Chapter 926 [Side Story] 9 [Out Of Affection]
Newest Chapter for Highest Tier (July 2022)
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Archdemon Empress Luna
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The nursery room was close to her and Apollyon\'s marriage suite, making the nightly feeding more convenient.
There were times when she slept on the nursery room \'s chaise lounge so she could watch over her babies better.
Once Luna and Sloth arrived at the nursery room, she immediately checked up on her daughter\'s cribs.
She made a beeline towards Leonora first before going to Celestria.
Leo\'s tiny arms were raised over her head as she laid her back on the cushions.
She stroked the thin silver hairs on her forehead gently before sliding her pinky into her open hand.
Sloth and Luna watched her little fingers curl around it as she slept on.
Her sleeping princesses looked comfortable in their carriage - inspired magical crib.
However, some of their toys were scattered all over the floor when they should have been placed inside their chest trunk.
She was about to tell Sloth about the eyesore but the instant she glanced at him, he had already lifted them off the ground with magic and cleaned it up the mess without her saying anything.
When he was done, he noticed her looking at him and raised a curious eyebrow.
As they stared at each other for a few seconds, she wondered if the Archdemon could pick up her thoughts.
She looked away to watch her babies and murmured, " You did a great job tucking them in."
"The nanny and the nursemaids Queen Morgan had sent to assist you did most of the dirty jobs. But I would gladly take the credit if you want." Sloth replied cheekily as his fingers clasped the crib\'s barrier.
He was right though.
The Fae nursemaids tidied and maintained the nursery room well.
They did the laundry, light the fireplace to combat the coldness of the Vampire Kingdom, and carried hot water to bathe the babes.
Like Sloth had said, Rere had stayed at the walk-on balcony most of the time to keep an eye out on winged intruders-- Fairfolk, Archangels and Archdemons alike-- who wished to capture her babies for some fucked-up reason.
She couldn\'t careless if she came across as a paranoid mother as long as Leonora and Celestria are safe.
When she visited Celestria, tiny toes peeked from Celestria\'s blankets and Luna lowered it to protect her feet from insects.
She couldn\'t deny that she was more emotionally attached to Apollyon\'s daughter.
But she made a promise to herself that she would take care of her Luxen\'s daughter equally even she found it difficult.
She can\'t fully forget the past but she c an certainly choose to ignore it.
Her Archdemon Familiars had mocked her for this, thinking she had done this out of pity to atone for her past sins.
They laughed at its irony, saying that it was something no Archdemons would do.
Ravin even added that there was no need to pretend to be kind---that if she wanted to kill the Celestria out of contempt for Luxen, they wouldn\'t mind.
They would turn a blind eye on it because they couldn\'t really blame her for it.
"Think of it as revenge for whatever pain he brought you, Amare." Luna could hear Ravin whisper in her ear as he stood close behind her like a devil on her shoulder. "If the time should come when Luxen was able to regain his strength at the Ninth Circles of Hell , gain sentience and climb through the demon ranks again, he will be glad to know that his spawn had lived."
"He will do whatever it takes to snatch Celestria away and ruin you again." Sloth added for good measure.
Fed up, Luna turned around to face them, her voice wavering when she said, "What kind of Archdemon Familiars are you if you can\'t even protect me and the children?"
Ravin threw his head back and let out an incredulous laugh.
"Protecting? That\'s what Archangels do, Amare. How about you call those creatures for help? Especially, that one who\'s obsessed with Leo." He smirked. "I heard from your birthing attendants that he and his choir helped you give birth safely."
She frowned at him, finding his suggestion ridiculous. "No Archdemons are capable of summoning Archangels, Ravin."
"I bet Leo could once she started learning how to speak. That Archangel Azrael did promised to fetch her when she reached adulthood." Sloth made weird gestures with his hands as if his fingers were tickling the air. "Creepy."
"As if you are one to talk." Luna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Please, Sloth. Don\'t mention those divine beings anymore." Or they might get in trouble with them. "I don\'t know if they hear us every time their names were mentioned. One thing I\'m sure of is that if they wanted to be here, they will be here. I don\'t want him to take Leo away from me so both of you must do whatever you can for my child."
"We are only supposed to protect you."Ravin tugged at his collar in annoyance. "Do you not care of our reputation as Archdemon Princes? Why do you have to make us do these unnecessary errands for people other than you?" Scowling, he jabbed a finger at her with every word. "It\'s bad enough that we already made an exception for your husband. As your mate, I couldn\'t stand seeing you suffer."
She watched him calmly and rasped. "Too late. You are part of this family now. The least you could do is shield us from harm."
Upon hearing the word \'family\', their eyebrows shot up in surprise.
They hadn\'t expected Luna to consider them as family, thinking this was strictly a master-servant relationship.
"No family would dare order an Archdemon Prince around like you do. You should be glad that I got used to it by now."
Luna opened her mouth to speak but Ravin interrupted her, "I\'m not doing these things because I have no choice as an Archdemon Familiar. I\'m doing all of this for you. Out of affection. Remember that."