Reborn As The Daemon’s Wife - Chapter 168

Blaze’s gaze on her made her uncomfortable. She wanted to make King Rian squirm but it was not her intention to make Blaze misunderstand while at it.

“Father, is everything okay?” She whispered to him.

He jolted out of his thoughts with a nod to let her know that he was fine, which she was certain that he wasn’t. Shifting in her seat, she wondered whether it would be better to drop the act for the day.

“I don’t have anything against the idea of having a human realm chef, but why did you suddenly think about it?” Lolanthe asked, speaking out her husband’s thoughts.

“Nothing, I…”

“She misses human realm food too much. She doesn’t want to admit it but she hinted at it earlier.” Bardumond slotted in a reason for her, at the same time letting her know that she didn’t need to stop.

“The human realm must be quite something for it to draw the attention of immortals so much.” King Rian remarked sarcastically.

“I could tell you about it but that would make me rattle your ear off for the rest of the dinner time.” She stabbed her fork into a meat cube. “I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, grandpa—sorry, I mean grandfather.” She mumbled out the last part as though she actually meant it.

“Just call me King Rian.” He sneered.

Dairon watched their interaction with interest. What was she on to? She had not told him about any plan she was going to use to get under King Rian’s skin but from the look of things, Bardumond knew what was going on. He was doing his best to hold in his laughter.

“While I have no idea what you are going on about,” He started, clearing his throat to get the furious god’s attention, “I have to agree with Jasmine on this. The human realm is the best kind of place.”

Realizing that he was helping her out, a smile ghosted Jasmine’s lips. “It’s not a surprise that just like me, Goddess Alaya couldn’t keep herself away from it. Catalyah too.”

“That’s enough about the human realm.” Blaze raised a hand to stop them from going back and forth provoking King Rian. While he didn’t like him either, King Rian was his guest this evening and he couldn’t watch as they made him uncomfortable.

“Is there a reason why you invited us for dinner, father?” Jasmine asked innocently, tilting her head to Blaze.

“Just enjoy your food first, my dead. Will you?” He shoved a piece of meat into her mouth, which puzzled her as they were not that close. It made her miss Harry and at the same time, realize that the boundary between her and Lord Blaze had significantly worn off.

She remained quiet and so did everyone else, silently enjoying the meal. But she could still feel invisible swords flying across the table. At first she thought it was Dairon holding a glaring contest with Lord Blaze, only to realize that it was both of them but they were each staring threateningly at King Rian. She had a feeling that King Rian was up to something and had intended to talk about it at dinner, but changed his mind for some reason. She suspected that it had to be a reason that bore trouble for them.

As soon as dinner ended, he left. Jasmine couldn’t ignore the gaze he cast her right before he left. He was communicating something with his eyes. Vengeance?

“He was definitely afraid.” Bardumond remarked out of the blue, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Brother.” She smiled awkwardly. “I thought you had left.”

“I did, and so did everyone else. When father asked Dairon to have a word with him and you didn’t react to him letting you know that he would be back for you, I knew you were not in your own skin so I came back.” He explained while pulling out the seat beside her and occupying it. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t read his mind anymore. Did he find out that I could?” She blurted while trusting Bardumond, forgetting that no one was supposed to know.

“You could read King Rian’s mind?! How could you even do that?” His reaction was more explosive than she had expected and she wanted to slap herself for shooting her mouth off.

“Can we please pretend I didn’t just say that aloud?” She pleaded, and from the blank look he gave her, she knew that he was going to do no such thing. He was waiting for an explanation despite her reluctance to give one.

“You just compelled me. You are trying to do it again.” She realized when she saw his eyes. She couldn’t believe that it was working. No wonder she had blurted out thoughtlessly!

“How else would I know what’s happening in my sister’s life?” He averted his gaze from her. “It’s the kind of thing all brothers have to do, to know what’s happening in their sisters’ lives.” He remarked sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t just tell you everything. How would I know what would upset you?”

“I’m offended you think there has to be a limit to what you tell me, Jasmine.” He pressed a hand against his chest in mock heartbreak.

She sighed at his dramatics, but had to agree that Bardumond was trustworthy and helpful if she needed it. She had been unable to tell him anything considering what he didn’t know and shouldn’t know about Dairon, and unconsciously she kept everything from him.

“I realized that I could read some minds a while back. It’s not one of my powers, obviously, since it doesn’t work anymore.” She forced a smile though the last part, because she knew but couldn’t tell him that it was Dairon’s ability. That might put her mate under too much suspicion.

“I see.” He was not shocked. “It’s just surprising because there is only one immortal I know who could read and control King Rian’s mind. How ironic that you are pretending to be her.” He offered a smile.

“Maybe I’m actually her and no one knows it?” She joked and they both laughed.

“Did he know that Catalyah could read his mind?” She asked and cheered when he nodded. That unexpectedly worked in their favor. It was entertaining to think of how he had reacted to the realization.

Bardumond shot a glance at her neck, making her uncomfortable as she knew what he was about to bring up.

“Do you know why father asked Dairon aside for a talk?” She asked to distract him.

“Because he wanted to tell him something.” Came his blank response.

She frowned at him and was about to say something to distract him when he stopped her.

“You are hiding something.”

“No I’m not.” She lied and stood to leave the dining chamber. “We can wait for him while doing something constructive. Have you discovered any new herbs recently?”

As expected, the mention of herbs got him talking and made him forget all about his suspicion momentarily. She let him show her around his new garden until Dairon returned.

“Your mate is here.” Bardumond remarked when he felt Dairon’s presence as the demigod approached.

“Are you done?” She turned to face him, curious about what they could have discussed.

“Yes. Are you ready to go home?” He asked her, taking her hand as soon as he was close enough. She nodded and tightened her hand around his, only for Bardumond to grab her other hand before they could teleport away. He dragged her a few steps away from Dairon faster than she could ask what was wrong.

“Dairon is my friend and all but trust me, he is different.” He whispered. “Believe me.”

“Okay.” Her blood ran cold, but he took her expression for shock.

Ensuring that Dairon couldn’t hear him, he added, “He could be a creature of the underworld. I don’t have any evidence to prove it but you should be careful.”

“Okay.” She offered a smile and retreated back to Dairon, exchanging a glance with him. He was a demon and had heard everything Bardumond said.

“How did he find out?” She asked when they were back on his island.

They were at the seaside so he sat down in the sand, trying to figure out how Bardumond could have gathered information. “It can only mean that he has been suspecting my identity for years and was looking for evidence all along.”

She slapped her forehead. “We can’t afford to have someone against us now.. Not when we need to bring down King Rian. We only have three weeks left!”