The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 186: A young wizard.

Chapter 186: A young wizard.

He chuckled under his breath as he trailed off. "But when she pushed me out of the way, I fell straight into a muddy pit. I must’ve looked like a beast. And then we started to argue about how I could’ve saved my ass better when Anarya appeared from nowhere and separated us. That time I met Anarya for the first time too."

Gloria giggled, her laughter light and sincere. That was sweet, unexpectedly sweet.

The Lord turned his gaze to Rail, a curious glint in his eye. "You seem very protective of my daughter," he noted. "Are the two of you... friends?"

"Yes," Rail replied fast, though his posture remained stiff. "She grew up with us." His tone was composed, but there was a subtle tension beneath it. This wasn’t a conversation he was entirely comfortable with.

The Lord smiled faintly. So, these so-called beasts weren’t as cruel as the stories made them out to be. They had sheltered slaves and given them a new life. A better one, perhaps, than many nobles ever could.

After a brief, heavy silence, Lord Alekin shifted to the real purpose of the meeting. "The King has asked me to convince you to claim the crown of Alvonia," he said carefully. "But... I want the choice to be yours."

Gloria had already turned this decision over in her mind countless times. This castle was riddled with listening ears and watching eyes. A single whisper could move faster than the wind and just as destructively.

If she wanted to protect her foster family, and Reneira, then she had no choice. She had to claim the crown. It wasn’t greed that drew her to power. It was a necessity.

Still, she couldn’t pretend she loathed it entirely. Power in the right hands could protect. But in cruel hands? It could destroy everything.

She wasn’t naive. Reneira had promised to stand beside her through every step. They had to protect each other. Their families. Their people.

And her foster family was far safer in Thegara. The people of this realm feared shifters too much to even cross into their lands. That fear, for once, worked in their favor.

"I will accept," Gloria said, her voice steady. "I trust my Luna Queen. And I’m not a weak person."

That final word echoed with conviction. It was more than a statement, it was a belief etched into her heart. She might be soft, yes. Compassionate also. But never weak. Never foolish.

Her life was shifting faster than she could catch her breath, sweeping her into roles and decisions she hadn’t prepared for. But she would learn. She would rise to meet it. The King would train her. She would inherit Sunkiath. That alone meant everything.

The Lord’s expression bloomed with emotion. "Then I will give my life to protect you. The House Qowen will welcome this, truly. They adored Reneira and always hoped she would be the Queen. They just never knew... she wasn’t my daughter. Things are twisted, you see."

Gloria smiled, a real one this time. She didn’t mind the twisted fate. In fact, she liked it. It had kept them alive. It had taught them who they were without whispers of manipulation.

"I can’t wait to meet my mother’s family," she said, eyes flickering with mischief. "Because from what I’ve seen, my Luna Queen and my aunt are the only people I actually like in my father’s family."

A playful jab. The Lord blinked, caught off guard and completely speechless.

To escape the awkward silence, he reached for a different subject. "Are you not afraid of Sunkiath?"

Gloria shook her head without hesitation. "I like dragons."

~*~

~Close to the dock of Jaigara.

A boat glided silently through the mist, its movement as smooth as liquid. A lone figure cloaked in black stood still, tall, clutching a long staff. The boat parted the thick, eerie fog, finally halting at the jagged edge of a rock. The cloaked figure stepped out and moved with purpose toward the cave. Inside, a long tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, but as the light flickered at its distant end, the figure’s form began to twist and distort. In the blink of an eye, it reshaped into a ragged stray street boy with white hair, a perfect disguise not to attract attention, his staff now a simple iron whistle hanging from his neck.

The boy sprinted through the maze of sailors, a blur of motion, shoving past them with reckless force. Their curses followed him, but he paid them no mind. He was focused on his destination.

When he reached the Pearl guesthouse, he stopped abruptly. A guard barred his way, but the boy’s cold gaze held the man’s like a spell. "Let me through," he commanded, his voice a low snarl. "I’m the bastard son of the owner. I’ve come to see my father."

A flicker of magic pulsed through his words, and in an instant, the guard’s eyes glazed over, his mind slipping into a fog of obedience. Without a second thought, he stepped aside, his voice vacant, "Welcome, little master."

The boy rushed up the stairs, his footsteps heavy with haste, bursting into a room on the third floor.

A short, plump man lounged at a table, savoring a glass of high-quality wine, a half-naked whore perched on his lap.

"Father, I’m here!" the boy announced, his voice ringing with a strange mix of bitterness and expectation.

The woman, her eyes narrowing at the ragged child, raised an eyebrow. "Father?" she scoffed. This couldn’t be the son of a nobleman. His clothes, his very presence, spoke of poverty. He was nothing more than a liar, perhaps even a fool.

The nobleman laughed, a crude, satisfied sound, before squeezing the woman’s breast and tossing a silver coin into her palm. "Leave, bitch," he ordered coldly, without a second glance.

She scrambled to her feet, eager to escape the scene, her disgust evident in the hurried sway of her hips as she made her exit.

Once she was gone, the boy’s form shifted again, his appearance melting away as he reformed into his true self. His curly brown hair fell over his forehead, shadowing his eyes, and he looked no younger than twenty-five spring.

"Father?" The nobleman laughed, a cruel, mocking sound.

"I’ve grown used to lying," the young wizard responded, his voice empty, devoid of emotion. "You’re not even close to the man who fathered me."

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on fre ew𝒆bnovel.com

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.