"Aunty Isla, how long are you uh...going to be like this? I am not going anywhere," Asher cleared his throat as he stiffly sat and asked.
Isla clung to Asher's arm, her ear pressed against his chest, listening intently to the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat, "Not until I make sure I am not dreaming. I have to keep listening to your heartbeat for a little longer to know that my charming little prince is truly back," she murmured, her lips pursed with a mixture of relief and maternal fervor.
"Mom! Stop that. You can't keep hogging my man like that," Amelia protested, her cheeks puffed in mock annoyance as she attempted to pry her mother away from Asher. After a playful struggle, Isla relented but swiftly pulled Amelia into a tight embrace, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "Your man, oho? So, in the end, you managed to somehow snatch away the prince of your dreams. I have been wondering all those years how long you were going to hold your true feelings in while all those women swarmed around him like flies."
Amelia blushed in embarrassment, but she did regret not expressing her feelings earlier. Otherwise…it could have changed a lot of things for the better. She could have been there for him.
Isla turned to Asher, her excitement undimmed, "So when are you going to marry my daughter? We can at least hold a private one, just among ourselves. I have been dreaming about it for years."
Caught off guard, Asher blinked, while Logan cleared his throat and interjected, "Dear, there is no need to jump the gun. Amelia is our only daughter, and she and Asher deserve a proper marriage, one that we will hold once all this is over. Marriage is just a contract. It is their bond that matters the most, and we have no doubt about it."
Asher and Amelia nodded with smiles as they glanced at each other while Isla puffed up her cheeks, unable to find a point to refute her husband, though she also wanted the marriage to be grand so that she could show off how good they look together to the rest of the world.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"But..." Isla's tone shifted as she eyed Asher with a hint of playful accusation, "You are already married, aren't you? To more than just the demon queen?" She let out a helpless sigh coupled with mock frustration, "I can't even blame you since you are no longer a human, and demons apparently do whatever they feel like. I should have just handed Amelia over to you while you were still Cedric so at least my little pea would have been first. Sigh..."
Asher's smile wavered into an awkward expression, caught between amusement and embarrassment, unsure how to navigate Isla's forthright talk.
Logan sat silently, his chest puffed out in a blend of pride and slight discomfort at the conversation's direction, while Amelia tugged at her mother's arm in an effort to curb her relentless remarks about her marriage.
"But now that things are like this, how are you going to take care and pamper my daughter when all those scary demonesses might be surrounding her in the future? Oh, wait a moment. You still haven't told me how many secret concubines you have. You must be leading a very enjoyable life as the king when it comes to affairs like this," Isla continued, her lips pursed as she grilled Asher.
Logan exhaled and continued to pray for Asher, knowing how difficult it was to stop his wife once she was on a roll.
Asher winced slightly, managing a sheepish smile, "Aunty, I—"
"Mom! You can't keep asking such embarrassing questions. I can take care of myself, and it's rude to pry too much into his business," Amelia interjected, her face flushed with embarrassment but her voice firm, asserting her independence and strength in the face of her mother's overprotective concerns.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Asher's expression became filled with a myriad of emotions as he chimed in with a sigh, "Rowena doesn't know the truth yet. Only Isola, the Umbralfiend Princess does. Isola and Amelia have already met, and you can ask Amelia how nice and kind Isola is. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Isola is the only woman I met whose heart is purer than any other woman. She was raised in a different world and had never met humans until she and her people came out of the sea, as you guys know. She doesn't have any prejudices against humans like other demons."
Isla's features softened, the lines of worry easing slightly as Amelia chimed in, reinforcing Asher's claim, "He is right. Isola is very kind to me, and I was shocked at first upon seeing a demoness looking at me with such warmth in her eyes. I also feel grateful to her for helping Asher with a lot of things. Without her, Asher could have gotten into a lot of trouble."
Logan and Isla exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with a mixture of surprise and skepticism. The Umbralfiend Princess, known infamously for her terrifying mind force abilities and the one who also controls the Kraken, was this benevolent and gentle being described by their daughter and Asher?
"But what about the demon queen? I can understand why you can't tell her the truth, but what happens when she finds out?" Logan interjected, his voice laden with concern, reflecting the apprehension that flickered across Isla and Amelia's faces.
Asher's gaze dropped, the weight of his decisions and the potential consequences casting a shadow over his features.
He murmured, "Honestly... I don't know. I have already decided to tell her everything once our worlds have peace. I will accept whatever she wants to do to me, but I promise that Amelia won't be harmed in any way. I will make sure of it."
"Asher..." Amelia pressed her lips together and was determined to not let him deal with the Rowena situation alone.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Logan gave a solemn nod and responded, "We know you will always keep your promises no matter the odds. But remember, you are no longer alone in this. If you need any help, we are here for you. We don't want to make the same mistake of regretting things too late. We lost you once, but it would kill us if we lost you twice."
Isla, standing by her husband, nodded firmly, her resolve clear, "Yes. For your sake, we are also willing to work with demons as long as we all can live a better future," she declared, the strength of her conviction evident in her voice.
Asher, moved by their unwavering support, smiled warmly, "Your words are more than enough," he responded, his gratitude palpable.
The conversation then took a lighter turn as Isla's curiosity surfaced, "Now, talking about the demon queen or Rowena as her name is, how much does she love you?" she asked, her tone light yet genuinely intrigued.
"Isla…" Logan sighed as he shook his head and couldn't believe his wife was doing this with their daughter beside her.
However, Amelia kept her eyes wide open, curious to know more about the woman who saved the love of her life from having his soul shattered.
Asher's face softened into a tender smile as he began to share anecdotes of his life with Rowena as the rest three of them were intrigued by the tales and stories of not only the demon queen but the entire demon world from Asher's perspective.
—
Later, stepping into the private tranquility of the estate's courtyard, Amelia and Asher found themselves alone, the verdant surroundings a stark contrast to the heavy situation that happened earlier.
Amelia, unable to contain her emotions, stopped Asher with a serious yet gentle interjection, "You could have at least warned me that you were going to drop such a huge bomb of truth on my parents. Things could have gone bad a hundred ways."
"But they didn't, did they?" Asher replied, his smile gentle, trying to ease her tension.
Amelia paused, opening her mouth to retort, but Asher continued before she could speak, "I didn't warn you because I wanted to see your parents' raw reaction. If I told you, then they would notice that something was up with you. But since you didn't know what I was planning to do, you looked as shocked as them. I know it was wrong of me to do that, but you have to understand that I can't take any chances, and yet I also wanted a family to believe in."
Understanding dawned on Amelia's face, her features softening as she realized the precarious balance Asher had to maintain.
She knew that he couldn't be blamed considering what he went through. He has every right to doubt anyone no matter how long he knew them.
He knew and trusted Aira the most and yet she hurt him the most.
Amelia nodded softly and said with an apologetic look, "I know, and I am sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. But I am glad that you chose to put your faith in my parents. But I didn't know that my parents still had so much faith and trust in you when the whole world cursed you. Even I was struggling all those years, unable to relate you to the man the world said you were."
Asher's expression warmed further as he gently cupped Amelia's cheek, "And yet your heart never wavered. That is all that matters," he murmured affectionately before leaning in to kiss her, sealing their moment as they slipped into their own world.
