Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

The sky was already dark by the time Seren found a chance to rest from the entire day's busy preparation for the wedding happening the next day. Only now was she able to fully understand how much effort it was to organize a royal wedding. Her wedding ceremony in Abetha was small and simple in comparison, nothing like the one she would be having tomorrow; also, back then, everything was taken care of by Queen Niobe without taking her choices into consideration. However, she herself was a queen now, and all her decisions matter.

Although she remained in her residence the entire day and Lady Tyra was there to guide her about what would happen during the ceremony, her schedule barely allowed her to breathe. It was fortunate that her ladies-in-waiting made sure her evening was free, giving her time to relax before the grand ceremony.

Seren wondered if the delegates coming from the Kingdom of Abetha had already arrived at Blackhelm and if that person was her brother. When Lady Tyra was about to leave the Queen's chamber earlier, Seren asked her if there was any news, but the old woman only shook her head. Seren could only continue to worry.

'What if it is not Brother Cian, but an ordinary diplomatic official?'

Just as she gave up hope of seeing her brother, Lady Xena came knocking on her chamber. "Your Majesty, the official delegates from the Royal Family of Abetha arrived a while ago. His Majesty King Drayce asks you to receive them as guests if Your Majesty is willing."

Seren immediately asked, "Who has arrived from Abetha? Do you have any idea?"

Seren was asking as she was not sure if it was her father or brother or whether both had come for the wedding. If it was only her father, she was not sure if she wished to see him anymore.

"That I am not sure of, Your Majesty. I simply conveyed the exact message that had been passed to me."

Seren felt hesitant over what to do. In general, a king would not leave his own kingdom; sending over a kingdom's crown prince as a delegate was already a clear indication of friendship. However, there were cases of kings in history visiting over when kingdoms have a strong bond of an alliance, especially in the case of two royal families having marital relations.

If the one waiting for her was her brother, this was what she exactly wished for, but what if it's her father...

'I can't let go of the chance of meeting my brother. If it's King Armen, I will just return after greeting him."

After taking a deep breath, Seren urged herself to leave the comforts of her bed. Lady Xena was ready with a warm outer garment in hand for her to wear over her clothes. Though Seren no longer felt cold after wearing that bracelet with a red stone gifted by Drayce, she still needed to wear warm regal clothes for the sake of appearance.

Along with Lady Xena and other ladies-in-waiting, Seren left to meet the guests from Abetha. The meeting was arranged in the gazebo inside the garden of the King and the Queen's residence. Praying that it was not her father but her brother, Seren swallowed her anxiety and walked on the marble path of the garden which led towards the gazebo. The path was brightened with the numerous lamps hanging along the way, brightening the surroundings so that one could appreciate the beauty of the garden during late-night walks.

When the gazebo came into sight, the ladies-in-waiting accompanying her stepped aside and stood in place as if to indicate that they would no longer proceed with their queen. Only Seren continued to walk ahead until she noticed the tall figure standing inside the gazebo who had his back facing her.

It was a familiar back.

Seren climbed the last few steps of the gazebo, and as if hearing her footsteps, the tall figure turned around to look at her. The moment Seren saw that handsome face with sapphire blue eyes, a wide smile painted itself behind her veil as she ran towards that person like a child.

"Brother Cian!"

Cian smiled brightly at the sight of his sister. The next moment, he found her in his arms, hugging him tightly as if he was the most precious thing to her. Cian was pleasantly surprised by her show of familial affection, contrary to the civil treatment he was expecting between royals. He hugged her back and patted her head.

'My sister has changed.'

A pair of red eyes watching them from a distance narrowed at this exchange, and their unhappy owner clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles inevitably making cracking sounds. Someone standing beside that man cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see Her Majesty happy to reunite with her brother," Jasper immediately commented, reminding Drayce that the person his wife was hugging was family and he need not feel so bothered about it.

Drayce loosened his fist, and the two men standing next to him, Jasper and Slayer, gave a collective sigh of relief. These two had been around their king for so long, they could always immediately sense the change in Drayce's emotions, allowing them to act accordingly to take preventive measures to avoid unnecessary problems.

"Yesterday, Her Majesty was worried about our king when he jumped out of the ship. It was the first time I had seen her react so strongly, she even ordered me to go after him. When His Majesty returned, Her Majesty could not stop from doing the same with His Majesty," Slayer added, sounding as if he remembered the ship incident by accident and merely wished to chat with Jasper about it.

"You mean our friend got a hug from his wife on her own will?" Jasper asked, his exaggerated tone making it sound as if the discovery was truly shocking.

