Tales of the Immortal Star [Aria's Tales]

Arc 2: Chapter 9

For the first time in a century, the Demon King's face went pale. Then it turned ghastly as Sevianna flew closer towards him and turned back, exposing her wings for him to see clearly. They were real, not illusions.

She was a fallen angel?!

Everyone reached this conclusion simultaneously. Their weary hearts shook, sweat forming on their foreheads. No wonder she had been so confident earlier! No wonder she could meet eye to eye with the Demon King! She was a fallen angel, one who could annihilate a country if she ever went berserk. They were known to be immune to dark magic and possess insane physical strength. Even the most skilled martial artist would falter against the brute strength of a fallen angel.

While everyone was in shock, observing Sevianna with a mix of fear and interest, the Demon King trembled ever so slightly. His gaze upon Sevianna changed completely. It held loss, pain, and guilt. He could no longer summon the courage to oppose her. Now, he fully believed Adounis' words.

He knew. He knew it was a curse. When angels fell in love with someone outside their own kin, their love was tested, and they became fallen. He knew this because the person he had truly loved suffered because of him. They fell in love, and she fell from grace. The severity of this curse was compounded by the pride of angels. The angel he had loved could not accept her new identity, and -

The Demon King closed his eyes to suppress the pain. She had been so carefree, so lovely, so tender. But because of him, she chose to leave the world. It felt like everything had been just a dream. Unfortunately, Adounis' younger brother was a reminder of his greed and the fact that she was no longer here. 

He felt like a cold bucket of water was dumped on him. He had wronged his own son terribly.

"Forgive me." The Demon King softly said. He, himself, didn't know to who he was really asking for forgiveness - to Sevianna, to his lover, or to his son. But seeing that familiar black wings had made him lose all his mental strength.

Everyone was stunned silly at his low-key apology. What the heck did they just heard? Have they gone deaf?! Why was today's banquet so crazy!?

Sevianna glanced dully at the Demon King, but she neither accepted nor refused his apology. She appeared too lazy to acknowledge him. The people who saw her actions could not help but feel a bit of anger swell up in their hearts. Even if she was a fallen angel, this was still their Demon King ah! To insult him would be insulting them!

But to add another shock to their already weak hearts, the Demon King sighed in relief at Sevianna's reaction. At the very least, she didn't refuse him. He was more afraid that she would get angry for he knew that fallen angels can have quite a short temper.

Sevianna turned away from him and cautiously went back to Adounis' side. Her eyes were vigilant, clearly telling him not to touch her wings again.

But for some reason, the more she showed a lively reaction against her wings being touched, the more Adounis wanted to. He'll have to wait for the perfect opportunity though. His stubbornness prevented him from giving up on this amusing discovery.

Sevianna didn't seem to feel assured at his silent affirmation, so she had half of her attention on Adounis while half was spent munching on food for the most part of the banquet.

The birthday party finally officially started, and the storm ended. There was still uneasiness in everyone's hearts, but they dared not show it in front of the King. Immediately, everyone put on their business smiles and fake laughter as they started to mingle.

Sevianna watched the fiasco from afar. She couldn't find any motivation to be a part of the celebration, so she stayed on the balcony. Adounis, reluctant to be apart from her, had to take his eyes off of her for a minute to give his present to his father.