The Damned Demon

792  Deceived By The Heart

Asher's expression contorted into one of pure disbelief, his voice quiet but heavy as he asked, "A forbidden art? What kind of forbidden art exactly?"

Rebecca clicked her tongue, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him, "Why do you have to know that too?" she asked in exasperation, as if the weight of his questions was becoming unbearable.

Asher gave her a simple stare, his eyes unwavering and piercing. It was a look that spoke louder than words—a look that demanded answers.

Rebecca grunted in frustration before she sighed and said, "Fine. I had to use the bloodforce of 50 newborn babies with noble blood flowing through their veins. Their combined and pure lifeforce was what I needed to make this work."

Asher's eyes widened in disgust, his lips parting slightly as he asked, "You did something monstrous like that?" His voice was cold, sharp as steel, "They were just babies who did nothing wrong. How could you even do that as a mother yourself?"

Seeing the disgust in his gaze, the sheer disappointment, made Rebecca's heart clench—not out of guilt, but out of frustration. She hated that look, hated the way he made her feel as if she had done something truly vile.

Her fingers curled into fists, her chilling dark eyes burning with a mixture of pain and defiance as she snapped, "You know nothing. You have no idea why I was so desperate to have someone I could call my own. The only other option was sacrificing my own bloodforce—but that would have crippled me with little to no chance of success. Who would protect my child if I became crippled?"

Asher's jaw clenched, but he didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

Rebecca let out a tired sigh, her voice turning hollow, "Besides… it's not like I snatched those 50 babies from loving mothers." Her expression darkened as she added, "You'd be surprised how many babies are born with deformities due to the secret affairs between nobles whose bloodlines don't have perfect compatibility. Those babies wouldn't have lasted another few months and would have died miserable deaths, abandoned and unwanted. Their parents were literally thankful to me for taking those burdens off their hands, and I gave those poor creatures a quick, merciful release from this cursed world of ours."

Her voice grew quieter, almost fragile, "It wasn't exactly easy for me to do it..."

Asher's hardened expression faltered ever so slightly. He could sense the truth in her words—the raw pain buried deep within them. As much as he despised what she had done, he could tell she wasn't lying.

Letting out a slow exhale, he finally said, "Fine. I believe you. Now tell me the rest. Who used this secret of yours against you?"

Rebecca clenched her jaw, her hands balling into fists as her lips curled into a bitter smile.

"You're not going to like it," she said coldly, "It was one of your women…" Her gaze flickered with resentment as she added, "...someone you enjoyed sleeping with, I bet."

Asher's hands trembled slightly as an eerie silence settled between them.

His heart pounded, a cold dread creeping into his veins.

He shook his head, his voice quiet, yet firm, "No… That cannot be true. None of my women would betray me."

And yet—a certain face flashed through his mind.

A face with delicate beauty, a gentle smile, and eyes that once held warmth.

No. No.

Asher shoved the thought aside.

Rebecca, however, saw the flicker of doubt in his expression and narrowed her eyes, "You truly believe that? Or are you trying to run away from the truth?" Her voice was sharp, almost mocking. "If it's the former, you must be naive. Because...Naida Valentine is the last woman you should have trusted, let alone loved."

Her words struck him like a thunderclap, his breath catching in his throat.

"Stop lying to me…" Asher murmured, his chest tightening as a crushing weight settled over him, "She wouldn't do that to me..."

Rebecca scoffed, crossing her arms as she shook her head, "Hmph, why would I dare lie to you, or what would I gain from it? From what you told me, only you, Isola, Rowena, Ceti, and… Naida knew where the key was. How do you think the Red Witch was able to bypass the failsafe and retrieve the key before handing it over to the Moon Guardian? Who else could have done it?"

Asher's breath hitched, his vision spinning.

Rebecca's voice turned icier, pressing the dagger deeper into his wound, "Isola was a fish you brought out into our world—she's too devoted to you to betray you. Rowena would never do anything to harm her kingdom, not after everything she sacrificed, and as much as I hate to admit it, she loves you too much to hurt you. And then there's Ceti. Thanks to you, I know her enough to know that she is too loyal to you and Rowena to ever run back to the people who cast her and her family out."

Her lips curled into a sneer, "So that leaves only one woman… the one who blackmailed me and kept me on a tight leash while hiding her sinister intentions behind that pretty smile of hers. I can't believe you actually fell for that vixen."

Asher's knees nearly buckled, his world collapsing in on itself. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs as the name echoed in his mind.

Naida.

His lips trembled as he stumbled back, a sickening feeling twisting inside him.

Rebecca let out a bitter chuckle, her eyes glinting with dark amusement, "Still don't believe me?"

Asher let out a shaky breath, shaking his head violently. "She… she must have had a reason. There has to be another explanation."

Rebecca snorted, "Oh, there is. She not only used me as a tool to cover up Layla's death, but then went on to hold my mind hostage for all these years."

Asher's eyes widened.

