CHAPTER 120: A BEAUTIFUL TRAP!

[Rynthall Estate—Later]

The heavy weight of the throne room still clung to Silas’s shoulders as his carriage rattled past the estate gates. The moment he stepped down, the crisp air of home washed over him—sweet, untouched by the stench of treachery and false smiles. He breathed out slowly, already feeling his muscles loosen.

Inside, laughter and chatter spilled down the halls. He followed the sound, only to pause at the sight before him.

There, in the sitting room, Elysia was perched on Theoran’s lap—tiny hands fisting the old man’s beard like it was her newest toy.

"Grandpa," she demanded seriously, tugging hard enough to make his eyes water, "why do you have hair on your face?"

Theoran puffed out his chest despite his suffering. "It’s a sign of a strong man, my dear!" he declared proudly.

Elysia blinked, her nose scrunching. "But Papa doesn’t have hair on his face and he’s very strong."

Silas, who had been leaning on the doorframe, froze for a heartbeat. Then, against his will, a rare smile curved his lips. He stepped forward, voice deliberately deep and playful.

"Do you want me to have a beard too, my star?"

Elysia’s head whipped around. The moment she spotted him, she let go of Theoran’s beard (to his great relief) and flung her arms open. Silas scooped her up effortlessly, ruffling her black curls.

She studied him with suspicious squinted eyes, then wrinkled her nose. "No. Papa will look ugly. Mama would have to live with your ugliness forever."

Theoran erupted into wheezing laughter, slapping his knee. "Hahaha! She called you ugly, boy!"

Silas arched a brow, unbothered. "Your mama will never leave me, even if I looked like a troll."

Elysia blinked innocently. "Why?"

Silas smirked, pride dripping from his voice. "Because your mama loves me a lot."

Her little mouth fell open in protest. "No! Mama loves me more!"

They locked eyes like duelists at dawn. Then, with an evil curl of his lips, Silas lowered his head, whispering like a villain revealing a grand secret.

"Your mama says ’I love you’ to me every night. He sleeps with me every night. So tell me, Elysia—who does Mama love most?"

The room went silent.

Theoran paled, clutching his beard as if it were a holy talisman. "...Oh no. He summoned a devil."

Elysia’s lips began to wobble. Her wide ruby eyes shimmered with betrayal. Then came the inevitable storm.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHH! PAPA IS LYING! MAMA LOVES ME! WAAAAHHHHH!"

Silas leaned back in his chair, daughter wailing dramatically in his arms, and sighed with utter relief. A cruel, satisfied grin tugged his lips.

"Ahh," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Now this... this feels good. No more stress."

Theoran stared at him, horrified. "You’re using your own daughter’s tears as therapy?! You mad tyrant!"

But Silas only hummed contentedly, rocking the sobbing Elysia as if her cries were music, letting her little hiccupping wails wash away the poison of the court. He kissed the crown of her head and said softly,

"There, there, my star... Mama loves you a lot."

Elysia’s tear-bright eyes peeked up at him. "M—More than you?"

Silas nodded solemnly, as though delivering a great truth of the universe. "Yes. More than me. After all, Mama gave birth to his little wobble-bean. He fought with a baker and a priest for you. Of course Mama loves you more."

Her hiccups stopped midway. She blinked. "Mama... fought for me?"

Silas’s lips twitched into a proud grin. "Oh, yes. He made sure that baker and priest turned into limp noodles. They prayed to the gods that they might never be reborn as humans again, and if fate was cruel enough to make them humans again, then at least let them never meet your Mama on the streets."

Elysia gasped, little hands clapping her cheeks. "Mama is that strong??"

Silas lowered his voice, nodding with dramatic gravity. "Far stronger than me."

Elysia tilted her head, eyes widening in wonder. "So... Mama can beat Papa?"

Silas pressed a hand to his chest in mock pain. "My star... your Mama beats me every day. He beats me with his words. He beats me with his glares. And—" he leaned close as though telling her a sacred secret—"he beats me when I try to steal his macarons."

Theoran wheezed so hard his beard trembled.

Elysia burst into a fit of giggles, smacking her little hands against Silas’s shoulders. "Mama is stronger! Mama is the strongest in the world!"

Silas gave her a wicked smirk. "Mhm. Strongest in the world... but don’t tell him I admitted that."

Elysia puffed up proudly. "I will tell Mama!"

Silas flicked her nose gently. "Traitor."

