, huh? You thought it was Sir?" Nana Tacy teased, making her smile and shake her head.

"Hmm, oh dear! You miss Sir, don't you?"

"H-huh? Me? No, that's unlikely to happen. Eheee..." she responded with a grin, but Nana Tacy just smiled even more.

"Ah, we've been together for two years, darling, I know you. Besides, why are you in Sir's room? Hmm, you must really miss him, hahaha!" Nana Tacy teased further, making her laugh. "Oh, Nana Tacy, you really like to tease me!" she protested, and Nana Tacy smiled and ruffled her hair, causing her to dodge. "Nana Tacy!!!" she complained before fixing her messy hair.

"Oh, alright, alright. I was just trying to make you smile. You seem sad again." Nana Tacy said lovingly before sitting on the sofa at the foot of the General's bed. The only thing they could touch, maybe?

"Me, sad?"

Shu entered the school through the backyard gate because he already knew the kind of scene he would find at the university's main gate.

He arrived a bit early, so he coincidentally arrived at the same time as the two campus crushes from the palace, Khallib and Dhark. This is the main reason why the main entrance of the university looked like a concert venue once again.

Shu had a crush on Khallib, but she didn't want to squeeze through the crowd, so she headed straight to the back.

She was enjoying her walk when a sudden 'beep' from behind startled her, almost causing her to fall. However, she was even more shocked by what happened next.

A man's arm from a motorcycle grabbed her by the waist, preventing her from falling.

The man was dressed in full black and wore a helmet, but she recognized him instantly.

"D-Dhark?!" she blurted out as she finally regained her balance and stood up properly.

"Hey, weirdo! Good morning!" he teased after removing his helmet.

She grimaced at him. "You! You scared me on purpose again, didn't you? Ugh!" she said angrily, intending to punch him, but Dhark quickly handed her the helmet, winked at her, and ran off.

"Hey! What am I supposed to do with this?!" she shouted in confusion.

"Keep it! I'll find you later!" he yelled back, pausing briefly to look at her.

"Find it in the trash!" she yelled back.

"Do it and you'll see..." he replied mischievously, leaving her momentarily stunned and grimacing.

"Is he crazy?"

"Who's crazy?" Pao suddenly asked from behind, startling her.

"Pao, you scared me!"

"Who were you looking at?"

"No one, just a crazy person who messes with me every day!" she said, pouting.

"Dhark again?"

"Who else? He's the only one who teases me!"

"Maybe he likes you?" Pao suggested, making her dodge the idea.

"He likes me? No way! He just enjoys teasing me because of what happened before. Remember, I was the reason for his first trip to the guidance office when I mistook him for a pervert after he accidentally hugged me in the hallway near the restroom. It turned out he was sick and dizzy, which is why he fell on me as I passed by."

"That was a long time ago! What, he doesn't know how to forgive? Though his image was ruined here at school, especially in our senior high department. Everyone really thought he was a pervert," Pao said, grinning.

"Why of all people in the world did I have to be in that hallway at that time? Now, I've been his target for a year!"

"He probably thinks he's Jun Pyo, and you're Gum Jandi from 'Boys Over Flowers!' Haha, cute!" Pao commented, laughing, making her grimace again.

"What, are we in a drama?"

"Haha, just let it be. He's handsome, rich, lives in a palace, and dresses like an idol! He's the dream guy of almost 80% of the population here at school, right? Who knows, you might have a twist!" Pao speculated, making her frown even more.

"Hey, just dream for yourself! Not for me. I'm fine with my complicated situation!" she said sarcastically.

"Oh right! You already have General Demon! He might even throw me in the trash if he hears what I'm saying-OH MY GOD! What is that?!" Pao suddenly exclaimed, startled along with Shu, by the man standing behind them.

"Y-Young Mast-- I mean, Khallib?!" Pao whispered, while Shu remained shocked.

Khallib stood behind them with his hands in his pockets.

As they stepped aside, he gave them a nasty look and continued walking. He was accompanied by two other male law students.

"Wait, wasn't he just in his car at the main entrance? Why did he come through the back?" Shu asked curiously after a while.

"Come on, it's like you never graduated from the second grade. You know, they're like celebrities. They like putting on a show. They pretend to be in the car that everyone is fussing over, but they actually slip in through the back door," he explained.

"Ah, that makes sense," Shu replied, following Khallib with his eyes as he walked further away.

"Wow, it must be tough for them, dealing with that every day."

"You're telling me. Look at Dhark; at first, he was all about the car. But now, he prefers using a motorcycle because he hates getting stuck in the crowd at the main gate. At least on a motorcycle, he doesn't get noticed as much by the students, and he can just use the back gate to enter the school quietly."

"Huh! He might get in quietly, but I don't!" she retorted.

"Just let it go. In a little over a year, he'll graduate. And Khallib, we don't interact with him often because his department is far away," he added.

According to the information they had, Khallib was a law student, a few years ahead of Dhark. Dhark was in the Political Science department and was only in his third year. As for them, they were graduating Grade 12 students in two months, so their building was somewhat separate, and they only interacted with college students during breaks or campus-wide events.

To Be Continued...