Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Silently, the two siblings entered the royal residence from its main entrance and walked towards the left-wing of the palace where Seren's bedchamber was located.

No words were exchanged between them the entire way, causing the mood to be uncomfortable for Cian. Not that he could blame Seren. Unable to do more for his sister, Cian merely respected her private space and silently accompanied her the whole way to her bedchamber.

Soon, they crossed the part of the wing where the royal knights under Sir Berolt were stationed to guard against other people from approaching. Seren didn't fail to take a proper look at them and counted how many knights were on duty. The knights paid their respects to the prince and princess as they walked past them.

Only when they reached the door of Seren's bedchamber did Cian forced a smile on his face as he turned to his sister. "Tomorrow, I will take you to the river outside the palace."

The silent Seren suddenly spoke, "Brother, will it be fine if I alone go for a walk to get fresh air whenever I want?" Her voice was calm and polite.

Cian didn't wish to say no to any of her demands. He wanted her last days in the palace to be peaceful, but he couldn't allow her to be alone as it was not safe for her. He was sure some people in the palace were still holding malice against her. Nobody knew when she would end up being harmed again.

Taking a moment to think it over, Cian replied, "You can but only along this wing. Outside is not safe for you. Even nobles have to walk with a knight or a servant all the time; what more a young royal like you."

Seren nodded and said another demand, "I would appreciate it if no one followed me."

Cian agreed to it. "Inside this wing, it is safe to wander about so no one will disturb you." Cian then pointedly looked at the two knights guarding the door for the bedchamber.

The two knights saluted to show that they understood they should not disturb the Third Princess when she wanted to go for a walk.

"Thank you so much, Brother." Seren bowed to him lightly as her gratitude.

"You don't need to thank me over something this small," Cian smiled at her.

"I will go inside to rest now," Seren informed.

With a nod, Cian watched over her as the knights opened the door, and she went back inside her chamber. Once the door was closed, Cian immediately turned to leave. Since he was heading towards the main palace, he took the opposite direction and came across Drayce who was returning to his bedchamber.

Cian stopped and bowed to Drayce. "Greetings, King Drayce."

Nodding lightly, the young king accepted his greetings and asked, "How is the Third Princess?"

"She is doing better now," Cian replied. "If it's not a trouble for King Drayce, I would like to have a word with you."

Drayce nodded. "Let us talk in my chamber."

The two young royals no longer said anything as they walked together. The atmosphere between them was neither friendly nor hostile, but it made the knights escorting them uncomfortable.

Upon stepping inside Drayce's bedchamber, one looked as cold as always, his red eyes devoid of any sort of emotion, while the other one also had an expressionless face, but his sapphire blue eyes were thick with worry for someone he cared about.

"Have a seat." Drayce gestured to him to sit on one of the chairs in front of the desk while he sat on his chair behind the wooden table filled with paperwork.

Cian did not decline, and Drayce patiently waited for him to talk.

"I am here to talk about my sister," Cian informed, his tone civil.

With a slight nod, Drayce allowed him to continue. "You may proceed."

"King Drayce must have already heard what kind of life Seren had lived inside the palace."

"I am aware of it. I must say I am not pleased to know what the Queen of Megaris has gone through all these years," Drayce commented with a dry tone.

Cian did not rise to the taunt and merely continued, "I know, and I feel apologetic towards her. But we can't change the past now, so I can only work on the present, expecting her future to be better. I believe King Drayce would keep true to his promise to my father and give my sister the freedom to do what she wants when she comes to Megaris."

"I have given my word," Drayce assured.

If it was someone else, Drayce would have glowered at that person and asked, 'Do you dare doubt my words?' but he held back the urge. This young man was his queen's family, his soon-to-be brother-in-law, and he could not be faulted for wanting the best for Seren. He could see the sincere worry inside this Crown Prince of Abetha, who successfully defended his sister by going against all the odds in the royal court.

To him, his disappointment with the Kingdom of Abetha somehow lessened. It was enough that other than King Armen, there was one more person in this entire kingdom who worried for his soon-to-be wife.

"Thank you," Cian said humbly.

There was a brief pause, but Drayce remained quiet. He was sure Cian was not here only for this much and waited for him to talk further.

At this moment, Cian was speaking not as the Crown Prince of Abetha but as a responsible brother who loved his sister.

After thinking over how to put an order in his thoughts, Cian continued, "She has always been imprisoned inside the tower, so she is not familiar with the outside world. She is not used to people. To her, everyone is a stranger, and she will be uncomfortable and wary of those around her. When she goes to Megaris, she might feel scared, and given her mental condition, it will be difficult for her to accept the sudden changes in her life. A different place, different people, different culture and environment… I ask that King Drayce be patient with her."

"Different, yes, but it will be the kind of 'different' infinitely better than what Abetha has offered her," Drayce replied.

Drayce's words were mocking, but they sounded assuring to Cian. To him, this rude yet straightforward way of talking felt more reliable than the sugarcoated yet untrustworthy words of most people of high society. Cian was the same, and Arlan was the same, so he could see what kind of a person Drayce must be. The King of Megaris was a man of his words.

Cian nodded lightly and continued to speak, "Being isolated from the real world; there will be things that she might not understand at all. She is like a blank piece of paper, lacking in experience to deal with anything or anyone around her. It will take time for her to understand and accept her new title, along with the responsibilities that will come with it..."

Cian stopped deliberately to check if Drayce was getting his point or not.

A light but pleasant smirk was painted on Drayce's lips, amused at the brother who was trying to figure out how to put his words right without offending the husband of his sister.

"I understand," Drayce replied. Before Cian could say more, Drayce said again, "I have given my word in the royal court that we won't consummate our marriage until she comes of age. That much time will be enough for her to understand everything."

Cian could only nod at the blunt words of this king, but it was a relief that this king at least understood what he meant to say.

"Also, after going to Megaris, she has to learn not only the traditions and customs there, she will also be educated on how to rule by my side as a queen. After her arrival in my kingdom, she will probably be busy learning things. Those will take time."

"Then I will entrust my sister to King Drayce," said Cian.

Drayce nodded and Cian stood up as he said, "Then, I will take a leave. Thank you for your time, Your Majesty."

Cian turned to leave but stopped again. Drayce waited to know what more he had to say.

Cian spoke in a low voice, "She has never experienced the feeling of being loved. I can only ask that you make sure she will get to know it."

To this request, Drayce had no mocking words to reply and just nodded silently again.

When Cian left, Drayce leaned back in his chair as his hands rested on the cushioned armrest.  There was silence for a moment before Drayce mumbled, "Feeling of being loved? I wonder how it feels."