Chapter 3: The father and son's first meeting

From the moment she saw Lemiel's face inside her house, Sienna knew that he hadn't come to reclaim her as his wife.

They merely shared a night on their wedding night and prior to that day, they had never laid eyes on each other.

Sienna only knew him by name, and she had always assumed it was the same for him. She believed he married her solely for the honor it would bring him and to gain control over her clan, a strategic alliance forged in the shadows of power and manipulation.

The unsettling thought that he might be here for her son, the product of a night she would rather forget, filled her with a profound sense of dread and anxiety.

The prospect of losing her child to this man, who had always been a stranger to her, ignited a deep and seething anger.

"I will not return and I will surrender to a life of hiding if that's what you want," Sienna declared, her voice laced with defiance. "So just leave me alone."

Lemiel, his presence casting a long, formidable shadow over the room, offered a subtle, knowing smile.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, princess."

The last word rolled smoothly off Lemiel's tongue, and it left Sienna with an eerie sense of familiarity. It had been a while since anyone had addressed her as such, and the title carried memories of a past life she had worked so hard to escape.

Sienna saw how Lemiel's sharp gaze seemed to pierce through her as if he could see not only her but also what she concealed behind her back. Her heart raced, and she considered taking yet another step backward in retreat.

But the very next moment, her son had moved, breaking free from her grasp with an ease that belied his age. He stood resolutely in front of her, his tiny frame radiating determination and fearlessness.

"I won't allow you to hurt Mother!" he declared with a fierce, unwavering tone.

Davian remained undaunted by the imposing figure of the man who now towered over them.

Although he had been raised in an environment filled with ordinary humans, the boy had developed a maturity beyond his years.

"Davi!"

Sienna's voice quivered with a desperate plea, and she instinctively reached out to pull her son back behind her, seeking to shield him from the looming threat that stood before them.

But Davian remained resolute and unmoving.

"It's okay, Mama. I will protect you," he reassured her in a hushed tone.

Lemiel stared down at the boy's amber eyes which reflected his own.

Sienna slightly trembled when she saw how Lemiel looked at his son, his face unreadable.

Her breath quickened, and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it stubbornly remained. She wanted nothing more than to flee with her son, to escape this dangerous situation, and put as much distance between them and Lemiel as possible.

But the look in Lemiel's eyes, filled with chilling intensity, conveyed that escape was no longer a feasible option.

"So, this is what you are hiding from me," he muttered, his voice a chilling whisper, making it sound no less than a threat. His eyes, a haunting gold, gradually darkened, shifting into a sinister shade of deep red—the unmistakable mark of his lineage.

Sienna's lips parted but no word left her mouth. The years of hiding and keeping her son away from the chaotic world and from the clutches of his father suddenly crumbled. The once peaceful life she had built in this isolated place was now gone like a bubble blown by the wind.

"He's not yours!" she blurted out.

"Oh, really?" Lemiel retorted, his eyes ablaze with a smoldering intensity that threatened to burn her into ashes.

"Then why is your heart beating so loudly on your chest, princess?" He asked as he took a step. "Why are you trembling?" And another step. "Why do you seem so tensed? Isn't it because you're hiding something from me?"

"I swear, if you'll take another step, I will curse you!"

But before Sienna could take any action, she was caught off guard at what happened next.

Lemiel Von Amstel, the cruel lord who let people kiss his feet, kneeled before her son.

His tone was unsettlingly amicable as he spoke to the young boy.

"Hello, young man. You have a good pair of eyes, don't you think?"

Sienna was quick to hold Davian's shoulders, ready to protect him at the first sign of danger from Lemiel.

Seeing Davian's guarded stance, Lemiel continued, "I am no enemy of yours. In fact, I am an old friend of your mother, and I came here to visit. I can also help you in so many ways."

Sienna's jaw clenched. She wanted to refute his words but she couldn't lash out at him in front of her son, and for the time being, she had little choice but to cautiously entertain what Lemiel had come for. If he had come for her son, there was no way she would allow him to succeed without a fight.

"Is he a friend of yours, Mama?" Davian's gaze bore into his mother's, the doubt in his eyes seeking reassurance that only Sienna's words could provide.

Before Sienna could respond, Lemiel intervened, standing up with an air of calm authority.

"Young man, why don't you let me speak with your mother for a minute? You can stay inside the house while we talk."

Davian regarded Lemiel with unrelenting hostility, his young heart unwilling to let his guard down as if he saw through the facade that cloaked the man before him. He remained rooted in place.

Lemiel smiled, acknowledging the child's concern.

"I promise not to hurt her."

When the boy still didn't budge, Lemiel cast a meaningful look toward Sienna, a silent message that lay between his gaze and hers.

It conveyed that if she wished to resolve their predicament without resorting to force or creating further distress for her son, she would need to speak with him privately, away from their child's ears.

comment 1 comment

Vote

SEND GIFT

Load failed, please RETRY