Chapter 102 - Chapter 99: Episode 97 - Conditions
The two-month journey was the final gift Sophia had granted to Yena and Seon-ah.
It was intended to give Seon-ah time to spend his final moments with Yena before the Succession Ceremony began.
Knowing full well how Seon-ah felt about Yena, Sophia had given him the space to find closure.
She hadn't even given the child named Yena a name herself.
She knew that if she grew attached, she would only end up feeling sorrow.
It was an unavoidable choice if she wanted to return Min-ah to Seon-ah.
Before they left on their trip, she had told Yena everything, including the fact that her consciousness would be overwritten once the Succession Ceremony proceeded.
She wasn't sure if it was an act to ease her own guilt.
She had explained that it was a necessary step for the sake of Seon-ah, whom she considered her father.
Therefore, even though Yena knew exactly what would happen to her consciousness after the ceremony, Sophia didn't think the girl would run away.
Since Yena was a child who always wanted to be by Seon-ah's side, she was certain to stay unless Seon-ah sent her away himself.
Due to bio-magic, her brain capacity had increased and her cognitive abilities were on par with an adult's, but she was still at an age where she lacked experience and craved the presence of her parents.
If Yena had run away...
Sophia figured that could only have happened if Seon-ah had sent her away himself.
Because it was certain that he, who wanted his mother back, would never do such a thing, I allowed the two to go on their trip.
I knew very well that no matter what choice Seon-ah made, it would be painful.
However, I had to consider that there was no other way.
'If there were, then...'
I had no choice but to stop thinking any further.
Thinking of Seon-ah as a mere stud was something I absolutely must not do.
Leaving Seon-ah, who had endured those horrific days, to be violated again was something I couldn't justify even to myself.
It would surely be something Seon-ah would never want to do, either.
Because of that trauma, Seon-ah once trembled in fear just by seeing a demon.
"Scratch, scratch."
Even while lost in such thoughts, the sound of the pen moving across the paper didn't stop.
Sophia was alone in the office at the Royal Castle.
That didn't mean she handled all the work by herself.
It was just that Sophia preferred to use the office alone, so she had created a separate room for herself.
It was possible because she was mainly responsible for the final review and approval of agenda items.
Based on Min-ah's memories, it was similar to the role of a chairman or president on Earth.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of Seon-ah and Yena.
Although there were many complex agenda items, Sophia, having worked for a long time, was processing the documents without difficulty.
Due to the experience accumulated over thousands of years, she could work even with a distracted mind.
Just then, a knocking sound came from the office door.
Judging by the three weak knocks, it was clearly Seon-ah.
Since Seon-ah had weaker wrists compared to the demons, she could tell just by the sound.
"You may enter, Lee Seon-ah."
Sophia said in a slightly stiff voice.
She had expected Yena to be by Seon-ah's side, so she tried to set a certain atmosphere.
It was a slightly different attitude than when she was alone with Seon-ah, but she couldn't afford to act in a way that would unnecessarily win Yena's favor.
"I'm coming in, Sophia."
Seeing Seon-ah enter as the door opened, Sophia noticed something strange.
Seon-ah's hesitant demeanor was exactly like the behavior he showed when he had done something wrong.
Having spent several years with him, Sophia knew that he acted timidly whenever he had committed a fault.
The accuracy of that observation was so high it was practically certain.
Sure enough.
Yena, who should have been showing that they had returned together, was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Yena?"
Seon-ah said with a pale complexion, carefully watching Sophia's reaction.
"Th... that... I'm sorry... Sophia... I don't want to use Yena as your vessel... She's our precious daughter..."
"..."
Sophia remained silent.
She felt disappointed in Seon-ah for instantly denying the work she had been carrying out for so long to save his mother.
"Where did you hide her?"
"I sent her... to Earth."
'Earth... Earth, huh...'
Sophia knew that it would take a long time to get Yena back.
Earth was a vast place.
If Seon-ah didn't tell her where on Earth he had sent her, it could take years to find her.
"What on earth possessed you to do such a thing, Lee Seon-ah?"
Even though she knew Yena wasn't there, Sophia maintained a cold atmosphere.
