"What?" Ada asked, crossing her arms and staring deeply at her mother, trying to process what she'd just heard.
Raphaeline, still seated, covered her face with her hands as if she wanted to disappear. "H-he said... that I was his..." she murmured, her voice muffled by sha.
Ada blinked, incredulous. "You're... crying because... my husband didn't pay attention to you?" She spoke slowly, trying to maintain composure, though the irritation was evident in her tone.
"It's not that..." Raphaeline whispered in rebuttal, too embarrassed to et her daughter's gaze. "He said I was his... and I... I thought he wanted ... as his wife..."
"As his wife?" Ada repeated, her eyebrow arching dangerously.
Raphaeline finally looked up, her face as red as a tomato. "Like he did with Sapphire... He said it with such... intensity... I thought he was serious..."
Ada placed a hand on her forehead, letting out a long sigh. "I thought nothing could get worse... over a random remark..."
"It wasn't random!" Raphaeline exclaid, gesturing dramatically. "He said it that way... with that deep voice... and he looked at like I was the only person in the world! You know how he is!"
Ada remained silent for a few seconds, breathing deeply as if trying to suppress a volcanic eruption inside. When she finally spoke, her tone mixed irritation and disbelief. "Alright... First, he's married to . Second, he was probably just being... himself. And third, mother, for the love of Satan, you're a Demon Queen! How did one little phrase get to you like this?"
Raphaeline crossed her arms, avoiding her daughter's gaze. "I don't know... He's different..."
"Different?" Ada repeated, almost choking on the word.
Raphaeline finally murmured, her face still flushed. "He... made feel things no one ever has..."
Ada slamd her hands down on the table with such force that the tea cups trembled. "Great! Wonderful! Now I have to deal with my mother, a Demon Queen who tried to sell , completely smitten with MY husband! This is too much even for !"
Raphaeline lowered her head, embarrassed. "I just... thought maybe there was sothing more..."
Ada put her hands on her hips, looking up at the ceiling as if searching for patience from the heavens—or whatever hells were available. "I'm going to have to talk to him... I can't believe I'm stuck in this ridiculous ss."
"Daughter... I..." Raphaeline began, but her words caught in her throat, hesitant. Ada narrowed her eyes at her mother, waiting for her to continue.
Then Raphaeline finally found the courage to speak, her voice soft but firm enough to strike Ada like thunder. "I'm sorry for what I did."
Ada froze, her eyes widening. For a mont, ti seed to stop. She blinked, trying to process what she'd just heard. "You... apologized? The Demon Queen Raphaeline, who never admits she's wrong... apologized?"
Raphaeline raised her gaze, a mix of guilt and sincerity etched on her face. "Yes... I went too far that day. I don't know how to fix what I did, but... I regret it, Ada. Deeply."
Silence hung between them for a few seconds until Ada let out a long sigh, running her hand through her hair. "Great. First, my husband seduces you with half a dozen words, and now I'm hearing the Demon Queen apologizing. What's next? A hellish eclipse?"
Raphaeline gave a faint, lancholic smile. "If it cos, I probably deserve it."
Ada rolled her eyes, but sothing in her mother's expression softened her heart—just a little.
"I can't believe this…" she muttered, placing a hand over her face as if trying to erase the scene from mory. "This can't be happening…"
Her mother, the coldest woman she knew, soone who seed to love swords more than her own family, was not only apologizing but also... coveting her husband!
The worst part? This wasn't the first ti sothing like this had happened.
Ada let out a deep sigh, trying to stay calm. "First Sapphire... now you… Is he trying to collect mothers-in-law or sothing?"
Raphaeline's eyes widened, her face growing even redder. "That's not it! I just... He's... different!"
"Different. Sure. Because a half-witted, battle-obsessed newborn demon with a crazed penchant for yelling things like 'you're mine' is completely harmless, right? Nothing unusual about that," Ada shot back, dripping with sarcasm.
Raphaeline tried to justify herself, but all that ca out was a disjointed mumble, sothing between "it's not like that" and "I couldn't help it."
Ada exhaled loudly, her irritation clear as she pointed a finger at her mother. "Listen here, I don't have the patience to deal with love-struck Demon Queens having existential crises. Whether he wants you or not, that's on him, not . But let make one thing very clear…"
She paused, her eyes narrowing. "When he gets out of that damned coliseum, there's a good chance he'll co here. And if that happens, you'll have to fend for yourself. Because, honestly? I highly doubt he'd want soone who, until yesterday, barely cared about her own daughter."
The impact of Ada's words was imdiate. Raphaeline opened her mouth to retort, but no sound ca out. It was as if every word hit a nerve too sensitive to ignore.
"So instead of whining about how he didn't look at you or how a few words boosted your ego, maybe it's ti to start acting like the Queen you claim to be," Ada concluded, crossing her arms and glaring at her mother with unwavering firmness.
Raphaeline lowered her gaze, her shoulders sagging slightly, but she said nothing. Ada, noticing her words had struck a chord, took a deep breath to calm herself.
"I'm not saying this to be cruel," she continued, her tone softening slightly. "But maybe—just maybe—it's ti for you to look inward and figure out what really matters. Because at the end of the day, he's my husband. And you… you're my mother." Continue reading at empire
Raphaeline finally raised her hands in surrender, letting out a resigned sigh. "Alright, alright... I get it. It was just a mont of weakness, nothing more."
"Weakness, huh?" Ada raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "The next ti he says sothing, try to rember you're a Demon Queen, not so love-struck teenager swooning over a complint! For Lucifer's sake!"
Raphaeline sighed again, this ti with a touch of exasperation. "I'll try… But he really is—"
"Don't even finish that sentence!" Ada interrupted imdiately, raising a finger in a threatening gesture. "I don't want to hear it. Don't. Want. To. Hear it!"
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