Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

The moment Drayce stepped out of Seren's bedchamber, the pleasant expression on his face disappeared and it changed back to a cold one. His gaze hardened with each step he took, masking the worries hounding his mind from observers' eyes. When he reached the King's chamber, he went straight to his royal bath. Orion had served him for a long time, and he could arrange for the needs of his king even without orders from him.

Leaving his robe on the side, Drayce stepped into the hot waters of the indoor pool and lowered his body until the water reached mid-chest. He closed his eyes as he sat back, resting his back against the wooden wall with his arms spread leisurely on the wooden platform behind him. Strained silence enveloped the side chamber as he kept that posture, and even his breathing could be barely heard over the noise of his thoughts.

Since the previous night, things had been difficult for him. Though he didn't show much concern in front of Seren after the devil inside showed up, the worrisome issue never left his mind.  Now that he was alone, he no longer needed to hide everything behind a smile. 

'I tried my best to not let him come out, but he seems to be getting out of control these days. In front of her, he seems to become stronger, to the point I cannot control him.' All these thoughts caused frown lines to appear on his forehead. 'How dare he try to claim her and call her his? She is mine and I will do my best to keep him away from her. She doesn't need to know him. It will only scare her. After countless efforts, she is finally starting to trust me. I can't let him ruin everything.'

Despite having made such a declaration, Drayce's thoughts continued to linger on the scenes last night.  He remembered what the devil was trying to do with Seren the moment he took over his body.  His eyes snapped open as he clenched his fists. It scared him to think what he could have done to Seren if she did not manage to stop the devil in time. The way she begged for him to stop him rang in his ears. 

"Dray, stop...please stop…" 

'How ironic that I am trying to protect her from others when I myself am the biggest threat to her.'  He felt pain remembering how her voice trembled as she called out his name. At that moment, he promised himself that this situation should never happen again. This problem had to be immediately addressed, in one way or another. Drayce made a decision.

'Only He can help me get rid of this devil. I need to find Him. I have no other option left. Even if I hate Him the most, for her sake, I need to.'

Drayce came out of the bath donned in a bathrobe, his long hair dripping wet over his shoulders. Orion along with his other servants hurried to attend him. 

"Ask Tyra to see me in my study, now," Drayce informed them after he was dressed. 

"Will you be meeting Lady Tyra after your morning meal, Your Majesty?"

Drayce shook his head. He could not even think about eating at this point as he first wished to see Lady Tyra. Orion nodded as he sent one of the servants to call for the lady.

Soon after Lady Tyra arrived in the King's study, Drayce entered the room. 

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Lady Tyra greeted with her head lowered. She didn't have a good feeling about this meeting.

Once Drayce sat in his chair, he looked at her. "Have a seat." 

Lady Tyra sat on the chair nearest to his desk. "May I know why Your Majesty has called for me?"

"I want to meet someone and I need your help to know where I can find him."

"May I know who His Majesty is referring to?" Lady Tyra asked. 

"The Devil," Drayce replied without delaying it for a second. 

Lady Tyra nearly lost her composure. "Your Majesty, you mean…"

"The one whose blood is running in my veins," Drayce cleared her doubt.

Lady Tyra found herself speechless. The Devil was an existence beyond the understanding of humankind​​​​—meeting Him was not something that would happen as any person wished. Moreover, all these years, not even once had Drayce shown any willingness to know about his biological father. As someone who had watched him grow up within the royal palace, Lady Tyra knew how much he hated Him. What could have prompted this change of mind?

"Your Majesty, may I know why you wish to see Him?" Lady Tyra asked. 

"Just tell me where I can meet him," Dryace countered as he glared at her, not willing to answer any of her questions.

"Your Majesty, though I am aware of His existence in this world, I am not sure where you can meet Him," the old lady explained, shaking her head. "The only one I know to have seen Him is the previous Queen."

"Are you saying it's impossible to meet Him?"

Lady Tyra pondered for a bit. "All I know is that He arrives when someone calls for Him."

"Call for him?" Drayce repeated. "How?"

Lady Tyra shook her head again. "Your Majesty, it would be better if we do not mention Him. You must have heard a thing or two about the myths about Him. His arrival is a bad omen, and his presence indicates that a disaster will be coming our way, so pray that we will never have the need to call for Him ever, or it will only bring one to sacrifice what is precious to them."

"I am not going to call Him but I will find Him," Drayce informed firmly. "Even if He desires, I will not let Him step foot in this palace!"

Lady Tyra didn't say anything to contradict his statement. "He is your father. He might… change His rules for you."

"No need to call Him my father. All these years, I have never considered having one." Drayce looked cold and unfeeling on the outside, but underneath his mask, there lay a disappointment that he had buried in his heart for so long. 'He who never even looked for His child after he was born and could not protect him from abuse even once, so what if he has great might and powers? Is it worth calling Him a father? He just needs to pay me for carrying His blood in my veins!'

"Your Majesty, I want you not to hide anything from me. It's for your sake," Lady Tyra said worriedly. 

Drayce did not mince his words. "I want to get rid of that devil."

"Your Majesty…"

"I know what you will say, but he is not me," Drayce interrupted her, "and he is dangerous for her."

Lady Tyra understood now why Drayce was worried and why he had suddenly come up with such an absurd idea. It was all for Queen Seren.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will try to find out how you can meet Him," Lady Tyra assured. She knew at this moment Drayce would not listen to anything she would say. She wanted to make him understand what he was asking for, but perhaps at a later time, once he was calm enough not to be swayed purely by emotions. 

Meeting the Devil. No one knew His real name and hardly anyone talked about Him, a mysterious existence shrouded by darkness and fear. It wouldn't be an easy feat to know His whereabouts.

"Don't make me wait too long," Drayce ordered. 

Lady Tyra nodded and left after bowing to the young king.