The Damned Demon-Chapter 828: The Daughter Who Believed

The room was steeped in silence.

Not the kind that soothed.

But the kind that suffocated.

Isola sat across from Rowena, her hands clasped together in her lap, her usually captivating eyes dim with quiet guilt. Her heart was heavy—not for herself, but for her.

For Rowena.

For the woman who had always carried herself like an unshakable storm, relentless and regal, who now sat in the dark glow of the fire, her form still, her gaze fixed upon the darkness beyond the balcony.

She had insisted on seeing those memories.

And now she had seen them.

The truth.

The cruelty.

The suffering.

And worst of all…

The father she had loved standing by, doing nothing.

Isola swallowed hard, struggling with the weight of her own choice.

She had not wanted to do this.

Rowena was carrying a child, a life not yet born, a symbol of hope in a world still struggling to rise from the ashes of war. She had pleaded with her to wait, to not burden herself with this now.

But Rowena had insisted.

And Rowena never begged.

So Isola had granted her wish, knowing it would tear her apart. She knew Asher would not have revealed this to her now if only he knew.

But unfortunately, they had a silent understanding that they won't distract him with other matters…not in his situation.

If he knew he had a child about to be born soon, his heart wouldn't be fully committed to the hellish training he was going through.

And now, as she looked at Rowena's face—still unreadable, still composed—she wondered if she had done the right thing.

Her fingers curled into her palms.

She hated this.

She hated seeing Rowena like this.

She had seen her bleed, had seen her break, had seen her fight and claw her way out of despair with nothing but sheer willpower.

But this was different.

This wasn't a wound that could be stitched back together.

This wasn't a battle that could be won with steel and fire.

This was grief.

A grief Rowena had never expected to bear.

And this was one of the rare few times Isola didn't know what to say.

But Rowena finally did.

Her voice, though calm, carried a weight Isola had never heard before.

"I didn't know…"

Isola clenched her jaw, but said nothing.

She could see the thoughts unraveling in Rowena's mind—the way her fingers twitched slightly against her dress, the way her lips pressed together just a little too hard, the way she kept her posture composed even when her entire world had been shattered beneath her.

She was breaking.

But she wouldn't allow herself to show it.

Rowena had always been that way.

She had always carried everything alone.

And for once, Isola hated her for it.

She wanted to shake her.

To tell her it was alright to grieve. To scream. To feel.

But she knew Rowena wouldn't.

So instead, she spoke softly.

"Rowena," Isola said, carefully, "you don't have to bear this alone."

Rowena exhaled slowly, turning her gaze back to the window.

"My father… did he ever love our kingdom?"

Isola hesitated.

The answer was obvious.

But saying it aloud felt cruel.

Finally, she settled on, "Perhaps in the way that a tyrant loves his power."

Rowena's expression didn't change.

But something in her eyes did.

"For himself," she said, more to herself than to Isola.

She looked down at her hands, staring at them as if she expected them to be stained with something invisible.

"I thought he ruled with wisdom. That he protected our people with strength. That he was… righteous like my ancestor, the Devourer. I thought he upheld Raziel's ideas and values more than any of my forefathers. But instead he disgraced him...disgraced his own family and his people."

Her voice was still calm.

Still composed.

But Isola could hear it.

The break beneath the surface.

The quiet devastation.

Rowena inhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her stomach as if grounding herself.

For the child.

For the future.

She couldn't fall apart now.

She wouldn't.

Because if she did—then what was left?

She closed her eyes.

Then, in the same cold, measured voice she always used, she said, "I have spent my entire life believing in a lie. Maybe my mother did as well and she paid for it with her life."

And Isola's heart ached.

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Because Rowena wasn't wrong.

And she couldn't tell her otherwise.

So she simply said, "You believed in your father."

Rowena gave a bitter look, her eyes empty, "And that makes me a fool."

"No," Isola said firmly. "It makes you his daughter."

Rowena was silent.

Then, after a long pause, she whispered, "Then why does it feel like I failed? My mother…I even failed to protect her."

Isola shook her head with conviction, "You can't say that for something that wasn't even your fault."

Rowena softly shook her head, "You might be right. I was a child, and I couldn't have known better. But what about after I became a queen? I let this kingdom rot from within," she murmured, "I called myself its queen, but I was blind to the horrors beneath my feet, especially the ones committing the said horrors. Maybe I knew the kind of people they were, but I was afraid…afraid that I had to keep them as a necessary evil for the sake of the kingdom. But I was wrong."

Isola kept shaking her head as she said, "If you were really afraid, you would have hesitated to set an example by killing your aunt. That shows that you are unforgiving to those who try to hurt your kingdom or your people and that you don't compromise. As for the horrors committed by those people…you didn't take action because they cleverly hid it from you and had the help of powerful enemies from outside our kingdom. You are only one person. You can't magically know everyone's true nature or the things they do behind your back."

Rowena exhaled through her nose as she silently listened to Isola.

However, Isola added,

"And Asher?"

Isola's grip tightened slightly around Rowena's hand.

"He never wanted you to bear this burden. He only told you because he had no other choice to make you understand why he lied so much."

