Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Looking at Drayce who had his face buried in his hands, Seren found herself struck with worry. She couldn't figure out what was happening to him or what he's feeling. 

'Did I just anger him?' she thought. 

She heard him sighing deeply, and she could imagine him gritting his teeth behind his hands. 

"Y-Your Majesty, are you alright? My apologies for—"

Drayce exhaled heavily, interrupting her next words, and when he looked up at her finally, she found his fiery red eyes devoid of any emotions. His face had returned to its normal cold and calm expression, and she could no longer figure out his thoughts. 

She blinked a few times and thought in panic, 'He seems angry. Has he finally decided on how to punish me?' 

As if Drayce sensed her fear, he let out a silent sigh. "My Queen, we are going somewhere. I hope you won't mind."

'Going somewhere? Are we already leaving the lake?' she thought with a tinge of disappointment. This was her first boat ride, and she felt like she would not mind spending the entire day like this, drifting along the clear waters to watch colorful fishes swimming around. 

Seren did not realize she was staring at the empty fish food container beside her. When she lifted her gaze again, she found Drayce looking somewhere ahead. When she noticed their surroundings, they were already no longer in the part of the ancient lake near the gazebo, but were quite a distance from it, towards the other part of the shore from where they came. 

Soon, their boat had taken a turn towards a small waterway surrounded by dense rows of tall trees on both sides. The boat continued to move forward along the waterway, going deeper into that area that seemed to be a pine forest.

Away from the magnificent buildings and regal palaces, the atmosphere in this part of the lake was more to Seren's liking—it was peaceful and tranquil, with no sight of people around to throw cautious or curious glances her way.

Seren shifted her attention from surroundings towards Drayce, who had remained quietly seated the entire time. "May I ask where are we going, Your Majesty?

"To meet someone," was all he replied. 

Seren wished to ask who they were meeting but wisely chose to keep quiet. The change in her husband's behavior was abrupt, and she guessed it was highly due to her rejection. She was worried that she must have angered him; asking him more questions might cost more harm than benefit. 

The boat continued to move forwards in silence. Seren kept herself occupied by observing the different kinds of trees native to Megaris that could not be found in Abetha. Although they seemed to have different types and shapes, she knew those were trees that only grow in colder regions—tall trees with reddish-brown trunks and upturned branches with needle-like leaves. 

'Are these the so-called pine trees I saw in my picture book?' she thought in amazement as she continued to observe their surroundings. 

After a couple more minutes, as their boat proceeded with no issues, the water way grew narrower and narrower, while the pine trees around them appeared to be older than the next. Due to the dense trees on both sides, sunlight couldn't normally reach this part of the lake during autumn, and Seren felt a little cold despite her coat. Drayce noticed her clutching her clothes closer, and the next moment, she was being lifted to sit next to him even before she could understand and resist his actions. 

"Your Majesty!"

Drayce wrapped one arm around her and rubbed her arm as if to pass down the warmth. "We will reach there soon."

Seren nodded and sat quietly. 'It feels better now.'

It was not only the warmth. Sitting close to him and the way he cared for her without saying a word... She was slowly growing to like them. 

Seren did not realize that their boat had reached the other end of the lake's shoreline until she saw a dainty yet entrancing white palace that was built at the edge of the lake. From where she's seated, she could see hanging gardens along with several water fountains and pavilions, making the palace look harmonious with nature. Soft music could even be heard coming out of it. 

"Who lives here?" she asked. 

"This is the Crystal Palace. My grandmother lives here," Drayce answered. 

'Grandmother?' It surprised her as she tried to imagine what an older female version of Drayce would look like. 'I never had one...but why did he bring me here? Maybe to pay my respects? Lady Tyra mentioned something like that earlier,' she concluded on her own.

Drayce explained further, "The Great Queen Theodora Ivanov, the birth mother of my father, the previous king, King Theron. She's the one who arranged for my mother, Queen Esther, to enter the royal palace."

Seren lightly nodded as she recalled the name from her history books. There were many accounts about Great Queen Theodora of Megaris, but on the contrary, Drayce's mother, Queen Esther, there was no record about her in the books other than her name. It made Seren curious.

