The Damned Demon

808  Not A Fool But Someone Who Suffered

The air in the room froze the moment Isola finished speaking.

A deafening silence settled over them like a suffocating weight. Not even the sound of breathing filled the space.

Merina, Silvia, and Sabina stood there as if turned to stone, their expressions a mixture of disbelief, shock, and something they couldn't yet name.

The hanging lights didn't flicker as if they hesitated to disturb the stillness.

Then—

"You..."

Sabina's voice broke through the silence, but it wasn't her usual sultry, teasing tone.

It was shaken.

"You....You aren't bluffing, are you? Is this supposed to some sort of joke to hide the real truth? How do you expect us to believe that a Hunter occupied the body of a soulless demon? How could that be possible?!" Sabina asked with a look of disbelief as if she couldn't even comprehend it.

Isola didn't flinch.

She simply nodded and said, "I know how unbelievable it sounds, but this is the truth. This is what has been haunting him ever since he grew to care about us. He couldn't tell anyone about it, and I only happened to learn it by chance." @@novelbin@@

Silvia, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly mumbled.

"She... she's really telling the truth..." Silvia swallowed hard, feeling as if she couldn't breathe.

The weight of the revelation sank into her bones.

Merina's hands were tightly clutching the ends of her skirt, her eyes quivering before she silently walked out, much to Sabina and Silvia's surprise.

"Merina, where are you going?" Sabina's brows furrowed in confusion.

Silvia turned as well, her lips parting, "M-Merina?"

Merina didn't answer.

Her fingers trembled, her grip tightening around the fabric of her skirt.

She didn't trust herself to speak.

Because if she did—

She might shatter.

Isola's heart clenched.

She knew why Merina was leaving.

"I will be back soon," Isola said as she followed after Merina.

"She must be too shocked to know her master was a Hunter. After all, her family was killed by Hunters. She never shows it, but her hatred for humans runs deeper than any of us." Her voice softened slightly, though she kept her arms crossed, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes.

"Sabina, you...you are not shocked by this? That our husband was a human...the very Hunter who was a terror to our world? Silvia still remembers the panic that followed after Golden Prince easily reduced one of our towns to ashes during a quest. So many people died. Silvia heard the elders whispering about him… about how even the strongest among us fell like flies before him. That day, we realized he wasn't just another Hunter…"

Her hands clenched even tighter, her small frame trembling, "He was a monster to all of us."

Silvia's words should have been filled with anger or disgust.

But instead, her voice cracked—not with hatred, but with pain.

Because he was that monster.

The man who held her, made love to her, made her feel special…

The man she loved.

She lifted her gaze to Sabina, seeking some kind of answer.

But instead—

"Fufufufu~" Sabina laughed.

A slow, sultry chuckle, dark and amused, rolling off her tongue like a melody meant to taunt.

"Oh, Silvia~" she chuckled, tilting her head with an amused smirk, "Why would I be shocked by something so delicious?"

Silvia's breath hitched as she took a tiny step back, "D-Delicious…?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sabina's smirk widened, her fangs glinting.

"Our powerful, alien king was once their greatest warrior, their brightest hope," she chuckled, her fingers tracing lazy patterns along her collarbone, "And yet now?" Her ghostly red eyes gleamed as she licked her lips, "Now, he is ours."

Silvia swallowed hard. Her heart was pounding so fast it hurt.

"How… how can you say that so easily?" she whispered, her small hands trembling.

Sabina's eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped closer, "Tell me, little Silvia" she murmured, tilting Silvia's chin up so their eyes met, "Does knowing this make you love him any less?"

Silvia's lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Her body froze.

Because the answer should have been yes.

But it wasn't.

She still loved him.

Even knowing what he was, what he had done—her heart wouldn't stop aching for him.

Sabina grinned as realization dawned in Silvia's wide, shimmering eyes.

"You see?" she purred, her nails tracing under Silvia's chin, "It doesn't matter what he was. Because he's ours now."

Silvia's breath trembled, her emotions in turmoil.

"It's scary," she admitted softly, her voice fragile, "Thinking about it makes Silvia's stomach feel weird, and her chest feels tight. Silvia doesn't want to believe he could have been that person…"

Her fingers clutched at her dress, her delicate face contorted in distress.

"But even if it's true…" she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute, "S-Silvia still l-loves him."

Sabina's smirk faltered slightly, as if she hadn't expected Silvia to admit it so openly.

Silvia continued, her voice barely above a whisper, "Silvia doesn't want him to leave her…"

Her delicate fangs dug into her bottom lip, her ruby red eyes shimmering with something raw and vulnerable as she remembered all the intimate moments she shared with him, "Silvia doesn't care if he was once human, or a Hunter, or even the most terrible person in the world. That's not who he is now, like Isola told us."

She lifted her gaze, her expression determined despite the uncertainty in her heart.

"He's Silvia's Asher," she said, voice steady. "And Silvia will never let him go."

For once, Sabina was silent.

Then—her lips curled into a slow, pleased smirk.

"Well, well~" she purred, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Looks like my little young lady has quite the spine after all."

Silvia blushed but didn't look away.

