She Belongs To The Devil

For the next three days, the tall gates of the Palace were opened for the public to come inside and show their final respect to their beloved King.

The people from far and wide flooded inside the Palace, wearing black clothes and carrying flowers. They were crying and bowing to the late King. Some were even refusing to move aside to give way to the others. It really showed how much respect they had towards Dragomir.

On the fifth and sixth days, the dignitaries and even some Royals from the other three Kingdoms came to Wyverndale. And the seventh day was reserved for the government officials.

When everyone got the chance to see King Dragomir one last time, the funeral was finally held to let the King rest.

A lot of people attended the funeral, including all the Royal family members and the dignitaries of the Kingdom. Even Azriel attended the funeral while disguising himself as a commoner.

"If father is watching us right now then he would be really happy to see you here. Thank you for coming," Adeline told Azriel with a soft smile. She had seen how devoted her father was to the Dragon Immortal and she was sure that he would be smiling.

"Dragomir was a great King. And he also became my relative. So how could I not come?" Azriel replied with a sad smile.

Dragomir's body rested beside his father, who was the King before him, in the Royal Cemetery that was situated in one of the sacred hills of Wyverndale.

After the funeral, the flags were finally raised back to their original glory. The mourning period was officially over.

Wyverndale now had to prepare for the coronation of their Queen.

---

It was the night before the coronation day. Adeline walked inside her bed chamber with a heavy heart and tired body after preparing for her big day.

She had to make an appearance to the public with the crown on her head. And she would need to give her first speech as the Queen of Wyverndale.

Adeline had sat together with the council members and prepared her speech. But knowing that the war was already around the corner, she was worried that whatever she would say to the public in her speech tomorrow would be a hollow promise from her side.

And it was eating her up from inside.

She lay down on the empty bed and couldn't help but miss her father. "If he was still here then I would have fought the war without a single worry in my mind… Now I need to make sure to maintain the trust of the public towards me."

She sighed and pondered, "I wonder what they will think about me when the war strikes. Will they blame me?" She covered her face with her palms and whispered, "But I am the cause. I had to bump onto that Vampire King that day!"

The pressure of the coronation day and the nervousness were making her think a lot of things and put a blame on herself unnecessarily.

Adeline heard the door creaking open and she quickly collected herself. She got up on her feet and welcomed Theodore with a smile, "Theo, you're back."

Theodore had gone to escort the carriages that were sent from Tarrin.

He wrapped his arms around Adeline's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Yes, I'm back."

Theodore sounded very tired so Adeline asked him, "Did something happen on the road? Are the silvers safely brought here?"

"Yes, the silvers have safely arrived here and locked up." Theodore lifted his head and looked at Adeline. He pouted and complained, "Arion has become very wild. He was nagging all the way saying that I have become heavier. He said his back hurt when I know that he can even carry an elephant on his back."

Adeline chuckled after listening to his complaint. And she took Arion's side, "He is not wrong though. You have become heavier. Your muscles have become bulkier ever since you evolved."

She tried to hold his biceps using both of her palms but her palms were nowhere near touching each other. "See…"

Theodore flexed his biceps even more and asked, "You don't like them?"

Adeline hugged his arm and asked back, "Who said I don't like them?"

The two of them joked around for a while and then changed into their bed robes.

"So, tomorrow is going to be your another big day huh?" Theodore smiled at Adeline and sat on the bed. He admiringly looked at his wife.

But Adeline's nerves were already back again and she was starting to get restless.

"Let's get some beauty sleep then, dear wife. We have to look good for tomorrow." Theodore stretched his arms and yawned.

However, Adeline didn't want to sleep yet. She was afraid for tomorrow. And she felt as though the night would pass in a blink if she slept. She didn't want that.

So she sat down on Theodore's lap before he could lie down and put her arms around his neck. "Yes, tomorrow is going to be very busy. But I don't want to sleep yet."

She sighed heavily and then confessed to Theodore, "To be honest, I am really scared. I don't even know if I can be any good as a Queen. What if I fail to protect what my father has built for all these years?"

Sadness spread all over her face and she whispered in a sad tone, "I wish father was still here…"

That was the wish that would never come true and it just broke her heart all over again.

Theodore lightly caressed Adeline's waist and gazed at her sad face.

He had first thought of waiting for the right time to tell her that her father was happy. But it never felt like a right time when the whole nation was mourning. He then thought of waiting for her to ask him the right question – whether Dragomir was in Heaven or Hell.

However, she never asked it because she feared that she would not like the answer.

"I don't know if I can bear the weight of the crown," Adeline furrowed her brows and sighed.

Theodore felt that if she knew about her father's soul, then she would at least happily be ready to bear the burden of the crown.

"Adeline," Theodore pushed her silver hair back to look at her beautiful face. He kissed her cheek and said, "I have something to show you."

Adeline turned her gaze from the wall to Theodore's face and asked childishly, "You have a gift for me?"

Theodore nodded with a wide smile on his face. "You can call it a gift."

He then patted on the bed and asked, "Sit here. I literally have to show you something… a piece of my memory to be precise."

Adeline's interest had now peaked even more.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

He had never shown his own memory to her before so she happily obliged.

Theodore touched Adeline's forehead with his fingers and closed his eyes as well. His fingers emitted a subtle glow.

And when he opened up his memory to her, Adeline's mind was transported to the place filled with clouds.