Within the brightly lit ward, the young woman who had lain unconscious for several days on the bed let out a soft sound. Her fingers trembled twice before she slowly opened her heavy eyelids.
A wave of soreness immediately washed over her body, as if she had been utterly depleted of strength. Dizziness and nausea surged uncontrollably, making her feel on the verge of vomiting.
“Celia!”
From the side of the bed, a drowsy Isha noticed Celia had awakened. With a joyous cry, she rushed forward, embracing the young woman tightly and nuzzling her face against Celia’s chest.
However, Isha’s enthusiastic embrace was a bit much for the newly awakened Celia. She gasped, feeling as though her aching body might fall apart, and the urge to vomit intensified.
“Isha, don’t hug her so tightly. She hasn’t recovered yet.”
“Ah! I’m sorry!”
Aurora’s reminder, coupled with the discomfort Celia was clearly experiencing, prompted Isha to release her. This allowed Celia a moment to breathe. The dizziness and nausea gradually receded as she lay on the bed, memories from days prior flashing through her mind.
‘A sixth-tier demon… the battle…’
She abruptly turned her head to glance at Isha and Aurora. Seeing that they were no longer in any serious danger, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.
To recover so swiftly after being severely wounded and rendered unconscious by a sixth-tier demon was truly beyond her expectations. Unlike her, who had only just managed to regain consciousness…
As if realizing something, she hastily reached up to touch the back of her neck, intending to cover the demonic紋 there with her palm. At the same time, she twisted her body, as if trying to distance herself from Isha and Aurora.
Aurora blinked, understanding the meaning behind Celia’s actions. She chuckled softly, saying with a knowing smile, “That butterfly-shaped demonic纹 is quite beautiful, you know.”
Celia’s body stiffened. She pouted, realizing that the demonic纹 had already been seen.
She decided against trying to hide it any longer and sat up on the bed.
“Aren’t you afraid?” she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of confusion.
Though she had previously asked Isha and Aurora about their views on demons, she still felt a lingering unease. After all, demons and heroes were mortal enemies, and throughout their long struggle, demons had consistently held the upper hand.
“Afraid of what? Celia is Celia, even if she’s a demon!”
Seeing Celia’s condition had improved, Isha couldn’t resist hugging her again. “What’s more, Celia was a true hero that day! Stopping a sixth-tier demon all by herself—that was incredibly cool!”
“Cough, cough! This, this is simply what a captain should do! There’s nothing to praise.”
Just a few words of praise were enough to make Celia’s face flush crimson, even her delicate ears turning noticeably red. She huffed softly, feigning indifference to the compliments, all while struggling to break free from Isha’s embrace.
Unfortunately, the pink-haired young woman possessed surprisingly great strength. Celia found herself utterly unable to escape her grasp; in fact, Isha only held her tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe.
“Let’s go call Sister Huona. She’ll be so happy you’re awake.”
“Yes! She’s been here by your side with you the whole time too!”
In the end, it was Aurora who came to the rescue. With a single sentence, she prompted Isha to obediently release Celia. Isha then excitedly left the ward to find Huona.
Celia took the opportunity to survey the ward. Discovering the lingering floral scent and warmth from her mother on the empty chair beside the bed, her heart swelled with warmth.
Recalling the past, even when she was on the verge of collapse, she had never doubted that her mother would arrive to save her.
And just as she had expected, her mother descended from the sky, becoming the great hero who rescued her.
Yet, after the warmth flowed through her, a deep sense of guilt followed. If only she had been stronger, perhaps her mother wouldn’t have needed to save her, nor would she have had to worry.
She could use her youth as an excuse, but when truly faced with danger, who would spare her simply because she was young?
Celia pushed back the covers and got out of bed.
Her weakened legs inexplicably buckled, causing her to nearly fall to the ground. She quickly grabbed the bedside, steadying herself.
After a moment to adjust, she walked to the half-length mirror in the ward. Turning sideways, she exposed the back of her neck and gazed at the beautiful butterfly demonic纹 in the reflection, falling into a long silence.
“It’s too obvious. If I walked the streets without covering it, I would easily be mistaken for a demon.”
