Demon Prince's Forsaken Bride

''So, my dear wife, the next time you go looking for other men in hopes that they would whisk you away from this place, remember that I would make you witness their deaths in person,'' he looked at her condescendingly.

A wave of weakness washed over her and her stomach roiled in nausea. The gore of the hunting grounds, and the visual of the people huddled together in that small cage haunted her mind.

''Lareina… Lareina…''

His voice faded into nothingness as her vision turned blank.

…

''My Lady hasn't eaten anything for the whole day, Your Highness and things kept happening to her one after another. She…''

Lareina could hear Rosie's worried voice and then the sound of retreating footsteps.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking at the familiar ceiling of her room.

''Awake?"

The voice prompted her to lower her gaze.

Azrael was sitting by her side on the bed, ''Get up,'' he reached out to help her up.

She looked around the room. Rosie was nowhere in sight and she assumed he dismissed her.

''I can… do it myself…'' her voice came out hoarse and her body felt feeble. The soul was determined but the body was unwilling.

The corner of the man's lips twitched. He looked like he was about to berate her again.

She aloofly readied herself for his grating words.

''Be good,'' he said, instead as he reached out to pull her up, ''For all this willfulness of yours, you need strength. Starving yourself indeed is a good way to get my attention but it displeases me so don't do it again.''

''Your Highness, I… did not starve myself,'' Lareina frowned, ''Not for you…''

The man did not seem to be in the mood to listen to her as he got up and walked to the table. He came back with a bowl of soup in his hand.

''I can… cough… have it myself.''

By the time she reached out towards the bowl, the man had picked up a spoonful of soup, blew on it and brought it closer to her mouth.

Contrast to the chaos earlier, the ambience between them was calm at this moment.

As Lareina leaned back on the headboard quietly, he fed her spoonfuls of soups patiently.

And the corner of his lips tugged up when she absentmindedly finished the entire bowl.

''What are you thinking about?" He asked, carrying some other dishes to her.

At this moment, the sound of urgent footsteps sounded by the door.

Azrael gazed in the direction of noise, his face dark.

''Your Highness, Lady Moira is unwell again. She refuses to take her medications and keeps mumbling your name in a daze.''

Azrael frowned, and his hand that was holding the bowl paused, ''I will be there in a while.''

''But Your Highness, she seems very uneasy. The healers are afraid of touching her.''

Lareina watched as the man got up.

''Eat some more,'' he placed the plate by the table.

She smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes, ''Take care, Your Highness.''

The man cupped her jaw, ''Don't.'' His voice was harsh, ''Don't give me that condescending gaze. I detest it. We will talk about this. Do you understand?"

 Lareina looked at him wordlessly.

Her lack of response made him squint, ''I will come find you in a while.''

When he turned to leave, Lareina slumped back on the headboard of the bed.

But from the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the guard who was standing at the door, waiting for Azrael.

Once Azrael left, the guard also turned around and followed him but before he disappeared from Lareina's sight, she caught a vine-like ring sitting on his finger.

"My Lady…'' Rosie entered the chamber, interrupting Lareina's thoughts, ''My Lady, you finally had some soup,'' her eyes glowed when she saw the empty bowl, ''His Highness really does care about you a lot.''

"Care?" Lareina lowered her eyes. She had been living in that delusion for years now but if she still continued to believe it, what would it make her?

Did he care for her or did he just see her as a toy?

She had loved him for years but what about him? If he cared in the slightest, why would he bring another woman back with him?

Rosie realized she had misspoken when she saw Lareina's expression, ''My Lady, I am sorry…''

''Rosie, I want to ask you something.''

Seeing Lareina's solemn face, Rosie immediately stepped closer.

''Where did you go in the evening today? Did you encounter any trouble?"

Just as Lareina had expected, Rosie shook her head.

''Then… Do you know the guard who came here just now?"

''The guard seems unfamiliar to me. It seems he came back with His Highness this time.''

''Is he a demon?"

Rosie nodded her head, ''The demon palace does not welcome any humans to become work here.''

''Is it possible that someone snuck in?" Lareina asked.

''My Lady, it is not impossible for a human to sneak in but it is impossible for them to escape under everyone's nose and become a guard here so nonchalantly. We demons have a special scent that easily sets us apart from humans so it is difficult for a human to blend in without anybody noticing it.''

Lareina fell silent. Everything that happened today was probably not a coincidence but why would someone do that?

That night, Lareina could not fall asleep. When she cast aside the thoughts of that hidden dungeon in the eastern palace, she was reminded of Azrael.

And those thoughts were never ending.

When she put aside one, another one took its place. He took her on his horse to some isolated place. Why was that cave so organized like a room?

Why did he kiss her like that? What did he want from her?

On one hand, she was upset but she still felt weak everytime he appeared in front of her.

He said he would see her in a while. It was almost dawn but he did not come back.

Lareina wondered why she even believed in his words. Moira was beautiful and she seemed to know what he desired so he had no reason to come back, right?

She could not sleep no matter how she tried so she left the room silently.