She Belongs To The Devil

Adeline and Theodore were walking hand in hand while being followed by Adeline\'s guards close behind.

Outside, they could see that the maids and servants were in some kind of rush. Everyone was carrying either trays, large containers, or some items and was in a great hurry. And all the rush made both Adeline and Theodore forget that it was only yesterday that a tragedy had happened. The Palace was already lively.

"What\'s going on? Is there some event today?" Theodore asked Adeline while looking around him.

Adeline was also equally surprised as Theodore. "I don\'t think any event was planned for today. I should have known if there was."

When they reached in front of the King\'s quarter, they saw Dragomir outside in the front yard. He was giving instructions to General Keith and also to the head of the servants and court maids.

Adeline had thought that her father would be in a sour mood but unlike what she had thought, he seemed to be enthusiastic for some reason.

When his eyes fell on Adeline and Theodore he happily waved at them, "Adeline! Theodore!" He walked towards them and put his arms around both of them. "Ah! I\'m so glad that both of you are okay."

Theodore was not expecting Dragomir to act so normally even after getting terrified of his devil form yesterday. So he was taken aback by that warm gesture from Dragomir.

When Dragomir pulled away from the hug, he saw that Theodore was visibly stunned for some reason. He patted Theodore on his shoulder and asked in a concerned voice, "What\'s the matter, Theodore? Is everything okay with you?"

"Yes, everything is fine with me." Theodore gave a smile and asked the King, "And what about you, father? Shouldn\'t you be resting?"

Dragomir laughed and dismissed the idea of resting, "I\'m already back to my normal health." He gently patted Theodore on the head and praised him, "Thanks to a certain someone who was able to bring the witches to heal my wounds."

Theodore\'s heart was filled with a fuzzy feeling from that pat on the head. It was a feeling which he had never felt before.

And Theodore thought to himself while his eyes glistened in the morning rays of the sun that directly fell on his heavenly face, "What is this feeling? Is this how it feels to get validated by a father? Getting praise from him? Or is this guilt that I\'m feeling? Or am I becoming more and more human?"

Theodore had no answer to his questions and he kept on staring at the human who he had started to address as \'father\'.

He watched how Dragomir was holding Adeline\'s hand and was showing his concerns towards the safety of his daughter. He watched how he embraced Adeline again after hearing that she was completely fine. And he observed how he still treated Adeline like a little girl even when Adeline was already an adult.

"I guess this is how fathers should be." Theodore took a deep breath in and looked up at the clear sky to hold his tears. "It would have been great if I could learn a thing or two about fatherhood from him… It would have been lovely if I could watch him play with his grandchild."

"Theo? Aren\'t you coming in?" He was brought back from his thoughts when Adeline called him.

Dragomir and Adeline were already heading inside the quarter, so he also followed the two of them.

The three of them sat down together and Adeline asked her father, "Is something going to happen in the Palace today? I saw a lot of servants and maids preparing for something… a feast maybe?"

Dragomir shook his head and denied, "Feast? No, they are preparing for the wedding banquet. I asked them to gather the materials and clean the utensils." Dragomir cleared his throat and emphasized again, "There isn\'t any kind of feast happening today."

Adeline could tell that her father was not being truthful but she let him be. She had an important thing to tell her father. She glanced at Theodore for reassurance and when he gave a nod, Adeline put on a serious expression on her face. "Father, there is something that happened yesterday which only Theodore and I were able to witness."

Dragomir\'s expression also turned serious as both Adeline and Theodore looked troubled. And he didn\'t need to be a mind reader to know that they had some bad news that somehow concerned him.

Adeline dug her nails in her palms and forced herself to reveal the bad luck of her father. She made sure to tell everything in proper detail and order so that her father wouldn\'t blame Theodore for his inevitable death.

Dragomir was silent the whole time. And even after Adeline had finished explaining, Dragomir kept on blankly staring at the floor beneath his feet.

"So God himself decreed my death…" he mumbled to himself.

Dragomir had already heard from General Keith about how Theodore had taken care of that Vampire King and everything else afterward. He was over the moon to have such a powerful and formidable entity as his son-in-law.

And he was already flying high in the clouds with the preparations for the wedding of his dear daughter. But suddenly, he felt as though some unseen force had pulled him and slammed him on the ground.

The empty look on Dragomir\'s face pierced Theodore\'s spirit. Even though he was a celestial being and way superior to the old human, Theodore knelt before Dragomir to apologize, "Father, please forgive me. Because of me, you had to pay the price."

Dragomir was stunned to see the son of God kneeling before him. He also instantly fell on his knees and looked Theodore in the eyes, "Theodore… Don\'t add an extra sin in my bag by kneeling before me. I would be damned if I blamed you for my death even after everything that you did for me and my daughter."

He gently pressed his palm on Theodore\'s hand and said, "I am rather happy that I could save my daughter\'s life by giving my own."

Dragomir looked at his crying daughter and smiled with eyes full of tears. "Yes, I do feel a little sad to hear about my death. But I have already lived my life to the fullest. I\'ve already seen that there is to see."

Dragomir looked back at Theodore and gave a wistful smile. "And after I walk Adeline down the aisle and hand her over to you, I will have nothing to regret. I can pass on peacefully."

Adeline couldn\'t take the sad talks anymore. She abruptly got up from the chair and went to stand at the corner of the room. She kept on taking deep breaths through her mouth to ease the lump in her throat. And kept on silently shedding her tears.

Dragomir looked at his daughter and back at Theodore. And he asked him, "Theodore, please take care of my daughter in my absence. She is one stubborn kid. She will pretend to be okay even when she is hurting."

"She hides her emotions and she keeps many secrets if she feels that doing so will protect you or anyone who she holds dear. Make sure that you understand her without her telling you explicitly that she is hurting. And please, always stand by her side and guide her like you always have been."

Theodore quickly wiped a drop of tear that had escaped from his eyes and nodded his head. "I will stand by her side.. Till eternity."