"Papa?" 

I looks up at him as he carried me to my room, Mimi rushing towards us before stepping aside.

"Yes?"

"I'm s-sorry..." I could barely get my voice out, my body felt so heavy.

"As long as you never do something like this again-" I could feel Papa's hand on my head as he spoke. "You will never have to apologize for this."

"Y-yes, Papa...." I nodded off, my eyes slowly closing as the pressure in my head gets stronger.

"Soraya?" Papa's voice seemed to echo in my ears as I sank into the dark water, the heaviness I felt pulling me down. "Soraya- child! Mimi-"

Papa's and Mimi's voices became muffled as my head sank below the water before disappearing entirely.

"Mimi-" I turn towards the old witch in a panic as the child goes limp in my arms.

"I'll get the doctor!" She flicks her wrist as we ran to Soraya's room.

I carefully place her on the bed, my hand brushing against her forehead and feeling that searing hot.

"Your Majesty." Mimi places a wet towel into my hands. "Place that across her forehead to help cool her down."

BAM!

The door to Soraya's room slams open as the doctor is dragged in by Mimi's magic before they are dumped onto the ground.

"A little warning would be nice." Doctor Jada Strom huffs, fixing his monocle over his half-skeleton face and adjusting his robes before standing upright with his cane.

"What is wrong with the child." I glance over at Mimi as he moved to check on Soraya.

"Its the flu." He sighs after listening to her heart and lungs while checking her temperature.

"The flu? That's it?"

"It is quite common for humans to get sick."  Dr. Strom holds back a sigh as he realizes I was here, being a bit more respectful. "Especially children. The child just needs rest and nutritional food."

He glances back at the small child that barely took up a quarter of the bed.

"However, due to her previous injuries and poor health- we will need to keep a close eye since she had yet to completely recover."

"Soraya is in that bad of a state?" I could hear her small pained gasps as she slept.

"The child has only been here for what? Not even a full month?" Dr. Strom scoffs. "She was extremely malnourished with her body covered in cuts and bruises- some of which have yet to heal; not including having her tendons almost sliced completely by a blade. And don't even get me stared on her mental state."

He takes a long breath, some of the air causing a rattling noise in his chest.

"So, yes: she's in a dangerous spot right now because the child now has to fight the flu on top of all that!"

The room filled with silence as I looked down at my daughter.

"Ahem." Dr. Strom clears his throat, smoothing down his hair back down over his skull side. "My apologies your Majesty. I have shown you an unsightly side of myself."

"It is of no matter." I sat down next to her, placing her clenched hand into mine. "As long as she recovers."

I looked at the man who was considered a mad doctor, half of his body turned into skeleton in a treatment gone wrong while trying to heal his fellow humans before being ruthlessly banished and hunted down by those he trusted.

"Do not forget that Soraya is my daughter." I warned, knowing that he now hates humans but could tell that he had a soft spot for her; no doubt remembering what had been done to him.

"I am a doctor." Dr. Jada Strom bows before leaving two vials of medicine on the beside table. "I always treat my patients." 

~~~~~~

"My King." Abaddon knocks on the door to Soraya's room before entering then pauses as he looks at the scene before him.

"What is it Abaddon?" I glance over the documents in my hand as he returns to normal.

"I came here to check on the child." He stands besides me and looks to see Soraya holding onto my shirt as she slept, her fever lower than before. "But I now see that she is resting."

I had been informed of Abaddon's interest in Soraya, even his allowance of her to call him grandpa but it was unusual to see him like this.

Our eyes met, his 'peaceful' old man  expression was in full view causing me to sigh.

"Something tells me that there is another reason you have come looking for me."

"There were a few rats sniffing around the child."

"What?" I could feel my aura coming out from his words as ice formed on the windows. 

"I have already taken care of them, of course." Abaddon's smile was cruel under his long beard. "Since that child calls me 'grandpa'; that means she is also under my protection."

I calmed down my aura at his words, chuckling quietly at the irony of him using my words as well.

"Did you find out who those 'rats' belonged to?"

"There were such a variety of owners... It will make it difficult for us to discipline them all at once."

"I see."

"Hmm..." Soraya murmurs quietly, clenching my sleeve tighter and biting her lip. 

"My King." Abaddon calls my attention away from her. "Have you used 'that'?"

"No." I knew what he spoke of. "I have no intention of using it on Soraya at all."

"But-"

"I want her to tell me first."

The item in question was a magic device which allows the user to see memories of the person it was placed. The device is usually used to gain information from prisoners although some of the longer lived demons use it as well. 

The problem is that humans naturally have weak minds- they could easily go insane if they tried fighting against it.  In her current state: even if Soraya were to consent to the usage of the device and didn't try fighting it- she could still be severely harmed.

Even though it would be easier to use it; I wanted Soraya to open up to me. It was extremely obvious that things had happened to her before I brought her here.

And I have no idea how deep it was.

I refuse to force her when she herself is not ready to face her past. 

"She is my daughter." I cut off any response Abaddon had prepared. "It is a father's duty to protect and love his child no matter what. So I will not do anything that will cause me to act differently."

"Yes, my King." Abaddon bows before revealing a smile. "I am glad you said that."

"It was a test." I rubbed my eyes at his reply.

"Since I am a grandfather now. I need to make sure her father is capable."

A chuckle escapes my lips as I returned my attention to the papers before me, as my other hand lightly patted Soraya's back.

Hey guys! Your favorite author here!🎉🎉 I'm glad that I managed to post this chapter rather quickly since I realized that I didn't exactly say how you all can leave questions for our Q&A!

So you can just post questions and responses on previous chapters as normal or post them on my conversations board!

I'll try to get Chapter 15 posted by mid October or earlier. Once that's posted I'll have more definitive time for when I'll post the Q&A as well as chapter 16.

I hope everyone is having a spooky October so far!🕸🕷🎃🎃 Also- would you all be interested in having a Halloween special for 'The Demon King said to call him Papa' or no? Dependent on the number of people saying heck ya!: I'll write and post the special on Halloween.

Though I am now a little worried about the few people who said that they would hunt me down for not posting chapters (looking at you tumhari_jaan... JK I love you😘🥰) so I will definitely strive to meet expectations!

Love all of you and Thanks for reading!!!!☺️🥰