Sabina let out a sultry laugh, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I have to admit, that was adorable. But don't think too hard about it, sweet thing."

She leaned in, whispering against Silvia's ear, "It doesn't matter what kind of monster he was."

Her voice was like silk, like poison.

"Because in the end…"

She grinned, fangs gleaming.

"He's still the monster we love."

-

Merina stood alone, her back facing the world, her fingers curled tightly into her sleeves.

The cool night breeze rustled her black locks, but she didn't move.

She couldn't.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, her emotions an uncontrollable storm threatening to spill over.

The truth she had just learned was suffocating her.

Her master—the man she had devoted herself to serving, the one she had followed with unwavering loyalty, the one she had cared for more than she ever admitted…

Was once a Hunter.

A mortal enemy to her kind.

A man who had once walked the earth as one of the very beings that took everything from her.

"Merina."

A voice cut through the silence, soft yet firm.

Isola.

Merina closed her eyes, bracing herself.

She didn't turn around as Isola approached, her presence gentle yet unshaken.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Merina exhaled sharply.

"You don't have to worry about me. His secret's safe with me as I am still his slave," Merina said in a quiet, pained voice.

Isola stopped a few feet behind her.

"No, I never worried about that and that's not why I am here," she answered simply.

Merina let out a small, dry chuckle, shaking her head.

"It's quite strange, isn't it?" she murmured.

She clenched her fists tighter, her nails pressing against her palms.

"I used to think that the greatest sin someone could commit was betraying their own kind."

Her voice trembled, raw with emotion.

"And yet, here I am… realizing that the one I trusted most... is someone I should have despised."

Isola didn't respond immediately.

She let the words settle, sinking deep into the silence.

Then, she took a step forward.

"Do you truly believe that?" she asked softly.

Merina flinched.

Her lips parted—ready to say yes.

To cling to the hatred that she had silently carried in her heart.

But she hesitated.

Because she wasn't sure.

Isola sighed.

"You have known him longer, Merina," she continued, her voice carrying a quiet strength, "More than anyone else here."

"So ask yourself—was the man you served ever the kind of Hunter you hated?"

Merina's breath hitched.

"Did he ever look at you the way those humans did?"

Merina's body stiffened.

The memory of those cruel, twisted faces—the humans who had taken her family, her home, everything—flashed before her eyes.

The mockery.

The contempt.

The pure, unfiltered hatred.

But Asher…

He never looked at her like that.

Never.

Instead—

She remembered his warmth and kindness when everybody else loathed her.

The softness in his voice when he spoke her name.

The way he always gave her a choice and made her happy, even when he held power over her life.

The way he protected her.

Not because she was useful.

Not because she was convenient.

But because he cared.

Merina's throat tightened.

"No…" she whispered, almost to herself.

Isola stepped closer.

Her voice carried a certainty that Merina hadn't been able to grasp herself.

"You serve Asher. You care about him and...you love him."

Merina's shoulders trembled.

She gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the wave of emotion crashing over her.

Isola's gaze softened.

"And he is nothing like the monsters who took everything from you."

Those words broke something inside Merina.

Something she had been clinging to for so long.

A long, shaky breath left her lips as she finally—finally—allowed herself to see the truth.

Her master was never one of them.

The man she loved and followed was not her enemy.

She knew that.

She always had.

Tears pricked at the edges of her dark blue eyes, blurring her vision as her lips trembled.

But then—a sad, warm, soft smile curved her lips.

It was a fragile thing, filled with pain and realization all at once.

Her fingers pressed lightly over her chest as if trying to grasp the emotions surging within her.

She let out a shaky breath, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was a fool, wasn't I?" she murmured, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "For even a moment... I let my hatred blind me. I let it make me forget the kind of man my master truly is."

The guilt in her voice was evident, raw and unfiltered.

Isola's expression softened as she shook her head, stepping closer.

"No, Merina," she said gently. "You weren't a fool. You're just… someone who has suffered."

Merina's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

"It's only natural," Isola continued, her voice calm and understanding. "After everything you went through... after everything the Hunters took from you, how could you not feel this way? Nobody would blame you for it. Not even him."

Merina let out a broken chuckle, a mix of relief and sorrow, as she slowly nodded.

Tears slipped down her pale cheeks, glistening like tiny droplets of regret.

"Even after learning the truth, I still can't stop crying," she admitted with a soft, bitter laugh. "I must look pathetic."

But Isola only smiled as she gently reached forward, pulling Merina into a warm, comforting embrace.

Merina froze for a moment, her body stiff—then, slowly, she sank into the embrace, clutching onto Isola as if clinging to something grounding her.

"You're not pathetic. You are like a mother to me, and you have looked after him more than any one of us," Isola whispered, holding her close.

She could feel Merina's quiet, shuddering breaths against her shoulder.

"If anything, Asher would be moved," she added softly. "To know that even after learning his past… you still love and care about him."

Merina's fingers tightened slightly against Isola's back, her silent tears soaking into the fabric of her robes.

Because she knew Isola was right.

No matter what Asher was before—

He was her master now. He was her world.

And that would never change.

What do you guys think about each of their reactions? :#