The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 36: Sudden worries

Chapter 36: Sudden worries

"I know that because Gloria told me. Before, I could..." She looked around and let out an exasperated sigh. She didn’t want to talk about the mind link right here. Gloria and the others were standing far but not far enough. "Can you please leave us?"

Gloria grabbed her father’s arm and persuaded him to walk away. Ren’s eyes drifted to Arkilla. "If you are another lover of my husband, please leave your attack for another time, as I have a very significant issue to handle right now."

Arkilla’s eyes widened. Whoa! She liked this side of the princess. No one could compare this one with that bitchy hag, Elaika, who loved the Luna position only and having sex with him because he was good at it, but this lady cared about him. Giving her a nod, she kept her distance far enough so she wouldn’t growl again.

"Listen, Siamon, I can’t link anything to him. I can’t hear his voice. I can’t feel him. Is that..." She cut herself off, her palm resting on her chest as she couldn’t bring herself to utter the words.

"He is fine. Your mind link doesn’t work because he has gotten far or blocked it to concentrate."

Ren tilted her head, the space between her brows creasing. "It means when he leaves for war, he will be completely out of reach?"

He nodded but pointed his hand at the bird’s den. "But we can send him letters through white ravens. They are fast."

It didn’t give her the convenience that she was seeking. "Please come and walk with me in the garden. I’m sure you haven’t seen me around much lately. How about a small tour?"

Ren inhaled a sharp breath, trying to push down her concerns. "Alright."

Walking through the garden and seeing colorful trees soothed her nerves, but her eyes stopped on the cursed garden. That one could be a haunting nightmare.

"Have you ever tried to trim it and revive that garden?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the nerve-crushing husband of hers.

"We couldn’t. Perhaps one day your magic could revive it."

Ren lifted her brow. "I have yet to learn." A deep fear settled in the pit of her stomach. They expected a lot from her. Healing this enormous garden that stretched to the mountain range wasn’t easy and required immense power. But she would like to do it if got that powerful.

"You are smart. Your Highness believes in you."

Well, this was new. Did he say something to them? She couldn’t read his thoughts unless he talked to her with his own consent. He was the one holding power there. And the pervert one who uttered seductive things instead of serious matters.

"You are exceptional, milady. The news will spread around soon, and we will encounter more demons."

That indication urged Ren to prod further and take advantage of the moment. "Butler Siamon, what is your opinion about those demons? Why were they trying to take me?" She looked at him to see the light in his eyes dim, but he didn’t refuse to answer. So she added, "What happened to it?"

Sia’s face grew sad—grief was a better word to describe it. It seemed this question hit hard, one no one wanted to talk about.

"Luther broke the statue in the middle of the garden and poisoned it. Only because he wanted to make Your Highness suffer."

A statue? Whose statue?

"Who did that statue belong to?"

"Your Highness’s mother."

Ren felt bad for Kai. It seemed his brother, Luther, was heartless, entirely an asshole toward her husband.

"I’ll learn to revive it, but keep it between us, okay? I’ll do my best to restore the statue in the hope of reviving this garden. Please don’t tell him until I make it."

A smile washed over the aggrieved face of the butler.

Ren couldn’t shake off her thoughts about this place. Something strange about it didn’t sit well with her, including the moving branches.

"Your uncle helped us survive that mad devil, but it seems he has returned to piss us all off again."

Ren was eager to know more. The more they proceeded, the more mysterious her uncle sounded.

"How did a human help such a strong folk?"

"With his dragon."

Ren laughed at herself. Of course, her uncle used Sunkiath. That dragon was very young and powerful; his flames could melt an entire country.

"How long has my uncle known the Alpha King?"

"Seventy-four years, it must be now."

Ren felt like a lightning bolt had just hit her. They had known each other since her uncle was just ten years old. Considering how young the king of Alvonia looked right now, Ren couldn’t help but question everything regarding her uncle and her husband. These two had many secrets, and this necklace around her neck was one. There was a reason people called him the Ageless King and called her husband the Son of the Devil. She preferred not to dig further and move ahead slowly before driving herself mad.

After walking for almost an hour and changing the subject, Sia promised to take her to the market soon so she could get more familiar with this land. Escorting her back to her chambers, he left her alone.

Sitting by the window in her room, she stared at the empty stretch of path below. Her gaze was fixed yet distant as she couldn’t shake off the image of him that night. His deep sorrow had colored his expression when she asked that silly question.

Trying to push it down, it kept popping up to piss her off. She just couldn’t shove the memory of the moment she’d asked about the story of the garden. How could she have been so blind? How had she not seen it? So ignorant of the pain beneath his calm exterior? It must be unbearable for him to walk past the garden that once belonged to his mother, now withered and lifeless.

A deep wave of regret washed over her. She should have been more prudent instead of being a thoughtless prick. She needed to be more attuned to the weight of certain memories, especially those that triggered old wounds, things that might offend him. Significantly, that garden, once vibrant with his mother’s hands all over it, was now nothing but dried-up remnants of a life lost.

She could almost feel his heavy silence in the air again. That wicked Luther—how could he be so brutal?

She blamed her careless curiosity, her stupid questions... Ah, how could she make it up to him? She had only twisted the knife deeper. Certainly, no one had ever dared to remind him of that.

-*-

Guys, you are so quiet up there. Don’t be shy, this is actually your story, share your comments, ideas, and theories, and communicate with each other. Wink, wink.

~Winter.

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