Rowena's eyes flickered and looked down at their joined hands.

Then, finally, she said, "Then it is all the more reason why I must. I can't let him carry any more burdens for my sake."

Isola softly smiled as she said, "You are right. We can't let him do that."

Rowena's gaze softened as she looked at Isola and softly nodded.

—

Another week passed,

The inner courtyard of the castle was bathed in the soft glow of dusk, the crimson sky reflecting its warm hues upon the delicate flowers that bloomed despite the kingdom's fall. The air carried a gentle breeze, rustling the leaves, whispering secrets only the wind knew.

Amongst the tranquil scene, a vibrant figure twirled, her long twin-tailed ruby hair caressing the ground around her as she spun in joyous delight, clutching a dark red letter tightly to her chest.

Silvia's ruby eyes gleamed with warmth as she let out a delighted hum, her feet barely touching the ground as she basked in the emotions that flooded her heart.

"Husband loves Silvia so much that he sends letters despite being in such a bad place. Silvia will treasure these letters forever!"

Her voice was a melody of sheer happiness, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had gripped her heart and still does.

But this moment provided relief from that turmoil even if it might be fleeting.

Just a few feet away, Merina knelt in the courtyard's flower bed, her slender fingers delicately tending to the blooming violets and blood roses that Silvia had asked her to plant. She paused for a moment, parting away her silky black hair and tilting her head towards Silvia with a soft, warm smile.

Seeing Silvia this happy was like watching a rare, precious moment of innocence in a world filled with shadows.

He was alright.

That was all that mattered.

She also got them.

The letters were more than mere ink on parchment; they carried his presence, his warmth, his silent promise that he hadn't forgotten them, despite where he was.

Merina remembered the words her master had written to her briefly, closing her eyes.

The way he made her feel loved through words was all she needed to keep going.

As she lifted her gaze, another voice chimed in—sultry, teasing, yet equally pleased.

"You are right. At least he hasn't forgotten us despite being stuck in a hellhole."

Sabina's voice was smooth like silk as she walked closer, her long silver hair dancing in the wind, her steps slow and deliberate, an alluring smirk playing on her lips.

She twirled her letter between her fingers before pressing it to her lips, kissing the parchment with a sly chuckle.

"But I can't rest easy until I can taste his hot blood and feel his thick, alien cock filling my holes," she added, her voice dripping with a sensual hunger as she ran her tongue teasingly along her lips.

Silvia, who was still caught up in her dreamy happiness, suddenly stumbled in her twirl, her cheeks flushing as she let out an exasperated breath.

She pouted as she turned to Sabina, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You love him for his heart or his… l-little dragon?"

The last two words left her lips in a whisper, as if saying them out loud would invite judgment from the devils themselves.

Sabina stopped in her tracks. And then—

She let out a rich, amused laugh, shaking her head as she placed a hand on her hip,

"Fufuu, when a loving wife like me is starved of my husband's sweet love for so long, then obviously, you will start yearning for more than just his heart. You must yearn for it too, right? I still remember you fighting me like a bitch on heat over his 'little dragon', you naughty girl."

Silvia gulped as she evaded Sabina's gaze.

Her smirk widened as she leaned slightly towards Silvia, her voice lowering into a teasing whisper,

"Even if you pretend not to, I am sure you will understand that as you get more mature, my little Silvia."

She playfully patted Silvia's head before sauntering away, humming in amusement.

Silvia's face turned an even deeper shade of red, her body stiffening as she clenched her fists.

"Silvia is not little!" she huffed, stomping her foot, "Silvia is almost thrice as old as her husband! Silvia would be considered as his grandmother if she and he were humans."

Sabina's laughter only grew as she glanced over her shoulder, covering her lips with her hand.

"Fufufu~ My bad, Granny Silvia."

Silvia's mouth dropped open in sheer indignation, her entire face burning with embarrassment.

"Sabinaaaa! You meanie!" she whined, stomping after her as the seductive figure effortlessly evaded her with a chuckle.

Merina watched them, amusement twinkling in her dark blue eyes as she shook her head.

She knew Sabina was trying to make Silvia return to normal after she was drowning in pain and despair for so many days, especially since she lost both her parents in different yet painful ways.

Fortunately, Asher's letters and Sabina's care was enough to make her smile again.

But as she let out a soft chuckle, her gaze slowly drifted upward toward the darkening sky.

And her smile faded.

As much as the sight of their happiness warmed her heart, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about… her.

About Ceti.

And her interactions with Kookus and them as a family.

She could still remember the way Ceti had bantered with Kookus, how she would act tough but secretly cared for him.

She remembered the little moments—the warmth in Ceti's eyes whenever she looked at those she cared about.

But now—

Her daughter was no longer with her, even if she had gained another one.

It still gnawed at her that she couldn't even say any parting words to Ceti.

She didn't even get to live the life she deserved.

Her chest ached, and her eyes became moist even though she had told herself to remain strong.

So she did the only thing she could.

She closed her eyes and prayed.

Prayed that Ceti would be in a better and happier place if such a place existed in the Seven Hells.