The Damned Demon

807  Not That Past

The Nightshade Castle loomed behind them, its old, towering spires bathed in the devilish glow of the blood moon.

The cool night breeze barely carried away the weight of their worries as Silvia, Sabina, Merina, Seron, King Lakhur, and Princess Kayla stood waiting in tense silence.

Every second that passed gnawed at their nerves, their gazes flickering toward the dark sky, expectant, desperate.

Then—a shift in the air.

A presence descended from above, the gentle yet unnatural ripple of mana parting the winds.

Their eyes widened as the silhouette of Isola emerged, drifting down gracefully like a fallen star. She was back and looked healthy, reliving them of their worries...but only a for a second.

Their breath hitched the moment they noticed who she carried in her arms.

Rowena—unmoving, her crimson locks cascading over Isola's shoulder like a dark river of silk.

Her pale face looked peaceful, too peaceful. Too still.

The weight of dread gripped them.

Merina's eyes trembled despite her relief upon seeing that Isola was alright. She had said Rowena was fine earlier—but now?

Sabina was the first to break the silence.

"It's good to see you are no longer a step away from death, Isola. But what's wrong with her?" Her voice was sharp yet carried a hint of worry, "Merina said she was awake and looked alright earlier!"

The tension spiked as all eyes locked onto Isola.

Despite the pain clinging to her heart, her gaze remained steady—but the sorrow in those oceanic depths was impossible to hide.

"Don't worry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "She is fine. She's sleeping. She had to drain herself to save my life."

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

"What about the child?" Seron asked suddenly, his voice lined with unspoken fears.

At this, Isola nodded firmly.

"Safe as well."

A relieved sigh escaped Silvia as she murmured, "Thank the devils…"

Lakhur took a step forward, his regal composure unwavering. @@novelbin@@

"Good. What matters is both of you are alright. Let's talk later. She needs rest now," His tone left no room for argument. "Consort Isola, please take her inside. Kayla will show you the way."

Kayla offered a polite smile before motioning toward the castle, "Come, I'll guide you."

Isola nodded and followed without hesitation, Rowena still resting in her arms.

As they disappeared inside, Lakhur turned to the others. "We will talk later, but I will be around here in case something comes up," With a final nod, he strode off, his presence dissipating into the night.

As silence stretched between them, Seron let out a slow, heavy sigh before his gaze shifted to Merina.

"I told you to let me know the moment she woke up," he said, his voice strained, "Do you realize what could have happened? What you did could have cost us whatever is left of our future."

Merina's eyes lowered, guilt carving deep into her features as she bowed deeply, "Forgive me, Your Highness. I… I did not know what else to do. She insisted, and I couldn't bring myself to refuse her."

Before Seron could argue, Sabina stepped between them, her sharp glare pinning him in place.

"That's enough, Advisor Seron." Her voice was firm, unwavering. "You heard her. Not even you would have denied our queen's wishes, so leave it be."

A moment of tense silence.

Merina hesitated before glancing at Sabina's back, appreciation flickering in her eyes, though she felt Seron had the right to be angry at her.

Something terrible could have happened.

Seron clenched his jaw, "You…leave it," he started, then exhaled sharply, shaking his head before turning and walking away.

Sabina watched him go, her gaze narrowed.

"Something's off about him," she muttered. "He seems unusually…disturbed. I haven't seen him like this before. And I have yet to see Silvan." Her arms crossed as her frown deepened. "Could he be… dead?"

Merina placed a hand on Sabina's shoulder, "He might be struggling, just like the rest of us. Let's not dwell on it and go inside."

Sabina huffed but nodded. Together, they entered the castle.

-

Inside one of the castle's grand chambers, Sabina, Silvia, and Merina sat in quiet anticipation.

Sabina tapped her fingers against her arm impatiently. "What could Isola want to tell us three in such secrecy after almost dying? Don't tell me she is finally going to tell us why our husband left?? Even though that all-knowing granddaughter of the Moon Guardian told us through Merina that he would be fine, I still want to see him first and make sure with my own eyes."

No response.

She turned, surprised to see Silvia's silence, her expression downcast who usually couldn't shut her little mouth.

Sabina's eyes sharepened before she sighed, "You're still thinking about what Kayla said, aren't you?"

Silvia bit her lip, her gaze flickering toward her lap.

"Are you really convinced your mother betrayed us all—including you?" Sabina pressed, but her eyes held no confidence.

Silvia's chin quivered, her voice breaking as she whispered, "Are you saying Kayla lied to Silvia?"

Sabina hesitated. She wasn't sure what to say. "No, I am not saying she did. But who knows...she could have remembered it wrong or-"

Silvia lifted her gaze, her eyes moist, yet sharp.

"You don't even believe what you are saying. You're a terrible liar, Sabina."

"I…uh..." Sabina rubbed her temple, at a loss.

Then, softly—

"Silvia doesn't know why she did it," Silvia murmured, her voice barely above a breath, "but Silvia doesn't want to believe she didn't love her only daughter."

A tense pause.

Then—Merina finally spoke.

