She Belongs To The Devil

After getting a nod as an answer from Grace, Ramon went over to Kenneth and extended his hand for a handshake, "Kenneth, thank you for inviting us all on this trip. And I'm sorry for all the times when I was knowingly or unknowingly rude to you."

"I know you were just looking out for your cousin." Kenneth tightened his hold on Ramon's palm and replied with a hint of seriousness, "Don't mind me if I look out for my cousin too. After all, you must know firsthand how it feels when a man eyes your dear cousin."

Ramon laughed nervously but then firmly said, "I should let you know that I am not the type of person who plays with a woman's feelings. Our kind takes matters related to mates with all seriousness. So, I plan on courting her–which I will formally do after discussing it with my parents."

"I will hold you to your words then," Kenneth finally gave a gentle smile and let go of Ramon's hand.

As it was already getting darker, Kenneth quickly moved his feet to bid farewell to the others as well.

Nylah smiled at Kenneth when he came and stood in front of her. She thanked him for bringing them to the trip and further said, "Kenneth, I know half of you longs for a pack. So, whenever you strongly desire the pack's warmth, know that you can come to us." She looked around at her cousins and Damien and said, "We are your pack. Feel free to seek us out."

Kenneth felt elated upon hearing that from Nylah. "You speak less but you always say things that I want to hear the most. Thank you, Ny." He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Zach came running and almost made Kenneth tumble backward when he jumped on Kenneth and latched on him like a baby monkey.

"Whoa! Careful now." Kenneth smiled and patted Zach's back.

Zach dropped down to his feet and mumbled in a pampered manner, "I'm going to miss you, Kenny."

"I will miss your jokes."

While the youngsters were busy bidding farewell to each other, the adults were also having a chat with each other.

"Your Highness, I didn't know you had also joined the kids on their trip." King Walter was talking to Theodore with humility. "Had I known that you would grace us with your presence, I would have prepared a banquet in your honor. Or, at the very least, I would have planned a warm welcome for you."

Theodore shook his head and said with a smile, "I would have sent a formal letter, but I didn't want to impose on you. Besides, I just came here to take my kids home since some emergency arose at home. So, I will formally visit your Kingdom some other time. Please excuse me for dropping by unannounced."

"Oh, you are welcome to come by any time. I would be a lucky host." King Walter hoped that his nervousness wasn't showing on his face as he talked some more with the renowned Prince Consort.

Queen Florence also joined her husband and expressed her desire to meet Adeline, "Your Highness, I've heard so much about you and Queen Adeline from my son. I hope we can meet the great Queen soon. I would love to learn a thing or two from her."

"I'm sure an opportunity will present itself soon. We shall all hold a formal meeting when that happens," Theodore affirmed Queen Florence's desire.

On the other side, Ariel was waiting for her turn to talk with Kenneth. She was contemplating what to say to him as she slowly approached him.

Before she could make up her mind, Kenneth turned around as he felt Ariel's presence behind him. "Hey, Ariel…" He gave her a glum smile.

Ariel smiled back and looked at the castle that stood beside them. "So, this is where our journey ends." It was clear from her voice that she was trying her best to hold back her emotions.

"Mhm…" Kenneth took a deep breath and looked at everyone who had surrounded him now. "This is where it ends."

"Just this journey, not our friendship. Remember that."
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"I know."

Ariel gave a quick hug to Kenneth, and with a heavy heart, she bid him goodbye, "Thank you for arranging this wonderful trip, Kenneth. I will forever be grateful to you for bringing me out of my shell. Take care of yourself. Goodbye, until we meet again."

"Until we meet again." Kenneth smiled through his tears, and before he was overwhelmed by his emotions, he turned to Damien. "You better treat her well, brother. Don't you dare disappear again!"

"I promise I won't ever do that."

"Good. Because I will personally come down to Hell and whop you if you do."

It took a couple more minutes for everyone to finish saying their goodbyes. When the Royals of Wyverndale were finally ready to set off to their next stop, Kenneth looked at everyone with a subtle smile on his face and waved his hand.

"Let me know when you all reach Wyverndale safely," he asked Damien.

"I will." Damien turned around and walked over to the group of maids he was supposed to teleport. After reaching the spot, he looked over his shoulder and spoke softly so that only Kenneth would hear him, "Don't start crying once I'm gone, brother." He playfully smirked and winked at Kenneth.

Kenneth scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Shut up! I'm not a baby!" However, deep down, he wondered if he would actually end up crying after everyone left.

Theodore disappeared with the twins, Zach, and a couple of luggage. Damien teleported all the personal maids of the Royals.

At last, Ariel touched the remaining luggage and gave a soft smile to her friend. "See you next time, Kenneth."

"See you next time," he whispered while barely holding back his tears.

The moment Ariel disappeared from his sight, he dabbed the corners of his eyes with his fingertips and sniffled.

The hollow feeling in his chest grew exponentially.

After spending so many weeks away from home, instead of feeling happy about his return, he felt utterly dejected. He felt as if his friends took a huge chunk of his heart with them.

'This is more painful than I thought,' he thought and winced.

Grace was watching him from the sideline. She couldn't help but feel sad as she looked at his expression. She went over to him and softly said after wrapping her arm around his, "I know, cousin. I already miss them too."