She attempted to circulate the magic within her body to conceal it, but for some reason, the magic in her body was like a small stream flowing through a dry riverbed—it simply wouldn’t move.
Forcing its circulation even brought a needle-like pain.
Giving up on the idea of hiding the demonic纹, she took out the communicator she hadn’t touched during her unconsciousness.
Orl, the butler of the Fiona family, had sent her many messages. After reading them, she stood stunned.
Just then, Isha’s voice drifted from outside the ward.
“Celia, Sister Lena is here.”
The door quickly opened, and a familiar figure appeared before her. She put down her communicator, called out “Mom,” and then, with a radiant smile, rushed into Lena’s embrace.
“Why are you out of bed?”
Lena chided softly, carrying her back to the bed. Isha, who had heard Celia’s address, froze for a few seconds, then her face filled with disbelief.
“Huh?! Mom?!”
Her gaze darted between Celia and Lena, her brain short-circuiting. The cowlick on her head slowly swayed, making her appear exceptionally cute and bewildered.
“Celia, did you call the wrong person? How could Sister Lena be…”
Seeing that Isha knew nothing, Aurora sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. She didn’t let Isha finish speaking, instead pulling her directly out of the ward, intending to tell her everything that had happened recently.
Thus, only Lena and Celia remained in the room.
Lena looked at Celia, asking with concern, “How do you feel? Is there anywhere you’re uncomfortable?”
“The demonic纹 doesn’t seem to disappear, and it’s also very difficult to circulate the magic within my body…”
Celia described her recent sensations. Lena, hearing this, became very anxious. She quickly grasped the young woman’s hand, and transforming into Dorothy, used her magic to heal the injuries within Celia’s body.
‘The inability to hide the demonic纹 is a major problem. It means Celia will have great difficulty living in human territory in the future, and once discovered, countless heroes will come to besiege her.
‘To allow Celia to remain here, hiding the demonic纹 is the most fundamental requirement.’
Time passed by. Lena dispersed her healing magic and asked anxiously, “Do you feel any better?”
“No.”
Celia shook her head, and Lena’s heart immediately sank.
‘What should I do? Can the demonic纹 truly not be hidden?’
Celia gently shook her head, and Lena’s heart slowly sank. Many heroes truly excelled at healing; some among them might be able to treat Celia. However, Celia bore a demonic紋, and seeking their treatment would be no different than walking into a trap.
As Lena found herself at a loss, Celia looked at her and suddenly spoke, “Mom, if I go back to the demon realm, will you come with me?”
Lena immediately thought of the Demon King City and Sophia. For her, she did not want to return, so she looked elsewhere, hesitating and remaining silent.
Celia, however, understood the answer from her expression.
“I understand.”
There was no disappointment in her tone; instead, it was calm, as if it had merely been a casual question.
“You want to return to the demon realm?”
“Yes, Orl will come to Hunterston tonight to pick me up and take me back to Demon King City. He said that my physical anomaly, he said, can only be cured by Demon King Sophia.”
“…Is that so?”
Lena’s hands, hidden in the folds of her skirt, quietly clenched. She lowered her head, becoming even more conflicted and hesitant.
The Demon King City was a place she preferred not to mention. While the memories there were beautiful, they were all built upon her suffering.
If she hadn’t lost her hero memories, she wouldn’t have become Sophia’s consort during those five years, nor would she have borne her child. She would have struggled, resisted, and ultimately met a tragic end.
Now, to return to the Demon King City, she simply didn’t know how to face Sophia, nor how to explain it to her worried friends.
Not to mention the recent turmoil in the demon realm; Meli had specifically warned her a few days ago not to return to Demon King City under any circumstances.
A warm hand covered her own, interrupting Lena’s thoughts. She turned to look at Celia beside her, seeing a hint of guilt in her daughter’s eyes.
“Mom, I don’t want you to force yourself to come back with me. I’ve already hurt you once; I don’t want to hurt you a second time.”
“Besides, Mom, your impression of Sophia is probably still from those five years you lost your memory, right? Facing you with your hero memories, no one knows what she’ll do. So, let me go alone. Once I’m healed, I’ll return to you as soon as possible.”
