The Devil's Cursed Witch

Aureus opened his eyes as he sensed Erlos' presence at the door of the room. When heard the door open after a knock, he turned to look at the elf on the doorway.

"Anything serious?" Aureus asked.

"It's nothing much," Erlos replied as he closed the door behind him. He then proceeded to explain what happened.

It reminded Aureus that Seren had such a state as well, and she had been crying in her sleep due to her dreams.

"I think I have a clue about the  reason behind it."

"What do you mean?"

"The Queen of Megaris also has some strange dreams and she cries due to them. But in her dreams, the woman she sees is your Queen, Ember Aramis."

Erlos connected that to the reason why the King of Megaris was looking for the green-eyed woman in the portrait, and the more he got to know, the more he felt puzzled.

"I wonder what is the relationship between Miss Ember and your Queen. I am sure they had never come across each other as both lived across opposite parts of the continent. Not to mention, Miss Ember had lived her life like a prisoner so there is no way she would meet a person from across the other side of the continent. By chance, has Queen Seren ever travelled far from your human kingdom?" Erlos asked.

"That is not possible in Seren's case." Aureus once again simply called her by her name, without using her title. "Though she was a royal princess, she had never stepped foot outside of the palace walls of her homeland like a prisoner as well."

"Then I wonder what's there that links the both of them?"

"Something that might be beyond our imagination," Aureus commented.

------

In the middle of the night, though Ember was in bed with her eyes closed, she could not make herself fall asleep. The thoughts in her mind were being too loud, and she could not help but ponder and worry restlessly due to the various things she had experienced the past month. With the new changes coming to her life, she could not help but question what the future holds for her.

'Ah, I give up.'

Just as she thought she would not be able to sleep, the place next to her sank and she got alerted that someone had joined her in bed. Even without his smell, she knew that it could only be Draven and worry took over her mind. Other than her worries over her dreams and taking control over her power, there was also that much-needed conversation between her and her mate. She was yet to talk about having a child, and now he was there with her in bed, she wondered how she should proceed.

Just as she heard from Yula, males are the same on the female's fertile days just as they are on the night of the full moon. She knew Draven had come wanting to be intimate with her once again. Just like any other beast, he wouldn't miss a chance to have his offspring. In the afternoon, when he informed her about him being busy, she thought it implied he wouldn't be coming, but his arrival now made her think she was being too optimistic.

She found Draven moving closer to her, his one hand reaching for her waist to pull her body close to his. In the end, she simply blurted out her honest thoughts.

"I-I...don't want a child yet!"

Draven froze at her reaction but then he resumed what he was doing without saying a word. His right hand that froze midway continued to reach for her. He then placed his warm hand over her stomach while his other arm slid below her neck and he scooped her in a warm embrace just like the night before. His nose then nuzzled her, breathing in her sweet scent at the crook of her neck.

The entire time, Ember was as stiff as a statue.

'Did he not hear me? Or is he going to ignore my wish? Is he that eager to have a child?' Her heart started to beat faster with fear. She nervously gulped and tried to say again, "I don't want to have a child--"

"Neither do I," Draven replied, as he continued to hold her tightly.

Ember felt like she misheard him and stared at his handsome face with confusion. 'Did he say...? Really? Did I hear it right? Or maybe he did not hear me clearly?'

She thought he would question her why she didn't want to, or that he would point out something along the lines of 'even if she didn't want to, she should do it as part of a mate's responsibility'. After all, Yula and the books emphasized over and over again how important it was for supernatural beings to continue their bloodline, what more someone like Draven who was a divine beast.

"Uhm, did you clearly hear what I said?" Ember probed.

"Hmm," Draven replied, as he closed his eyes, wanting to sleep peacefully.

"You don't want to have a child either?" Ember asked to make it sure.

"Hmm."

"Why?"

There was a short pause and Ember held her breath to hear his reason. After a while, she heard the sleepy hoarse voice respond, "I don't wish to share you."

"Huh?"

She was honestly surprised. This was not the reason she expected. This sounded unreal. Shouldn't a divine beast be eager, unable to wait to have their next generation? But here, he seemed to compete with his future child for her attention. Such a father he would be.

"You are mine!" she heard him responding to her surprise.

'Huh?'

Mine.

His last word made her heart skip a beat. That was something which could melt any female's heart and hearing it from someone like Draven made it sound so much more meaningful.

'What does he mean by this? Why does he sound like he likes me for real? Does he really?'

Ember wanted to make sure what was going on. She cleared her throat. "As you know, I...I am in my fertile days..."

"Hmm!"

'What is meant by this 'hmm!'? Is he tired of talking to me, he's not even using words anymore?' She frowned a little and asked, "...so, uhm, the reason you're here... aren't you affected by it?"

In response to her question, she felt both of his hands tightening around her. She was pressed so close against him, her slender back felt like burning against the heat coming from his chest. Even his legs brushed against her body, and she could feel well that he was in heat.

"D-Draven?"

"Hmm...?" His voice was low and hoarse, like an instinctive reply when someone half-asleep was being asked a question.

"Uhm, I asked you something. Aren't you affected by--"

"Can't you feel the answer to your question?" she finally heard him say.

His voice showed great restraint as if he was trying to suppress what he was feeling. To say he was greatly affected seemed to be putting it lightly.

"Then..." Ember gulped "...shouldn't you stay away from me?"

"I don't want to."

'What is this child-like stubbornness?' she thought. She recalled how frustrating the longing had been for her before they completed their bond, how her body ached the nights prior, and could not help but ask, "Isn't it like torturing yourself?"

There was a short pause as everything turned quiet. Ember waited for him to say something, and just as she thought he wouldn't answer, she got to hear his reply.

"It's more bearable than staying away from you."

Once again, her heart skipped a bit. 'What happened to him today? Why does he sound like he is flirting with me like those men in the books? Is he serious? Or is he saying whatever just because he is troubled?'

Draven was immersed in his own world while holding his mate close to him, drowning himself in her sweet scent, not knowing what confusion his honest words were causing his mate.

"Draven...?"

"If you keep on calling my name like this, I will think you want me, and trust me, I won't hesitate to give you that," his restrained voice said, its hoarseness begging her to not provoke him. He was barely controlling his urges and had decided to settle with sleeping peacefully with her in his arms. He didn't wish to do anything more because she was in her fertile days. Like he said earlier, he didn't want to have a child yet.

Hearing his warning, Ember swallowed the rest of her words and didn't ask any more questions.

"Good night!" was all she said before closing her eyes. He snaked his limbs around her entirely, not leaving room for her to move even an inch, but she didn't mind and instead felt comfort.

Draven didn't reply to her with words but instead gently pecked the smooth skin at the back of her neck before starting to drift to sleep.

As a person with many burdens, Draven had never been fond of the night as it was never easy for him to fall asleep. For thousands of years, he felt no peace of mind despite wanting to rest, but with his mate's presence, everything had changed. He found sleeping with her comforting, and now, he had started to feel various emotions that he thought he was not capable of or were not meant for him to feel.

A hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

'It's definitely a good night...'

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A long chapter dedicated to reader "RMehrotra" Thank you for the super gift and golden tickets. <3<3