Since Seon-ah occasionally did things like this on impulse, she maintained this attitude for the sake of discipline.
It was the same right now.
"I... searched for another way."
"As the Demon King, I know best how to create my vessel. Yet, Seon-ah, is it such a great method that you could choose it unilaterally? How surprising."
It was a tone filled with sarcasm.
Even if it was for discipline, after speaking sarcastically to the person she loved, her own heart ached.
Even so, there were times when Seon-ah needed to experience a bit of bitterness.
"Sophia... please listen to me..."
Seon-ah said with a serious expression.
"Seeing you try to speak so earnestly, it seems you really do have some method."
Knowing that Seon-ah was sincere, Sophia began to listen with a heart filled with half-expectations.
"I... will try to create a vessel with another demon... with a demon I absolutely won't grow attached to... I won't even grow attached to the child."
"Grrr..."
What came out of Sophia's mouth was not an answer, but the sound of grinding teeth.
Although Sophia had never treated Min-ah's body carelessly, she couldn't help but grind her teeth after hearing what Seon-ah just said.
"Why... did you think of such a thing? Was the promise to spend our whole lives together... a lie?"
She herself had considered the path Seon-ah mentioned, but had canceled it due to various circumstances.
The most important thing was that Seon-ah's trauma might flare up again.
And secondly, she didn't want to see Seon-ah being held in the arms of another woman besides herself.
She felt like she would have a terrible reaction if he even had sex through an affair.
"No... that's not it... I thought it was a way for our family... to all be together in the end."
Thinking about it, if Seon-ah truly didn't grow attached to a child born between him and another demon, it was a way for all four of them—Yena, Min-ah, herself, and Seon-ah—to live and be like a family.
Looking only at the results, he was right.
But what about my heart?
What about Seon-ah's mental pain?
Is Yena's life really worth that much?
She had only thought of Yena as having the value of a vessel.
She was a child who would make Seon-ah sad if she disappeared, but...
In her own heart, she wasn't family.
'But if it's for Seon-ah...'
If it was for Seon-ah, she could turn a blind eye to a moment of pain.
Since she knew best that Seon-ah, who had lived as a couple with her for several years, would not betray her.
Even so, her head throbbed with pain.
'Whew... I don't think I'll be able to get any more work done today...'
"Ha... I'd like some time to think... I'll be back in a little while... You can rest in the bedroom, or just wait in the office."
With that, Sophia organized the documents and pen she had been holding and left the office.
The emotions she could feel on Seon-ah's face as she brushed past him were guilt, sadness, and remorse.
However, Seon-ah bowed his head as he saw Sophia's hardened face as she walked by.
.
.
.
Sophia had always walked through the garden when she had worries.
The gardens in the Royal Castle contained all sorts of plants from the Demon World.
Most of them were poisonous, but Sophia had vowed to develop the Demon World while looking at these plants.
These plants, which highlighted the reality of the Demon World where resources were truly scarce, were either difficult to use as food or were essentially poisons with no practical application.
Looking at them, she often realized the dire situation of the Demon World once again and went back to work so that the demons could live a better life.
But now, the state of the Demon World was not the problem.
It was a matter involving family.
If she did as Seon-ah said, looking at the results, it was a situation where everyone could be happy.
If she did as she wanted, only she could be satisfied, but she could minimize Seon-ah's pain as much as possible.
However, listening to what Seon-ah just said, she could feel his will to save Yena even if it meant sacrificing himself.
She questioned whether she should listen to Seon-ah and follow his lead.
Seon-ah's condition was much better than before, but if his trauma flared up again, she didn't know what would happen.
Even in the early days when she started living with Seon-ah, there were many cases where his memories would slip away, and even now, the aftereffects of being violated by demons remained mentally.
The fact that he would lose all strength in his body and collapse just by demons touching him would probably be the same even now.
The Lily Knights, created out of consideration for such a Seon-ah, were a knight order solely for him.
Although she had lived for thousands of years, this was the first time she had such a worry.
She wondered if people in such situations were rare to begin with.
Wondering if there was a way to solve this, she began to search through Min-ah's memories.
