"But I'll enjoy you as much as I can, for as long as I can." Naira chuckled as she wiped with a curled index finger the drop of milk going down her baby's cheek. "They will probably get rid of me before you get older… Until that time comes…"
Marcus wanted to listen to her words carefully, but his hunger had overpowered him minutes earlier. The baby's cries were quickly eased by the mother.
He could not tell whether it was simply because she was taking of him, but Marcus could tell that he was starting to feel sympathetic towards her.
"Right?" Naira smiled brightly.
The baby had momentarily stopped focusing on her words.
'She loves me.'
That much was obvious. Whether it was through her smile, her eyes, or the anger she expressed from being separated from him earlier, Naira loved her baby.
'I'm not acting in any particular way. I'm talking or doing anything. I'm not saying the right things or… I'm not doing anything, yet she loves me. She enjoys my presence despite the fact that I'm really not doing anything. There's absolutely nothing special about me right now.' The baby thought to himself as he stared at his mother's smiling face. 'Other than the fact that I am HERS, there's nothing…'
The baby's head swayed from right to left.
'Is that what unconditional love is? The special link between a mother and her child…'
No matter how much he tried, Marcus couldn't find it within him to reciprocate that unconditional love.
'I feel sorry for her, but I don't feel anything beyond what I would feel was someone else in her place… The fact that she's my mother means nothing to me. Maybe I lack this ability to love unconditionally because I didn't know it in my past life?'
Noticing that her baby wasn't feeding anymore, Naira covered her breasts, as much as she could, and took him into her arms.
"It's tough having Demon blood. We don't even get decent clothes." Naira sighed in a comedic tone. "Although that's probably better for you, huh?"
'You got that right… Well, it's mostly awkward right now.' The baby's gaze moved away from her breasts.
Marcus' face bore a complicated expression.
Naira yawned, and so did her baby.
She placed him on the baby basket's soft bed.
"I might want to sleep while holding you, but that seems…" Naira yawned again. "A bit dangerous…"
She talked while nodding off, before finally falling asleep.
Marcus pushed himself up and took a seat while watching her sleep.
Her body was dirty and her nails were too long. Her hair was messy and her clothes were torn rags. Judging by the visible bones of her ribcage, she wasn't being fed very well.
She was a prisoner.
As Marcus guessed, she was a prisoner that was meant to be executed.
There was no doubt that the only reason she was still alive was because she had brought him into the world. Because of this "experiment" that Kain was running.
She had been made to give birth.
With the way she was treated, Marcus doubted that the coupling had taken place through traditional means.
In any case, she was a prisoner, and a slave.
Yet as she nodded off, all she could talk about was her baby's future. She reassured him that everything would be alright, that he would be treated well, and that he would be fine even after they got rid of her.
Even when discussing her own fate, her focus remained on her child—on how he would fare afterward, as though her passing was only a secondary concern.
The baby scratched its head, as its mother napped.
***
"D-D-Do we really have to go down there?"
"L-Lord Kain ordered us to, so we have to!" The Servant answered the Maid.
"I was only told to prepare the food! It's your job to take it there!"
"No, it's not! Trust me, Lord Kain wants us both to go!"
"Why not call the Guard?! When have we ever had to go to the underground dungeons?!"
"I don't know!" The Servant hissed. "Maybe we're getting more responsibilities… Maybe a promotion!"
"Promotion my ass!"
"Oh, come on… I'll buy you a bouquet of those flowers you're always staring at when we pass the old man's shop. With the increased pay from the promotion."
The Maid weighed the options presented.
"One bouquet per week… For three months!"
"One month!"
"Two months!"
"One and a half!"
"Sold!"
***
"Why are you so shaky?" The Maid sighed. "The Guards above told us it was safe. There's only one prisoner here, chained too."
"I can't… I can't see it…" The shaking Servant whispered. "Why are there fewer torches here…? We're four levels underground, yet there are fewer torches than on the levels higher…"
"Isn't it just because this one isn't used as much?"
The Maid sighed again at the Servant's pathetic display of courage. She started walking ahead.
"You… You heard the rumors, right? It's-" He whispered while looking to his right, then to his left.
"Shut up, will you?" The annoyed Maid interrupted. "I don't need you whining." She whispered. "We need to find the prisoner, put down the plate, and get out. I don't want to hear anything."
"B-But you have to know!"
"I do not!"
"Apparently-"
"Shut up!"
"But I have to tell you!"
"Why?"
"Because you need to be worried! To be careful!"
"Fine. Go ahead." She sighed.
"Apparently… Apparently, the prisoner on this floor is… Apparently…"
"Get on with it!"
"Apparently, locked in here is-"
"The King's whore! Obviously!" The Maid suddenly shouted, causing the Servant to shudder. "The gossiping Maids… Whom I am not a part of, are the ones who spread rumors! The Queen has complained to her personal Servants about a woman, and a child… But why should we be worried? She's chained here because of the Queen's wishes, and we're being told to feed her under his Majestiy's orders, delivered by Lord Kain, his Majesty's bother. It's a tricky situation, but there's no reason to-"
"You don't get it!" The Servant interrupted. "What's chained here is worse than a whore! It's the lowest scum that the world has ever produced! It's-"
Both instantly froze, one in front of the other.
They could hear breathing.
Someone was breathing right to the Maid's left and to the Servant's right.
"A… A… A…"
At the sight, the Maid felt her heart stop beating while the Servant was about to pass out.
"IT'S A DEMON!"
Both screamed as they ran away, getting out of the dungeons as quickly as they could, and praying that they would make it out of the darkness with their lives.
'Can't believe I got angry on her behalf…' The baby thought to itself with a sigh.
He pushed himself up and crawled out of the basket.
'Hm…'
The baby started moving towards the mess that had just been left by the intruders.
The platter had been dropped.
Thankfully, the silverware was tough enough not to break upon impact
Marcus scooped the food back up onto the plates as best he could.
A recipient seemingly filled with water had opened.
His small hands had trouble closing it back up. About half of the water had been lost, spilled on the ground.
'Oh…'
Seeing his reflection, he understood their reactions better.
'I get it.'
One eye glowed a demonic crimson. The other, a divine cerulean.
***
Hours later, while Naira was still napping,
"What an interesting child."
An ominous voice resonated, echoing through the dungeon's darkness.
"Can you hear me, little Demon?"
The baby's voice moved in the direction from which the voice seemed to originate.
"Can you hear my voice, lowly brethren of mine?"