When A Ghoul Falls In Love

His son is happy.聽

Duke Balthier Sanguine sighs. If his son is happy, he should let this go.聽

If he objects, his son will do something worse.

Eli is about to turn away and leave the study when his father calls for him.

"Wait for a moment." Duke Balthier walks to his safe. "I have something to give you."

What could it be? He already got the letter. Eli looks over his shoulder and finds his father placing a small wooden box on the table. Curious about the box, Eli walks back to the desk.

"Your mother would have wanted you to have it." Duke Balthier opens the box. In the box, there is a black long earring and a white ivory bangle with ancient symbols.

In their kingdom, there is an important ritual in a traditional engagement ceremony. The groom puts on a bangle on the bride. The bridge will put the earring on the groom's ear.聽

This bangle and the earring are a set.聽

"Are you sure that I can have this?" Eli glances at the bangle. He had seen this in his mother's portrait. His mother used to wear it. His father and his mother married according to the traditions. Later, his father didn't go through long rituals when he married his other wives. Judith, Tamara, and Victoire do not wear these bangles.聽

Duke Balthier Sanguine fidgets awkwardly. To be honest, he didn't expect Eli to get married so soon. Ark, Eoin, and Ephraim aren't married yet. Eli is still young. It would have been fine if his son could marry after a few hundred years. That's why he had never put pressure on his son to marry Carmine, although he had accepted Carmine's declaration and betrothal.聽

"She told me that she would want our daughter to wear this at her wedding." Duke Balthier Sanguine doesn't meet his son's penetrating gaze. He has never talked to him about Nilora before. He adds hesitantly, "or her son's wife."

Eli opens his mouth and closes it again. He has prepared a bangle, but it's nothing compared to this national treasure.

This ivory bangle and earring belong to the goddess of darkness who created the lower world.

The demonic goddess gave it to her first child who became the first demon emperor of the lower world. Later, the lower world was separated into multiple teams. They believe that each king is related to the demon emperor.聽

This ivory bangle wards off evil energy and improves the person's health and fertility. The ancient symbols on the ivory bangle amplify magic and strengthen the core. They say that the words of the goddess are sealed in those ancient symbols.

It's an inheritance from his mother's great-grandmother. For a long time, the earring was missing.

"Why didn't she put the earring on you?" Eli asks his father before he could stop himself.聽

"I wanted to find the earring because it was a pair to the bangle. I found the earring after our wedding." Duke Balthier Sanguine touches his yellow topaz ring unconsciously. "I wanted her to put it on me, but I was already married to鈥?

Eli purses his lips. He doesn't know what to say.聽

The goddess of darkness is not a primordial goddess. She is the face of the primordial god of darkness, but she is currently the most powerful goddess in the lower worlds.

Since the goddess of darkness and goddess of the night are connected, this bangle should be in tune with Nell's magic.

He doesn't want Nell to wear anything related to the fae magic, even if the fae magic is good for her health. The bangle is certainly a good replacement. Also, this bangle can't be taken off by the person until the engagement or the marriage is dissolved by the goddess of darkness.聽

"Don't you hate me?" Eli hides his trembling hand behind his back, staring hard at the bangle. Why is he still affected? Even this bangle couldn't save his mother. "She died because of me."

Duke Balthier Sanguine inhales sharply. He hasn't expected that Eli would be blaming himself. Did his son know the truth? It's not possible. He had made sure that nobody found out the truth. Nilora would never want Eli to suffer. "What do you mean?"

"She died during childbirth." Eli mumbles softly, "My dark mana killed her."

That's what he thinks. Duke Balthier lets out a breath of relief. When he notices Eli's puzzled look on him, Duke Balthier Sanguine gives him a small smile. "It was your mother's decision to have you. Even after her death, I wasn't able to get over it. It took me a long time to accept her decision. Your mother chose to bring you to the world. She would have never regretted her decision. Don't think that you killed her. She was your mother."

His father turns his back to him. Eli realises something. If Nell goes through a similar thing that his mother went through, he would also want Nell to live instead of their child. Although he wants to have children with Nell, they would never be as important as her. Even if the child in her belly is threatening to her life, then he would kill the child even if she abhors him.

But that kind of situation will not become reality.聽

Eli picks up the box.聽

"Thank you, Father."

***

"I am still alive."聽

Nell leans back in the chair. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is slightly open, inhaling and exhaling rhythmically to calm herself down. She has gone through hell. There is no other word for it.聽

Madame Rogue claps her hands. "Lady Solomon, you look majestically beautiful."

She would rather look ugly. Nell takes a deep breath. She must have patience. But it's only the engagement. Why are they going so far?聽

"You are probably the only female in the world who can look amazing in the groom's robe." Madame Rogue wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her hard work鈥?Only she can prepare wedding robes within a night.聽

'You look pretty, but I want to see Little Marshmallow.' Nell hears Devil's whisper in her head. When did he come back?

'I was hanging out with Belinda.'

So, Devil made some friends.

'She is passable as a servant.'

Nell sighs. Why does this devil consider everyone his servant? Is he sure that he is not a real cat?

'I am not a cat.' The Devil snaps, 'I am better than a real cat.'

She decides not to argue. It's her engagement day.

'Oh! You are excited, aren't you?'

The person who stared back at her is unrecognizable.聽

Her pale blonde hair is tied into a loose side-ponytail that rests on her shoulder. She is wearing a small white earring on her right ear. Her white silk robes have fine gold embroidery of clouds and the sun.聽

Nell touches her cheeks. How did she get flawless skin within a few hours? She pinches her skin. Is this magic? Is this her face? Her skin used to be dull and pale.聽

But that's not what surprised her.

Thing is鈥?she looks like an androgynous person. Neither female nor male. Though she appears to be graceful and elegant, this is a little strange for her.聽

"You are a natural beauty, Lady Solomon." Madame Rogue places her hands on Nell's shoulders. "Young master will be happy to see you."

"I want to see him." Nell tells her solemnly, "Did he get ready?"

"He got ready before you woke up." Madame Rogue gives her a warm smile. "In fact, everyone is waiting for you in the hall."

"Everyone?" Nell pales. "Who are there other than him and his family?"

"The head priest of the main temple of the goddess of darkness, a royal envoy who will act as a witness, everyone from the Sanguine family, servants, my family and employees, friends and relatives of the Sanguine family, and鈥? Madame Rogue notices Nell holding her head. "Is the groom nervous?"

"Groom?" Nell blinks her eyes. "I am the groom?"

"Young master said that you wanted to be the groom." Madame Rogue puts her finger under her chin and raises her face. "Milady, I think that you would have been the most beautiful bride in the millennium."

She did say something like that, but he didn't have to go that far. Wait! Why are they groom and bride when it's only an engagement?

"Madame Rogue, is it only an engagement?" Nell frowns at her. "I am not foolishly getting married to him, am I?"

"Milady, it's engagement only," Madame Rogue assures her. "You can ask the head priest if you don't believe me. If it was a wedding, the entire kingdom would have been invited."

"Phew!" Nell releases her breath. It's only an engagement. "I shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Milady, a clergyman is here to take you."聽

Nell walks out of the room with Madame Rogue. She blinks her eyes when she sees the 'clergyman'. "Why are you here?"