Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

On the eighth day of the conference, when Drayce had gone to attend, Seren was ready to welcome the guests coming to meet her in the early noon. Among all the royals who had arrived at Othinia for the summit, only the King of Megaris had brought his esteemed Queen with him.

The visit had been arranged beforehand, but Seren was unwell, so it was delayed. Finally, Princess Ayira of Othinia was permitted to meet Seren, sent by her mother, the Queen of Othinia, to welcome her and present her with gifts.

Seren awaited this special guest in the drawing room, special because she was a possible marriage prospect for her brother. Seren was eager to know what kind of person this princess was, as Queen Niobe had personally chosen her for her son. There was no way Queen Niobe would choose just any random princess for her son.

"Your Majesty, the Princess of Othinia is here," Eva announced.

Seren permitted, and soon the Princess, along with her two lady servants, was guided inside the drawing room.

Seren observed the beautiful woman, whose mannerisms and the way she carried herself with pride reminded Seren of someone.

'It's as if she is the younger version of Queen Niobe. No wonder the Queen has chosen her. A woman full of pride and courage, I can see that in her. She would definitely make a perfect pair with my brother.'

Little did Seren know that this Princess had already rejected her brother and showed she had no intentions of getting married to someone who was not Othinian.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Queen Seren," Ayira greeted with a polite bow.

Before coming here, she had gathered information about Seren, so seeing her face veiled didn't surprise her. 'As rumors say, she sure has the most beautiful pair of eyes. Rare ones. Must be someone special to catch the attention of the King of Megaris,' Ayira wondered as her deep brown eyes observed Seren, offering her a smile.

"Please have a seat, Princess Ayira."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ayira sat in the chair and informed, "These are some gifts my mother has arranged for you. She believes you would like them," and signaled her servants to uncover those trays.

Seren looked at them as a formality of accepting them. "They are precious. Thank you so much."

Seren and Ayira continued to talk for a while, where Seren found Ayira admirable and liked her even more for her brother.

Finishing the conversation while enjoying the freshly brewed tea, Ayira was ready to leave, and Seren escorted her out of the drawing room.

Just then, Drayce had returned after finishing the conference and spotted his wife with a newcomer. The servant had informed him that the Princess of Othinia was here, so it didn't take him a moment to realize who she was.

Drayce approached them, and Seren spoke, "Dray, this is Princess Ayira."

Drayce glanced at her, and the Princess bowed to the red-eyed man. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Ayira had only heard about him, but finally got to see the man who was most feared and known for his red eyes. She couldn't help but muse - both husband and wife had such rare and almost nonexistent colors of eyes, definitely made for each other.

Drayce accepted the greetings with a nod and heard Seren say, "I will escort the Princess out."

Drayce nodded and watched his wife happily walking with the Princess, her excitement as if she was already with her sister-in-law. 'She gets excited over things so soon.'

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Your Majesty," Ayira said politely and left, while Seren returned to Drayce.

She clung to his arm and looked at him with eyes full of excitement. "So, what do you think about my sister-in-law?"

"You should better ask your brother and Princess Ayira what they think about each other. My opinion doesn't count."

"Umm, but still," Seren insisted.

"She seems to be a good match for him. You can trust Queen Niobe's choice," he replied and walked upstairs while holding her hand.

"I was thinking the same. When it comes to brother Cian, we can surely trust in Queen Niobe."

-----

Just before sunset, Cian found himself engaged in a confrontation with the smugglers. This time, he managed to seize the banned herbs even before Ayira's group could arrive.

"Your Highness, all the smugglers are apprehended, and we've secured the herbs. What are your orders?" Eliot inquired.

Cian paused, cleaning his sword which bore traces of blood, a faint smirk tugging at his lips in anticipation of what was to come.

His ears perked up at distant sounds, signaling the arrival he had been anticipating.

"You have your answer now, Eliot," Cian remarked casually, drawing Eliot's attention to the approaching group of armed individuals clad in familiar attire.

"They're here," Eliot confirmed.

"Have you set aside the portion of herbs I instructed?" Cian inquired before turning to face the approaching group.

"Yes, Your Highness."

As the figure, shrouded with a cloth covering her face, stood before Prince Cian, she spoke in a composed tone, "seems like, discovering my real identity made it easy for you to track my actions and even beat me to it," her deep brown eyes meeting his, devoid of anger.

Only her eyes were visible, yet Cian could imagine the expressions playing across her face at this moment. His smirk widened as he responded, "If I fail to take advantage of such a precious discovery in my own favor, then that would be disappointing."

"So, you obtained the herb as you desired?" she remarked, not feeling angry at his blatant admission.

"And now, I await your participation in the noble cause I intend to undertake tomorrow night," he replied.

It was a clear challenge for her to find out the locations of plantation which he knew but she didn't.

Accepting the challenge, she replied confidently, "Certainly. You'll find me there."

"Then, as usual, I trust you'll handle these smugglers and as for the herb, consider it as a gift from me," Cian declared, glancing at Eliot, who affirmed, "We are ready to leave."

Cian turned his attention back at Ayira, "Have a good time burning those herbs," offered her a light nod and walked away with his people.

The pair of deep brown eyes followed him as she addressed her companion, "Harvey."

"Yes, leader," the man replied promptly.

"What are your thoughts on him?" Ayira inquired, her gaze lingering on the retreating figure of the prince.

"He appears quite capable and courageous, whoever he may be," Harvey responded, his eyes following Ayira's gaze.

"Should I capture him and make him work with us?"

"That would be a significant addition," Harvey replied, his voice tinged with excitement.

Ayira looked at him with a displeased gaze as if her companion answered wrong, frown appearing between her brows, "If he is that capable, will he even let me capture him?"

"Perhaps if the leader reveals herself to him. He is a man afterall…" Harvey suggested tentatively.

Ayira's frown deepened. "That won't work on him. He is not like those men," and walked ahead, "Let's finish what they started," she commanded her followers, directing them to handle the smugglers and destroy the herbs.