Chapter 298 - Father

"Why don't you give me a tour of this cave, Theodore? I would love to explore your home," Dragomir got up from the fountain and then got out of it on his own.

Theodore had already anticipated Dragomir asking something like that or accidentally coming across his followers only to get scared to his core. So when he went out to ask his maids to bring the bathing materials for the King, he had also asked all of his followers to go to Hell, literally of course.

"Of course, I would also love to give you a tour of my humble cave." Theodore also got up from the fountain and then clapped his hands.

The maids who were standing outside the door came rushing in to help the King to dry and change into warm clothes.

Theodore, on the other hand, grabbed a towel and then began to dry himself. One of the maids brought a fresh set of clothes for Theodore and then they left him alone.

Dragomir was noticing all this and he asked while chuckling, "You never allow the maids to help you, or are you feeling shy in front of me?"

Theodore gave a slight smile and replied, "No, I'm not feeling shy. I just don't really like being touched by others."

Dragomir felt somewhat relieved to hear that. But he wouldn't have been as happy as he was if he heard what Theodore thought to himself. "I don't like being touched by others, except Adeline. In fact, I would hate it if she maintained a distance from me."

After the two of them were all dressed up, Theodore gestured towards his room and then said, "That is my personal chamber that I use to rest."

Dragomir nodded his head. He did not want to be too nosy and ask Theodore to take him inside his personal chamber. There were some boundaries that he would not cross, no matter how desperately he wanted to uncover what the Devil was hiding.

Theodore then gestured towards the other door and said, "And that leads us outside the cave. But there are several rooms in between."

Theodore then glanced at the King and asked politely, "Shall we?"

"Yes, lead the way." Dragomir closely followed Theodore as he walked towards the door that led them outside of the garden.

After they walked out of the door, Dragomir busied himself while looking at each and everything. He noticed how the cave looked more lavish than his own Palace.

Theodore let him see the common rooms and the living rooms of his cave. He did not take Dragomir to the personal rooms of his followers. There were things that Dragomir would not like.

They walked around for a bit and when Dragomir felt convinced that there wasn't anything peculiar in the cave, Theodore invited him to have breakfast with him.

He led Dragomir to the dining hall which was way too large for a single person. However, Dragomir just thought that Theodore liked huge spaces since the common rooms were also pretty spacious.

Theodore and Dragomir sat opposite each other at the large dining table. Soon, the maids served the two of them with a variety of appetizing dishes.

Dragomir liked the smell of the food. He hadn't had breakfast yet so he immediately began to help himself. He cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth. The delicious piece of steak just melted in his mouth. "Oh, the food here is really delicious."

And without realizing it, Theodore smiled and replied, "Adeline also likes the steak that is served here." He instantly realized his slip of the tongue and froze in place. He hoped that Dragomir would get lost in the delicious food and forget what he just said. But he wasn't that lucky.

Dragomir gave a chilling smile and asked in a painfully calm voice, "She comes here often and eats with you?"

And Theodore immediately corrected himself and said, "She came here years ago when she was a toddler. Somebody had left her outside my cave and she came inside looking for you." He cleared his throat and added, "And I had offered the steak to her that tasted similar to this."

Theodore automatically went back into his memory lane and a soft smile appeared on his lips. "I still remember how she was dancing when she tasted the steak. She was really lovable even back then."

Dragomir furrowed and pressed his lips into thin line because that same incident brought back a very painful memory for him.

He then looked at Theodore and thanked him from the bottom of his heart, "Theodore, Adeline told me that you were the one to safely return her back to the Palace. I take this opportunity to thank you for giving my heart back to me."

He then chuckled and looked at Theodore. "But I guess you never really returned her completely. You kept a piece of her for yourself." Dragomir had noticed how Theodore talked of the past very fondly. He took a deep breath in and softly said, "She managed to take your heart in the very first encounter, didn't she?"

Theodore's eyes had a spark when he nodded. "Yes, she somehow managed to get through to me even when I had built these boundaries around me. She was really kind to me."

"That she is. She took after her mother in that aspect." Dragomir then stuffed some food in his mouth.

Theodore cut the piece of steak in front of him and said, "She takes after you as well. She is really brave and a great fighter. She does not back down from her problems and faces them head-on."

"I wouldn't say that I am brave. I am a coward who got associated with 15 women to avoid the war," Dragomir mocked himself and Theodore had no idea how to respond to that.

So, Theodore instead focused on his food.

After having breakfast, the two of them went and sat down in the common room. The question-answer session went on for quite some time. Dragomir made sure that there were no stones left unturned to know more about the Devil Prince.

And when he was satisfied, he finally glanced at Theodore and said, "I think I got answers to most of the doubts that I had. So, I think I should return back to the Palace. And thank you for letting me use your magical fountain. I feel really refreshed."

"It is not a problem at all, Your Majesty," Theodore smiled and gave a slight bow.

Dragomir placed his hand on Theodore's shoulder in an approving way. "Before I met you, I was really against the two of you getting married. But now, I am impressed by my daughter's choice."

He smiled at the Devil Prince and added, "Don't call me 'Your Majesty' from now on. You should start practicing to address me as 'father'… even though I am way too younger than you in age."

Theodore suddenly felt great relief and excitement at the same time. He felt as if he had just aced the most difficult examination of his life.

"I shall do as you say... father." The Devil Prince gave a wide grin to Dragomir.

He had never thought that he would actually get to address someone as 'father' or that he would actually like saying that word out loud.. But he did.