Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

After spending the rest of the afternoon with Great Lady Theodora, everyone left the Crystal Palace using the same boats they came with. On the way back, the sun was about to set, causing the crystal clear waters of the lake to look like a majestic sea of orange flames. Its beauty seemingly rose, despite the obvious drop in the temperature above water. Rayjin and Seren sat even closer to Drayce, snuggling to take advantage of his body's warmth.

At the other end of the lake, they soon spotted the gazebo that marked the end of their trip. Their group stepped out of their boats and stood inside the gazebo, looking ready to return to their own lodgings to rest. Drayce carried the little girl in his arms who refused to separate from him due to the cold.

"Seren, I want to sleep with you tonight. Can I?" Rayjin asked with a yawn. After playing around the entire day, she was already out of energy.

"Of course, you can," Seren agreed and the little girl smiled happily in response.

"Your Majesty, she might trouble you," Duke Wimark said.

"Rest assured, Duke Wimark. She is not a trouble," Seren said, "In fact, I would love to spend more time with her since she will be departing tomorrow."

Duke Wimark could not say anything when the young queen put it that way, but he's worried if Drayce was fine with that as they were a newly wedded couple.

Drayce understood his dilemma and said, "No one can defy the wish of the Queen of Megaris. Not even me."

It was his way of saying he would always agree with what his wife wished for and he had no issue if Rayjin stayed with Seren in the night.

Duke Wimark understood and permitted his daughter to be with Seren for the night.

"We have a wife's slave here," Arlan teased.

"You will be better than me at it," Drayce countered.

"Agree! Can't wait when Prince of Griven will surrender himself to a woman," Cian added.

"And, I will wait to see how the Princess from Othinia makes you dance on her fingertips," Lenard added.

"You should be ready to dance as well. You are going to marry my other sister," Cian teased.

With all this teasing, the atmosphere lightened while little Rayjin didn't know what these men were talking about.

Since that moment, Rayjin didn't leave Seren's side even for a moment. The little girl knew she was about to leave Megaris the next day and had a little time left to spend with her. Upon returning to the Queen's residence, Marie helped Seren to change her clothes while Eva helped Rayjin change into the more comfortable clothes which were already arranged for her by her father. They treated the Queen's guest with particular care, even asking the royal kitchen to prepare the best meal said to be loved by children from Griven.

The two ladies, Seren and Rayjin, had a meal together inside the Queen's residence, chatting about anything under the sun, from Rayjin's experiences playing with the children of nobility to the lessons she was tutored in at the behest of her mother, the Duchess of Wimark. On the other hand, Seren told her about the interesting folktales she read in the books before, as well as some knowledge she had about gardening. They greatly enjoyed their alone time.

"Did you enjoy the meal, Rayjin?" Seren asked.

"Yes! It was as tasty as the ones made by my mother! Especially that sweet jelly cake they prepared for dessert. My mother makes that for me whenever I behave well during my tutor lessons," Rayjin answered, grinning as she rubbed her tummy. "I feel so full now."

"Are you sleepy now?" Seren asked.

"I am but I want to play with you more," Rayjin said as they walked towards the Queen's chamber, with her holding Seren's hand.

"Are you not tired after playing all day?"

"I'm not tired!" she exclaimed, but she was betrayed by the yawn that followed immediately after. The little girl let out an unwilling pout. "I don't want to sleep yet. Besides, Uncle Arlan told me before that it's not good to sleep right after eating."

When they reached the Queen's bedchamber, Rayjin immediately looked around as soon as they entered the door. Unlike the generally grand yet minimalistic appearance of the residence, the Queen's bedchamber looked cozy, mainly decorated with wooden furniture and thick fur carpets, and the browns and reds gave off a temperate earthy atmosphere. Under the yellow light from the night lamps, the appearance of Seren's room looked warmer than it was during the daytime.

"Your chamber is so big and comfortable!" Rayjin commented. "Ah! The carpet is so soft, walking with shoes off must be nice!"

Seren only smiled and said, "Let's go to bed now. You can talk more while wrapped in a warm blanket. Though it is warmer here, it is still cold, isn't it?"

Rayjin nodded as she considered that her sleepwear was comparably thinner than her clothes earlier. "It is." She then squealed as she ran towards the bed and jumped on it. "Wah! So soft!"

Seren laughed as she walked towards her bed. Marie and Eva helped cover them under the toasty warm blanket and later added more wood to the fireplace to make the chamber warmer. While lying in bed side by side with Seren, Rayjin told her more of the things she did in her daily life. Seren listened to her tales while gently stroking her head.

"...and you know, the baby kicks inside my mother's stomach. It feels so good when the baby moves."

Seren turned her head to look at Rayjin's half-lidded eyes. She was slightly curious as she remembered the round tummy of the Duchess. "Does it really feel good?"

Aside from Rayjin's mother, she had never seen any pregnant lady up close, and there was never an opportunity for her to have any chat with someone about it. Whenever she went to attend any important banquet in Abetha, any lady, be they a noble or commoner, would run away from her, not even letting themselves be in close range with her, especially after that fire incident with the First Princess.

On the other hand, her nanny, Martha, was never the type to talk much or tell tales, as she mostly focused on simply serving Seren. It was this little girl who was the first one to discuss these things with her.

Rayjin nodded happily and Seren continued to ask, "Doesn't it hurt your mother when the baby kicks?"

"Once, I scolded the baby as it might hurt Mother, but Mother was happy when the baby kicked and said it's a good thing. She said I did the same when I was a baby too."

"Oh!" was all Seren said as she looked at the canopy of her bed. She could not imagine having a big belly, much less having a baby inside that belly and that baby will even kick. 'Must be painful,' she thought, continuing to look at the ceiling in a daze.

Meanwhile, Rayjin fell asleep at the lull in the conversation. Seren smiled as she looked at the little girl who was talking animatedly just a few moments ago and was now in deep sleep.

'Running around all day must have really tired her.'

Seren fixed the blanket properly over Rayjin's shoulders, comfortably lying on her side,  facing the little girl who looked even more adorable while asleep. Unknown to her, a pleasant smile had appeared on her lips as she could not stop stroking  her head. While in deep sleep, Rayjin continued to hold Seren's other hand and didn't let it go.

After a while, Seren felt the mattress behind her sink and she realized Drayce had joined them in bed. This man always came so sneakily that she could never know when he had even entered her chamber. Seren didn't turn to look at him as Rayjin was holding her hand and she was worried that her movement might wake her up.

Soon, his warm muscular body touched her back and his equally muscular arm surrounded her waist. She felt his hot breath brushing against her ear and nape. She gulped, as her body froze under his touch.