Chapter 207: One sick, Two in the bed
When Emily woke up from her sleep, her head felt heavy, and her body was overcome with exhaustion. As her eyes fell on Raylen, her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked in a feeble voice,
"What happened to you?" She noticed he looked drenched, his shirt clinging to his body.
"You happened." Raylen smiled, though the warmth didn’t reach his eyes, and he fixed a slightly narrowed gaze on her. "Do you know what you did, Princess?" The internal irritation over what she had done hadn’t subsided. It had taken years of patience and effort to complete the barrier, and now it was broken.
Emily’s mind felt sluggish, and she struggled to string together her memories to remember what she might have done. She shook her head as the archdemon assisted her in sitting up on the bed.
"Do you recall speaking with anyone from Hell through the communication portal?" Raylen asked her, and Emily froze, recalling his earlier warning. "You opened the portal, which allowed lowly demons to infiltrate the Storm Kingdom. The lowly demons not only kill earthlings but also attempt to possess their bodies or simply feed on them. How do you intend to take responsibility for that?"
Emily nervously bit her bottom lip as guilt overtook her, but that was precisely what Raylen was aiming for. She whispered in her small voice,
"It is your fault. Had you not drunk from my wrist, my blood would not have mixed in the vessel."
Raylen’s blue eyes narrowed further, and he wore an eerie smile as he asked, "Are you saying you had no part in opening it?"
"Both our fault...then?" Emily asked in doubt, her heart burdened by his words. As she shivered, she drew the blanket closer and inquired, "Did people... truly lose their lives?"
"Yes. Who knows whose father or brother he was; the poor man’s throat was slit when I found him," Raylen stated in a sombre tone. He clicked his tongue ruefully, adding, "He must have wondered why he was meeting such a painful end."
Emily lowered her gaze as if overcome by sadness and whispered, "I am sorry..." She never intended to cause trouble or harm anyone. With her mind and body weakened, she whispered in devastation, "Forgive me. I—I didn’t mean to bring death upon anyone. It was by mi—mistake." A sob escaped from her lips, betraying the weight of her guilt and sorrow.