Before we knew it, we were six weeks into my pregnancy. Fin never left me while I was awake, and when he had to go because of developments, Brielle would always stay behind me. It was like we were joined at the hip as I found myself under the demon king more times than I could count.

However, most of the time, I spent it in Rizak's study with either Brielle or Finn always present. I could tell Astred's words had made Finn think twice about letting his old friend have unrestricted access to me. We hadn't spoken much about it, but I could see my loving demon closely watching the owl's movements.

Instead of diving into the developing politics, I attempted to find a way to lift the curse sooner than waiting for a child to grow up. We all knew the barrier wouldn't hold up until I gave birth, yet I was the only one trying to find a way out of this.

Rizak has become less helpful because he thinks trying anything in my current state would harm the baby. While Finn, well, you never really cared about them in the first place. This puts more pressure on me!

It wasn't like I could blame either of them since this was uncharted waters for everyone. The only sure thing was that a Saint was the only one who would break the curse, which could happen in two ways.

Destroy the crystal by force, which would kill everyone, or kill Finn, who was linked to the crystal, thanks to Serah, who could kill everyone, too. Not to mention, murdering the father of my unborn child wasn't pleasing, even if it could save everyone.

Unlike Traedan's panic, today was like any other day on Fathal. I flipped through pages in a book to find something, but nothing ever popped out on me. Especially since the books older than the hex were more complicated than my brain could process.

I must've had a look on my face when Finn suddenly leaned into me.

"Something you don't understand?" he asked, tapping the table.

"Like the entire thing?" I grumbled, pushing the book to the side before grabbing a little treat Gael had sent me into my hands and towards my lips.

Maybe all I need is a minute to think, and there's nothing better than a sugary snack to pick me up!

"Take it one step—" he suddenly stopped, raising his hand to his lips.

His eyes widened as his face turned sickly green, making me tilt my head as I placed the treat down.

"Finn?" I mumbled, reaching out to him.

Solas placed his head on the table, "Uh, oh."

"What the…" The demon lord grumbled, shaking his head before standing up from the table and taking two steps away from me.

It wasn't long until he turned around, emptying his stomach on the floor.

"Finn!" I called out, running to him.

Everything he had expelled was black. Rizak, who was by the end of the study, came running towards his king as I grabbed his shoulder, prompting those deep blue eyes to glance at me. He winced before tugging me onto his chest.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just queasy." He assured me, triggering me to clasp onto his shirt.

His voice, though, said otherwise. This demon wasn't feeling well at all. I noticed something this morning when I was eating. Usually, he enjoyed watching me eat, yet his eyes were elsewhere this time.

"Ever since the curse, none of us has gotten sick, M'lord. Are you sure you're okay?" Rizak asked, leaving me to plant my gaze on him.

Instead of being worried, the owl appeared intrigued, as if he had stumbled into something new.

"What?" I mumbled.

No, you can't be sick with everything that's going on!

Placing my sight back on Finn, I could feel my heart drop. If I was affecting him in some negative way…

Can it be my magical energy?! I'm controlling it better now, but what if all those times I…

"I'm not sick." Finn sighed, standing up straight.

All the color was back, making me hug him instantly, yet my body trembled.

"I'm fine. I promise." He assured me, cupping my cheeks and guiding me to face him.

There, I saw the gentlest of smiles rise on his lips.

"When did you start feeling off, M'lord?" Rizak was quick to intercept.

His blue eyes glanced over to his teacher. They usually were warm, but lately, they had been cold whenever he gazed at him.

"This morning." He answered, placing his arm around me.

It made the owl hum, glancing over at me. "It's been a little more than a month since… Hm… Could it be you're sharing Sylvia's pregnancy symptoms?"

What?!

Speechless, I could only hold onto Finn's shirt, whose lips curled downward, narrowing his eyes at Rizak.

"How's that even possible?" The demon king huffed, straining to shake away the waves of nausea coming in waves.

Since this morning, he had pretended everything was fine, but I could tell he wasn't fully stable.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The color of your skin gives you away.

"It's rare, but the father sometimes shares pregnancy symptoms with the mother. Your father was the same as your mother, m'lord. The Dragon Heart men seem sensitive to their lover's pheromones." Rizak answered, leaving me the same as I was.

"Finn's dad was?" I mumbled, shifting my gaze towards the demon who was struggling.

"Yes, he got queasy every time the queen was eating. I remember those days fondly. Everyone made fun of him because of it. But he always said he'd rather lighten the load for his queen." Rizak chuckled, turning his gaze to his king.

It was rare to see genuine emotions come from him.

It's obvious how loyal you were to this kingdom once before. You care deeply about Finn and Serah, yet are you faithful to what Fathal is becoming?

"Well, fuck me. Father like son." Finn shook his head with a frown planted on his lips.

This gentleman… Of course, you'd share symptoms with me.

He glanced over at me with a soft smile. "It seems it's obvious how much I care about you."

The tone in his voice made me grab onto his hand.

"Sylvia, I think this confirms your claims. If your pheromones affect our lord, then there is little doubt about whose baby she is holding." Rizak commented, dragging both our glances over to him.

"It's physically impossible, and this can be emotional alone." Finn scoffed.

It hurt to hear him say that, even though I knew he wasn't saying it for me to get hurt but to test the owl. He had been dancing around the topic, but seeing how the owl was interested in my pregnancy probably ticked him off.

"You brought her from another world, m'lord. The rules from here don't apply to her. There is much we don't know about other worlds other than they cause our pain." Rizak countered, making the demon king click his tongue.

