She Belongs To The Devil

"I am listening, please continue," Adeline smiled and waited for Azriel to explain the side effects that the inscription spell would have on her.

Azriel looked Adeline in the eyes and replied truthfully, "As I had said earlier, the inscription spell that I am going to cast on you will trap the demonic power that is inside of you. And it will prevent that power from acting on its own and overwhelming your human body."

"After the spell is cast, though the power will still be inside you, it will neither be able to grow nor will it be able to give you any kind of unfair advantage that it had been giving you for the past decade."

Adeline looked down and her cheeks started to turn red when Azriel said that she had an unfair advantage for the past decade. She hoped that her Deity didn't resent her for cheating almost all her life.

Azriel disregarded Adeline's expression and continued with his explanation, "To put it more clearly, your strength will revert back to its normal human level and you won't be receiving any kind of protection from the magic attacks. You will be on your own from now on. You can't rely on the demonic power anymore."

"Eh?" Adeline was stunned to hear the side effects of the inscription spell. She definitely did not want to die from the energy overdose that her demonic power would produce. But sealing that power suddenly did not sound like the best option to follow.

Ever since she had met Theodore when she was a toddler, that same demonic power that Theodore had lent her had been protecting her and making her stronger than the others. And Azriel was saying that she would now have to give up on those benefits of her demonic power.

Azriel looked into Adeline's dilated sapphire eyes and asked her, "Now that you know what is going to happen to you, are you ready for this? Shall I begin casting the spell?"

There was no answer from Adeline. She was just staring at Azriel with vacant eyes.

"Adeline! Adeline! Are you listening to me?" Azriel asked once more to make sure that Adeline was now ready for the spell.

However, Adeline was still lost in her own thoughts. She was looking at Azriel and could see his lips moving. But her mind was focused on weighing the pros and cons of sealing her powers.

"Since you are not objecting, I will now begin casting the spell." Azriel raised his index and middle fingers together then brought his hand closer to Adeline's chest. His fingers began to produce an azure glow.

Adeline was startled when she saw that azure light glowing near her chest. She hastily raised her hand in a stop motion and exclaimed, "Wait a minute!"

She glanced at Azriel with an inquisitive look and asked, "Do you mean to say that after the spell is done, I will be… weak?"

Azriel put his hand away from Adeline and the glow on his fingers disappeared. He then sighed and politely tried to make Adeline understand, "It depends on how you look at it. You have been depending on some external source of power to be stronger than the others. But once I put the seal on that external power, you will begin to depend on your own internal power."

However, Adeline frowned even more because she didn't understand what her Deity was trying to say. How was depending on her average human power going to be any better?

She clutched her hand over her chest and asked, "But isn't it given that my own internal power will be weaker than the demonic power?"

Adeline darted her eyes on Azriel's fingers to check if they were glowing and then gazed back at his face. She shook her head and exclaimed in a voice full of worry, "I can't let that happen! I cannot get weak! What if I will be too weak to be considered a ruler? What if I can't protect the Kingdom and its people?"

The Princess clenched her fists in determination and stated, "I have to stay stronger so those evil people won't be able to harm me or Wyverndale. As the chosen one, my very first duty towards the Kingdom is to stay alive so that I can take on father's responsibilities when the time comes."

She abruptly stood up as if she wanted to run back to her carriage and then asked nervously, "I will be okay if I do not consume others' aura of fear, right? I will train myself not to do so. Then I shall be fine, right? I cannot forgo the blessing that Theodore gave me... not after living with that power for almost my whole life."

Azriel gave a soft smile to Adeline and then said, "Adeline, the blessing that Theodore gave you has already been corrupted. It has now become a curse to you. And no, you cannot train yourself to not consume the aura because you are not a demoness."

Azriel also got up from the floor and then walked up to Adeline. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and said in a melancholic tone, "And like you said, staying alive is your major responsibility towards the Kingdom. But if this demonic power is inside of you for too long, I cannot guarantee that you will live long enough to fulfill your duties as the Queen."

Then he pressed on her shoulders to make her sit down again. After she took her position again, he also went and sat down in front of her.

And he tried to console her, "Since your body already knows how well you can perform, you will automatically begin to push yourself so that you can feel the thrill and power that you feel now. And within a few years, you will be able to fill the gap in your strength by relying on your human power alone."

Adeline was still not convinced by what Azriel had said. So she asked again, "What if I won't be able to fill the gap? What then?"

Azriel gave a reassuring smile to Adeline and raised his fingers again. "Wait until five years and measure your progress. If you are still unsatisfied then come back to me. I will lift the spell for you."

His fingers glowed azure blue in color and he asked one final time, "Are you ready?"

Adeline inhaled deeply and then exhaled through her mouth. Though she was still feeling uneasy in her heart, she put her trust in Azriel's judgment and nodded her head.. "I am ready."