Chapter 646: Unpretentious.

‎Ermaine performed a blessing after she received donations from the royal family of the neighboring nation. She gently patted the child’s head, who had leprosy and could no longer feel anything on his torso. She then squatted in front of the child without wearing any top, and she smiled gently at the child after she blessed and cured the child.

‎"Now, raise your hands," Ermaine cupped her own cheeks.

‎The child raised his hands above his head with a confused look on his face. The king and his queen held each other’s hands while watching from the side. They were desperate and they had been hiding their son’s disease from the public, and a rumor had spread that the son was cursed.

‎"Now..." Ermaine grinned as she opened her hands widely toward the child. "Here comes the monsters!" She tickled the numb patches on his body, and the child began to laugh and tried to cover his sides, but it was too late.

‎The king and his queen were crying when they saw their son being ticklish. Their son’s laughter echoed throughout the cathedral. The child’s joy and happiness filled the air. Slowly but surely, the patches were gone as if they never existed in the first place.

‎"Saint... thank you..." The king knelt in front of Ermaine and clasped his hands together while his wife was hugging the child with tears running down her cheeks. "How much? Just give me the price and I’ll make sure to pay for your miracle," he asked.

‎"You don’t have to pay, Your Highness. You have donated to the temple before, and it’s more than enough," Ermaine shook her head as she slowly stood up. "Your faith is more than enough, Your Highness," she added.

‎The king was shocked because the amount of money he had donated wasn’t even enough to fill a small chest. He had prepared to give dozens of chests worth of gold that could buy a whole castle. And yet, the young lady in front of him wasn’t interested in wealth. He thought she was just a pure and innocent lady back then, but the more he looked into her eyes, there was no sign of purity or innocence, something that he couldn’t grasp or describe.

‎"Please come find me if something happened to him even though I know I have cured him from the disease. The door is wide open for anyone and it will never be closed," Ermaine smiled softly at those three. "If you will excuse me, I need to rest because it has been a long day," she said as she looked over her shoulder at the altar.

‎"Yes, we understand, Your Holiness. And thank you, for curing our son. Please, if you need anything, and I really mean anything, we will do everything we can to help," the king said as he slowly stood up and then lowered his head to Ermaine.

‎Ermaine watched the queen help her son put on his clothes before they all left the cathedral, leaving Ermaine alone. As soon as the door was closed, the candles in the cathedral were blown out without any wind. The stained glass that produced colorful lights suddenly turned dark until the inside was pitch black. The sound of feathered wings flapping was heard, and it was when she saw a pair of glowing golden eyes in front of her.

‎"Mother..." Ermaine smiled as she approached the pair of eyes.

‎"You look tired..." Satan spoke softly and wrapped her wings around Ermiane as she cupped Ermaine’s cheeks. "You have been using your power to help the people. Let me replenish them..." She gave her power to Ermaine and took away the fatigue in Ermaine’s body.

‎"Mother..." Ermaine muttered as she felt like she was floating because of how light her body felt. "I did what you asked me to do. I don’t want to disappoint you," she said quietly.

‎"You have done enough, the people of this continent have fallen for your miracles," Satan poked Ermaine’s nose. "Come, let your mother take care of you now..." she whispered and embraced Ermaine by hugging her and letting her face rest on her chest.

‎Ermaine could feel nothing but coldness when Satan embraced her. There was no warmth, unlike the words Satan said to her all the time. She knew what Satan truly was, and she knew that the love and care Satan gave was only on the surface. She knew that Satan wasn’t a being who had any personal desires. However, that didn’t mean Satan didn’t care for her, it was just that Satan didn’t desire her. The coldness wasn’t cruelty or heartlessness, it was unpretentious.

‎"Why are you hiding your face, mother?" Ermaine pulled her head back to look up at Satan, but only saw the glowing golden eyes.

‎"Because I’m not feeling well, my child..." Satan answered. "You’ll fear me if you see what lies beneath the darkness..." She warned as she patted Ermaine’s head.

‎Ermaine had noticed changes in Satan’s behavior lately. She barely saw Satan smile, and Satan had been away most of the time, along with the Fallen Watchers, leaving her behind most of the time.

‎"Is it Count Blackheart, mother?" Ermaine asked as she was being guided by Satan.

‎"No, my child. It’s not him," Satan answered. "It is something else, even though he’s about to ruin my plan again," she pointed out, holding Ermaine’s hand as she walked to the other room.

‎"Is it because the Angels have finally made their moves? Or the humans from Centriva that have decided to treat us as their enemies still?" Ermaine asked again, and she wasn’t bothered by the complete darkness.

‎"The Angels? Yes, it has been bothering me ever since they came down, and no, the humans aren’t my concern either. However, there’s something else," Satan answered as she opened the door into Ermaine’s chamber. "But that’s not what makes me like this today," she revealed as she pulled Ermaine into the pitch-black chamber.

"Is it the Devil? The reason that both you and Rasmus Blackheart agreed for a truce?" Ermaine asked as she was being pushed down until she sat on the edge of the bed. "Is that why you’re like this, mother?" She asked.

Satan didn’t say a word, and Ermaine lost the coldness that had guided her into her chamber. She couldn’t even feel Satan’s presence, and she felt like she was alone in the room even though the glowing eyes were focused on her.

"Yes, however..." Satan responded and sat beside Ermaine, but there was no added weight on the mattress, not even a slight dent or creaking sound on the mattress. "I came back not to talk about it, my child. I want to take care of you right now and stay by your side while you rest," she pointed out.

Ermaine wanted to talk with Satan more since it had been a while since she had the chance to be alone with Satan. However, her eyes grew heavier and the moment Satan guided her head down to rest on the pillow, she couldn’t resist the sleepiness anymore. Her breathing evened out and she finally fell asleep before she could even complain.

The room became eerily quiet, especially when Satan kept staring at Ermaine that was already fast asleep.

"Don’t be sad, my child. I will never leave your side, never..." Satan muttered, she had been reading Ermaine’s thoughts the whole time. "I’ll be here when you wake up, and I will push away the darkness around me..." she added and sat beside Ermaine as she caressed Ermaine’s hair.