She could tell Lena was conflicted, so she spoke directly, persuading her to abandon the idea of coming along.
Lena, startled, suddenly realized that Celia’s words made perfect sense.
Her impression of Sophia indeed came from those five years of fragmented memories.
As a lover, Sophia was gentle, powerful, and considerate. As a monarch, she was almost omnipotent…
Yet, during those five years, Lena had been confined to the royal palace. The only people she interacted with were the taciturn maids, her young daughter, and Sophia herself.
Everything she knew was what Sophia had allowed her to know.
She had never seen Sophia outside the palace, nor had she seen her leading demon armies into battle. She had barely even seen her handle state affairs.
‘Was Sophia truly the person I perceived her to be?’
‘In corners I didn’t know, was she constantly bearing some burden?’
Many doubts surfaced in Lena’s mind. Sophia’s image suddenly blurred; for a moment, she couldn’t distinguish what Sophia truly looked like. All she knew was that Sophia had kept many things from her.
‘If she returned to the Demon King City, would she again fear her memories?’
Recalling those five years filled with incomplete memories, Lena knew Sophia was fully capable of doing such a thing, absolutely without anyone knowing. Without a reminder from others, she wouldn’t even realize another piece of her memory had gone missing.
‘But the Demon King City is very dangerous now…’
Lena was still uneasy about letting Celia return with Orl. Celia had to rub her own neck, comforting her mother.
“Don’t worry, Mom. According to Orl, very few people have actually seen the demonic纹 of me, the Demon Princess. Entering the Demon King City, I’ll just look like a child from a noble family.”
“No one will even recognize me if I swagger through Demon King City.”
This was indeed true. Demonic紋s were one of the symbols of a demon’s identity. Conversely, she would be in great danger in human territory; as soon as her demonic纹 was discovered, an encirclement would be unavoidable.
Seeing that her mother was somewhat swayed by her words, Celia patted her chest and huffed playfully, “Once I meet Sophia, I’ll give Mom a thorough assessment to see if she’s worthy of your forgiveness.”
She seemed to have been looking forward to meeting her other mother for a long time.
“That’s enough planning for now. You should take care of yourself first.” Lena ruffled her head affectionately, then instructed with lingering worry, “If you’re bullied in Demon King City, you must tell me. Even if that scoundrel Sophia bullies you, I’ll help you beat her back.”
Celia clenched her fist. The legendary terrifying Demon King seemed insignificant in Lena’s words. It was a pity that Lena’s body looked delicate; her attempts to act fierce had no deterrent effect, instead making Celia laugh.
However, she quickly remembered something else, placing her hands on her hips and declaring defiantly, “Of course I’ll take care of myself! I’m not a child anymore, and we can’t just let things be! I have a mom now, and I want a home—a complete home!”
By the end, her eyes shone with anticipation for the future. Even her hands-on-hips stance unconsciously shifted to arms wide open, as if measuring the size of a home.
Looking at the light in her daughter’s eyes, Lena’s heart ached. She inexplicably recalled the words Celia had whispered to her a few days prior, nestled in her embrace.
‘Mom, I’m very greedy, you know…’
At the time, she hadn’t understood what Celia meant by ‘greedy.’ Now, she understood.
After meeting her, Celia wasn’t satisfied; she began to yearn for a truly complete home, wishing that Lena and Sophia could be together again, becoming her closest, dearest family.
Even if her demonic纹 hadn’t activated, even if her body hadn’t shown anomalies, she would have chosen to return to Demon King City to see. No wonder she hadn’t cared at all whether the academy would expel her.
It was just a pity that her relationship with Sophia wasn’t that simple. Their identities and positions also prevented them from doing as they pleased. The one thing she dared not easily promise was to give Celia a complete home.
A twinge of apology arose in Lena’s heart. Not being able to give her daughter a complete home was her and Sophia’s fault.
“Mom has done enough. The rest, leave it to me, your daughter! Don’t forget, I’m also a part of this family!” She hugged Lena, pressing her face against her mother’s to comfort her, and quietly kissed her cheek.
She swore she would find a way to bring her mothers back together again.