The Devil's Cursed Witch

It was time to discuss the next issue in their agenda, but Halifax felt a little hesitant mentioning it to their ill-tempered king. "Your Majesty, the next issue is about His Majesty's mate, Lady Ember."

Draven did not say a word.

Taking his silence as approval, Halifax continued, "We are concerned about the kind of power His Majesty's mate possesses. Even His Majesty's power, which is strongest among our kind, fails short in front of it."

"It is not her power per se, but the fact that she is human with power that concerns you," Draven said in a flat tone. "Your Majesty, according to the report, though instigated by Young Lady Isa, you cannot deny that Lady Ember killed three people. You also cannot deny that Lady Ember lost control of her powers. If not for the Commander luckily stopping her…Alas!"

Another elf chimed in, "We are worried to see humans having such powers. Think forr our kingdom. In the past, ordinary humans with no powers had brought chaos to this kingdom, so we are not sure what a human with such power would be able to do. Your subjects fear her very existence, Your Majesty. No one wishes for her to step foot on their cities.""

"She is my mate, and I refuse that she be put in harm's way."

"We do not ask that she be harmed, Your Majesty. Only…though it is best if you can ask her to stay outside of Agartha, we will be satisfied if you can assure us that she never steps out of your palace…"

"You want me to imprison my mate?"

"Your Majesty—"

"She indeed possesses a great power, but you forget power is a tool

—one needs to be guided to properly wield this tool. What she needs is not blame, but guidance."

"The people are terrified of their survival, Your Majesty. Please think of your people."

"My mate only used her power because someone important to her was being harmed. It shows that although she is a human, she values our kind and sees us as people, not a being of another race. Morpheus is her dear friend and she was angered because he was dying in front of her. You excuse the behavior of the Divine Eagle Clan beastmen venting their anger on the Divine Foxes just because they hurt their clan member, yet you turn a blind eye to the fact she lost control over herself because her friend was stabbed right in front of her eyes?"

"That's true, but Your Majesty, you forget humans are fickle beings. We cannot be sure about her later intentions. Please learn from the past. Back then, His Majesty trusted that human you called a friend as well and assured us all, but didn't that human's betrayal wiped out the entire High Elf Race—"

"I know whatever I do, my mistakes from the past will never vanish and I am regretful for that. But this, I solemnly vow—Ember Aramis is my mate and I can feel her intentions through our mate bond. I believe none of you would want to doubt the power of this sacred bond. If she harbors evil intentions towards our people, I will be the first one to feel it. If her existence threatens the lives of the people of Agartha, I will stand in the vanguard protecting you from her."

Though others still had doubts, they dared not openly question the King in front of the council. Many of them were not assured, especially those who witnessed Draven's power being ineffective against Ember's barrier back then. Everyone talked among themselves and Halifax finally turned to one person. "Queen of the Fae, you assigned Fire Fae Helia as Lady Ember's magic teacher. Do you have any opinion on this matter?"

The Fairy Queen replied lightly, "I…wish to believe in Lady Ember."

The conversations stopped, and everyone's attention was on the elegant winged woman.

"As you know, the Fae people are spirits born from nature. As such, our thoughts and emotions are pure and simple, and are reflected by the elements we represent. Among all the humans I have met ever since I existed, Lady Ember has these traits that are most similar to us. That child is pure and simple, and though her power seems difficult for her to control, this is simply a matter of time. We have to train Lady Ember. Teach her how to wield her power for good, teach her heart to remain kind, teach her how to protect our people…

"This is the opinion of Lady Helia who personally taught her, and this is my opinion as Queen of Fae as well."

As the Queen of Fae herself sided with the King's mate, the atmosphere within the council hall became subtle, some opinions swaying in favor of giving Ember a second chance as well. If that fearsome fire magic became an additional protection for Agartha, then risking to trust Ember might be worth a shot. However, there were still a few things they needed to clarify.

The scholarly representative of the Grey Elf Clan raised a concern, "Your Majesty, there is something we all want to know and we ask that you enlighten us."

"Go ahead," Draven instructed. "We want to know Lady Ember's history and background," the elf said. "I am talking about before His Majesty saved her from the fire. May His Majesty please allow scouts to leave Agartha and investigate her identity— where exactly she came from, what family she has, as well as all her relationships in the outside world."

His demand received support from the other council members.

"Indeed, even if we choose to give the human girl a chance, we must remain careful."

"It is good to find out if she's a hidden danger to our kingdom." The elf continued, "It is all to make sure she is not someone planned by the humans to invade us. In the past, we trusted what that human told us and we pitied that person. We neglected to verify that human's claims. I hope His Majesty will not be offended—

I just don't want the past to be repeated."

"There is no need to send scouts to inquire about her as I had already done that," Draven replied. "Erlos."

His personal attendant stepped out from the side and informed, "Lady Ember is the royal princess of the human kingdom called Valor." "Princess!"

Before, they were merely concerned whether her status befit that of the King's mate. But to think she was royalty!

Everyone started to voice out their opinions. "If Lady Ember is a princess, then she indeed poses a greater threat to the kingdom. How high are the chances that our King coincidentally saves a human princess? She must be a spy."

"There is no such thing, High Elder," Erlos explained. "From the results of both my and Sire's investigation, She had been abandoned by the royal family just after she was born. They did not even give her a name. She was left to die on a mountain and it was due to luck that she survived to this day." "There is no longer any relationship between her and the outside world," Draven spoke, causing the entire hall to turn silent. "My mate herself had no knowledge of her background and only learned it through me. She doesn't want to have anything to do with her human family. She is just Ember Aramis, the mate of Draven Aramis and a citizen of Agartha."

Even after his declaration finished, the silence in the council hall remained. Though others still had doubts about this 'abandoned royal princess', since the King himself made a decision, they could only wait and see if that claim would remain true in the future. "However," Draven spoke, which pulled everyone's attention back to him, "even though I vouch for her not being a future threat to Agartha, I will be impartial about her punishment."

'Punishment? The king was going to punish his mate?'