As the Demon Demands ✔️

Epilogue

Still, he couldn't say he hadn't done the same when he was a little boy. When he had been naïve and selfish, running away from lessons to do whatever he wanted instead of what his mother had asked... His son was almost exactly like him, not just in looks but personality. And he couldn't stop the thought from bringing a small smile to his face.

"I promise I will teach you," he said as he patted his son's head. "I will even ask my secretary to rearrange time in my schedule so we can practice every few days."

The little boy beamed. "R-Really?"

Marak nodded.

A bright smile came to Dharmir's face. Then he reached up and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. Marak chuckled, but hugged him back with a pat to his head. The boy would still be punished for running away from his nanny and his lessons, but he supposed that could wait for now. Besides, they were both out here already. It wouldn't hurt to get some practice in.

But just as he let the boy ago, he could hear rapid footsteps approaching. He let go of his son and stood up, not surprised to see a few people rushing down the path and towards the garden. He recognized Dharmir's nanny along with the two guards, though he was surprised to see his wife with them and her maids. She had panic written all over her face, which only made him huff.

"Come on," he said, gesturing to the boy.

Dharmir nodded and followed his father back down the gravel path.

Evangeline managed to reach them first, relief washing over her as she saw her son at her husband's side. "Dharmir!" she cried.

"Mama!"

The little boy rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his face into her stomach.

"Gods, how many times do I have to tell you?" She hugged him back tightly, her shoulders slumping as she finally was able to relax. "You can't run off like that! What if something happened?!"

"I'm sorry, Mama..." He nuzzled her stomach before looking up at her with big, pleading eyes. "Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, sweetie." She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I just worry."

At least she knew that nothing bad had happened to him. Still, he couldn't run off like that. When the nanny had told her he was missing, she had nearly had a panic attack. She was just glad that she hadn't been in the middle of any important meetings or hadn't been meeting with other nobles. When it came to her children, she wasn't the best at hiding her anxiety.

"Dhar!"

The new cry caught her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her maid struggling with a wiggling little girl. With a sigh, she nodded to the demoness to put the child down. Vala looked revealed as she set the three-year-old to her feet, who immediately waddled over to her big brother. Dharmir smiled and moved to hug his sister, both of them giggling as she snuggled against him.

Evangeline sighed softly at the sight. Well, at least one good thing came out of this. She had been playing with Keishara earlier, but the little girl kept asking for Dharmir. Despite being three years apart, she loved her big brother and spending time with him. And thankfully, Dharmir was more than happy to play with his sister.

Sparing a glance at her husband, they both nodded to each other. Then she turned back to her children and pointed towards the gravel path in front of them. "Come along, you two. Let's go play for now."

"Okay!" they both cried, bright smiles coming to their faces.

Marak just watched on silently as Evangeline guided their children towards the swing. A small smile came to his face when he saw Dharmir hold little Keishara's hand, making sure to keep her on the path while she kept trying to run after passing butterflies. He was so protective of her... and probably a good thing too. He sensed that Keishara would grow up to be an even bigger troublemaker than her brother.