The Devil's Cursed Witch

Ever since Draven left, Ember could not be at peace. When she sought to find him afterwards, she learned that none of the servants knew his whereabouts and he was nowhere to be found within the palace.

‘They say it’s common for him to disappear but…’

She continued to ask her servants if the King had returned to the palace, but every time they inquired, the answers they received from the other servants were disappointing. She wondered if she had angered the King so much that he left because he didn’t want to see her anymore.

‘No matter how I put it, the fact that I kissed another man is wrong. It’s my fault and that wouldn’t change. I can do nothing but apologize and make sure to make up to him. But why is he not returning yet?”

She lay in bed while thinking about him. It was nighttime, and the entire palace was quiet as everyone had gone to sleep, but she could not feel even an ounce of drowsiness.

‘Since it’s late, His Majesty has probably returned to sleep, right? But I don’t have anyone to ask. Reya and Clio went to sleep already,’ she thought and sat up in bed. ‘Shall I go to his chamber and personally check if he is back?’

Unless she got to talk to him, she knew she would not be able to get back her peace of mind.

Ember went out of her bedchamber and headed towards the southeast wing of the same floor where she knew his chamber was. The hallway was quiet, and other than her light footsteps and her own breathing, she could hear nothing else.

After what felt like a long time, she eventually reached her destination. She stood in front of the looming door of his chamber. The closed door of the King’s chamber felt especially intimidating the longer she stared, and she took several deep breaths to calm her nerves.

She knocked on his door three times.

“Your Majesty, it’s me, Ember. May I come in?”

She knocked once more.

“Uhmm, I have come here to talk with you…if it’s fine with you…”

However, there was still no response from beyond the door, and for a moment, she felt a brief flash of frustration.

‘Is he ignoring me or is he really just not inside?’

There was only one way to find out.

As she carefully entered the chamber, she found it lit with lamps but there was no one inside. The large canopy bed of the King was empty and even the bedsheet on it was neat which showed no one had climbed on the mattress ever since the servant made the bed.

‘It’s been so many hours since nightfall but he is still not yet back?’ Disappointment weighed her chest. ‘I thought he would have returned by now at least. Did I really anger him that much?’

Unknown to her, she had been staring at the bed for some time, and memories of resting on this very bed flashed in front of her eyes. She remembered how woke up before and found herself in his embrace.

At that memory, her lips curved into a smile.

‘So comforting… it was as if all the pain I had felt till now had disappeared.’

She hadn’t really thought much of it before, but now that she had a chance to reflect on the past when she had gone unconscious due to the marking, she dreamed of someone staying by her side. Now that she could understand the things, she could conclude it was no dream but reality—her mate had remained by her side to be her source of comfort.

She tried to recall all of their interactions. Though not all of them were pleasant, most of them showed his goodwill though his way of showing goodwill was strange and awkward, as if…as if he was trying but he wasn’t used to acting that way. She probably annoyed him many times after she became his mate, but he had always, always been so patient with her.

‘He acts cold and indifferent, but it’s undeniable he cares.’

Ember wandered inside the chamber while observing each and everything, trying to feel his presence in them. Things he used in his daily life, decorations and items he collected based on his tastes, details that could tell her more of his personality, among others…

She looked at the empty chair facing the window and could imagine him sitting on it while staring outside the window. It was so easy to picture the cold expression on his face.

As she felt her heart skip a beat, she shook her head. ‘Am I missing him? That can’t be. Why would I even miss him?’

Ember patted her heated cheeks and tried to change the direction of her thoughts. ‘What should I do? Will he be mad that I entered his room without permission? Shall I wait for him here till he returns?’

She looked around the quiet chamber once again. ‘Umm…maybe I should wait, or else how would I know when he returns. It’s good to be here just in case he wouldn’t want to see me. I can’t miss the chance.’ She was determined to stay there and wait. ‘Where should I wait?’

She looked at the armchair by the window. ‘I can’t. It’s His Majesty’s chair. He might not like it if I use it.’ She then looked at the bed, as other than the chair, it was the only place where she could sit, but she strongly rejected this idea. ‘I dare not even sit on his chair, let alone his bed. I don’t have a death wish.’

Ember then looked at the carpeted floor. ‘The servants cleaned it. It should be fine if I sit here.’ She walked towards the wall next to the door of the chamber and sat on the floor while resting her back against the wall. After a bit of waiting, she folded her legs in front of her and circled her arms around her knees, casually rubbing her arms from time to time. She was merely clad in a sleeping gown, and the temperature within the chamber was considerably lower than her own. For a while, she wondered if it was fine to light up the fireplace.

‘It’s not much. I’ve suffered worse during those winters inside the cave with Gaia. I can handle this much just fine.’

She rubbed her hands gently and continued to bear the cold.

She continued to wait, yet the owner of the chamber still didn’t show up even until she finally fell asleep, sitting there and feeling cold.

At the crack of dawn, Draven appeared inside his chamber, only to be welcomed by the sweet and tempting scent that seemingly filled his chamber. He was bewildered at first, wondering why his chamber was filled with the scent of his mate, and the next moment he found the answer.

The culprit was sitting by the wall—no, in fact, sleeping by sitting by the wall was a more precise description.

His red eyes stared at her with disbelief.

‘What is she doing here?’

Draven had just returned after taking care of his affairs with Morpheus, unaware that someone was being restless and guilty, and was desperately seeking forgiveness. If he had known sooner, he wouldn’t have bided time to return to the palace; he could have always thrown that eagle to some other more capable healer.

He walked closer to her, trying to control his urges due to her scent, and kneeled on one knee to observe her. Her skin looked pale and he could see the goosebumps on her skin, telltale signs that she was feeling cold.

‘How careless. Does she plan to fall sick?’

He wanted to rouse her from her sleep, but she was in a deep sleep, and he didn’t feel like waking her up. He didn’t think much and lifted her in his arms to carry her towards his bed. He didn’t find anything wrong with it as she was his mate and the instinct of a mate was strongly telling him to take care of what was his.

The moment he lifted her, the sleeping girl sank into a deeper, more comfortable sleep, acting on instinct in the warm familiar embrace of her mate.

Draven could not help but frown to see her not even showing signs of stirring. Instead of being alert that she was being lifted by someone and waking up, she seemed to be intent to continue her sleep.

‘So careless and ignorant. No wonder she could fall for anything and be taken advantage of by another male.’ At the thought of it, his eyes darkened as he was once again reminded of her and Morpheus. Anger was rising inside him but he was forced to calm himself, and instead, he put his concentration back on his mate. He gently placed her in the middle of his bed, making sure she wouldn’t wake up.

He covered her with a blanket and then lit up the fireplace by using his powers so the chamber would turn warm. Draven opted not to sleep in bed with her as he knew it would only make him lose his self-control.

After all, the night of the full moon was drawing near—meaning, the urges would only continue to grow stronger.

‘It is not wise to tempt fate.’

Since the first hint of daybreak was showing in the sky, there was not much time left for him to rest as well so there was no need for him to sleep. He simply stayed by the window, looking outside until the rays of the sun started to slowly brighten up the land.

‘I wonder…had she been waiting for me to return?’ He sure didn’t expect to have her be the first thing he would see the moment he returned to his chamber.

‘She is so unpredictable.’