Chapter 115 - Chapter 112: Episode 110 - Sophia's Proposal
Even though it was her mother she hadn't seen in such a long time, Yena felt no joy at all.
She had a sinking feeling that she was about to be kidnapped and dragged back to the Demon World.
However, Sophia just stared at her blankly, showing no immediate sign of hostility.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Yena spoke up first.
"What are you thinking? Weren't you going to drag me off to use as a vessel?"
"Is that any way to talk to your mother? I did before, but... not anymore. Seon-ah... No, that's none of your business. I don't know what would happen if the current Seon-ah saw you..."
Sophia stared at her with an expressionless face, muttering things that made no sense.
That gaze—as if she were looking at an object—was no different than it had been before.
Though she called herself mother, to her, Yena was nothing more than a possession, something less than livestock.
The fact that this hadn't changed was painfully evident in her eyes and the cold set of her face.
'The current Seon-ah? What did she do to Father?'
The anxiety gnawed at her, refusing to fade.
Since Sophia was someone who used to torment both her father and her, she had no idea what might have happened to her father after she—the intended vessel—had disappeared.
'I should have realized it sooner...'
At the time, she had simply followed her father's instructions.
Unlike with her, Sophia had shown signs of cherishing her father, Seon-ah, even while tormenting him, so she had assumed it would be okay.
But the uneasy feeling that she had been wrong kept growing.
Especially after hearing her mother's words, that suspicion turned into certainty.
"What happened to Father? What did you do to him!"
"I told you, that's none of your business..."
Sophia couldn't let Yena see Seon-ah; she didn't know what kind of mental shock Seon-ah, who had regressed to the state of a young child, would suffer if he saw her.
Moreover, she had no intention of harming Yena, as she had decided to return her to Seon-ah's arms once he finally returned to his senses.
She knew that if he recovered and found that his daughter—whom he cherished so deeply—had been harmed, he would never be able to stay sane.
Contrary to Sophia's cold calculation, Yena only felt gratitude toward Seon-ah, who had allowed her to build memories despite her limited lifespan and had always stayed by her side.
Since she would have died anyway if Seon-ah hadn't sent her across the Gate, she was willing to sacrifice her life to save him.
Yena's mind was already spiraling; she imagined her father being kept like livestock by Sophia, suffering through things even worse than before.
'Ah... poor Father... I will... save you.'
Yena gathered magic power in her hands, her decision made.
She directed her hostility toward the enemy standing before her.
Her mother, Sophia.
"Give me back my father! You devilish woman... We aren't your toys! Die!"
The blue waves of magic power coalesced into bright red flames, forming a circle.
Feeling the energy surge, Yena unleashed the spell at Sophia.
"How foolish..."
Sophia caught the magic with one hand, effortlessly dispersing the red flames back into raw mana.
It was a simple task for the Demon King, who understood the very structure of magic.
Her knowledge was so profound that she could unravel spells back into their base components at will.
"It's a futile effort. I'll explain everything later, so stay quiet and wait."
Sophia tried to de-escalate; she didn't want to fight her own daughter.
Nevertheless, Yena didn't answer, as if she couldn't hear a word.
Having seen her magic fail, Yena immediately conjured another spell and hurled it at Sophia.
She summoned an ice spear, intending to inflict physical damage, and threw it with all her might.
As if to show how useless her struggle was, Sophia caught the spear by coating her hand in magic, then threw it back toward the side of Yena's face.
The rapidly fired spear grazed her cheek, leaving a thin, stinging scratch.
A hot drop of blood trickled down from the cold cut.
Even knowing her magic was useless, Yena continued to weave spells.
Sophia knew she had to end this meaningless fight.
If they kept trading blows, Min-ah's house—
The very place where Seon-ah was currently staying—could be destroyed.
The floor where the ice spear had struck was already shattered; she didn't want to imagine what would happen if they continued.
"Stop... I give up... I'll tell you about Seon-ah's condition... so stop now... we must avoid any more meaningless fighting..."
"How can I believe that? Is that the only thing you can say to get out of this?"
"You little... Fine. Then let's make a contract: we won't harm each other, and I will show you Seon-ah. But you must follow my instructions to prepare for the shock he will receive."
Sophia made the proposal.
It was the only way to stop the fight for Seon-ah's sake.
It was an unavoidable choice to explain his condition to Yena.
For both of them, it was the only path forward.
Yena seemed to realize this as well.
The way she hesitated to throw the spell she had already prepared signaled her begrudging agreement to Sophia.
After a long moment of deliberation, Yena calmed her excitement and decided to follow Sophia's lead.
"If anything happened to Father... be prepared... because I'll make you disappear without leaving a single speck of dust..."
Yena growled the threat as she agreed to the contract.
"Then I will cast the contract."
Sophia acted immediately.
She didn't know when the volatile Yena might snap and use magic again.
If she suddenly unleashed a high-level spell, this whole area would be scorched earth.
