The Devil's Cursed Witch-Chapter 484 : Planting A Tree

Ember waited for Draven to return. Once in a while, she would ask the servants if he had arrived. Finally, after a long wait of a few hours, Draven returned to the palace.

He was told that Ember was waiting for him. Without a moment's delay, Draven went to Ember's study, where she was standing close to the gallery railing, looking down at the spot on the ground where she had decided to have a tree planted for Morpheus's nest.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" she heard Draven ask as he stood behind her and enveloped his troubled mate in his arms.

Ember turned around, his hands settling around her waist, her expression as if she were in deep thought.

Before coming to her, the servant had told him she was in her study and which book she was reading, so he could guess what was on her mind. But he chose to let her say it.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Today, I read the book about a forbidden bond in the Divine Eagle Clan," she replied. "Umm… did you also know why Morpheus was keeping his distance from me?"

Draven hummed, looking into her beautiful eyes, filled with worry for her other mate.

Her brows creased slightly as she said in a complaining voice, "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"It's between you and your other mate. I have no right to meddle in it. I was respecting Morpheus' wishes," he replied. "But at the same time, I knew you would come to know it, and everything would be fine between you two."

Ember's worried eyes looked into his calm ones. "But… you know what the solution is…" She was concerned she would hurt Draven, knowing how possessive he was.

"I know," he replied calmly. "No one can stop you from being with your other mate. You are equally his as you are mine."

Ember gazed into his eyes for a moment, trying to sense his true emotions. She could feel that he was somewhat restless, but at the same time calm, and his words were genuine. Still, she didn't want to go through with it and said,

"Draven, there can be another way. Though it's not mentioned in the book, the elders of the Eagle Clan must know it," she suggested. "How about we visit them and ask for an alternative so I won't have to mate with Morpheus?"

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

He stared at her for a moment before saying, "Are you that reluctant to mate with him?"

"It's not like that. He is my mate, and I care for him, but I feel like it would be unfair to you," she said. "Also, Morpheus seems to be reluctant to mate with me and keeps running away from me. He doesn't want to mate with me—isn't that why he chose a forbidden bond over the usual one? I wish to respect his wishes, and at the same time, I can't bear to see him suffer. I need to find a solution that would hurt none of us."

"I understand what you mean, but trust me, there is no other solution to Morpheus's situation," Draven replied calmly. "If you go to the elders of the Eagle Clan, they will tell you the same. But… if you ask them for another solution, they will think you do not want to mate with him and do not respect him as his mate. The entire Eagle Clan will come to know of it, and they will blame you for being unfair to Morpheus.

"They all value Morpheus more than they value me. At the same time, Morpheus would become a topic of ridicule among the other clans, with people saying his mate doesn't want him. For any beast, having their mate reject them is the most humiliating thing—it wounds their pride. You should consider all these things. What's between you and Morpheus must remain between you and him alone. Talk to Morpheus directly and make your decision."

Ember understood what Draven meant, and it made sense. She could not let Morpheus become an object of mockery or be looked down upon by anyone.

Feeling hesitant, she spoke. "If there is no other solution than mating with him… will you be alright?"

"I will be," he assured her. "But I know it's more difficult for you than it is for me. The bond between the three of us allows me to accept your other mate, but I know that in your heart, you are not ready. You must think only of yourself when making this decision. Morpheus and I will always respect whatever you choose."

In response, Ember hugged him, her eyes teary. "Why are you so good to me? I don't know what to do."

Draven hugged her back, gently caressing her. "Whatever you decide, I am with you."

She hummed and continued to hold him. After a while, when she had calmed down, Draven informed her, "Leeora is here to help you with planting the tree."

Ember recalled that she had been the one to summon her.

"Once you're done with it, I have something else to tell you," Draven said.

She looked at him. "Anything serious?"

He shook his head and prompted her to leave.

Draven left Ember with Leeora and returned to his study. When he had gone to deal with the issues concerning the human territory, he had learned something—something he had to tell Ember. He didn't know how she would react to it.

-----

Meanwhile, Leeora and Ember reached the place where they were they had purified the place to plant the tree.

"Hmm, the place is entirely ready," Leeora commented as she knelt down and observed the ground by touching the soil with her fingers. "There won't be any issues for the seed to grow here perfectly."

Ember nodded. "I can't wait to see the tree grow."

Leeora stood up and removed a seed from the pouch she carried. It was larger than a walnut and had a similar appearance.

Ember assumed they would now have to dig a hole in the soil and plant the seed, but what she saw next was different from what she knew about planting a tree.