That Prince Is A Girl: The Vicious King’s Slave Mate Novel

Chapter 574: "I know. It's just… she'll blame herself for not knowing sooner. And she will be concerned about me."

He nodded understandingly. "Vladya will be worried about how I'm handling all of this, too. He knows me better than anyone."

"That's true. Lord Vladya cares for you deeply."

"He worries about me as much as I worry about him. It gladdens me that he doesn't have to be so alone anymore. He has been lonely for so long." "Aekeira told me they are planning to bond," Emeriel confided. "I truly hope it works out for them. She will be devastated if it doesn't." She paused. "Can Lord Vladya really not get his soul back? Is there truly nothing else that can be done?"

Daemonikai's expression turned somber. "Only through dark magic. Something of equal value has to be given in return." He exhaled heavily. "The Oracle might know of another way, but she slumbers."

"You have mentioned the Oracle before. Tell me about her," Emeriel said, curiously.

"She is an Elder. One of the oldest and most powerful of our kind. Older, even, than-"

"Really?" Emeriel's eyes widened. "How old is that? You are over five thousand years old! Is she seven thousand? Nine?"

Daemonikai smiled. "The Oracle is twenty-five thousand years old, Emeriel."

Emeriel's jaw dropped. She sat up abruptly, staring at him in disbelief. "Someone is that old?!"

He nodded, amused by her reaction. "There are very few beings that ancient. Perhaps ten in the entire world. Our Oracle has seen civilizations rise and fall, witnessed the turning of ages. She is the closest connection we have to the gods, especially to Ukrae, the god of powerful beings."

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Slowly, Emeriel lay back down, her mind reeling. "You speak of her with such respect."

"As we all do," Daemonikai confirmed. "She knew my great-grandfather, and his father before him. She was even present the night I was born." His eyes on her were filled with warmth. "She is a wise and powerful being, Emeriel. A true guardian of our people."

"It's inconceivable to think…" Emeriel's voice was hushed with awe. "I mean, you're you. I used to think you were the oldest being alive."

His chuckle was a low rumble in his chest. "I'd hope not, dearest. Then I would have already gone to deep sleep."

"How does it work, this deep sleep?"

"When one reaches a certain age, the desire for slumber grows stronger. But unlike normal sleep, deep sleep doesn't last for a single night. It's longer and more magical," Daemonikai explained, his voice taking on a distant quality. "One might lay down in their coffin-bed and awake a hundred years later, or two, or even three. Elders grow weary of the world, you see. They use deep sleep to pass the time."

"Wait." Emeriel's eyes widened. "Coffin-bed?"

"There's so much you do not know about my kind, Emeriel. Our knowledge is vast and deep, as long as our age, as old as time itself."

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