In the Throne Room, Misla Bael nee Vapula, was on her knees, shedding tears as she told the Darcaedes Family about her and her child's suffering.
"Please..." She begged after she made her request.
On the side, both Sairaorg and Kuisha were crying as well, and the boy was utterly distraught to learn how much his mother had been holding in her heart.
He had never blamed her for anything, and even now, he did not blame her. But she felt guilty for making him suffer even though she was the real victim.
Misla was the daughter of the current Head and Lady of the Vapula Clan, and Orien Bael had asked for her hand when he took charge of the Clan.
She never liked him, but her Clan was not in the position to refuse, even though they knew that it was the Bael's attempt to make them a Vassal House.
Their marriage was based solely on political motives, but despite everything, she tried her best to be a good wife to her Lord Husband.
However, her efforts and feelings were never reciprocated, and her husband kept growing more agitated with her over her failure to give him a child for hundreds of years.
Eventually, she did get pregnant, and some joy returned to her life.
Orien Bael too started showing her some affection, even though it was just for show in front of other Devil Houses.
But her good days did not last for long.
Years later, when she finally gave birth to Sairaorg, her world came crashing down.
He was born with genetic defects that prevented him from accessing the Demonic Power. His reserves were even lower than some Low-Class Devils.
Had the Bael Clan not known better, Orien Bael would have accused her of infidelity and declared Sairaorg a bastard, but he could not do such a thing, especially after Ajuka confirmed to him that Sairaorg was indeed his son.
At first, her husband tried to find solutions for his son's state, but only a year later, he gave up and married his second cousin, taking her as his second wife.
Misla cried some more as she remembered how she and Sairaorg had been moved out of their Chambers after Magdaran's birth. Her son's room was handed over to his half-brother.
She knew that day that they would eventually be discarded, and she did everything possible to help her child. She trained him and tested if he possessed the Vapula Clan's Trait, and he did possess it.
The happiness, however, only lasted for a moment. Even though her Child had inherited the Lion Taming Trait from her, he still lacked Demonic Power. What use was the Trait when he did not even possess the Power to utilise its potential?
Soon, Misla started blaming herself for her child's suffering.
She saw how hard he worked, and how strong he had become over the years, having trained his body to the limits, but it was never going to be enough.
The more she watched him work hard, the more guilty she felt.
And the day finally came when Magdaran was declared the Heir, and her husband asked her son to leave the Bael Castle.
She hated the man to the core of her being now, and even after driving her child out, he still wanted her to remain in the Castle because she was an important political chip.
So, she left with her child, going against her husband's orders, not willing to be used by the man who could never appreciate his own son's efforts.
"Please, Lady Darcaedes... I will exchange my life for it." She begged again, and Sairaorg felt dizzy at her words.
Up on the throne, Pandora Darcaedes sat together with her son, and her eyes were focused on the woman who was on her knees, putting her heart out.
"Is your life worth it?" She cruelly asked. "You are already dying."
Misla cried even more when she heard those words, but there was truly nothing she could say to refute those words. There was nothing she could offer in return for the favour that she was asking for.
"Do you want your mother to die for you?" Pandora ignored her and turned to look at the former Heir of the Bael Clan.
"No!" Sairaorg unhesitantly answered, and just when he was about to speak again, the Darcaedes Queen cut him off.
"I will save your mother, but you will have to do something for the House of Darcaedes in return for the favour." She said, and everyone in the Hall raised their head to look at her in hope.
"Please tell me what I will have to do." He asked.
"You will become stronger without Demonic Power, and you will defeat your brother to reclaim the position of the Heir of the Bael Clan. You must become the next Head of the Family, lead it, and protect it until the time comes to pass it down." She said. "But you will not pass it down to your children."
Both Misla and Sairoarg looked at her in confusion.
"Rias will give birth to both Bael and Gremory Children after marrying Raizel, and you will name her son with the Power of Destruction as your Heir. After you, the next Head of the Bael Family will be from Rias' legacy."
Silence reigned in the Hall after her words, and Sairaorg only glanced at his mother before nodding his head.
"I accept." He unhesitantly said, and Misla helplessly lowered her head.
Pandora smiled at the love Sairaorg held for his mother, which impressed her a lot.
"When the time comes, and if you sire a daughter, she will marry Rias' son, and through her, your line will stay in charge of the House of Bael."
The former Heir of the Bael Family could not help the tear that escaped his eye, and he knelt on his knee to show how grateful he was for her promise and consideration.
"I, Sairaorg Bael, vow to keep my promise to the Queen Darcaedes. Please, just save my mother."
"Very well." Pandora nodded her head in appreciation. "Return to your home. Your mother will be cured and you can meet her after a couple of days."
Her words elated Sairaorg and Kuisha, and even though they were curious about how Misla was going to be cured, they did not ask any questions. After repeatedly expressing their gratitude, they left the Hall.
Misla, stayed on her knees, staring at the floor helplessly.
To her, only her son mattered. And she wanted to see him get everything that he deserved. She wanted him to become a proud Bael and surpass his father, which would be her greatest win against that hateful man.
"Are you not happy that I have promised to help your child?"
The question made her body tremble, and she slowly raised her head, meeting Pandora's crimson eyes.
"Will you help him access the Demonic Power after he reclaims his position as the Heir?" She hopefully asked, clutching her dress.