Still chuckling, he looked around the room. "But speaking of Mama—where is he? He hasn’t appeared to save me from your torment tonight."

Theoran stroked his abused beard. "Oh, he went to sleep early today."

Silas frowned, brows furrowing. "Early? That’s strange. He usually stays up for me."

Theoran shrugged. "Maybe he was tired. You should rest too, boy. Your face looks like you wrestled ten ministers and lost."

Silas exhaled, weariness seeping back for just a moment. Then he turned to Elysia, lifting her higher in his arms. "What do you say, my little star? Shall we go to bed as well?"

Elysia yawned, immediately snuggling into his chest, tiny arms clutched around his neck. "Mhm... Sleep with Mama and me, Papa."

Silas’s hard expression softened, his lips brushing her hair. "Always."

***

[Silas and Lucein’s Bedroom—Later]

The moment they entered the chamber, Elysia wriggled out of Silas’s arms like a slippery little kitten and dashed straight for the bed. She scrambled up the sheets with all the determination of a knight storming a castle and promptly flopped herself right between Lucien and the empty side. Hugging Lucien’s waist with both arms, she announced proudly,

"I am sleeping in the middle tonight!"

Silas chuckled, setting aside his cloak. "Oh? The middle, is it? Very well, my little star. You may have the middle..." His eyes glinted mischievously. "...but only if you allow Papa one thing."

Elysia blinked suspiciously. "What?"

Silas leaned down until his voice was a dramatic whisper. "I must kiss Mama. Just a little."

She squinted. "Only a little?"

"Yes, only a little."

Elysia narrowed her eyes like a tiny general inspecting terms of surrender. "...Fine. But no biting."

Silas blinked, flinching as if struck. "B–biting? When did I ever bite your Mama?"

Her squint deepened, finger jabbing accusingly at him. "Don’t lie, Papa. Mama has lots of bruises on his neck. Aunt Sera told me. She said you bit Mama."

Silas froze. His face went from stone to pure horror in a heartbeat. "S–Sera said what?!"

Elysia puffed her cheeks importantly. "She said Mama is silly for letting Papa chew him like a cookie."

From the bed, Lucien made a muffled groan, half–asleep but twitching at the sound of his name. Silas ran a hand down his face, muttering darkly, "That damn Sera..."

Silas then sighed, saying, "Alright...I won’t bite."

Elysia stared. "I...am watching."

Silas smirked and turned to Lucien, who was already asleep, his black hair spilled over the pillow like sunlit silk. Silas’s expression softened. With careful hands, he brushed Lucien’s fringe away and cupped his cheek, his thumb stroking with gentle warmth.

"Mnn..." Lucien wriggled faintly at the touch, his lips parting in a sleepy murmur. Silas bent down and pressed a tender kiss to them, lingering just long enough to feel the faint sigh against his mouth.

"Sweet dreams, my love," he whispered.

From the middle of the bed, Elysia’s eyes were wide, watching like she had stumbled into a secret fairytale. "Papa... Mama is like a princess when he sleeps."

Silas’s chest rumbled with amusement. "Indeed. And I am the dragon guarding him."

Elysia gasped dramatically. "But I thought Mama tamed dragons?"

Silas grinned. "He tamed me, didn’t he?"

Elysia kicked her little feet with laughter before Silas leaned down to kiss her forehead, his voice dropping soft. "And you, my little star... sweet dreams to you too."

She blinked at him, then puffed out her cheeks and mimicked his actions. First, she kissed his cheek with a loud mwah! "Good night, Papa." Then, carefully turning to Lucien, she pressed a kiss to his cheek as well. "Good night, Mama."

Silas tucked the blanket snug around both of them, his smile breaking into something uncharacteristically boyish at the sight of his wife and daughter nestled together. He climbed into bed on the other side, wrapping an arm protectively over them.

The last sound of the night was Elysia’s small, satisfied sigh. "Now Mama and Papa can’t run away. I trapped you both."

Silas chuckled low, pulling them closer. "Good. Then we are trapped forever, my star."

Elysia beamed, throwing her tiny arms up like she’d just declared victory in battle. "Yaaay! Then I hope God sends my sibling fast—so we can all trap Papa and Mama forever! Papa can’t escape, Mama can’t escape, nobody can escape!"

Silas chuckled again, softer this time, his earlier stress completely gone. And so the room fell quiet—peace settling at last around the most beautiful prison Silas would ever choose.