Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

William found himself at a loss for words for the first time in months.

Well, that was only natural.

The two men seated across from him were among the very few people he respected enough to watch what he said.

Especially when one of them was glaring at him like this.

"So you postponed the wedding but still had a child with her first, huh?" Vitori said with his arms crossed.

William gave a helpless smile. "Things were chaotic, so we never had the time to properly plan the wedding."

"But you had enough time to make a baby?" Vitori shot back, clearly unhappy with the order of events.

William simply lowered his head and accepted the scolding.

Carter spoke up, "Please forgive my knucklehead son, Sir Vitori. He’s rather slow when it comes to things most people consider common sense."

Vitori let out a huff. "My innocent daughter is only eighteen years old, and he already burdened her with such a great responsibility."

William immediately replied, "I am taking care of her in every way I can. I don’t even let Emma take a single step unless it’s absolutely necessary."

Carter smiled wryly. "Son... you actually need to let her move around during this stage of her pregnancy. Otherwise, it could make things harder for both the mother and the baby."

Vitori nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Some walking and light movement are necessary. There are also certain foods she absolutely must avoid. Luke tungtar, one of her favorite dishes, is poisonous during pregnancy."

William silently committed every word to memory, nodding in understanding.

Seeing his reaction, Vitori sighed and shook his head.

"Really... you two are still just kids. Are you truly sure you can handle this, William?"

Carter shared the same concern.

His son might have been the strongest warrior alive, and his daughter-in-law was a responsible young woman, but raising a child was something that required the guidance of experienced elders.

Unfortunately, circumstances had never allowed them to stay in one place or remain close to someone they could rely on.

"I am sorry for disappointing you, Father," William said softly, lowering his head in genuine remorse for his carelessness.

Vitori’s rigid expression softened the moment he saw the guilt written across the young man’s face.

At that exact moment, the door suddenly burst open.

The person standing on the other side made Vitori both startled and nervous.

"E-Emma... didn’t I tell you this was a conversation between men? You shouldn’t be interfering," Vitori said, visibly flustered.

Carter hadn’t touched his tea until now. But now...

Siiip.

Emma walked inside and replied, "Yeah, but you said you were going to talk to him, not accuse him."

Vitori blinked. "I was only helping him realize his mistake."

Emma rested a hand on William’s shoulder.

"Then I’m equally at fault since I was the one who asked him to have a baby. As for delaying the wedding, Father, you know we had only just settled in this town. We had plenty of other things to take care of."

Vitori’s shoulders slumped as he listened to her.

William gently held her hand.

"It’s okay, Emma. He has every right to scold me."

Emma frowned.

"Then Father has every right to scold me too."

She suddenly turned toward Carter.

"I didn’t take proper care of your son either. I placed so many responsibilities on his shoulders all at once. Please, Father, scold me too."

Caught completely off guard by the unexpected request, Carter looked around awkwardly before clearing his throat.

"Umm... you do need to be more responsible. That’s right."

He then dramatically crossed his arms and let out a loud huff.

That only made Emma and William chuckle.

A warm smile appeared on Carter’s face as well.

"I don’t need to scold either of you because I’ve seen how sensible you both are. Even back then, when I received a complaint about William almost every week, the only thing I ever told him was to stay safe and be happy. And I wish the same now as well."

William felt his shoulders relax at those words.

How could he have forgotten?

Back when those damned chains constantly forced their will upon him and drove him to commit such extreme acts, the academy had sent complaint after complaint to his father.

Yet the Count had never reprimanded him.

Every letter William received from his father carried only one thing.

Concern.

Just then, Vitori let out a sigh.

"Perhaps I’m the only one being too rigid here. Please forgive me if I’ve hurt your feelings, William."

William immediately shook his head.

"You don’t need to apologize, Father. I understand your concern. Honestly, I’m just grateful you didn’t punch me for being so careless."

Vitori smiled and shook his head.

"I would never do such a thing. I’ve long realized that if there’s anyone in this world who loves Emma more than I do, it’s you. Whatever decision you make, I’m sure you’ve thought it through more than once."

William returned the smile.

Thankfully, the man didn’t seem too upset.

Even though William had invited them only a day before the wedding, everything had somehow worked itself out.

Once the conversation came to an end, Emma led William outside.

"You haven’t forgotten about her, right?" she asked.

"Sherry, right? Of course not," William replied with a smile.

Emma’s best friend and cousin.

The same girl William had mistaken for a boy the first time they met, making him irrationally jealous of how close she was to Emma.

"I’ll look for her and send her a message too."

Emma nodded with a smile.

"I can already imagine how many complaints she’ll bring with her."

William chuckled.

"Yeah, I know..."

His voice suddenly trailed off.

Emma frowned.

"What happened, William?"

William’s gaze shifted past her.

"We have a guest, Emma."

The silver-haired girl turned around but saw no one.

William, however, did.

Far in the distance, atop a lonely hill, stood a solitary figure.

Someone from the depths of the underworld.

An Emperor had arrived.

William exhaled a sigh, ’So they finally made their move, huh?’

He felt this night was going to be very long