'Will it be fine to ask him?'

Drayce pulled out a small pouch from the pocket of his garment and handed it to Seren. 

"Take this."

Accepting the black pouch, she asked, "What is this for?"

"This is a gift for Grandmother. She no longer participates in high society nor court affairs, and her favorite pastime is gardening. She loves to grow different kinds of plants in her garden and these are seeds of rare plants and trees. You have to give it to her as a gift."

"But I did not bring this. Your Majesty should be the one to give—"

"My Queen, you and I are not strangers now. We are husband and wife. What I have is yours too. You are meeting Grandmother for the first time so it's only right for you to give her a greeting gift. However, since I decided on our visit without prior notice, not giving you time to prepare, it should be my responsibility to help you receive a good impression." 

Seren nodded quietly and accepted that black silk cloth pouch that had the royal crest of Megaris embroidered in gold thread. 

After a while, the boat stopped at the semicircular stone steps where it seemed boats could be docked. Drayce stood up and offered her his hand. Seren accepted it as if it's the most natural thing to do. Her husband then helped her get out of the boat and stepped onto the slightly slippery stone stairs that led the way towards a huge lawn with a stone pathway.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

There were two royal guards who welcomed them. 

The older guard spoke out after he bowed. "We have already announced your arrival to the Great Lady. She is waiting for you in the drawing-room."

As a frequent visitor of the Crystal Palace, Drayce was familiar with the layout of the place and did not need to be escorted. Along the way, the servants who were working around also bowed to them.

Drayce accepted their greetings with a light nod and led Seren's way towards the inner palace. Seren enjoyed the brief walk, as there seemed to be multiple gardens per area, each housing a variety of plants. To someone like her who also enjoys gardening, it was an exquisite work of art.

After walking for some time and crossing a certain distance, the main entrance of the inner palace came into view. On a huge terrace overlooking the lake, an old woman with all of her hair as white as snow, wearing simple gauzy clothes of the lightest shade of blue, could be seen sitting with perfect grace and elegance. Her thin near-transparent robe over her white long dress made her look like a fairy of the lake. Despite the wrinkles on her face, one could see she must have been a breathtaking beauty in her youth.

Although she wore no accessories nor makeup, no one would ever think this lady was a simple old woman. When her warm sea blue eyes caught sight of the newly arrived couple, she took her cane and stood up to welcome her guests as her two lady servants behind her bowed towards them.

"Greetings, Grandmother." Drayce bowed and Seren did the same. 

"Dray, finally you remembered about your Grandmother!" the old lady complained, yet the gentle smile on her face betrayed how pleased she was with her grandson's arrival. She then looked at Seren. "So this is our new queen?"

Seren didn't know how to react and just lowered her head lightly. 

"Grandmother, this is my wife, Seren Ivanov, the third daughter of the Ilven Royal Family of Abetha." Drayce introduced. "What do you think of my wife, Grandmother?" 

The Great Lady chuckled. "Not like you will ever bring some random woman with you to meet me."

She then gestured for them to sit on the chairs arranged on the terrace. After her guests were seated, she looked at Seren with an admiring gaze. "Let me take a look at our Queen who stole our King's heart."

Seren gaped as she looked at the Great Lady in shock. 

'When did I steal his heart? It's right inside his chest. I just felt it when I touched his chest earlier,' she complained internally. 'Is it even possible to steal someone's heart? Any person will die if his chest is pierced. Won't stealing the king's heart be the highest form of treason?'

Not knowing what was going on in Seren's mind, the old woman smiled at her and appreciated the appearance of the quiet young lady. 

"Such pretty and rare eyes." She looked at Drayce. "I am sure these eyes are the reason."

Drayce didn't reply as he maintained a straight face. Beside him, Seren was puzzled with what the Great Lady meant in her last statement.

'Reason? What reason?'

Though Drayce didn't give her a response, his grandmother understood she guessed it right. "No wonder. You are still fond of rare things."

