Raylen stepped closer to Emily and remarked, "It was I who was smitten by this beautiful woman here and have been wooing her for her attention." His words only fueled more hushed whispers among those present.
"I am worried," Raylen expressed with a furrowed brow before he turned to look at her through the mirror, briefly stealing Emily's breath away. "For my safety, with the way you are looking at me right now," he remarked with a mischievous glint in his eyes, breaking the tension in the air.
It was a long shot, but she had persuaded Dante to arrange for Emily's stay at the castle, where Raylen would be present. And now that her plan had borne fruit, a hint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
"Master's bloodline is stronger than any other demon's in the living realm. Although they weren't originally each other's soulmates, the circumstances made it viable, with Master not having a soulmate of his own and the Princess losing hers. This created a soulmate bond," Lauren explained. She observed the lady placing her hand on her forehead, as if the weight of the revelation was causing her head to ache.
Taken aback by his bold action, Emily's mind went blank. She felt the soft, warm touch of his lips brush against her skin, leaving behind the sensation of unspoken whispers of things unsaid and undone. Her chest tickled, and her stomach fluttered. He pulled away and remarked, "You know, for good dreams. Goodnight, my Princess."
"Do you have someone you like as an animal?" Raylen teased her, his lips curling as he noticed her becoming flustered by the subtle movement of her head.
Emily couldn't help but wonder what Raylen was up to, and she quipped, "I worry that if I give you my hand, you'll be planning the church's next wedding steps."
"I do, too." A smile cracked on Raylen's lips, and it was only at that moment that Emily realised the unintended implication of her response. "Considering we are in a place that was once a church, we should be married now."
What the commoners and most of the royal family were unaware of was that Raylen was no ordinary demon, but the son of the Devil himself, born from the very essence of fire and chaos. And they had awakened the chaos.
Celeste had no answer, but another demon in the hall replied, "My King, word is that he's been preoccupied with his wife, who has fallen sick. He should return here soon." He added, "The woman's condition is deteriorating rapidly, and she won't survive for long."
Emily, who had been holding her breath, finally released it as he let go of her dark blonde hair. When they heard the voices of a couple in the distance, too far to identify who it was, she saw him step back to create some distance between them. He softly said, "It does matter. Because you matter now."
Emily was staring at her beloved chain, which felt cold in her hand. She looked up at Raylen and asked with a frown, "Couldn't you have used your abilities to retrieve it?"
And although Julius had indirectly hinted at certain matters to Lady Sophia yesterday before Emily and Raylen returned from the Forest of Red, it was the devil whisperer who had filled the older woman's ears earlier that morning.
"Well, if we are assigning nicknames, we should have one for you too, Princess. It would be rude not to include you." One corner of Raylen's lips curled into a smirk. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, and said, "My Princess."