By the ti I returned to my chambers, my legs were barely carrying . My head felt too heavy, my stomach kept twisting like sothing inside was trying to speak, and every breath felt like I was breathing through two different worlds at once. I shut the door behind and leaned on it, sliding down slowly.
Weak. Hot. Cold. Angry. Scared. Hopeful. Disgusted. Excited.
Every emotion was hitting like waves, one after the other, wild and uncontrollable.
Pregnant?
No. No, no, no, no. Impossible.
I placed my shaking hand on my stomach, and suddenly my mind flashed — Leon. His warmth. That night. How everything cut off halfway but how the feeling still lingered like an unfinished Chapter.
"No," I whispered, my voice breaking. "It can’t be."
My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.
Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so weak? So nauseous? So tired? Why do I feel like there’s... sothing inside ? Sothing breathing, sothing faint but there.
I got up quickly, pacing the room, then stopping because dizziness almost knocked down.
No, I can’t be. Not now. Not here. Not in the demon world. Not when Leon... Leon...
I covered my mouth as more tears dropped. My chest squeezed tight, panic spreading everywhere.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door.
I wiped my tears imdiately. "Co in."
Darius entered with slow, controlled steps — the type that always warned trouble. His eyes scanned from head to toe like he already knew sothing was off.
"You look pale," he said. "Did you eat?" His tone was soft, suspiciously soft.
"Yes. I— I’m fine." My voice cracked in the middle.
He didn’t look convinced, but he continued anyway.
"I have removed your forr maid," he said sharply. "I don’t trust her loyalty anymore. You will be assigned a new one."
I swallowed. "Who?"
He snapped his fingers, and soone walked in from behind him.
The human girl. The one I saved. Her bruises still fresh, her eyes still swollen. When she saw , she imdiately bowed deeply.
"My lady... I— I was assigned to serve you."
I stared at Darius in disbelief. "Why her?"
"I saw you defending her," Darius said simply. "If she pleases you, she pleases . If she is loyal to you, she will be loyal to ."
He walked closer, his fingers brushing my cheek. I tensed.
"And besides, you seed... emotional today. I want soone gentle around you."
He left after that, leaving staring at the door like the world had just turned upside down.
The girl— Serah, that was her na — slowly approached .
"My lady," she said softly, "is everything okay?"
And that question alone broke .
I burst into tears.
Serah rushed to my side, holding my hands. "My lady—Aurora—it’s okay. Please breathe. Breathe slowly."
"I— I think sothing is wrong with ," I sobbed. "I feel sick. Weak. And she said... she said I might be pregnant."
Serah’s eyes softened with a kind of understanding only won shared.
"Then let your body tell you the truth," she whispered. "Don’t fight your tears. Cry. Cry until your mind clears."
I did. I cried so hard my chest hurt, so hard I couldn’t breathe properly.
And in the middle of those tears, one thought cut through everything...
If I am pregnant... is the child Leon’s?
And why does that possibility hurt and comfort at the sa ti?
After crying until my head felt empty and raw, I wiped my face, stood up, and imdiately headed toward the drawer where I hid the small communication crystal Hazel enchanted for back in the High House. If I could just send Leon a ssage—anything—maybe I would calm down. Maybe he would feel . Maybe sothing in the mate bond would react.
My fingers trembled as I lifted the crystal.
"Hazel... Leon... anyone, please—" I whispered as I tried channeling magic into it.
But the mont the power left my hand—
A sharp pain stabbed through my stomach.
My breath hitched.
The crystal fell from my fingertips.
"Aurora?" Serah rushed toward .
"I— I can’t—" My legs buckled and I grabbed the edge of the table to stop myself from collapsing. "My powers—sothing is wrong—"
I tried again. I pushed magic out, even a little spark—
Nothing.
No glow.
No shimr.
Just empty cold air.
I tried harder, and suddenly a wave of dizziness swallowed whole. My vision doubled, then tripled, like the room was swaying from side to side.
"Aurora!" Serah caught my arm before I hit the floor. "Stop—stop using your powers! You’re hurting yourself!"
"I can’t— I’m losing them—Serah—my powers aren’t coming out!" I gasped, panic clawing through my chest. "This is bad—sothing is wrong—what is wrong with ?!"