Seren studied the white-haired woman whose presence felt pleasant to her though she was meeting her for the first time. While conversing with Drayce, she was smiling brightly the entire time, looking at her grandson with sea-blue eyes that matched her robe with adoration, showing how sincerely happy she was with their unannounced visit. 

'I thought she would look like a much older female version of His Majesty, but they don't look alike.'

The Great Lady Theodora Ivanov looked several years younger than her actual age, with minimal wrinkles somewhere around her eyes and lips. Her nose was tiny but sharp, and her thin pink lips had a smile that never left her face ever since Seren laid her eyes upon her. Her hair, which was as white as snow, reached below her waist, the front part of her hair moved to the back of her head and tied with a long white ribbon matching her clothes. 

As the wind caused her clothes and long hair to flutter, it was as if the Great Lady was the representation of a fairy in carefree solitude, untouched by mortal dust and worldly desires. 

'They might not look alike, but she's just as beautiful as him, especially when she smiles.'

Listening to the two's conversation, Seren could feel that Great Lady Theodora doted on Drayce. Seren felt a comforting warmth from this fact. "I wish I had a grandmother too. But I know that my paternal grandmother is long gone, and I don't even know if my maternal grandmother is alive. I wonder if I had gotten a chance to meet them, would they be as sweet and caring as the Great Lady, or would they have scorned me just like others in Abetha?'

While Seren was lost in her own thoughts, she did not realize that the Great Lady noticed the longing in her look. Theodora Ivanov was someone who had seen the world. With a glance, she could guess Seren's wish that she could not voice out.

"You can also call me  Grandmother."

Her unexpected words shocked Seren. It was so sudden her mind seemingly froze. "Huh? Yes...Thank you so much…." Seren stopped as she didn't know what to call her through the old lady asked to call her Grandmother.

"Grandmother," Drayce said, looking at Seren as if urging her to say it.

"Thank you so much….Grandmother…" Seren said but there was still hesitation in her voice. 

The Great Lady chuckled. "It's fine, dear. You will get used to it." She then looked at Drayce. "I hope you will bring her here often and not keep her to yourself only. You are busy attending to the needs of the kingdom and can't accompany her all the time. Your wife will be bored sooner or later on her own."

"I will think about it," Drayce said coldly. 

His grandmother was used to such behavior from him as she knew he was a possessive kind of person and didn't mind it.

"Grandmother, this is for you," Seren said, offering a black silk pouch to the old lady. 

"Oh, my. Is this a gift for me from our Queen?" the Great Lady laughed as she accepted the gift. "What is this?" she asked while opening the pouch. 

Seren thought Drayce would answer but he sat quietly, as if it didn't concern him, so she answered in his stead. "Grandmother, these are seeds of rare plant species you can add in your garden."

Great Lady Theodora picked out a few seeds from the pouch and observed them on her palms.

"This is such a precious gift." She then looked at Seren. "Thank you so much, dear. We have such a thoughtful queen."

Seren felt a little guilty as she was not the one who deserved the praise for this gift and said as she lowered her head, "His Majesty is the one who brought this gift, Grandmother."

The Great Lady nodded at Seren in appreciation.  'Such an honest and pure-hearted girl,' and said, "It doesn't matter who brought it, my dear Queen. Dray and you are not different people now. But I liked how honest our Queen is."

Seren contemplated something, and despite her hesitation,  decided to say it in the end.

"Grandmother… Grandmother can call me by my name."

"Can I?" the Great Lady asked and looked at Drayce. That question was in fact directed at Drayce. 

The young king spoke in a stiff manner, "Seren Ivanov, her name."

The Great Lady raised a brow at his grandson's sudden change of mood. She tapped her cane on the stone floor as she chastised him. "Of course, I know her name. I am not yet senile when you have just introduced her earlier. And although I am no longer involved with the palace, do you think I will have no idea whom my grandson married and made the queen of this kingdom?"

Drayce didn't speak further and the Great Lady looked at the young queen. 

"Seren!" She said her name out loud with a distinct royal accent. "From now on, I will simply call you Seren."

Seren nodded a little too quickly as she felt happy at the moment.. Finally, there would be someone around here who would call her by name.