Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

"My Queen, Grandmother is waiting for you to show you her greenhouse. She believes you will love to see it," Drayce informed, getting out of his wishful thinking. 

Seren nodded and Drayce led her way out of the gazebo. Walking down a different stony path towards another meticulously manicured flower garden, they took a turn towards an iron gate that was fixed in a stone archway

The servant standing by the gate greeted them and opened it for them. Drayce let Seren enter first and followed her behind. It was the first time she would see a greenhouse, and she was excited once more. She had read about greenhouses before in books. They were places designed to house plants and trees that would otherwise not survive due to the local climate of a certain region.

From what she remembered, they were not only expensive, but also difficult to make and sustain. The Royal Palace of Abetha also had a greenhouse, but she never had a chance to visit it as it only housed medicinal herbs used by the royal pharmacy since due to her curse, flowers never bloomed in the capital.

After entering the gate, she saw a huge structure that had transparent walls made of heavy glass slides fixed in the gigantic metal rod frame.. Even from the outside, Seren could imagine how wonderful the inside must be as those glass walls showed a partial view from inside. Bright sunlight made its way through the glass wall. 

When they entered the glass building, as expected, the temperature was several times higher than it was outside. The air was humid, and the earth was of rich darker soil. Seren saw the entire place filled with plants and flowers from the warmer regions of the continent. She even noticed rare herbs and flowers native to Abetha. The dome-shaped ceiling of the building had flower pots hung up high and a number of butterflies were roaming around them. 

Seren looked at Great Lady Theodora, who was sitting in one chair around a circular table kept close to one side of the glass building. The Great Lady seemed to enjoy sitting and basking under the sun. She smiled at Seren and signaled her to come to her. 

Seren happily went towards her and bowed as she heard the Great Lady say, "This is our greenhouse. Feel free to call it yours too."

"Thank you so much, Grandmother."

The Great Lady stood up with the help of her cane. "Let me introduce you to the entire place."

Drayce was standing at a distance, letting the two ladies have some time together. One reason was that he didn't enjoy the warm humid air inside. He was also being good and patient since it was his grandmother. Later, he would take his wife away anyways. 

The two walked around the rows of numerous pots kept in the stands. 

"These are some rare plants that are found in the southern territories of Abetha, while these ones are from the island provinces of Mivesea. These ones, they were taken from the rocky regions that were home to the western tribes. Those wild flowers only grow in unapproachable places, and no one can find them easily," the Great Lady continued to explain as Seren followed her. "These are rare herbs from Griven that we add in our tea to be healthy in replacement for sugar. I will send some for you so you can have them daily."

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Great Lady Theodora smiled at the humble girl and said, "I want you to always be healthy. It's colder in Megaris than in Abetha, so it will help you cope with the change in the climate."

There were small ponds inside that had different species of water plants, like lotuses and water lilies. "Since  the plants are from warmer regions and they can't stand the cold, we maintain the temperature of this greenhouse strictly, especially during winter."

As they walked further, Seren's sight followed one plant in a white medium-sized clay pot that was isolated from other plants. It was kept on a table and one could definitely tell it was intentionally isolated. One even needed to climb the stairs to go to its location.

"Grandmother, why is that plant kept there away from others?" Seren asked. 

As if the Great Lady was already waiting for her to notice it, she smiled and said, "Would you like to take a look?"

Seren nodded and the two climbed the few steps to reach the plant. Standing in front of the plant which was hardly two feet tall, Seren observed that the leaves of that plant had turned slightly yellowish, and its tips were curled as if they were losing their life. 

"Why is this plant like this when others are blooming nicely? Is it sick?" Seren asked. Since the other plants were healthy, it meant that they were being greatly cared for, their soil fertilized well, and were watered appropriately. 

"This plant has been like this for many years since it lost its owner," the Great Lady answered.

Seren looked at the old woman surprisingly. "Owner?"

The Great Lady nodded. "Dray's mother. Since she left, this plant has turned like this."

"Can plants even feel such things?" Seren asked. 

"Of course, they can. The more spiritual ones can feel all of our emotions and can get attached to us," the Great Lady answered as she continued, "Esther brought it with her when she came to the palace." She looked at Seren with a meaningful gaze and said, "This plant is not any ordinary one. Like I said, it has spirituality. It's what you call a magical plant."

Seren was awed. "Magical plant?"

"This plant is said to have originated from the tears of a god. So this plant is sometimes called the Tears of God, but because of the flower that bloomed on this plant, it was given a lovely ancient name by the ancestors of this land just like how pretty that flower is," the Great Lady informed.

"What is the flower called?" Seren asked curiously.

"Ashrin! The name of the flower is Ashrin, which means 'the gift of god'," the Great Lady answered in satisfaction. 

"It's a nice name," Seren agreed. 

"This flower is also said to direct you towards the one who is meant for you—​your soulmate."

"Soulmate?"

"The one meant for you," the Great Lady explained simply, as she looked at Drayce who was still standing at the entrance of the greenhouse. 

Seren looked at Drayce too who then started to walk towards them. She could not help but repeat in her mind what she had heard. 'Soulmate, the one meant for me.'

Drayce came to them and looked at the Great Lady with a resigned expression. "It's nearly time for lunch. Seems like Grandmother plans to keep my wife here."

"As if you will allow me to, but trust me, I don't mind if you leave her here."

"When one gets older, daydreaming is a normal thing," Drayce commented, treating what she said like air.

