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2.16% Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son / Chapter 17: Bring The Culprits

Chapter 17: Bring The Culprits

"Why hasn't Your Majesty seen his own daughter's face ever?"

Martha's question reminded King Armen about the bitter truth about his youngest daughter. How unfortunate he was not to be able to see his daughter's face even once. As her father, it was one of the greatest regrets he had in his life.

He could still recall when he first held her in his arms when she was a newborn, and although he badly wished to get a glimpse of her looks, he never had the chance to. That veil on the lower part of her face had long been there to protect her, and he didn't dare take it off.

All he remembered was that pair of innocent purple eyes. Those were the prettiest gems he had ever seen, and his heart had been captured at first sight. Oddly, those lovely eyes he thought of fondly were the very same eyes that made people curse her and call her a witch.

The innocence in those eyes, seemingly asking for her father's care and love, her soft crying voice, and the way that baby's tiny palm held his finger, those were the best memories he had of his youngest daughter, Seren.

In melancholy, the King said, "I'll tell Cian never to let her be without the veil. He cares for her, so he will obey my wish."

Martha lowered her head as she sighed. "What if my lady takes it off one day? We know who she truly is, and no ordinary power or magic can hold her back for long. She is naive and young now, so she obeys what we say, but a time will come when she will start thinking for herself and do what she wants."

Her words added to the worries of the king. "I don't care who she is. For me, she is and will always be my daughter, and I need to protect her."

"Keeping her locked up and taking away her freedom is not the way to protect her, Your Majesty. It will only make her weak, unable to defend herself when it's time for her to face the difficulties of her identity. Everything had worked out fine when she was young, but now she has grown up and seeks to find the meaning of her life and her future."

"Her future can't be like other ordinary girls," the King of Abetha countered grimly.

"We don't know what her future holds but with the reality of her birth; I am sure her life is meant for a greater cause."

With his conversation with Martha going in circles, the King had to rub his aching temples. "Is there no other way? What do you suggest I do?"

"Your Majesty, please let the Third Princess out and allow her to interact with people," Martha suggested.

The King immediately shot the idea down. "Impossible! What if they harm her?"

"They can't. It's clear from what happened today. Her curses are there to protect her."

The King sighed as his mind recalled his own experiences of his younger years. As someone born into the Royal House of Ilven, the young Armen had met countless people from all walks of life. Even after he had claimed the throne and became the King of Abetha, his life had never been smooth sailing due to the power struggles inside and outside the kingdom. The harsh reality in this so-called human world might be too much to bear for his youngest daughter. "Humans are vicious creatures. They can do anything."

"The solution is to keep her by someone's side, and that someone must be a person we can trust to be capable of protecting her," said Martha.

Her statement puzzled the King. He could never let anyone be by his daughter's side. Martha was an exception.

"What do you mean?" he asked coldly.

"Someone who will be loyal to her just like we are and who will not care about who she is. Also, this person should be ready to sacrifice his or her life for her," Martha replied.

"Where can we find that someone?" asked the King.

"We don't need to find such a person. Let destiny work its course. Whoever it is will find her on their own."

King Armen considered her words for a moment. Martha was someone who cared for Seren more than she cared for her own life, so he trusted everything she decided for his daughter.

"I will think about what you said," the King assured.

"Then, Your Majesty, I ask to be excused. I should take my leave as my lady is alone and scared already," Martha said.

The King nodded lightly, granting her permission to leave.

Bowing to him, Martha left while King Armen returned to his musings about the welfare of his youngest daughter.

After some time, two old officials entered the hall and bowed to the troubled king. One was a grey-haired man in a dark blue uniform, while his much older companion looked scholarly with his long white beard and eyeglasses.

They were the King of Abetha's most loyal men, Sir Berolt, commander of the knights, and Lord Eudes, trusted advisor to the king.

"Your Majesty looks worried," Lord Eudes observed after a light cough.

King Armen nodded lightly and looked at Sir Berolt. "As you said, the King of Megaris saved the Third Princess. Does he know who he had saved at that time?"

"Not sure, but he didn't bother to inquire at that time. Seems like the act of kindness towards the weaker one," Sir Berolt replied.

King Armen gave out a sigh of relief. "Don't let him come closer to the tower again," he ordered.

"May I ask why Your Majesty is so worried not to let him see her?" Lord Eudes asked.

"He is said to be the devil's son, and we all have heard how cruel he is. He is known for his habit of going against others and going after something that he should not. I don't want the Third Princess to be one of his curious playthings. My daughter is not a spectacle for his entertainment."

The two understood the King's worry. "Understood, Your Majesty."

Looking at the worried king, Sir Berolt asked, "What should we do with the fire incident during the Second Princess's engagement ceremony?"

"Did you catch the culprit?" the King asked.

Sir Berolt nodded. "After the investigation, we found the culprit to be a maidservant from the Queen's chamber. She confessed that she hated the witch, so did it all on her own."

The King sighed again and closed his eyes. He could infer clearly the truth, but as always, he had to bury it for the sake of peace. 'Humans are vicious creatures indeed.'

"Punish her with what she deserves," the King ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Get everyone, who is responsible for today's incident," the King ordered as his voice turned colder. "Perhaps I have been quite lax lately that the people of Abetha have forgotten what it means to harm a princess from the Royal House of Ilven."

