Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

"I was the one who suggested she return," Drayce informed her.

Seren was surprised. "Didn\'t we keep her because her scent was driving Prince Arlan crazy? She\'s still bleeding, won\'t it affect the Prince?"

"Let him be troubled and get used to it. It\'s not like he can send her away every time she bleeds," Drayce replied as he settled Seren in bed. "Don\'t worry about them. Arlan can handle it."

Seren nodded, then noticed the corner of Drayce\'s lips. "What happened? How did you get hurt?"

"Just a friendly fight between me and Arlan," Drayce shrugged.

"Did he hit you?" Seren\'s displeasure was evident.

Drayce nodded.

Seren\'s expression turned even more disapproving. "How could he...?"

"Stay calm," Drayce soothed, gently caressing her cheek. "It was my fault. I provoked him. It was about Oriana and her safety, where I took a risk. It only shows how much she means to him if he\'s willing to consider hitting me for her sake. If I were in his position and he had endangered your life, even if he had good intentions, I might have done the same to him."

Seren gently touched the almost imperceptible bruise with her finger. "Does it hurt?"

Drayce chuckled and shook his head. "These minor scratches hardly feel like injuries."

"Doesn\'t your injury usually heal quickly?" she inquired. These days after spending time with Yorian, she was getting to know more things about the divine beast and one of them was their faster healing abilities.

"It does, but since it was inflicted by another Dragon, it seems to be healing slower," he explained.

"Alright," Seren nodded, then a thought occurred to her. "Then why didn\'t the injuries you sustained during the sword fight with Slayer heal? Slayer isn\'t a Dragon or supernatural. I remember how much pain you were in when I was treating them."

Drayce almost choked at the mention of his wife\'s memories and how he had deceived her at that time, simply to relish being cared by her and seeing her concern for him. "Well..."

"Be honest with me," she demanded, her gaze conveying both doubt and warning.

Drayce knew he was in trouble with his wife now. "They did heal when I soaked in water, but..."

"But?" Seren pressed, her tone tinged with suspicion.

"I created them again before coming to you," he confessed reluctantly.

"You..." Anger flashed in Seren\'s eyes. "You hurt yourself and lied to me."

"I... I\'m sorry, my Queen. I was just..." Drayce attempted to explain, but Seren pushed his hand away and rose from the bed.

"Do not speak to me," she declared, her voice cold.

Drayce hurried towards Seren, grasping her shoulders to make her look at him. It was the first time she had been angry with him, and he knew it was entirely his fault for lying to her for his own amusement.

"I am sorry, Seren, for lying to you. I won\'t ever do it again, okay?" His words were earnest, spoken with a sincerity. The King of Megaris, who never regretted anything or apologized to anyone, now resembled a penitent sinner begging for forgiveness.

But Seren didn\'t yield, turning her face away to avoid his gaze.

"Seren, tell me what I must do to earn your forgiveness. I will do anything you ask," he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation as he sank to his knees before her. "I deeply regret it."

She glanced down at the man kneeling in front of her. "What do you regret?" Her voice was cold, her tone cutting.

Drayce gave a sigh of relief as she finally spared him a glance. "I regret lying to you. I won\'t ever lie to you again."

"Wrong answer, Drayce Ivanov," she retorted, her words sharp as she averted her gaze once more.

Drayce was taken aback. Wrong answer? Wasn\'t she angry because he had deceived her?

"Tell me what I can do so you won\'t be angry with me anymore," he pleaded, desperation evident in his tone. "I can endure anything but seeing you upset with me. I am at fault, and I promise you I won\'t ever upset you again."

Seren remained silent for a while, and Drayce anxiously awaited her response.

She finally turned to look at him again. "Do you know what you did wrong? I\'m not just talking about lying to me; that\'s a separate issue."

He shook his head, his expression earnest. "You can tell me, and I\'ll make sure never to repeat it."

"Harming yourself to create those injuries," she replied, her voice tinged with hurt. "How could you do that? Didn\'t you think about how I would feel? The last thing I ever want is to see you hurt for any reason."

Drayce now understood her point of contention. She was upset because he had hurt himself. "I\'m sorry. I won\'t do it again."

Seren didn\'t reply; instead, she turned her gaze away, her eyes glistening with moisture.

Drayce noticed her tears and immediately stood up, enveloping her in a comforting embrace. "I\'m sorry, Seren. I won\'t do it again, alright?"

She remained silent, her emotions evident in her teary eyes.

He gently made her look at him, her eyes still moist. "I\'m sorry. I know no matter how many times I apologize, it won\'t be enough. But please, forgive me this time."

"It must have hurt when you made those scars again," her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

"It didn\'t hurt. That\'s why I did it. You know I\'m not human, right? It didn\'t hurt at all. Please don\'t cry," he reassured her, his voice gentle.

She buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. "Still, you\'re not allowed to hurt yourself for any reason. I\'ll be angry and won\'t talk to you."

"I won\'t. I promise," he hugged her tightly, seeking to reassure her.

But a thought nagged Drayce. They said she was cursed and couldn\'t fall in love, so what was this feeling if not love?

"Seren, why do you feel so hurt when I am hurt?" he inquired softly.

"I don\'t know. I just can\'t stand to see you in pain. It makes me want to cry," she replied, her voice muffled against his chest.

Drayce felt the urge to ask if she thought she had fallen for him, but he held back, not wanting to remind her of the curse she bore. She had shed enough tears already before.