She Belongs To The Devil

Theodore reappeared in the garden after giving instructions to his maids and followers. "I hope that I did not leave you for long, Your Majesty."

"Oh, not at all. Or at least it didn't feel that way since the garden kept me occupied." King Dragomir smiled while looking at a rose plant. And he reminisced his past. "I used to spend time with Adeline's mother in the Palace's garden. She used to love taking a stroll and sitting down in the garden, especially when she was pregnant with Adeline."

He took a deep breath in and said in a melancholic tone, "It's a pity that she did not get to do that with Adeline. She was mostly weak and bedridden after giving birth to our daughter."

Dragomir smiled even when his eyes were glistening with tears. "I never dared to enjoy the beauty of the garden after she passed away. Thanks to you, I was able to do that today. I wish I never stopped appreciating the beauty of her favorite garden. It's just that… I could not bring myself to do that. The memory was way too painful for me."

Theodore could feel the pain behind Dragomir's voice. And he tried to console him, "I am extremely sorry for your loss, Your Majesty. I can imagine what you must have gone through after Adeline's mother left this world."

Dragomir wiped his eyes and looked into the Devil's eyes. "Then are you willing to marry my daughter even after knowing that she will leave sooner than you? Can you go through the same pain that I went through, that also thousands of times worse since you will live till eternity?" He had been meaning to ask this question directly to Theodore.

Theodore had already asked this question enough times to himself. And the answer was always yes.

So he replied with confidence, "Yes, Your Majesty. I want to marry her so that I can cherish each and every moment with her. I will never make her feel less loved, even when she grows old and feeble. And I will never stop loving her even after she moves to the afterlife. The love that she will give me in her lifetime will be enough for me to keep on living."

He paused and took a gulp because he was feeling a lump in his throat. And he added in a broken voice, "I will cherish our love till eternity."

The corners of Dragomir's lips curved up a little. He could feel the sincerity in Theodore's words. From this little exchange of words, Dragomir could already imagine how much this man loved his daughter.

However, love wasn't everything. For the relationship between the Devil and a human to work, several other things mattered as well. And Dragomir was going to uncover everything about this Devil today.

A few of the maids knocked on the door. They entered after getting permission from their master and helped the King to change out of his clothes and safely get into the fountain.

They placed the towel and bathrobe beside the fountain and then left.

Dragomir looked at the Devil Prince and asked, "Are you not getting inside the fountain? This is pretty large to fit in both of us." He asked Theodore to get inside the fountain because he felt awkward to be enjoying the bath while Theodore was standing.

And he also wanted to see if Theodore had some deformities, like some scales and such, under that tidy clothes of his.

"Yes, I will get in." Theodore did not want to raise any suspicion regarding the fountain so he took off his robe and got inside the fountain with his trouser on.

Seeing the sturdy body of the Devil, Dragomir was once again impressed. But he did not let it show on his face.

Theodore carefully watched King Dragomir to see any changes in him. Slowly, he could see Dragomir's hair color changing from grey to black. His wrinkles were also slowly starting to diminish.

"So, how are you feeling, Your Majesty? Do you feel any changes in you?" Though Theodore was seeing the outer changes, he was curious to know if the fountain water was healing the King's illness or not.

Dragomir was not aware of the change in his outer appearance but he could feel that the constant back pain that he had was no longer there. And he also felt as though he had this new energy inside of him. He could not quite explain it but he felt better than before.

"I feel like I can beat up a few dozen men with no problem," Dragomir replied while moving his arms in a circular motion. "This fountain is really interesting… almost magical."

Theodore was really glad to hear that. He smiled and said, "If you ever feel like you are in pain or if you feel drained then you are welcome to come here again."

"I will," Dragomir smiled and continued, "So, Theodore," but he stopped abruptly and asked, "is it okay if I call you 'Theodore'?"

"Yes, of course," Theodore gave a nod. In fact, he was happy that Dragomir was calling him by his name. He felt as though Dragomir was slowly accepting him.

"I am curious to know one thing, Theodore." Dragomir gave a serious look as if he was going to ask something very important and he asked, "What do you eat? Or… do you even need to eat?"

Theodore answered with all seriousness, "Ever since I came to Earth, I eat whatever humans eat. I can go several days without eating but I do feel hungry."

"Hmm…" Dragomir rubbed his chin with his finger and then asked again, "And do you… stay here in the cave or do you mostly spend your time in Hell?"

"Hell is like my workplace and this cave is like my home. I spend equal time in both places I think." Theodore did not mind sharing the details. He wanted to clear every doubt of the King.

Now Dragomir was curious to know what kind of things Theodore would do in his workplace. "So, what kind of things are you responsible for in Hell?"

Theodore rested on the fountain in a bit more comfortable position and then answered, "I run a gambling house in Hell. It is a place where the beings of Hell can come to relax and enjoy themselves for a bit. Some human souls can also come there if they have been behaving well."

Dragomir raised his brows in surprise. "There is a place in Hell where one can relax and enjoy? I thought it was a place of eternal damnation."

Theodore smiled and replied, "It is a place for eternal damnation. But there are some souls who don't qualify for Heaven by really small margins. Those will get a bit lighter punishment compared to the others."

Dragomir pursed his lips and could not help but think, "I wonder if I will go to Heaven or Hell… I think it will be Hell… Directly or indirectly, I have caused harm to a lot of people."

Dragomir then looked at Theodore and said, "I already feel rejuvenated.. So why don't you give me a tour of this cave, Theodore? I would love to explore your home."