The Devil's Cursed Witch

When Ember returned to her chamber, she started playing with her pet bird, though she was somewhat still in a distracted state, her thoughts sometimes on the chained woman in her dream, at times on the scars on Morpheus' body, and from time to time, her hand subconsciously touching the changed crimson blossom on her neck as well.

After some time, her servants informed her that Yula had returned to the palace for some work reason, and would be leaving the palace again after she took care of the leftover work.

"Please ask her to see me before she leaves…if that is all right with her?"

"Of course, Miss. You are His Majesty's mate."

"Indeed, Miss. You don't have to hesitate when asking anything from us."

Ember was relieved that she would get to talk to Yula about one of the concerns she had in her mind. Other than Yula, she had no other choice as her two maidservants were still young and immature just like her.

After a while, Yula arrived at her chamber. "Miss, I heard you were asking for me?"

Ember felt relieved to see the short blue-haired elf. "Glad to see you back, Yula. I had something to talk about with you."

The two servants quietly left, closing the door behind them without making a noise. They were smart enough to understand and didn't have to be told to leave. Once the servants left, Yula said, "You can tell me, Miss. Do you have a problem?"

"Please have a seat first," Ember said as she herself sat in one chair while Yula sat opposite to her.

Ember felt a little hesitant but said in the end, "I wish to talk about mating…"

"What about it?"

"Uhm, the so-called fertile days."

"Sure, Miss," Yula smiled in understanding. "Those are the days when you can conceive a child after you become intimate with your partner."

Ember cleared her throat. "That, I understood from the books I read. But I want to know if males can really smell if females are on their fertile days. His Majesty said something along  that line…and…I could not understand…"

Yula nodded. "What you heard from His Majesty is right. Beastmen in general have senses as sharp. It is natural for males to be able to smell when females are in their fertile days."

,m "Is that so? Uhm, I don't know what to say."

"I will explain to you why?" Yula said, "You are human, Miss, so it's normal for you to go on fertile days every month but it's not the case for females of our kind.

Ember focussed on what Yula would tell her.

"You have already learned that beast females get their estrous cycle once a year so they have to wait for another year to get into fertile days. That is why mating and having offspring is an important part of beasts' clans or any other supernatural clans here. Because we don't produce children like humans do, we have a pitiful number of children.

"For divine beasts, it's even rarer to conceive a child. Most of them have only one child or some end up childless. That is why males have their senses heightened to know when their females are ovulating so they won't miss the chance to have a child."

Ember understood the need for males to be able to smell a female's fertility but she had other concerns. She awkwardly cleared her throat.

"So… it is compulsory to mate?"

"Not compulsory, but it is the most basic instinct of survival. Mating will ensure their kind will continue to live on. No one wants their kind to be extinct."

"Then it is fine to not mate?" Ember probed.

"Of course, it is a choice that should be decided by the mated couple. But males' attraction towards their mated female is difficult to control. During days when their mates are fertile, or on nights when the moon is at its peak, on both occasions it is difficult for them to not mate. They will be troubled—they will experience suffering similar to that of unsatiated hunger, and I am sure you know best what His Majesty was like on the night of the full moon."

'Effect is the same as the night of the full moon?'

Ember remembered Draven's actions in the garden. He sure looked affected and looked like he wished to be intimate with her... mate with her. It gave Ember goosebumps.

"Miss, according to my understanding about the human estrous cycle, you must be in your fertile days from today or maybe from tomorrow."

"Yes, I am," Ember confirmed with confidence as Draven was the one to say this. After listening to Yula, she didn't doubt Draven's ability to sense her ovulation.

"You will be ovulating every month…" Yula said as she could not decide if she should feel good for her or pity Ember as she had a mate now.

Ember chose to pity herself—not only should she brace herself on the night of the full moon once a month, she also had to take into account how much her fertile days would put her into trouble. There was truly no escape for her.

'I thought after the night of the full moon everything will be over but things are getting more complicated.' She sighed and asked, "Yula, you should know but I am still young and immature. Though I have come of age by human standards, I am not ready to have a child. I cannot even imagine myself taking care of another when I don't know how to take care of myself. What should I do?"

"I am flattered that you trust me to this extent, Miss, but I advise you to talk about this with His Majesty, as he is your mate," Yula suggested. "Your concerns are valid and valuable, and I believe he will understand you."

Ember knew Draven would understand but then… if they ended up like that night of the full moon… She sure didn't want to have a child yet.

"Isn't there anything that can stop me from having a child? I read a human story book about women taking some medicine to not have a child."

"There must be but our kind has no use for those as reproduction is a blessing to us, and what we have are potions or concoctions that will increase the possibilities of bearing a child."

"Uhm…Can't we get it from the humans?" Ember asked, being hopeful. "I remember there are villages at the outskirts…"

Yula had a look of deep thought. "Well, that is an option, but there might not be a need for us to go get one from the humans. An expert herbalist or apothecary like Elder Leeora must have some knowledge about it. If you want, I will talk to her."

"Thank you, Yula."

"But, Miss, I urge you to talk to His Majesty first. Just as your concerns are valid and valuable, so is your mate's opinion. If he wishes to have a child and you take this medicine behind his back, as your mate, His Majesty might feel betrayed. You don't want to make him feel like that, do you?"

Ember realized Yula was saying the right thing and agreed, "I understand. I will talk to him."

Suddenly, Ember felt a strange enlightenment, as if she had grown into a mature woman from a naive mountain girl. Before, her only concerns involved whether she had food to eat, but now, she had to worry about her husband and having a family.

It made her feel…human. Like an ordinary human woman living an ordinary life that she had read about in the books.

'My life sure has changed a lot.'

Her green eyes held Yula's image with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Yula, for advising me."

"It should be I who thank you. Thank you for trusting me enough to confide in me. I will always welcome your future concerns as well, Miss," Yula said as she reached out to hold Ember's hand, lightly squeezing it in the process.

"I won't hold you back then. I heard you are on leave but returned to the palace for some work. Thank you again for sparing me your time. You should go ahead so you can go back to your daughter as soon as possible."

Yula stood up. "Thank you, Miss. And I will send a message to Elder Leeora about what you have asked for."

Ember nodded and Yula left.

One concern was resolved, but another sprang up in its place.

'How should I talk to him about this?'

Ember could only bury her face in her hands as she let out a groan.

'There was no talk about having a child and now I have to initiate a talk about it. I am not ready to have one.' She looked down towards her flat belly. 'Ah, sure not ready.'

She then walked towards the window and mumbled to herself, "Since I am in my fertile days, his instinct would want him to be intimate. We need to talk before he acts on it. If he comes to my chamber tonight, I will talk to him about it. Most probably he would, as from what Yula said, he would feel the same as on the night of the full moon. At least, I would remain sane and be able to stop it."

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Dear readers, this month, instead of writing small multiple chapters, I will prefer to write long chapters. So please do not think that uploads are less. From the number of coins you use to unlock the chapters, you can guess whether they are short or long. Longer the chapter, the more coins you need to unlock it. So it is the same whether you read two chapters or one long chapter.