"It won't be easy as the royal court members will again blame the Third Princess for what they think she is. If we punish all the involved people, not just the arsonist, the public opinion will go against the royal family with what Your Majesty plans to do," came the honest opinion from the advisor, Lord Eudes.

"This time, I won't mind using this," Sir Berolt said coldly as he gripped the handle of his sword.

Lord Eudes looked at the barbaric Sir Berolt, who just wanted a reason to free his sword out of its scabbard.

"The kingdom is made by nobles and commoners together and not the king alone, so we need to think about executing people carefully. The Third Princess has always been a sensitive topic in court. It won't be good to give an opportunity to those who are desperately waiting to take down His Majesty and take over the throne for themselves."

"Once we clean the dirt from the royal court, no one will ever dare to go against His Majesty," Sir Berolt announced with determination.

"Then no one will ever trust in His Majesty and the Crown Prince Cian. Setting fear is not the way to handle them. If we give them a chance, in the future, they will find a justification to rebel against the crown," Lord Eudes said again, his voice patient and his face calm against the stubborn and cold Sir Berolt.

These two men were both great pillars of Abetha, but they were like ice and fire at the moment, unable to convince each other of the best approach to solve the internal strife within the kingdom.

King Armen went towards the throne and sat on it regally. His face was as frigid as ice.

"I will decide what to do with them. No matter their status, just bring the culprits to me."


Chapter 18: Virgin Lips

When Arlan entered Drayce's room, he found his friend standing in front of the window. He was staring outside, towards the starry sky, looking deep in thought.

"Since we returned from the marketplace, you have been unusually silent. Did something happen?" Arlan asked as he made himself comfortable on a finely crafted wooden chair with a soft red cushion.

Drayce turned to look at him. "I want to know about the Third Princess of Abetha."

His question startled Arlan and made him curious about why his friend was suddenly interested in a stranger. Even more curious, it was a lady to boost. But then again, knowing his friend's temperament since young, he realized it was actually nothing surprising.

This troublemaking friend of his, would his senses ever fail him to latch on to the things normal people would never even dare to take an interest in? Drayce was like a predator; the more you run, the more you hide things from him, the more he would pay special interest and would like to know more.

For him, it was more than a game. It was a hunt.

Arlan took a deep breath. "What about her? Well, she is a princess and the third daughter of King Armen."

"Are you going to stop acting ignorant, or do you want me to throw you out of this window?" Drayce raised a brow.

Arlan could see that he was serious and spoke quickly with raised hands, "Calm down, calm down. If you do that, so many young beautiful women out there who haven't even seen my handsome face yet will turn into widows. How cruel can you be? At the very least, let me meet them first, so they'll know this handsome me exists!"

Drayce frowned, "Lame joke!"

Red eyes gleaming, he then stepped towards Arlan with a look in his eyes that alarmed Arlan of his dangerous intention.

He was really going to throw him!

"Wait!Wait!"

Arlan stood up and turned defensive as he moved his body behind the chair, using it as his shield.

Drayce stopped, thinking it was enough to scare his friend, and now he would get all the answers he wanted.

However, a teasing smile painted on Arlan's lips. He didn't look scared at all.

"My dearest friend, I will give up my life for you if you really want it. But before you throw me out the window... I would like you to kiss me before I die. At least that way, my wandering soul can boast that I had kissed this continent's most dangerous and handsome man's virgin lips."

Drayce's face turned black, to the point his expression looked darker than the night outside.

"You can't be serious," Drayce exclaimed in annoyance.

"I am." Arlan smiled like a shy woman in love, but his eyes were laughing at his friend's murderous face. "It's my lifelong dream to be the first person to kiss the devil's son."

Since Arlan was still messing around with him, Drayce moved to get his sword that was kept in the sword stand close to the wall.

"To kiss me, you have to be a woman. First, let's convert you into a woman."

Drayce picked up the scabbard, pulled out the sword, and turned to Arlan with the tip pointed at him.

The sight scared Arlan, though he knew his friend wouldn't do it for real.

"Keep that sword back. No need to trouble it." Arlan moved away to get behind another chair, inevitably positioning a wooden table between them. The two friends were ready to move in a circle around the table.

Drayce didn't budge and stepped forward, holding the sword, ready to make a move. "You know, once it's out, my sword doesn't like to get back in its scabbard without tasting blood."

Drayce was no longer joking, and Arlan gulped. "Fine. I'll tell you about her. Now keep it back."

"I'll get to know it from someone else. I'm sure there are others who love their lives more than keeping information from me."

Involuntarily, Arlan's hands moved down to cover a certain part of his body where Drayce aimed to hurt.

"I sure love my life; now keep it back."

Drayce raised his sword, and Arlan closed his eyes. Afterward, he heard the sound of the sword piercing through the air and hitting something.

Arlan opened his eyes only to see the sword's sharp tip stuck on the wall. The sword's blade continued to vibrate for a while, and its sound made his skin at the back of his neck cold.

Drayce shrugged. "I told you, my sword won't get sheathed without tasting blood."

Arlan looked carefully at the wall and only then did he realize that pinned on the tapestry, there was a small wall lizard pierced in its stomach.

"You almost scared me." Arlan let out a sigh of relief but a pair of red eyes glared at him.

"Next time, I'll make sure to replace that lizard with your thing," Drayce warned as his sight moved downward along Arlan's body.


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