"I will help him access the Power of Destruction too, so that he can sire a powerful daughter in the future. However, it depends on your decision and if you are willing to do what I am about to tell you." She said, and this time, even Raizel curiously looked at her.
"I will do anything if you can get rid of his genetic defects." She promised.
"Anything?" Pandora smiled. "Do you love your husband, Misla?"
The question sent chills up the woman's spine, and her heart started racing as some guesses came to her mind.
The Darcaedes Queen smiled some more when she read the lady's thoughts.
"I am not going to ask you to kill him."
Misla sighed in relief when she heard that and lowered her head.
"Do you want to stay with him?"
"No." She shook her head. "He has already discarded me and my son. I do not see him as my husband anymore."
"Very well. You will approach the Devil Council tomorrow and ask for Divorce. Granduncle Zekram will personally approve it."
The words caused Misla to look at her in surprise, but then she frowned, trying to guess Pandora's intentions.
"Vapula Clan is dying. The current Head of the Family, your Father, can not have more children. Your older brother is dead, and no one in the Clan is eligible to take over the mantle." Pandora reminded her of the problems that the Vapula Clan was facing. "I will cure you and will help you awaken the complete Vapula Clan Trait, Lionification. You will become the Heir of the Clan."
The sentence thundered in her mind, and her heart thumped hard against her heart.
Misla was not dumb, and she understood what the Darcaedes Queen wanted.
She was not blind to see that the decisions Pandora was making were for the betterment of the Devildom, and they were decisions that would protect the future of Bael and Vapula Clans.
However, the next words she heard, dismayed her.
"In the future, you will serve my son as his mistress, and he will help you birth children who will revive your Clan and make it stronger."
Misla subconsciously looked at Raizel, who was looking at his mother in surprise, and then she lowered her head, contemplating things over.
"It's your choice. You can refuse. But I will not help Sairaorg awaken the Power of Destruction and might just fix the genetic defects that prevent him from accessing the Demonic Power. You should know, your answer is not just for your Child's future, but will also decide the fate of the entire Vapula Clan."
Her words did not really give her much of a choice.
Raizel knew how manipulative his mother could be, and he sighed in his heart, feeling some pity for Sairaorg and Misla.
He then looked at the future Head of the Vapula Family, and despite her sickly appearance, he could tell that she was a gorgeous lady.
Though he had not thought about her in that way before, he knew that he would not mind bedding such a beautiful woman.
There was no doubt in his mind that Misla would accept his mother's arrangements. She was his mother, and they both had their ways of convincing people to see things from their perspective.
And just as he had expected, Misla gave his mother an affirmative answer.
"I agree."
"Very well." Pandora smiled. "Come here, Child."
Misla felt a little embarrassed at being called a child, but considering that Pandora was a several centuries older than her, it was not wrong for her to call her a child.
The Vapula slowly walked up the stairs and arrived at the platform under the throne. She kept her head lowered as Pandora stood up but raised it when pulled up by her chin.
For a moment, looking into those crimson eyes, she lost herself, and then her mind simply blanked when the finger touched her forehead.
Raizel curiously watched as the Demonic Power burst out of Misla's body, and he could sense the changes that were taking place.
Her Demonic Power became denser, and more potent, and then a transparent shell of a Lioness made out of Demonic Aura, which had several intricate patterns on its body, surrounded her, becoming her protective and sentient armour.
The roar of a majestic Lioness was heard in the Hall, and he could already tell that this was no longer the Lionification he had read about. It seemed to have mutated and become much stronger.
A strange blood-coloured flame erupted from Pandora's finger, bathed Misla's body, burned out all her clothes and left her naked as the day she was born.
In a matter of seconds, her sickly appearance improved, her features seemed much more refined, and her life force was rejuvenated.
Her brown hair lengthened in size, now long enough to reach her knees, and Raizel's eyes were glued to her figure, which whispered the songs of lust in her ears.
"She's beautiful. Isn't she?" His mother knowingly asked, and he smiled.
"She is."
"I knew you would like her." She giggled and then created a pretty dress for Misla, using the Devil Magic, and then teleported the lady to a room where she could sleep for the rest of the day. "Have you learned how to cure someone from the Sleep Disease?"
This time, there was no longer any gentleness in his mother's tone. She was quite serious.
"Yes." He nodded to her and watched her smile again.
"And?"
"What you showed me can only cure someone who has not yet fallen into a Coma." He replied.
"You are not strong enough to cure someone who has fallen into a Coma. The Sleep Disease is a very powerful curse."
"A curse?"
"It dates back to the War where our Ancestors eradicated an entire Divine Race. The Sleep Disease finds a victim in one in ten thousand Devils, and it is always random." She informed him. "There's a book waiting for you in the library. Go, read it."
"Can't the curse be lifted?" He asked, and he watched his mother smile at him.
"Your generation and all the future generations will never catch it. You don't have to worry about it."
Her words made him raise his brow at her, but before he could ask another question, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and teleported him to the library.
"Neil." Pandora softy called out the name as she sat back on her throne.
A couple of seconds later, Neil Lucifuge, her loyal butler, appeared before her from a Magic Circle.
"My Lady." He bowed to her.
"Hand these letters to Granduncle Zekram and Zoros Vapula." She said, and two letters manifested in the air, right in front of the man.
"Yes, My Lady." He accepted them and bowed again, leaving through the Magical Circle of the House of Lucifuge.