Of course, their king was not amused by their antics.

"Is it wrong if my wife hugs me?" Drayce asked coldly. Without another word, he turned around to leave the place and let his wife have some alone time with her brother.

The king's aid and knight followed behind him,  not hiding their smiles at their king's possessive actions.

Inside the gazebo, the Ilven siblings didn't know their act of familial affection had brought out such a reaction from the King of Megaris. They were occupied with happy thoughts regarding their reunion.

After she had calmed herself, Seren let go of her brother and looked up at him with her purple eyes shining brightly. Though Cian could not see what was under her veil, he knew that his sister was smiling like him at this moment.

"How have you been, Seren?" Cian asked as he carefully studied her appearance, trying to see if she got thinner compared to back when she was under Martha's care. Although she was not adorned in heavy jewelry, she was wearing thick clothes that were more elegant and lavish compared to her dresses back in Abetha, and it seemed like she was more energetic too compared to the last time he saw her. He had also noticed that quite a distance from them, several women who seemed to be Seren's subordinates were waiting for her.

"I am fine, Brother. I am so happy to see you here," Seren replied.

Seeing her sound so cheerful, Cian felt assured that she was not troubled in Megaris, definitely living a life much better than when she was in their home kingdom. It seemed that the King of Megaris kept his promise.

Cian held her hands and took her to sit on the chairs arranged around a wooden table. Just as they sat down, Cian spoke, "It's colder here in Megaris, and I am worried because your body is frail. Have you managed to adjust to it?"

"It was bad at the start, but now I am getting used to the cold" She raised her right hand and showed the bracelet around her wrist. "His Majesty gave me this so I won't feel uncomfortable due to the cold."

Cian looked at the red stone attached to it and he was surprised when he recognized it. "King Drayce gave this to you?"

Seren nodded gently, unaware how big a surprise it was for him to see that stone on her. As a Crown Prince who had traveled around the continent, he had knowledge of how truly precious and rare that stone was.

Cian could not help but say, "Then I am sure he really cares for you a lot."

Seren felt a little hesitant but could not deny this truth and nodded. "That's true."

Cian observed his sister's face. Though he could not see it entirely, he was sure she was blushing. It surprised him even more after what he heard from his father —according to him, Seren was cursed to never fall in love with anyone and that she would never come to know such feelings.

'Are my eyes playing tricks on me with shadows because it's nighttime? Or is my sister truly shy like any ordinary girl in love? What about that curse? Could it be that there is a mistake in what Father said?' Cian wondered as he stared at his sister. He decided to probe. "Do the people of Megaris treat you well here?"

Seren nodded. "They do. Everyone here is nice."

"What about King Drayce?" Cian asked.

"His Majesty cares for me the most. He lets me do what I want and never gets angry at me," she replied casually, and then all of a sudden, as if a thought occurred to her, she turned excited and looked at her brother. It was as if she wanted to spill out every experience she had ever since she arrived in the City of Blackhelm. "There is a huge beautiful lake here in the palace, much larger than the one we have in Abetha. His Majesty once took me on a boat ride and we went to meet his grandmother, the Great Lady Ivanov, the one I've read about in the books. Oh, and yesterday, His Majesty brought me to the city port and let me see his ship. I saw the sea for the first time! It was much larger than the river we have beside the royal palace, and there were many ships on the water as well! It was so beautiful, especially that ship I got to see! Once, we also went to a hot water spring and…"

The excited young woman suddenly stopped after remembering why Drayce had taken her to visit the hot spring.

"And?" Cian prodded. He was pleasantly listening to his overly happy sister, enjoying the rare occasion of her talking nonstop and in so much excitement, and he had no wish for her to stop. The way she talked, there was no hesitation nor fear inside her, and that meant her happiness in this place was real. It seemed like he had no need to worry about her anymore.

"And...and I have my personal study room and even a greenhouse here," Seren changed the topic. "I wish I could show them to you but no one other than His Majesty is allowed in the Queen's residence."

"It's fine as long as you are happy. I am satisfied simply hearing how you spend your time in this kingdom," Cian assured before asking, "Other than this, is King Drayce good to you? Has  he ever hurt you?" Cian didn't want to ask, but the caring brother inside him could not stop to check if she was fine, knowing how innocent his sister was.

This reminded Seren of when Drayce had bitten her and it hurt a lot, but now when she thought about it, she didn't blame Drayce for the pain. She thought it was a mistake from his side since after that he never did it again.

"His Majesty has never hurt me. Instead, once, I blamed him falsely for hurting me but he didn't get angry. Instead, he took care of me," Seren replied.