The Great Lady merely smiled at her grandson, who seemed to be in a bad mood. "I am getting older so isn't it fine to have someone who looks after my greenhouse once I am gone?"

While these two were talking, Seren had returned her attention to that lifeless plant as she repeated in her mind what the Great Lady said to her regarding her soulmate.

She felt it was a pity that a plant with such a legend behind it and a beautiful name was dying. She ended up touching the lifeless leaves of the plant, wanting to straighten the curl at its tips, but the next moment, there was a change in the plant that shocked Seren, causing her to step back. It caught the attention of the other two and they suddenly saw light emitting from the plant and the light rays started revolving around it. 

It scared Seren as she looked apologetically towards the Great Lady. "I-I didn't do it intentionally. I just touched its leaves. I shouldn't have. My apologies, Grandmother..."

When she was busy apologizing, she didn't know how the plant behind her changed, its leaves becoming a brilliant green.

The Great Lady exclaimed, "You have put life into this plant, dear."

Drayce was startled, but he was not that surprised by her feat. He had even seen her heal Dusk's wound and cause heavy rain to fall, so he already had some guesses and expectations about the powers of his wife. But all this reminded him about a lost memory from his childhood and he looked at Seren in shock.

Hearing the old lady's words, Seren looked at the plant and soon the three saw a flower blooming on it. It was just a single flower, a large red flower with petals appearing like tongues of flame. Golden swirl-like energy could be seen in its center.

Seren's sight was fixed on the flower while the Great Lady looked at Drayce who was shocked. The Great Lady knew why he was like that. 

Drayce looked at his grandmother. "That flower…"

The Great Lady stepped away from Seren and said back towards Drayce, "It's the same one as the mark on her forehead."

"Grandmother already knew and that's why Grandmother brought her here?" he concluded.

The Great Lady nodded as she tapped on her cane. "Your mother had the same flower mark on her wrist. How can I forget it?"

Only now did Drayce understand why that flower-and-fire symbol on Seren's forehead looked familiar to him when he saw it for the first time. His mother had the same on her wrist, and he knew it was the sign of the Ashrin flower.

Drayce had many questions in his mind. 'How did she get that mark on her forehead? Did she ever meet my mother? But she was always imprisoned in her tower and my mother had left the world even before my Queen was born."

"Is there someone else who has this plant?" Drayce asked his grandmother. 

"No, it's the only one that exists in this entire world. It used to be in the possession of someone who holds the power over this world and that someone gifted it to your mother to bless her to find her soulmate and happiness."

"Huh," Drayce said sarcastically. "Did she really find one?"

"She did. She found my son."

The Great Lady saw the disbelief on Drayce's cold face. She could only sigh. "There is always a variable to what we desire. My son loved her more than he loved his own mother." 

Drayce could only shake his head in disappointment. But he had more important things to do than to contradict his grandmother. "This is a plant. Maybe it gave birth to seeds. Is there someone else who could have the same plant with them and has given this mark to my Queen?"

"Just like you, even I have questions, but all these are simply things I heard from your mother as well. What I know is limited. From what I remember, only the owner of this plant can pass this mark to another person with the intention to protect the receiver. With that mark, the fate of finding the soulmate shifts to the receiver too."

With these words from the Great lady, both looked at each other with an even bigger realization. 

"She...she is not gone…?"

Just then, Seren turned to look at them with a giggle. "This flower is truly magical. It emits rays when I touch it and the light even moves along my fingers."

The two stopped their conversation and paid attention to her. Drayce had a complicated expression on his face, as the shocking truth was something that would change many things for him. His grandmother knew she had to let Drayce digest this news first on his own.

She smiled at Seren and approached. "Indeed, it is magical." After a pause, the Great Lady asked, "Seren, do you know what this mark is on your forehead?"

Seren was surprised by the question seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "No, Grandmother."

"This is the same flower—it is an Ashrin."

In surprise, Seren touched her forehead. "Is this a flower?"

"Hmm." The Great Lady nodded and asked, "Do you know how you got this mark?"

"Martha, my nanny, said it has been on my forehead since I was born. It is a birthmark," Seren replied, not thinking much about it.

"I see," said the older lady. She turned silent for a while. " This flower is meant to find your soulmate. You have already found yours, and I am sure it is all because of this flower in your forehead."

"Soulmate?" Seren repeated and asked, "You mean the one meant for me?"

"The one who will love you more than anything and protect you always at any cost. The one who will never leave you alone and be with you every moment you want him to be by your side."

Seren pondered over those words and then looked at Drayce as she started to relate the meaning of those words to what Drayce had done for her till now.

'Love? I don't know what it is but it must be the care he showed like how he protected me from the cold. Protect? He always protected me whenever I tried to run away. He was always with me even though I couldn't see him but he showed up when I needed him. So he must be my soulmate, the one meant for me.'

Drayce had calmed down by then. He looked at Seren but didn't know what was going on in her mind. 

They heard the Great Lady tap her cane against the ground. "Let's leave. It's time for lunch."

Seren came out of her thoughts and nodded. 

As Seren stepped away from the Ashrin, the Great Lady looked back at the flower and mumbled, "Seems like this flower has found its new owner."

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Dear readers, a magical flower mentioned in this chapter "Ashrin" its name is derived from the name of the reader "ash_03" who is the #2 top fan of this novel. 

In future chapters, I will be doing the same for the other readers too when there is a suitable opportunity. 

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In coming chapters, look forward to read Drayce teaching Seren about wife's duties.