Serah held my face gently. "It’s the baby. You are pregnant. Your magic is being drained."
"No!" I shook my head violently, almost falling again. "That doesn’t make sense. I used my powers the other day. I burned a demon to ashes, and it worked perfectly. If I was pregnant, my magic wouldn’t fail. It wouldn’t—"
Serah froze.
"So the rumor was true," she whispered. "The demon who died mysteriously yesterday... it was you."
I swallowed. "...Yes."
She nodded slowly. "Then it makes sense."
"No it doesn’t!" I snapped, my heart racing. "If I could kill soone that easily yesterday, why can’t I spark even a tiny bit of power now? Why is everything suddenly gone?!"
Serah placed a hand on my stomach like she was listening.
"I told you," she said softly, "I sealed my powers before because I was pregnant. My powers didn’t disappear at first. They misbehaved. So days I felt powerful, so days I felt empty—then one day everything vanished completely."
"But I didn’t seal anything," I said. "I didn’t shut my powers down. They— they shouldn’t be doing this."
"It’s very possible," Serah whispered, "that your child is taking more than expected. If your baby has strong magic—or if your mate is powerful—your child will drain you when it needs strength."
Then a knock on the door distracted them..
open, her eyes widened and she imdiately slamd it shut again, stumbling backward like she had seen a ghost.
Aurora rushed toward her.
"What is it? Who’s there?"
Sarah shook her head so fast it almost fell off, pressing her back into the wall. "No—no, don’t open it. Don’t."
But Aurora’s curiosity was already boiling. She pushed Sarah gently aside and pulled the door open.
It was him.
The demon general.
The sa one who caused all that pain. The father of Sarah’s child.
Aurora’s eyes widened. She imdiately slamd the door shut again and turned to Sarah.
"What is he doing here?"
Sarah’s breath was shaking, her hands trembling so badly Aurora thought she might drop dead right there.
"Don’t—don’t let him in. Please," she whispered.
But Aurora wasn’t one to run from drama. She pulled the door wide open again, and this ti the demon general stepped inside before she could even think.
Sarah let out a tiny gasp and backed away like he was a curse co to life.
"Why are you here?" Aurora asked, crossing her arms, her voice cold enough to freeze fire.
He took one step forward, but Sarah flinched so hard he imdiately stopped.
His face twisted in guilt. "Sarah... I—I didn’t know."
Sarah looked away, wiping her tears quickly. "You didn’t know? You didn’t know you punched in the stomach? You didn’t know you almost killed your own child?" Her voice cracked like thin glass.
He dropped to his knees. Actually dropped.
The general of a demon battalion dropped like a beggar.
"Sarah, please... I didn’t know you were pregnant. I swear it on my life. I never would’ve—"
Aurora scoffed loudly.
"Save it. You left a pregnant woman crying her soul out, carrying YOUR child, while demons beat her like a rag doll. And you ’didn’t know?’ Are you hearing yourself?"
He looked up, pained. "Aurora... did she tell you? Did Sarah tell you I’m the father?"
Aurora blinked.
"What? She didn’t have to tell anything. I can see it. Anyone with a functioning brain can see the way you look at her."
"I didn’t know..." he whispered again, turning to Sarah with broken eyes. "Why didn’t you tell ? Why didn’t you co to ?"
Sarah snapped.
"Because the mont you beca a general, the elders said you needed a demon wife! They said I would ruin your future. That I was unfit. I didn’t want to be the reason you got punished, or the reason you failed your duties."
His eyes softened.
"I don’t care about titles," he said. "I care about YOU. And our child."
Sarah covered her face, crying harder now, shaking.
Aurora stepped in between them like the world’s angriest diator.
"So what now? You want to be in the baby’s life? Or is this just guilt speaking?"
He shook his head firmly.
"No. I want to be a father. I want to protect them both. I want her—"
He stopped, breath catching.
"I want Sarah. And I’ll face whatever consequences co with it."
Sarah slowly lifted her head, tears still falling, eyes wide with disbelief.
Aurora folded her arms.
"Well," she said with a deep sigh. "Looks like we’re starting drama week early."
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