Chapter 52

Chapter 52

But Cyril’s hand did not take the Demon King’s outstretched offer. The hand that had hesitated and clenched tightly now loosened without strength and gently cradled her belly. In that fleeting moment, hesitation passed, quiet anger surfaced, and finally, Cyril wore a face of serene resignation.

Lucifer, watching her face go through so many emotions in mere seconds, clicked his tongue quietly. Not only out of curiosity, but also because the offer he had extended had just been rejected.

His curiosity soon shifted to the thing that had made Cyril refuse him.

—

[“What are you hiding in your belly?”]

[“… A child.”]

[“I see. So humans carry their young inside their bodies?”]

—

Lucifer’s eyes immediately turned to this new discovery with great interest. The emptiness in Cyril’s eyes slowly transformed into something resolute and unwavering.

Her emerald eyes sparkled like dew touched by sunlight. Lucifer rested his chin in his hand and observed this change. The conversation was short. But viewing the same scene from a different angle allowed new truths to be seen.

The oppressive air of arrogance that had blanketed the surroundings grew still.

Lucifer never took his eyes off Cyril, who did not avoid his gaze either. And with that, the change only deepened.

—

[“Is that what’s making you hesitate?”]

[“Yes, because I have a child.”]

[“That child is more important to you than revenge?”]

[“It’s the child of that man and me.”]

[“What does that matter?”]

[“Because it’s the only connection left with the one I lost. And… if I make a contract with the Demon King for revenge, wouldn’t that mean I’ll die?”]

—

Cyril smiled bitterly. It was a question for which she already knew the answer. Lucifer did not offer anything unexpected in response.

—

[“That’s right. Humans are weak. They can only pay for contracts with their lives.”]

[“If I die… our child will be alone.”]

—

There was no fear or panic in Cyril’s lonely expression. It was calm, as though she no longer expected anything from this world. 

Cyril silently caressed her stomach, waiting for something. Her hair, dark like the abyss, flowed softly with the tilt of her head. Seeing her so fragile, Lucifer twitched his brow and tilted his head slightly, a faint shadow of irritation crossing his face.

‘Ah… this is really strange…’

I thought what made this dream different was the shift in perspective—but that wasn’t it. It was the raw emotion between the two. Not everything was clear, but more than ever before, I could see their expressions vividly, and their emotions buzzed through my skin, straight into my heart.

The more I watched, the stranger I felt. It was joyful, and yet painful. Heartbreaking, and also infuriating. And yet, I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was watch.

The dream continued; scene after scene.

At times, when the pain in my body grew intense, the hallucinations before my eyes trembled violently. As though the dream was resonating with my real pain, its edges flickered and became unstable. At this rate, wouldn’t it be better to just wake up?

The dream went on until Cyril’s belly was heavily swollen. During the span of that dream, the waves of searing pain coursed through me forty-seven times. And so, the dream progressed until the moment Cyril went into labor.

—

[“It’s Saint Cyril! No doubt, it’s really the missing Saint, look at her eyes!”]

[“She lied about her husband being the Hero, and now she’s carrying the Demon King’s child? What a disgrace to the Temple!”]

[“Now that the Demon King hasn’t shown himself for days, this is our chance. There’s a massive bounty on the Saint. Let’s take her to Alzahar.”]

[“No way. If we take her like this, we’ll be the ones in danger. She’s the Demon King’s woman. If she disappears, he’ll definitely come after us.”]

—

The men appeared as if they had been waiting for Lucifer to leave. They approached Cyril, who was lying on the bed. Normally, her holy power would have been enough to drive them out effortlessly. But Cyril, exhausted from the night-long labor, couldn’t move even a finger.

And the baby was about to come. Using her power now could have unpredictable consequences. This was CYril’s first time giving birth.

—

[“What do we do? Ugh! What is this? The baby’s coming now? Her water already broke!”]

[“Damn it! What are you waiting for? Just pull the kid out! If it’s the Demon King’s child, we’ll get more money than turning in the Saint herself!”]

[“Hey, that’s a good idea. You’re a genius!”]

—

I had never seen this part in the fairy tale books or even in previous dreams. I had seen Cyril die, covered in blood but never what happened before. As much as I hadn’t wanted to see her in such a pitiful state, this was even worse.

So this is how I was born. And this is how Cyril died.