That could very well have been the correct explanation, but it was too convenient. After all, I was no different from the humans in this world. I bled and was fragile like them. The only difference was that the gods blessed me with an exclusive type of magic.

"Or is it the bracelet you made with Maxwell with my blood that provoked this?" Finn's voice ran cold.

He didn't seem bothered by the nausea anymore, as his focus was on Rizak alone.

"M'lord, I don't know what you mean. My brother and I never intended this to happen." The owl voiced.

"Hah… Never intended? So it was a possibility?" The king growled while a weak red aura came from the demon king—one that made me hold onto him.

"Finn?" I mumbled, triggering his eyes to find me before quickly darting to Rizak, who remained silent yet unmovable.

"Oh, old teacher, I wanted to trust you. I really did, but something in my gut tells me you were behind this—something you never told me about." The demon lord confronted the owl, grabbing me by my waist and tugging me closer to him.

Rizak's eyes were fridged while he tilted his head, "M'lord, I think Astred must've put silly ideas in your mind. My goal's always been to serve you for the better of this world."

A broken chuckle came from the king, whose tail curled around my waist. Even while arguing with another demon, he ensured I was near him. He had always been protective, but these past few weeks, it had been obsessive.

Is it because of the pheromones I'm emitting? But I don't feel any different.

There have been cases of animals being attracted to a female because of the pheromones they radiate at certain times of the year, but perhaps my hormonal changes were something he could pick up on. My heart was in full flutter, knowing that my child's father was finally known.

I've… been vindicated!

"Doubt full, that succubus seems correct about you. Was this always the end game for you and Maxwell?" Finn huffed, narrowing his eyes at him.

Rizak raised his wings, "This is just a miracle brought by the saint's magic. A child of light and darkness, the one to survive us all and rule over the broken world. All I can hope for now is enough time to train them properly."

Train… like a soldier? No!

"No!" I snapped like a twig, stepping towards Rizak, who shifted his gaze towards me. "My baby will have nothing to do with how fuck up this world is! They will be free to choose what they want! I'll make sure of that!"

I couldn't read the owl's eyes but knew what to do next. The books wouldn't help me save this world, and everything that had to do with me appeared to be related to a specific demon's experiment.

"Rizak, take me to Maxwell," I demanded.

Before I could get an answer from him, Finn drew me back into him. "No, you can't. The town isn't safe for you."

"Then come with me." I huffed, tugging on his shirt.

He shook his head, releasing a sigh. "No, love, I can't put you in a town where demons are starting to go rabid. Even that mad scientist is close to losing his head with the swarms, and I doubt he'd come here after this." He informed, making me take a step back from him.

When…

"Rabid?" I mumbled.

His eyes winced, noticing he had let me know more than what he wanted.

"The demons outside the castle walls are starting to starve. Sebastian's having a hard time controlling his farms, too. The shift in demon kind has made everything go wild out there." Rizak added.

Wait… does that include Jack and the others? And it's all…

"But the barrier hasn't—" I stopped as Finn's gaze shifted away from mine.

Ah… You're hiding things from me, aren't you?

"It broke a week ago." He sighed, holding onto my arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?! Jack and the others will be…" I trailed off, feeling shivers run down my spine.

This wasn't like any other day for everyone in Fathal; it was just for me. How… unfair is…

"Anything can affect the baby, and I thought you'd be sad if it did." Finn breathed, prompting me to touch my lower abdomen.

"So, everything's going to crap because of me?" I mumbled, wincing as tears stung my eyes.

Finn captured my gaze a second later by cupping my cheeks.

"Hey, This isn't because of you. The barrier was on its final legs, and this would happen no matter what." He assured me.

I shook my head, tugging away from him.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" I felt my voice break as the first rogue tears began to roll down.

The demon lord grabbed my arms, ensuring I wouldn't go too far from him.

"I didn't want you to worry. If you're carrying a demon's child, who knows how that'll affect you." He winced, triggering me to shake my head.

"Fuck that! You'll starve soon, too!" I sobbed, unable to keep my emotions in check as well as before.

Luckily, my magic was more stable than to allow it to spiral every time I did.

"No, baby girl, it'll take over a thousand years for everything to fall apart." Finn sighed, grabbing my hand in his.

It should've been warm, yet that world wasn't one I…

"By then, the child will be born. They might be the key to all this if anything else doesn't work." Rizak added, tiptoeing around the subject.

His words caused a cascade of emotions to rush through me. Sadness… anger…, and fear merged into one emotional storm that caused my body to tremble where I stood.

None of them trust me while I keep causing problems! Damn it! Why did everything have to end up like this?

My body ran cold as I shifted my gaze toward the demon king.

"Finn… Is everything you said to me a lie?" I questioned, trying to remain strong, but my voice was shaking.

I needed to find a way to escape this mess I had created when I lost myself to Astred's curse.

This is all your fault! Maybe I was too lenient on you!

"No, baby girl, I—" Finn started, only for me to cut his words off.

Ah… The only one who will…

"This is all a pity party for the end of the world." I voiced, letting all my insecurities shine as I felt like my world was spinning.

Finn shook his head, pulling me into his arms. "That's not true, Sylvia! It isn't! Everything I said was real!"

He held me firm, unwavering, as I grabbed onto his shirt and found myself in a predicament.

Pull away! Or else I'll stay stuck!

An impossible task for me. There was no way I could yank away from this demon's warmth. He held me so dear that I lost all will to do so as tears beamed down my cheeks, unable to see a way out of this.

Until Soren's...

Wait… if Evelyn isn't an authentic saint. Then... What does my sister lack that I don't?