She hadn't been completely reckless—she'd only used weak magic—but if the fight dragged on, there was no telling what might happen.
Thus, the two made a contract.
A contract for just today.
Though they were both acting for the sake of family, their positions were so diametrically opposed that they couldn't truly understand each other.
Nevertheless, the contract was necessary.
For the sake of Seon-ah, who was precious to both of them, they acknowledged each other's existence for a fleeting day.
Sophia told Yena everything about Seon-ah's situation.
When she explained what she had done after returning to the Royal Castle—and what she had done to Seon-ah—Yena's eyes turned fierce.
"I'll kill you! How could you do such a thing to Father! Aaaack!"
Yena had every impulse to kill Sophia right then and there, but she couldn't cast magic.
Her fist, imbued with magic power, stopped dead as if hitting an invisible barrier.
She wanted to strike that face, which looked back at her with a dark, unreadable expression.
"Having a child with Miel... was something Seon-ah wanted. I only helped with that. I didn't think about Seon-ah's condition... I think I was wrong..."
It wasn't like breeding animals; could a woman who used her husband like that even be called a wife?
Since Yena had come to Earth and discovered that the relationship between her father and Sophia was anything but normal, her rage only intensified.
"Yena, I will show you Seon-ah now. But if your appearance is discovered, I don't know what kind of impact it will have on him... so I must hide you. Follow me while using Stealth Magic."
She opened the front door and gestured for her to follow.
Sophia walked slowly through the living room toward the very last room where Seon-ah was staying.
Before opening the door, she raised a finger to her lips.
Yena knew the gesture well enough.
It meant not to make a single sound while in stealth mode.
She still couldn't believe that seeing her—in her child-like form—would affect Seon-ah so negatively.
Until the door swung wide open.
The sight of Seon-ah was a shock.
A woman who looked similar to the demon she had seen yesterday morning was stuck right next to her father.
When her father turned toward them, she saw an expression she had never once seen in the Demon King's Castle.
It was the first time she had ever seen her father smile so brightly.
Smiling foolishly like a child, he reached out his arms to Sophia, who had returned home, and hugged her, burying his face in her chest.
"Mom... are you back?..."
'M... Mom?'
It was bizarre that her father called his wife, Sophia, "Mom."
'What on earth is going on...'
"Yes, that's right. What did you play with today, Seon-ah?"
"Today, I played drawing with Miel-noona."
"Good job, Seon-ah. Let's be together with Mom tomorrow."
"Yeah!"
Yena was stunned by the sight of them acting like a mother and son.
Seeing her father, who had regressed to a child after suffering a mental break, she was on the verge of tears.
Furthermore, the fear that her father might not recognize her kept turning into a cold certainty.
She couldn't bear to watch any longer.
In stealth mode, she lightly grabbed Sophia's sleeve and tugged it twice.
When she signaled that she wanted to go outside to hear the details, Sophia stroked Seon-ah's head once and stepped out of the room.
"Mom has something to do for a moment, so I'll be back. I'll be back in about 10 minutes, Seon-ah."
"No... Mom, are you leaving again?"
Yena's hands trembled at the way he made a sad expression, acting as if he were truly talking to his mother.
"It'll only be for a very short moment. I'll be going now."
Sophia closed the door and led her outside.
The effort she was putting into not being caught by Seon-ah was painfully obvious.
"M... Mom, what on earth is going on?..."
"This body is actually... the body of Seon-ah's mother. It seems Seon-ah didn't tell you anything. Well... there's no way he could tell his child that it's no different from having been born from his own mother."
Yena was shocked to hear the secret of her birth.
It was a greater shock than the secrets between half-siblings she sometimes saw in morning dramas.
"H... how can you do such a thing as a person... You devil! How can you steal a mother's body and rape her child... How can you..."
Hot tears streamed down Yena's face.
A sadness she couldn't bear overflowed in her heart.
She finally realized why her father had changed so much.
She understood why he always wore such a painful, sorrowful expression.
It was all because of that woman.
"I didn't... enter this body because I wanted to. That's why I made a contract with Seon-ah. That if I found a vessel I could move into, I would return his mother... That vessel just happened to be you."
'Ah... what have I done...'
In a way, her father saving her life was no different from sacrificing his own mother.
When she realized that he had abandoned his family, whom he had been with for so long, and chosen her—his daughter—a heavy sense of guilt settled in her heart.
"Then... I'll take your place... I'll become your vessel... Grandma... no... Mom? Anyway... give him back... give him back to Father..."
She couldn't sort out the titles due to such a ridiculous family tree, but she wanted to return the woman her father wanted.
"Even that is something for Seon-ah to decide after he comes to his senses. We have no choice..."
Each of those despairing words felt like a dagger piercing Yena's heart.
Why had she come to solve Yu-ra's worries only to end up with such unbearable ones of her own?
Yena had faced a situation she couldn't begin to comprehend.