The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 227: Millisecond

Chapter 227: Millisecond

Emerging into the bustling market with the typical townspeople going about their daily lives, some sold their goods and produce in small stalls, while others bought.

Town carriages rode on the stoned floor, transporting people from one stop to another. Her eyes darted around as they blended in with the people. As usual, everyone’s eyes were on them, mostly the young women who would goggle at him but sneer at her with envy visible in their eyes.

Averting her gaze from them with rolling eyes and an exasperated sigh, she queried Draco "Did you wear an illusion mask?"

"Yes love, worry not." Draco said with an assuring smile and she could hear the women swoon with a dreamy sigh.

Her fists clenched into a tight ball, her teeth gritting as crimson slowly swirled into her jade irises. She swore beneath her breath that if she heard one more word or silly heart throbbing sigh from the young women again, she would dig their brains out of their skulls with her bare hands.

Draco rubbed her palm gently before planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand as he sensed the arising fury brewing within her "Calm down love, they’re all mere shadows in your radiant sight. You do know I only have eyes for you, don’t you?"

A sheepish smile grazed across her lips as he spoke, she could hear the women whine from his gesture, making her raise her chin higher in pride as she locked her arms tighter with his.

As he led her further into the market, they took winding path that led out into the town square area. There, she saw a huge playground seated at the middle with varieties of toys and children playing in it.

Gasping, she turned to look at Draco with a giggle "You created the playground."

He smiled in response and before she could say anything else, bubbly giggles whipped into their ears and when they looked forward, three familiar children were running toward them with arms open wide, but their gazes were all fixed on Draco.

They ran with unsteady little feet, their big eyes wide with delight as they giggled loudly with missing tooth space revealed, as they looked at him like a huge piece of confectionary.

Immediately his gaze dropped on the children, a wistful smile threatened to cut through his lips but he stifled it back with an awkward clearing of the throat as he averted his gaze from them.

Similar to that day, they all surrounded him, one grabbing his arm, the other clamped around his leg while the third pulled his ponytail.

"Hello little angels." Rama called out as she caressed their hair but their interests were all planted on Draco.

"We mished you Mister.."

"Twow us up Miter..." The children cried out with loud giggles.

"Well, I can’t. We’re going to the market." Draco said, trying to unclamp them from his body, but every time he did, they came running back to him like he was a magnetic candy, but this time he didn’t bother to pull them away.

"Don’ts go yest.."

"Pway weet us first..." The children nagged, pleading with doe big eyes as they stared up at him from his feet level.

Rama chipped in as she said "Play with them for a bit, we can go to the market later."

"Yaayyy!!" The children exclaimed in unison, jumping up their feet in delight.

Draco scoffed with a snort-like chuckle.

"Fine, just throwing right?" He said lazily as he effortlessly picked the green eyed baby up with one arm. Throwing her up in the air, her giggles intensified and her eyes sparked with excitement.

The smile he had been trying to stifle broke through his lips as he threw them one by one in the air, while they chuckled in delirium, their hair dancing with the wind as he threw them up and caught them.

As he threw the brown eyed baby up midair, a sharp pain suddenly gnawed into his heart, he hissed in pain and his hands slipped as he missed catching the child. The pain stopped in a millisecond but before he could catch the child which would have been too late, Rama reflexively caught the baby as well as her heart that was caught in her throat.

Cradled safely in Rama’s arms, the baby was busy giggling unaware of what would have transpired if Rama had not caught it sooner.

Placing the child down, she paid attention to Draco who was seemingly in good shape now, but that look of pain flashing across his eyes even though it was only for a second did not go unnoticed.

"What was that? What happened just now?" She asked in a whisper, eyes wide and brows knotted together in worry.

"It was nothing. I’m fine." He said with a hard voice, his intimidating eyes made the children suddenly go quiet as they looked at him in utter silence, not a word or a giggle breaking out from their lips.

"Whatever happened in that millisecond wasn’t nothing Draco, you were obviously in pain don’t lie to me." Rama pointed out in a firm tone and she could feel his aura swell with a discernable darkness.

"You’re right. I was in pain, because everytime I see children giggling and fucking smiling I am reminded of my misery as a child, my childhood enveloped with anguish and nightmare. The being who was hated and loathed by everyone, even by his own mother. I wasn’t feeling physical pain Rama, I was feeling a nostalgic, pessimistic one." Draco lied smoothly, he was well aware it was the shadow bane dagger affecting him again, but he couldn’t disclose that to her now, could he?

Rama’s eyes softened at his confession which was rather a twisted lie, but it was one she could easily believe without question, aware of his nightmarish past as a child.

"Draco.." She called with a voice in a smattering whisper, her glass orbs welling up with unshed tears.

"I’m fine love, it’s nothing to worry about. I just had flashes, they’re memories that always live with you no matter how long you’ve lived and no matter how many new memories you create to fill in that void of darkness in you, it’s futile because you’re just filling an empty hole that can never be filled." Draco said reminiscingly.

Before Rama could say another word, his mood switched in a heartbeat as he averted his gaze to the children with an earnest, charming grin manifesting on his handsome face.

Crouching down to their level, he cupped the chubby face of the brown haired child as he held his hand in his "You may not be able to understand me little one but I want to apologize for almost falling you."

After apologizing, the baby merely started giggling as if he had just said something funny, ruffling his hair, he stood up and his eyes darted to a peach tree standing at one corner of the playground.

Averting his gaze to the children, he asked them "Would you like to pluck some fruits with me?"

Chanting in unison, they screamed with their surprisingly loud tiny voices "Yess!!"

"You have a knack for switching moods, one moment you were sulking, the next you’re... This." Rama said, slightly confused.

"Having one mood is boring and no love, I wasn’t sulking." Draco said as he effortlessly carries the brown haired baby and swings him over his neck to sit on his shoulder.

Scoffing, Rama carried the green eyed baby while holding the red eyed as they walked toward the beautiful peach tree. "Pluck as many peaches as you can, hm?" Draco said to the child seating on his shoulder and he chanted a loud yes while tugging at his ponytail, which he didn’t mind.

Stopping underneath the tree, the brown haired baby seated on Draco’s shoulder stretched his short hand toward the nearest peach it could get hold of. Luckily, it could get his hand on the farthest peach because of Draco’s incredible height.

Plucking the peaches from the tree, the other children put it in the basket as they played around, while Rama fed them the fruit. It was like a little picnic for a couple and their three lovely children. After plucking more than enough fruit, they played with the children for a long time, until they lost track of time.

Finally, they bid farewell to the children as their parents came to take them home since it was getting dark already.

"It’s late already, we can visit the market tomorrow." Draco suggested as he took her hands in his while they proceeded to leave and she nodded in agreement.

Walking through the dark, lonely alley on their way back, Rama suddenly halted abruptly as she gasped, darting her eyes around.

"Do you hear that?" She asked in a low voice.

"Hear what? The people in their houses?" He replied sarcastically.

She shot him a subtle glare as seriousness masked her face "I can hear screams."