Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Despite trying to be discreet, the news of Prince Theron returning to the capital had spread within the kingdom, but along with that was the sad news that he was severely injured. However, the real reason he was returning to the capital was not disclosed to the common people.

Worry and respect for the Crown Prince could be seen on people's faces, and stories about his feats in battle could be heard in almost every house and every alley of the capital. Everyone got to know that with the help of his leadership, the army of the kingdom managed to retrieve its westernmost territories from Thevailes.

When Esther received this news, she couldn't help but be happy. As she had already seen it in her dream vision, news about his being attacked did not faze her, as she strongly believed that her prayers that night would be answered. It was a great relief that the one she had asked help from reached there on time, or else Prince Theron would not have been able to remain alive.

Wizards were a dangerous race, and although they were technically humans, they no longer viewed themselves as one. Once they have accepted a bounty from someone, it was rare for them to fail their missions unless another non-human were to intervene. To them, killing a fellow human was as easy as squashing an ant.

Prince Theron was truly unlucky to become a target of wizards.

The first time, it was her who saved the Crown Prince, and the second time, it was him who she prayed for help. Although it felt bittersweet to owe that one favour, she now had no choice but to repay it one day.

She kneeled in front of that red flower and closed her eyes.

"Thank you so much for saving him. I will always remember this kindness."

-----

When Prince Theron reached the royal palace, arrangements were already made to welcome him as Sir Galien already sent an advance notice of their arrival. The young prince was directly taken to his chamber and other than King Esteban, Queen Theodora and the royal physicians, no one was allowed to see him.

Esther was silently praying for his well-being as she could not go see him. She had her ways but she decided to wait for the royal physicians to treat him first. The royal physicians were working day and night to treat the Crown Prince and it somehow felt disrespectful to put them to sleep when they were putting so much effort into their work.

However, from what she overheard from the servants of the Crown Prince's residence, Prince Theron was in an unconscious state even after his internal injuries were treated. Fortunately, he was recuperating well under the watch of the royal physicians.

A few days after, Esther finally caught a chance to meet the Queen, who had been mostly elusive as she often went back and forth between visiting her son and her work.

After greeting her, Esther could not help but ask, "How is the Crown Prince faring, Your Majesty?"

"Theron is recovering well, dear," the Queen replied with a smile, although the dark circles under her eyes were telling how exhausted she was. "However, the royal physicians are in quite a pinch. They could not deduce how such blunt force injuries were made without having any bruises or indication of attack from the outside. Although they could not understand the cause,  my son is miraculously getting better faster than their initial assessment, so it was quite a relief to everyone involved in his treatment."

Esther smiled as well. "Surely, the dragon and phoenix protecting the Ivanovs have blessed His Highness once more."

The Queen stared at the young woman in front of her for a while. Her intuition was telling her Esther knew about what happened with her son, but she found it difficult to breach the subject and ask Esther to clarify her doubts. Rather than some non-existent dragon, it was more like Esther was her son's protector and guardian—-not only did she save him and return him from near death, this time too, Esther was probably related to the miraculous improvement in Prince Theron's condition.

'Is it too much to ask her? Will it be better to pretend ignorance as I've always done?' the Queen could not help but wonder. She was somewhat worried that asking Esther about her secrets would upset the young woman.

Esther noticed the Queen's gaze on her and asked, "Is there anything Your Majesty wishes to talk about?"

Queen Theodora returned to her senses and said, "Ah, I wanted to ask if you wish to accompany me to the Crown Prince's residence. I am going to visit him."

Esther was delighted to hear the offer, but she controlled her excitement in front of the Queen. "Thank you so much for considering taking me with you, Your Majesty."

The Queen only gave an approving nod and rode the carriage together.

Upon reaching Prince Theron's bedchamber, the Queen went to her son, asking the attending physician about the improvements in the prince's condition. Esther chose to stand on the side, but her gaze was fixed on the unconscious young man lying on the bed.

His handsome face was considerably pale and thinner than when she last saw him in the royal library, but Esther could sense that his life force was strong and that his life was not in danger. The one who saved him made sure that even though the prince was attacked by the wizard, his injuries were still within the range that human abilities could deal with.

Prince Theron's body should have been able to heal faster if what it received was a normal sword attack; however, it was currently dealing with the aftereffects of being invaded by an energy attack that was evil in nature. Despite having a piece of Esther's soul residing in his body, the Crown Prince was in the end an ordinary human. That his weak body could stand it was in itself a miracle.