‘Ah…’

They say knowing the truth is a good thing but sometimes, it’s better left unknown. The shock of seeing something I didn’t want to know shook my emotions violently. It was horrifying. Even while screaming in pain, Cyril could think only of safely delivering her child.

Afraid that the baby would be harmed, she poured her holy power into protecting it, even then.

—

[“What the…? I thought it was the Demon King’s kid… but she’s blond?”]

[“You mean it’s the Hero’s child? Then what do we do?”]

[“Tch. If it’s the fake Hero’s kid, Alzahar probably won’t even pay us.”]

[“The Saint’s going to die anyway. We’re screwed either way.”]

[“Alzahar wanted the Saint. If she’s dead and only the kid is left, we’ll just say it was the best we could do. It’s the Saint’s kid, after all.”]

[“Right! Let’s take it!”]

—

So I had blonde hair. Cyril, bleeding and broken, watched her child being taken by two men and struggled to breathe. Despite her blood loss, she staggered out of the house to chase after them.

She collapsed. Then rose again. Over and over.

In the end, Cyril collapsed near the house and never got up again. A lump kept rising in my chest. Then, Lucifer saw her at that exact moment.

—

[“Has it… come out?”]

—

Looking at the blood-covered, with the collapsed Siril, Lucifer asked. His expression was calm, but his red eyes were filled with turmoil. His tightly closed lips trembled.

—

[“…It… came…”]

[“Where is it?”]

[“H-humans… took it…”]

[“Why?”]

[“…Because they think… it’s your… child…”]

—

At her weak reply, Lucifer’s brow furrowed. Frowning, he looked up at the sky. The clouds were fluffy and white, and the sky bluer than ever. Why did it feel so disgusting?

He couldn’t say.

His chest ached. His hand twitched, moved by a fury he couldn’t name.

Lucifer knew better than anyone. That Cyril would soon stop breathing. He knew exactly where her outstretched hand was reaching. So, pressing down the power surging inside him, he opened his lips once more.

—

[“Do you want revenge?”]

[“No… I want a different… contract…”]

[“But you have nothing to offer me in return.”]

[“…The child… I’ll give you the child.”]

[“The one that came out of your belly?”]

[“Yes… the brave one who kicked you.”]

[“Mhmm.”]

Lucifer closed his mouth again. He knew his emotions were in chaos, but he didn’t know why. Was it the waste of the ten months he’d waited just to see the child born? Was it because the child he thought was his had been taken by filthy humans?

Or was it the sight of Cyril, bloodied and dying, before him?

He couldn’t tell. Lucifer couldn’t hide his confusion. Black smoke curled from his body. The sky, once filled with white clouds, slowly turned dark. As his eyes wavered, Lucifer asked:

[“Your wish?”]

This time, even his voice trembled. Lucifer was not speaking with detached coldness, like an emotionless puppet.

‘Daddy…’

It was sorrow he hadn’t even realized he possessed and he didn’t know how to express it. Maybe it was a blessing he hadn’t seen all the agony that had led to this point.

‘You loved Mom, didn’t you?’

In past dreams, I hadn’t known because they were seen from Lucifer’s perspective. But watching his transformation over those ten months, it was clear. The way his red eyes softened when he looked at Cyril.

The way he silently stayed by her side, curiously asking about the unborn baby, focusing attentively when she explained. The time shared between Lucifer and Siril had a strange warmth to it.

Watching it all, my heart ached and yet, I felt strangely happy. I didn’t know why those emotions surged within me.

They just did.

Cyril had noticed Lucifer’s change, too.

‘That’s why… you entrusted me to him, didn’t you, Mom?’

That’s why.

Even though she was a Saint, even though she knew it was blasphemy, she made a contract with the Demon King. Because she couldn’t bear to see the child she bore taken by Alzahar, the same people who killed the Hero and would now kill her.

She gave her daughter to the one the world called evil.

Because she knew Lucifer was not evil. And that’s how Lucifer’s emotions were born.

My chest burned.

Tears welled up, and I couldn’t breathe.

(TN: I KNEW ITTT! LUCIFER LOVED CYRIL. BECAUSE HOW COULD HE NOT? He has been by her side for 10 months, not leaving. No way he never had feelings for her. And now waaah, I am sobbing! 😭)