Rebecca continued, her tone sharp, "After I became your slave, she began summoning me every day to probe my mind. I have no idea what she did because she would knock me out, but I bet it was nothing good."

Asher's breath stilled.

And then—a horrifying realization struck him.

The Sightstone Rowena received.

That was how Rowena knew everything he did on Earth.

Since Rebecca was always near him as his slave, Naida must have extracted Rebecca's memories and transferred them into a Sightstone before sending them to Rowena.

And he never found out.

Because he never expected it.

Because he never suspected her.

A dry chuckle escaped Asher's lips, slowly turning into a hollow, broken laughter.

His shoulders trembled, his eyes burning with emotion too heavy to contain.

"Hahaha… "

Again. Again, he got betrayed by someone he loved. He bitterly thought as he realized he had never learned anything despite being betrayed in the past by someone he loved.

Rebecca stood frozen, watching Asher's back as he shook with silent grief, his entire body trembling as if barely holding himself together.

She had expected rage. Expected him to lash out, to break something, destroy something—maybe even hurt her. But this?

This quiet, shattering pain?

She didn't expect it to sting her chest the way it did.

If it had been any other time—any other moment in their history—she would have taken pleasure in watching him suffer. She would have sneered, mocked him, and relished in the sight of her almighty "master" breaking apart like a fragile doll.

But right now, as she looked into his eyes, hollow and filled with something deeper than rage, she felt something unfamiliar crawl into her chest.

Regret.

Why?

Why did seeing him like this make her feel like she had done something wrong? Why did it feel like she had just stabbed him in the back, rather than simply telling him the truth?

She clenched her fists, shoving down the strange, foreign ache in her chest. She shouldn't care. He had toyed with her, humiliated her, made her his slave. She should have been gloating right now. She should have been smiling.

So why wasn't she?

Asher finally spoke, his voice shaky, strained, as if forcing himself to stay composed.

"Why... She must have told you why she did it..."

Rebecca blinked, startled out of her thoughts.

His voice sounded so… fragile.

Like someone who was begging for an answer he already knew he wouldn't like.

She shifted uncomfortably, then shook her head. Her voice was quieter now, softer than she had intended.

"S-She didn't tell me," Rebecca admitted, her brows knitting together, "That bitch was always too mysterious and hid things from me, no matter how hard I tried to probe her. I didn't even know she was planning to kill Layla until it was too late."

She exhaled sharply, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

"Sure, I hated Layla, but I never really wished death upon her. But of course, everyone was quick to suspect me because I was the sole 'survivor'. and I openly despised her."

Asher didn't respond immediately. His fists were shaking, his nails digging into his palms as his voice dropped to a low, unsettling whisper.

"Where is Naida now?"

Rebecca let out a slow breath, bracing herself before answering.

"She ran off before our kingdom got attacked," she said, her tone heavy yet bitter, "She must have been busy colluding with our enemies to destroy what was left of our home. Devil knows why she turned out to be such a wretched traitor. Did she really not even care about her own children?"

She shook her head, clicking her tongue, "I never expected her to be this indifferent. I should have known."

Asher was silent for a moment. Then, barely above a whisper, he muttered,

"So this is how Rowena must have felt..." Asher mumbled to himself as anger, pain, and sorrow coursed through his veins. He realized the pain he felt from the betrayal in the past had faded because of experiencing love again. But now it all came back like a raging storm, threatening to shatter his heart as he remembered how much it truly hurt.

Rebecca frowned, "Huh? What has she got to do with this?"

Asher didn't answer. His breath hitched, his jaw tightening as if swallowing something too painful to say aloud.

Then, without another word, he turned away.

Rebecca's eyes widened as he suddenly began to walk away, his steps slow but heavy.

"Wait!" She stumbled forward, reaching out, not even sure why. "Where are you going?"

She hesitated before adding, her voice more desperate than she intended,

"Even if our kingdom fell, you are still its king and owe us all an explanation. Some of us still want you to return—even if it's too late." She couldn't help but remember Esther's words, even if the look Esther had on her face annoyed her.

She also had a hundred questions to ask him from the moment he mysterious and suddenly left the kingdom.

Asher stopped for a moment, his back facing her.

For a second, she thought—hoped—he would turn around, that he would say something to ease the storm raging in her chest.

But when he spoke, his words were empty, devoid of anything that resembled the Asher she knew.

"Just go back, Rebecca." His voice was lifeless, hollow, "You are no longer my slave, and my business is no longer your concern. You got what you wanted."

And then—his wings burst forth.

With a single, powerful flap of his dark, leathery wings, he shot into the sky, disappearing into the ashen clouds above.

Rebecca reached out—only to lower her hand, her fingers trembling. He didn't even call her a slave or a slut or any derogatory term. But addressed her by her name. But this fact only weighed down on her instead of making her feel satisfied.

She bit her lower lip, her fangs pressing into her flesh as she whispered,

"You can't just leave us like this..."

But he was already gone.

And for the first time in a long time, Rebecca felt lost.

Damn guess we saw this coming :#

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