She had searched through Min-ah's memories whenever Seon-ah showed strange behavior, but this time it was a little different.
She needed to search through all the memories related to Seon-ah.
Memories related to children—that is, for Min-ah, they were memories of Seon-ah.
She ended up looking back at everything, from Min-ah and Hyeon-tae's appearance of treating Seon-ah preciously when he was a baby, to his kindergarten and school days.
And she concluded.
'The heart of a parent thinking of their child...'
She didn't think of Yena as her child.
But Seon-ah was looking at her as a child he had to protect even if he sacrificed everything he had.
Unconditional sacrifice, infinite love that doesn't ask for a reward.
In a way, wouldn't those be the same as what she does for her lover, Seon-ah?
Sophia eventually had no choice but to give up her stubbornness.
Since she herself was in a relationship so deep that she would even sacrifice herself to save Seon-ah.
Because Yena and Seon-ah were in that kind of relationship as parent and child.
It wasn't a situation that could be justified either as Min-ah the human or as herself, the Demon King who had lived for thousands of years.
It was true that it was an unreasonable situation when viewed from the perspectives of both human and demon.
Even so, she didn't want to see Seon-ah looking regretful.
If he showed sadness over other things, she could help him overcome them.
But if he showed regret for not being able to save Yena, would Seon-ah trust and follow her, the mastermind who created that situation?
It was certain that he would be in pain every day seeing her occupying Yena's body.
If it was the Seon-ah I had seen until now, that would be the case.
The relationship until now would be twisted, and in the end, Seon-ah would come to resent me.
Perhaps he might even try to never see me for the rest of his life.
If I used Yena as a vessel, wouldn't it become something that would make both of us miserable in the end?
It was a matter she had been avoiding for a long time.
It was a thought that revealed her own foolishness, wanting to have a proper relationship with Seon-ah after completing the contract first.
Therefore.
I had no choice but to break my stubbornness.
.
.
.
Seon-ah was sitting in the seat where Sophia had been in the office.
What kind of thoughts could Sophia be having?
Had she lost all affection for me?
He began to feel afraid for a moment.
He had been sitting in the chair for a long time, thinking blankly.
After some time had passed, he heard the sound of the office door opening.
Seeing that there was no knock, it was clear that the owner of the room had returned.
The door opened and Sophia's haggard face appeared.
She looked quite different from before she left, showing how long she had been agonizing over it.
"Seon-ah... after I thought about it... I decided it was worth trying once."
Seon-ah had actually thought he wouldn't get permission.
He had even feared that if things went wrong, Sophia might never return his mother.
"Thank you... Sophia..."
Seon-ah's appearance was also a mess, but he answered with a smile.
"But tell me... who is the demon you won't grow attached to?"
Sophia asked for details about what Seon-ah had said before she left.
She was genuinely curious if such a person really remained for Seon-ah.
"I heard... Miel is alive."
Sophia's pupils, which had been looking at Seon-ah listlessly, widened.
'If Miel is alive...'
She thought she could create a child she wouldn't grow attached to.
It was because Seon-ah had talked a lot about Miel, who had played with his mind as she pleased.
If this was true...
Someone had said there was no way to erase the Yin Mark, but in fact, there was a way for the person who engraved it to erase it themselves.
The succubus's Yin Mark was actually closer to imprinting a curse.
If Miel wasn't executed by the Lord and was alive, she could use Miel to erase that Yin Mark on Seon-ah's lower abdomen.
Since it was a Yin Mark that only the succubus who first engraved it could erase, the fact that Miel was alive was also a good thing for Seon-ah.
Of course, since a succubus couldn't bear children between partners without sharing the Yin Mark, she wouldn't be able to erase it until a child was born.
Sophia thought this was a golden opportunity to erase the traces of another woman on Seon-ah's body.
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"Instead, there is one condition... let me watch from the side when you sleep with Miel... because I don't like you overlapping your body with another woman in a place I don't know..."
"I understand... thank you for allowing it..."
Seon-ah was clearly unaware of her true intentions.
For her, this was an opportunity to develop into a more proper lover relationship with Seon-ah.