Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Warm.

Esther only pulled away when she felt warmth under her touch. She realized that Prince Theron's face no longer felt cold against her hands, and his once-pale cheeks were now flushed with life. His breathing had become stable, and when she lowered her hand to touch his chest, she could feel his heartbeats growing stronger.

A weak smile made its way into her tired face.

'You survived.'

Once she was sure that the young man was no longer on his deathbed, she hurriedly left the Crown Prince's residence. The moment she stepped out of the backdoor, the magic spell she had put to make everyone sleep dissipated, causing the people inside to regain their senses. Most of them were puzzled at first, but it was as if there was a leftover spell that made them forget about how they all lost consciousness. No one knew what happened and they just resumed their work, not realizing that more than an hour had passed by without them knowing.

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When Esther returned to the Queen's residence, she headed straight to her room in the servant's quarters instead of going back to the Queen's chamber. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and her fingers were trembling, which made her realize the consequences of cutting off a part of her soul. She felt incredibly weakened, and she was certain that this feeling wasn't just her imagination.

'I hope I will not regret my actions tonight…'

Just then, there was a knock on her door and as expected, it was Lady Tyra. When the older woman entered her room, she found Esther sitting on her bed, looking a little tired.

"Your Eminence." She bowed before Esther.

With a light nod, Esther accepted it with her normal nonchalance. She hid her shaking fingers inside the wide sleeves of her clothes and continued to sit silently.

Lady Tyra asked, "Your Eminence, how is Prince Theron?"

"He will wake up by morning," Esther answered.

Lady Tyra felt relieved. "Thank you so much for saving him, Your Eminence."

Esther didn't react and Lady Tyra took that chance to observe the young lady. Despite Esther trying to hide her condition, Lady Tyra felt that something was unusual with her. "Your Eminence, you look tired. "

"I just need a good night's rest."

Lady Tyra felt skeptical as she slowly approached Esther, who looked like a wilting flower at the moment. "Pardon me, Your Eminence, but may I see your hand?"

Esther did not stop Lady Tyra, and as soon as her wrist was touched, Lady Tyra realized what was wrong. "Your Eminence! Your life force—"

Esther nodded to what Lady Tyra was about to say.

Lady Tyra was shocked. "Sharing your life force with a human! I have never heard of it! Even for our kind, it is rarely done, and it's mostly done among those with close familial bonds. Your Eminence, to a human… sharing the same life with a human…"

Lady Tyra trailed off hesitantly at the end. She was touched that Esther made such a great sacrifice for Prince Theron, but she could not believe that she was willing to go that far for the young man. As far as she could recall, Esther wasn't close to the Crown Prince. Did they become close due to the attack?

Esther closed her eyes helplessly. "There was no other way to save him."

"I understand, Your Eminence," Lady Tyra said with hesitation, "but I am afraid this is the first time one of our kind ever shared a soul with a human. What are the possible consequences…?"

Esther sighed. "Even I don't know. What matters is that he survived, and that he will continue living well from now on."

"However, to keep a part of your soul…"

"As long as I keep my distance from him, it should be fine. Let us leave it up to fate."

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Even before the sun rose from the east, the people within the residence of the Crown Prince were already wide awake, bustling with joy upon hearing the good news firsthand from the royal physicians attending to the prince.

"Prince Theron is awake!"

"His Highness has woken up?! Truly? Share the news to everyone!"

"Oh, the spirits have blessed the young dragon of the kingdom!"

The royal physicians who were initially in a depressed mood were revitalized the moment Prince Theron started to stir from sleep, surprised at the sudden improvement in his health. It was a welcome surprise, since the young prince was able to overcome the crisis they predicted. The fact Prince Theron survived was truly a miracle!

"Your Highness, can you hear me? How are you feeling?" the Head Royal Physician greeted him.

Prince Theron did not respond and only closed his eyes again, as if he was still half asleep. However, the fact that he was able to regain his consciousness meant that the worst had already passed, and from now onwards, his health would recover smoothly.

The Head Royal Physician looked at his apprentice. "Inform the King and the Queen that the Crown Prince has woken up."

The apprentice happily accepted the task and hurried out of the chamber, while the Head Royal Physician checked Prince Theron's strong pulse once again, and they also used silver needles to check the vitality of his blood using acupuncture. Making sure there was no longer any danger to the Crown Prince's life, the Head Royal Physician ordered everyone to step back and simply let the prince continue resting.

After receiving the news of their son's situation, both the King and the Queen hurried towards the Crown Prince's residence as soon as they could. They arrived almost at the same time, and the royal couple entered the Crown Prince's chamber together with a smile.

Everyone inside the chamber greeted them upon their entrance, but Queen Theodora only had eyes for her son who was lying in the middle of the bed. The Queen sat on the chair placed beside the bed, while the King opted to remain standing behind her, gazing down on the injured prince.

The Head Royal Physician happily informed King Esteban regarding the status of Prince Theron's health. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is out of danger now. He has recovered from his fever, and all he needs to get better is to rest properly and take medicines to let his wound heal."

Hearing the noise around him, Prince Theron slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the person by his bedside. He looked at his mother whose eyes were wet with unshed tears. He noticed how terribly pale and haggard she looked, as if she didn't get to sleep for nights.

"Mother…?" he uttered with a hoarse voice.

Queen Theodora didn't know what to say to him as happiness had engulfed her entire being. She could only smile as the tears from her eyes finally fell down her face.

Prince Theron placed his hand on his mother's and said in a softer tone, "I am fine, Mother. Apologies for worrying you."

"Oh, this child! Don't say that. I am your mother. Can I not worry for my only son? I am happy that you are fine now," she replied while wiping her tears with the handkerchief on her free hand. "If you are truly sorry for causing trouble, then you must remember to have a meal with me and your father once you get better."

The young prince squeezed her hand. "Of course, Mother. Of course."

Prince Theron's gaze moved around the chamber as it sought for a certain person with honey blond hair but that person was not there. It caused him to let out a frustrated sigh, which caused the people around him to misunderstand and thought that it was a sign he needed to go back to sleep. The Crown Prince did not bother to correct them.

The last memory he had before losing consciousness was Esther running towards him in the forest. It was inevitable that he wanted to see her, but as a prince, he knew it was not appropriate for him to ask about his mother's servant the moment he woke up. It would only bring unwanted attention to her and he didn't wish for that to happen.

Everyone left to let him rest, and only his personal servants stayed on standby just in case he needed anything. Prince Theron stared at the ceiling as he seemingly remembered something. The silhouette of a familiar woman leaving his chamber. A soft voice that sounded like a gentle wind. Words that didn't make sense.

"...I do not know if you can survive with this, but I have no other way to save you. At least, with this, the chances of you living will be higher."

These words kept ringing within his mind, and he could not differentiate if it was a product of his imagination or reality. It reminded him of the kiss they shared when she saved him from drowning. It would not be the first time she did something to him while he was unconscious.

If it was a dream, it was truly strange nonsense, but if it was something that truly happened…

He had a strong urge to have her stand in front of him and ask her the truth.

'I want to see you…Esther.'