Cian could see his sister genuinely liked her husband, and the way she talked, she looked like a mature woman who valued her man. "Good to know that you are happy with him."

"Huh?" Seren looked at her brother surprisingly. 'Happy? Am I happy with him?'

Cian could see through those innocent-looking eyes. "From what I have heard so far, you now have the freedom you never had, a place that has accepted you and another person who sincerely cares for you. I can assure you that you sound happier here than you have ever been back in Abetha. Don't you think I am right?"

Seren thought about what her brother said, and all the time she spent with Drayce flashed in her mind. After all, ever since she had left her tower, the times her husband had left her side were few and far between. It seemed like all her precious memories, his presence was always there. Except for a few incidents at the start of their marriage, she was always happy whenever she was with Drayce, to the point that she even yearned for him to always be around her. She missed him when he didn't show up early at night and felt worried if he wouldn't come to her.

"I think... I am happy." Seren admitted.

What more could a brother wish for? "And I am happy for you."

Seren nodded absentmindedly as a strange yet comfortable warmth spread inside her chest. After a while, she asked, "Martha, my nanny, how is she? Is she still in the palace?"

Cian studied her expression before answering. "She has left the palace, but she is living well. You have no need to worry."

"Why?" Seren could not help but crease her forehead. "Did His Majesty ask her to leave?"

"No." Cian felt a small heartache upon hearing her refer to their father that way. "Father wished for her to stay, even offering for her to work in the main palace, but she refused. It was time for her to go to her people. Even though she left, Father ensured that all her needs are being secretly taken care of."

"As long as she is living well," Seren mumbled. "I miss her. I wish to see her."

"If you ever decide to come to Abetha for a visit, I will surely take you to meet her," he assured.

"I don't…" The hesitation in her voice caused her to trail off, but she knew she needed to let her brother know her true feelings, even if it sounded rude. "I don't want to come back."

Cian let out a sad smile, and he could only sigh inwardly. "I understand. No one is blaming you, and no one will force you to do anything you do not want to. All we want is for you to be happy."

The heavy atmosphere lifted as the Ilven siblings continued to talk about the things that happened to them ever since Seren left. After a while, Cian said, "It's getting late and your grand wedding is tomorrow. You should return to your chamber to rest."

Realizing it was indeed getting late, Seren reluctantly agreed. There were still many things she wished to say, but time was not on their side, and thus, she left with a heavy heart. Cian could only look at her retreating back as she walked away.

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When Seren returned to her chamber, she found Drayce inside, standing by the glass window and looking at the vase near her bed. It was the vase holding the golden flower gifted to her by Dusk.

Seeing their king waiting for his queen, the clever ladies-in-waiting quietly left as they closed the door behind Seren.

"Your Majesty," Seren greeted him.

While touching that golden flower, he turned to look at Seren. "My Queen, how was your meeting with Prince Cian?"

"It was good, Your Majesty."

"I see my Queen is happy," Drayce commented.

"I am, Your Majesty," she replied casually. Seeing her husband continue to caress the flower without speaking, she decided to break the silence. "That flower, Dusk gifted it to me."

"Gifted it to you?" Drayce muttered. "He never gifted me anything."

Seren felt nervous over that discovery and said awkwardly, "It's our wedding tomorrow... so perhaps he gave it to me as a wedding gift?"

Drayce raised his brow. "Wedding gift?" he sighed deeply. "Then you sure can keep it."

Knowing his pet, he agreed that it must be a wedding gift, but he was curious about the origins of this golden flower as it didn't feel ordinary. But it didn't look like anything that would harm his wife either. Moreover, since this was given by Dusk, he was sure his pet would never bring anything that would potentially harm his master. He put the flower back in the vase, not willing to spoil the gift meant for his wife.

He strode towards Seren and observed her veil-covered face. "Seems like wedding preparations have tired you."

"A little," she replied.

"Tomorrow will be an even more tiring day. You should sleep early," he said as he helped her take off the warm outer garment she was wearing. He even removed the red stone bracelet from her wrist as there was no need for it with him beside her.

Before Seren could take a step towards her bed, she was being lifted up in his pair of strong arms and was carried towards the soft mattress. Seren was getting used to it and didn't resist. Instead, she held onto his shoulder and made herself comfortable in his arms.

He put her in bed and covered her body with a warm blanket. Even when he climbed by her side and slept while holding her, his wife no longer acted strange.

Things were finally changing and she was getting comfortable with him. With that thought in mind, a gentle smile formed on Drayce's normally expressionless face.

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On Coming Wednesday, the comic version of the first chapter of the novel would be out.