Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Seren knocked on the door and gently opened it, only to see a woman with long golden-brown hair sitting on the bed, her back facing the door where Seren was standing. She seemed to be cultivating her powers, as she didn't react to Seren's presence.

Seren quietly stood there, staring at the view of those long, beautiful locks that shone like delicate silk, realizing they resembled her own hair—a striking proof that this woman was indeed her mother.

'Does my hair look as beautiful to others as hers does?' Seren wondered, captivated by the sight. 'No wonder, Dray loves to play my hair as well. So beautiful they must look just like my mother's.'

She couldn't help but feel the urge to touch it. Her feet moved of their own accord as she walked closer, her hand reaching out to touch those silky strands.

But before she could, a hooded white robe appeared out of thin air, covering Sierra's back and hair entirely.

Startled, Seren snapped back to her senses, realizing she had been about to touch Sierra's hair. She took a few steps back. "L-Lady Sierra, I'm here to visit you."

Sierra finally moved, stepping off the bed and turning to face her daughter, once more hiding her appearance beneath the hood. Even through the robe, she could see her daughter clearly.

For the first time since Seren's birth, she saw her without a veil and couldn't deny how beautiful her daughter was. She wished she could continue to look at her like this forever.

Seeing Sierra quiet and unable to gauge her emotions, Seren didn't know what to say. "Did I disturb you? I apologize…" Find your adventure at m-v|l e'm,p y r

"No, you didn't," Sierra replied. "In fact, I'm glad to see you. I was just admiring how beautiful you are."

"Thank you…Lady Sierra," Seren replied, almost stopping herself from calling her "Mother."

"Mother told me you're not well, so I thought I'd come to visit you," Seren said. "Are you alright?"

Sierra nodded. "It's nothing serious."

"You were harmed while protecting me…"

"I'm glad that I could protect you," Sierra interrupted before Seren could apologize once more.

"But next time, if I'm in danger, don't put your life at risk to protect me," Seren urged.

Sierra, calm and composed as always, replied, "Protecting you is what I'm supposed to do, or there is no meaning to my life."

"Why should it be this way?" Seren asked, her eyes hopeful that, at least today, this woman would admit being her mother.

"Because that is my responsibility."

"That's it? Nothing else is there you want to add to it?" Seren asked, nervous inside.

"What more there can be?"

"Then, who gave it to you?" Seren prayed silently in her heart, 'Say at least once that you are my mother.'

Sierra was silent for a moment before Seren spoke again, "My mother?"

Sierra only nodded.

Seeing that Sierra had no intention of revealing the truth, Seren felt hurt and said, "You can stop now and tell my mother that I'm grateful to her for giving me this beautiful life. My husband is here to protect me; others don't need to put their lives in danger for my sake. Take care, Lady Sierra." With moist eyes, Seren turned to leave, relieved that Sierra was fine.

"You don't blame your mother for anything?" Sierra asked before Seren could leave.

"If I say, 'I don't blame her,' will she come to me then?" Seren asked, not turning to look back at her. "Can't she just come to me out of motherly love? Whether I blame her or not, whether I'm angry at her or not, do those things matter more than her love for me? Can't she just come to me because she has all the rights as my mother, just because she gave birth to me?

Isn't that enough of a reason that I am her daughter?"

"She might have her own shortcomings or insecurities beyond just guilt."

"If she thinks I'll judge her for those shortcomings and insecurities, then I'm not a good daughter in her eyes."

"No, it's not that," Sierra replied softly.

"How can you assure me what my mother thinks?" Seren asked, tears streaming down her face as she kept her back to Sierra. "If I were good enough, she would have shown herself to me instead of hiding."

Hearing this, tears rolled down Sierra's cheeks as well. "Seren…"

"Lady Sierra, let my mother know that I will wait for her to come to me, that I'm not angry at her, but I truly want to meet her. I'm still a child who wants a mother, just like anyone else," Seren said, leaving the room before she lost control of her emotions.

As she exited the healing chamber, her eyes still teary, Drayce, who had been waiting outside, immediately approached her. "Seren."

"Dray, she won't admit she's my mother," Seren said, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "She just wants to pretend to be my protector. Am I such a bad child that she doesn't want to accept me as her daughter and treats me only as her responsibility to protect?"

He hugged her tightly. "No, Seren, you're not."

She shook her head, her voice trembling. "This was the last chance I gave her. After this, I'm not going to seek her out or ask her if she's my mother. I'll think as if I never had one."

Drayce could feel how deeply she was hurt and turned to look at his mother, who gave him a helpless gaze. If Sierra didn't want to reveal the truth, there wasn't much Evanthe could do to force her.

Drayce let Seren calm down as he heard his mother say, "It's almost evening now. You should head back to the palace and let her rest. Tomorrow you have to attend a council meeting, and your day might be busy as you Erebus needs to build a place of his own before marking ceremony."

Drayce nodded and gently led Seren away.