The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 16: Indulgent

Chapter 16: Indulgent

Gloria finished combing Ren’s hair and smiled with a festive, blushing face while braiding the corners of her hair. "The women in this castle are green with envy, Milady. No matter how much I try to simplify you, you still shine like the moon on a cloudless night."

This maid was genuinely humble, otherwise, she would say it was just flattery, but she was constantly throwing pleasantries at her to give her confidence, but Ren grew more uncomfortable. She had long learned that beauty alone held no weight, no real worth. Nothing could change the fact that she was good up to no avail. So currently, without the magic blocker, they could consider her dangerous. She might hurt someone unintentionally, having no clue how to control her magic.

And yet, there was a constant reminder in her mind, a voice that told– her magic, the force that coiled within her like a silent fire beneath ash, might flare at any time and burn. Uncontrolled, raw, and unpredictable.

"Is it really necessary for me to attend this dinner?" Ren’s voice was colder than she intended, but she couldn’t help it. The idea of facing the pack again, feeling their eyes on her, like they were already judging the importance of her existence, was unbearable and wrong.

"Yes, my lady. Sooner or later, you have to get involved in the castle’s chores. If you don’t show yourself, they won’t trust you, or, even worse, they won’t obey you." The maid clarified, remarking on whatever she had kept in the back of her mind. She knew them all, but she tried so hard to admit that this place was her new home yet she failed.

Gloria reached up, securing the last braided lock with a delicate pin, and then handed Ren a small mirror. "Look at yourself. You possess a power that none of them have. Your kindness, Milady. The people here, the humans, they’ve never known someone like you. Your very existence brings them hope. It offers them safety."

Ren scowled at that. It was a huge responsibility, the one that she wasn’t sure she could carry, but she set it aside for the moment and noted, "You said shifters don’t hunt you."

She nodded. "They don’t. But I never said they don’t bully us. They look down on us."

Ren’s mind drifted to her husband. "How does the Alpha King treat you?"

Gloria pursed her lips into a thin line, searching for the right words to describe His Majesty. "He is formidable, of course. But he doesn’t judge us. If we make mistakes, he doesn’t care what our species is, punishment comes anyway regardless of that. We understand that for the peace it brings and to avoid chaos."

Ren was stunned that a human maid would say such nice things about a shifter. And not just any shifter. She remembered her uncle calling Kai a killing machine, one needed on the battlefield. Recalling that, she felt her heart shake. This war was different. They were going to fight the dead.

Suddenly, she missed him. What if he left her behind alone? Her heart ached as she imagined it.

She hadn’t seen him for hours. His eyes, his enchanting voice, and his smile—she... she had missed him already. Her cheeks burned hot as she realized what she was thinking and feeling all at once. This was rare, unusual, and so unlike herself. It was wholly annoying and irrational to like someone this fast. If this continued, she wouldn’t know what to do with her heart.

A knock on the door broke her thoughts, followed by a male voice. "This is Siamon, Milady! I’m here to take you to the dining hall."

Ren cocked her head before allowing him in. "What about you? I thought you were taking me there."

Gloria shook her head. "Humans are not allowed to enter the shifters’ privacy unless permitted to." She grasped the meaning of what she said and smiled sheepishly. "Of course, you are a very significant person, an exception."

Ren nodded, an emotion she couldn’t quite name flickering in her chest, and then allowed Siamon in. The old shifter pushed the wooden wheelchair and headed toward the great corridor. Ren memorized the path, every turn, and staircase to their chamber once again. After regaining consciousness, she could barely remember what she had seen when she arrived here, as she had been consumed by the coldness of the unwelcoming people.

The dining hall was on the first floor, and it took a long while to reach it. All the way, there was only silence and the weight of gazes meeting hers. Some of the human vassals didn’t seem pleased by her presence.

Until one whisper sent a chill down her spine.

"She is a witch!"

A maid whispered to another.

Did her husband tell anyone about it? Her mind swirled with what Gloria had mentioned. That female, Elaika, had worked with him to make the Saw. She knew what she was doing and certainly spread the word among the settlers to make them hate her. Elaika was well aware of the fact that her husband cared about his people deeply.

"Please don’t stress out. No one dares to object to your power." Siamon somehow read her distress from her expression and interjected with comforting words.

They halted before a great wooden door. "Open the door. Our Lady Luna is here."

Lady Luna? She hadn’t had the chance to survey these new titles.

The door creaked open with a loud groan. The pleasant heat and the rich, tempting scent of delicious food sitting on the tables caressed her senses, making her stomach growl. The place was vast, the expanse of polished wood and glittering chandeliers. It was rough but lovely. But the enjoyment instantly faded into sheer silence. Alright, there she was to confront her nightmare. The moment had arrived, either they would tolerate her or reject her.

To calm herself, she gathered all her focus on her husband, meeting his piercing eyes, which had the power to thaw any heart in the shape he desired. A slight hint of a grin appeared at the corner of his mouth, and there she was, her heart caught up in him, racing so fast that she couldn’t prevent it. Realizing she had made a mistake by looking straight at him, she shifted her focus to the others when her eyes fell on Elaika, who was wearing a deviant smirk. She murmured something to the female sitting next to her, making sure Ren heard it.

"The cripple witch tries to mask her flaws with her indulgent looks. Many males will be seduced tonight. Our poor King!"

As she stung with that venomous tone, the look on Kai’s face dimmed into a grave one. Ren maintained a cool expression as Siamon pushed the wheelchair to the top of the table where Kaisun and his Beta, Coran were seated.

"Hey, wait! She is not the Luna Queen! How can she sit on the right side of the King?" One of the females objected.

"Yes, she is! Who’d that be if not her? You?" Rail retorted, his tone mocking, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Did the Alpha King mark her? I doubt it!" Another female pointed out.

Ren felt hopeless as she saw the protests mounting. The large tables were set in three rows, and more than fifty high-ranking shifters were seated in the great hall. Ren swallowed as whispers erupted across the hall.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l