"I…I think she did love you, Silvia.."

Silvia and Sabina turned to her.

Merina offered a pained, yet certain smile.

"I don't know why she betrayed us like this but...I feel that her love for you couldn't have been false," Merina finally spoke with a concerned and pained look, making both Silvia and Sabina look at her.

"H-How do you know that for sure when she left us behind to die? S-Silvia's father could have been alive if not for him...A lot of people could have been," Silvia stammered as her voice became fragile.

The flickering candlelight cast long, wavering shadows on the walls of the chamber, the dim glow reflecting the turmoil in the room. The air was thick with unsaid words, heavy with emotions too raw to be spoken.

Merina rubbed her fingers together, her brows slightly furrowed as she hesitated, carefully choosing her words.

"As a mother, I could tell that she loved you," Merina said softly, her voice carrying a quiet certainty. "It's something I felt and..."

She trailed off, swallowing down the words she couldn't bring herself to say.

She wanted to tell Silvia that her master, Asher, loved Naida. He was the kind of man who was very careful about everything, including the woman he fell in love with. She found it hard to believe that he never sensed anything wrong with Naida, or could he have loved Naida so much that he couldn't see it?

Maybe she was wrong about Naida. But whatever the truth might have been, it wasn't her place to reveal their relationship to Silvia or reassure about Naida's feelings towards her.

And now, Merina couldn't begin to imagine how her master would feel once he knew what Naida had done.

Would his heart break? Would it harden beyond repair? She wished she could see him, even if it was for just a second.

Silvia pressed her lips together, her hands tightening into fists on her lap.

She seemed half-convinced by Merina's words, but the pain in her chest wouldn't leave.

What her mother did cut deep.

Sabina, however, was seething with anger.

She sat stiffly, her foot tapping against the stone floor, her jaw clenched. A storm of hatred churned in her ghostly red eyes.

That vixen.

Sabina felt so tempted to say every spiteful thing she could about Naida. Had left them for dead. She knew it!

She always knew that vixen was up to no good.

But then she glanced at Silvia, at the sadness in her eyes.

And somehow, despite the sheer rage burning inside her, she swallowed it all down. Now wouldn't be the right time to pour out her anger.

Just as the tension in the room was becoming unbearable, the door creaked open.

All their heads snapped toward it.

Isola stepped inside.

Her presence alone shifted the atmosphere.

She shut the door behind her, her expression heavy, her usual composed grace weighed down by something unseen.

Sabina's sharp gaze narrowed.

She stood up slowly, crossing her arms. "I forgot to mention it earlier, but your aura's intensity has multiplied. You...You are a peak Soul Devourer."

A pause.

"How?" Sabina demanded, "How did you get stronger all of a sudden?"

Isola lowered her gaze, her deep blue eyes reflecting a quiet sorrow, "Something similar to a deviar was still left in the place where my people and I used to live." She exhaled. "My mother and Rowena went down there to retrieve it and save my life."

A painful silence.

The weight of her words settled in.

Merina's face softened as she stepped forward, her warm fingers gently clasping Isola's cold hand.

"I am sorry about your mother..." Merina said, her voice laced with genuine sympathy, "She was a valiant and loving queen and mother."

Sabina's expression flickered with something gentler, her curiosity momentarily subdued.

Silvia, however, was too quiet.

Too many deaths. Too many losses. She couldn't find the voice to say anything at this moment.

Isola nodded faintly, offering Merina a small, grateful smile as she squeezed her hand.

But then—her expression changed.

Her soft gaze hardened into something more resolute.

"There's something I have to say to you all… something you three deserve to know about him."

The room tensed.

Sabina's eyes gleamed with suspicion.

"So," Sabina began, tilting her head. "Finally, you're willing to tell us this big secret about our husband?"

She crossed her arms tighter, her nails digging into her sleeves.

"Why?" Her voice carried an edge, "Why would you keep such an important thing from us? No... why would he do it?"

She exhaled sharply, eyes darkening. "I know you probably didn't tell us because he told you not to. So why the change of heart now?"

Merina bit her lip.

She still believed that her master had his reasons. He never did anything without careful thought. And yet, she couldn't deny her curiosity either.

Why had he left? Why was this the moment Isola decided to tell them?

Her daughter, Luna, had only told her that her master was safe and that the reason would be revealed to her soon. And so she had been patiently waiting.

Isola hesitated.

Then, with a heavy gaze, she said, "Because we both were worried that all of you might not look at him the same way once you learn about his past."

A thick silence.

The flickering candlelight barely moved as if the room itself was holding its breath.

Sabina, Silvia, and Merina all blinked in confusion as if trying to process what she just said.

"Why would we look at him any differently?" Sabina scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

She waved her hand dismissively. "When was that such a big secret? We already know his past. We obviously don't care that he was a soulless cripple. That doesn't even matter now."

Isola slowly shook her head.

"No... not that past."

The room grew colder.

Isola met their gazes, her eyes swimming with hesitation, regret… and truth.

"But a past before all that…"

And then—she told them.

She told them everything that mattered.

Oh finally they know...

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