The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride-Chapter 256: A wish.

The Fae King was hunched slightly over his desk, his quill gliding across parchment in a fluid, elegant script. As Ren stepped into the room, he sensed her presence and gently set the quill down.

"Come here, sit down next to me," he said without looking, his voice carrying the quiet command of a man who once ruled not just a realm, but hearts. He looked lovely with a smile on his face, not authoritative and callous like almost all the men she had seen in her entire life.

He finally turned, his eyes softening.

"Micca, bring some fruit for my daughter."

A servant faerie, barely taller than Ren’s hand, fluttered up from behind a cabinet, wings shimmering like droplets of moonlight.

"No need," Ren replied quickly, smiling faintly.

"I’m already full."

In truth, her appetite was gone. The weight in her chest was heavier than hunger. She couldn’t even eat much at the dining table because the first subject that they brought up was death. Even Hector was revolted.

The King reached for her hand, his ancient, slender fingers surprisingly warm. He wasn’t scary.

"How are the little ones?"

Ren’s heart fluttered at the question. She beamed, threading her fingers through his.

"They’re strong. I can feel it... Every day."

The King closed his eyes briefly and placed two fingers over her wrist, checking her pulse. He hummed, a low note that resonated with the air around them.

"Yes," he said with certainty, "they are. I can sense the tamers’ aura around them."

Ren inhaled and gathered her thoughts.

"Actually... I brought you something."

She reached into the hidden pocket sewn into the folds of her long blue gown and produced a tightly rolled scroll, glowing and bound with a silvery cord. She placed it in his hand with reverence.

"My mother left this for us, there are runes on it for you." She whispered.

The King’s expression did not change much, but Ren saw the sorrow surface like ink in water, slow, creeping, impossible to hide.

He unfurled the scroll carefully, his fingers brushing over the ancient runes with delicate familiarity. The letters shimmered for a moment, then released a quiet pulse of light. From the center of the scroll, a small, rune-etched box appeared, floating mid-air.

With a wordless command, he opened it. Inside lay a single folded letter... and a ring. A slender, royal band set with a rare, soft-glowing gem that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.

The King reached out slowly, as if touching a ghost. His fingers brushed the ring. His voice broke slightly.

"This ring... I gave it to her." He didn’t need to say her name. The weight of it was everywhere. His Anarya, his only daughter. The girl who wanted peace for the world instead of death and bloodshed. The girl who saved Kaisun, and pulled him out of the puddles of blood and death. She taught him that power could be in forgiveness, and love not in the lurking shadows.

"The one who gets angry and slaughters people to demonstrate power is weak! Your mother once said and taught it to your husband. To take him out of the shadows. She taught him to sacrifice himself rather than others. I’m glad Kai chose to save you." He smiled and looked at Ren, "And you saved him from Axaxeal, I heard."

Ren beamed, "News flies faster than wind."

His eyes drifted back to the letter, "Axaxeal met me. He told me that you tried to weave and trick to release your husband from his curse."

Ah, so the demon god discovered that. Of course, he did. He wasn’t stupid.

"Is he going to punish me like he did to my mother?"

"No, I warned him to break the curse and let your children choose their path. He agreed. Moreover, he hadn’t severed the mating bond between you and Kai. He had toyed with you two."

Ren swallowed. That man! He never let her realize that. Even during the Mirror world taming practices, he never brought the topic up.

Ren’s gaze lingered on the letter, curiosity tugging at her heart, but something in the King’s expression stopped her. His eyes had grown distant, mellowed by memories only he could see. There was something important in this letter.

He picked up the ring, its gem glinting like bottled moonlight, and sighed, the weight of time pressing on his shoulders.

"This is yours," he notified quietly. "She asked me to let you wear it."

Ren’s breath caught. Her lips parted, but only a whisper escaped.

"I... I don’t deserve it."

The King’s eyes lifted to hers, unwavering and filled with warmth.

"You do deserve it."

He gently took her hand, fingers firm but tender, and slipped the ring onto the forefinger in her left hand, next to the finger that Kai put his mother’s ring. The two rings touched for a moment, a symbol of the unity between her bloodline and her bond.

"This ring carries my power," the King explained. "It will amplify your magic and protect you. You can use it to open portals, true portals. Practice with it. Don’t rely on the shadow pathways anymore." His voice dropped lower, almost fatherly now. "Those paths... they’re dangerous for our kind. They weren’t meant for hearts like yours."

Ren looked down at the ring. It shimmered against her skin, alive with silent magic. She hadn’t expected this, something so precious, so personal. Her throat tightened. This ring wasn’t just a gift. It was a legacy. One day, she would give it to her daughter.

"Can I ask you something?"

Ren’s voice trembled slightly, though she tried not to be emotional.

The King released her hand gently and folded the letter with delicate care, placing it back into the hovering box. With a warm glance, he said,

"You may ask me anything, daughter."

Ren hesitated only for a moment before she began, "Can you help me erase the dark aura from my husband’s soul?"

A solemn hush fell between them. The King’s eyes clouded, not from reluctance, but from her love for Kai. She was in love just as much as Anarya was. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned and walked slowly to a high shelf, where bottles shimmered like bottled starlight. From it, he retrieved a narrow glass vial glowing faintly with sapphire light.

"I was once a friend to the late Mermaid Queen," he said, his voice distant, touched with ancient reverence for that woman.

"On my last visit, I asked her daughter to give me this."

He held up the bottle between two hands. The glowing liquid within rippled as though it knew it had been summoned, a herb was inside.

"To draw out a darkness of this nature, you’ll need Aqua Blue... and someone with a healing gift. Without both, your own power will fail you."

Ren’s heart sank slightly. Agara couldn’t do it, not without harming himself. His heart already carried too much after that poison. Then, as if reading her mind, the King added:

"Your uncle’s concubine, Gillia, she’s a healer."

Ren blinked.

Gillia? The quiet, composed woman who had gently hushed Lucieth at the table earlier? The one who’d smiled like moonlight in a storm?

"Would she accept?"

Her voice was low, uncertain. That woman seemed very obedient. She could imagine Lucieth balking at the idea, his pride wounded. He clearly warned Ren not to stay in the Fae realm for a long period in exchange for his help to catch the vampire lords, he kept his word, and now it was her turn.

The King raised a brow and replied with soft finality,

"She will... if I order her to."

Ren lowered her head, gratitude swelling in her chest.

"I don’t know how to thank you." But the King reached out, beckoning her to his side.

"Then walk with me in the garden and we are even," he said kindly. "And if you truly wish to thank me... give birth to healthy children, and take care of yourself." There was no ceremony in his tone, just love. Just kindness. He was unlike the cunning, rough Axaxeal’s.

Ren stepped outside alongside her Fae grandfather, her hand wrapped gently around the glass bottle containing the glowing Aqua Blue herb. In the courtyard, she spotted Kai deep in conversation with Prince Agara, his expression alert yet relaxed.

The Fae prince’s eyes shimmered when they landed on the bottle in her hand. He stepped forward quickly, bowing respectfully before the Fae King.

"Father... that herb, this can save Kai from spiraling into darkness."