Buttins smiled and continued with cutting the bulb, he ruined it again.
The sight became painful to watch.
I couldn’t stop myself anymore.
“That’s not the right way to cut the bulb.”
Both demons looked toward me.
I slowly walked closer.
“If you cut it like that, you’ll destroy its growth.”
I crouched beside one of the untouched Shadowbulbs.
“The sap has to stay inside the bulb until you’re ready to collect it.”
I gently took the knife from Buttins.
“You have to score the outer skin first not stab straight through it.”
I carefully made a thin curved cut around the surface.
A few seconds later, a single stream of thick black-silver liquid slowly flowed from the incision like liquid mercury.
It didn’t spill.
It simply gathered neatly along the cut.
The bulb remained completely intact.
They both stared at it.
Buttins slowly raised an eyebrow.
He looked surprised.
“Interesting.”
He crouched beside the Shadowbulb and examined the neat curved cut I had made as the bulb remained perfectly intact.
He reached out and lightly touched the liquid with his fingertip before rubbing it between his fingers.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“I haven’t seen anyone harvest one like this in years.”
I smiled a little and handed the knife back to him.
“My grandfather used to grow medicinal plants back home. He always said we should treat plants like humans and If you’re rough with them, they’ll stop giving you what you need.”
Buttins let out a quiet chuckle and stared at me.
Cross folded his arms.
“Enough talking, the compass.”
Buttins ignored him completely.
Instead, he picked up another untouched Shadowbulb and held it toward me.
“You’re not done.” He said.
He pointed the knife at the endless rows stretching across the field.
“Harvest the rest. If you can do every single one without damaging them, the Rift Compass is yours.”
I looked across the enormous field.
There were far more Shadowbulbs than I expected.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” I muttered.
Cross sighed.
“I’ll do it.”
Before Buttina could answer, Cross walked into the field.
He rolled the sleeves of his black coat above his wrists.
I watched in surprise as the nails on both hands slowly lengthened.
They grew darker and sharper.
Within seconds, they looked like polished obsidian claws.
He glanced at me.
“Show me.”
I blinked.
“You want me to teach you?”
“I’ve never harvested Shadowbulbs before.” He replied.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
“The mighty Demon King needs lessons?”
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Buttins rolled his eyes.
“Apparently.”
I stepped beside him.
“You’re holding it too tightly. Relax your hand.”
I gently adjusted his wrist.
“Good.”
I pointed at the smooth black bulb.
“Don’t cut straight through it.”
“Angle the blade, like this.”
His red eyes remained on me instead of the plant.
I cleared my throat.
“Focus on the Shadowbulb not me, Cross.”
He looked down immediately.
“Now make a shallow curve.”
His claw carefully traced the surface.
“Slower.”
He slowed down.
“Perfect.”
A thin silver-black line appeared across the bulb.
Almost instantly, thick black-silver liquid began to bead along the cut before slowly dripping into the small crystal vial Buttins had placed beneath it.
Cross stared at it and his smile widened ever so slightly.
“I had a good teacher.” He said.
Heat crept into my cheeks and I quickly looked away.
“Let’s finish before he changes his mind.”
For the next hour, we worked side by side.
I moved ahead, carefully scoring each Shadowbulb while Cross followed behind, collecting the slow streams of black-silver liquid inside crystal containers.
Whenever he held one incorrectly, I quietly corrected him and he adjusted.
By the tenth bulb, he barely needed my help anymore.
By the twentieth, he was almost as careful as I was.
I smiled to myself.
He really did learn fast.
From the edge of the field, Buttins watched us silently.
His expression was unreadable, but every now and then his eyes lingered on Cross a little longer than before.
Not with hatred, but something far more complicated.
Almost like he was remembering a time long ago.
I ignored him and continued with the bulb.
“I never thought I’d live long enough to see the Devil King taking farming lessons.”
Cross didn’t even look at him.
Buttins frowned.
I continued the work and as I reached for another Shadowbulb, my fingers slipped.
The knife slid across my palm and a cut appeared immediately before a sharp sting shot through my hand.
The knife fell onto the soil with a dull clang.
Bright red blood immediately welled from the cut before running down my fingers.
I instinctively grabbed my hand and stepped back.
Before I could even react, Cross eyes were already on me.
“Imogen!”
He was already beside me.
His voice carried a panic I had never heard before.
He caught my wrist carefully, his red eyes fixed entirely on the blood.
His breathing became heavy.
“You cut yourself.”
“It’s.. it’s just a little….”
“No.” His expression tightened.
His hands trembled ever so slightly as he lifted mine closer.
His thumb gently brushed away the blood.
“You’re bleeding. That’s not little.”
His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
As though even seeing me injured hurt him.
I stared at him..It was only a small cut.
Yet he looked more frightened than I was.
Without another word, he placed his other hand over mine and a dark vein slowly spread beneath the skin of his wrist.
It traveled from his arm into his palm before flowing gently into my hand like living black light.
Warmth immediately spread through my fingers.
The stinging disappeared..I watched in amazement as the cut slowly closed before my eyes.
The blood dried and the skin became smooth again.
Within seconds, it was completely gone.
Cross continued holding my hand for another moment, carefully checking every finger as if making sure no wound remained.
Only after he was completely satisfied did he finally let out the breath he had been holding.
“You should be more careful. Go and rest for a while.” His voice was soft now.
He gently squeezed my hand.
“I’ll handle the remaining ones.”
“Thank you.”
He simply nodded.
Then, without another word, he picked up the knife and turned back toward the Shadowbulbs, finishing the work we had started.
I walked over to a large stone beneath one of the silver trees and sat down, watching him continue harvesting the remaining Shadowbulbs.
The way he carefully cut each bulb made me smile.
Buttins quietly sat beside me.
My body tensed for a minute and he noticed.
“I won’t bite Imogen. You don’t have to afraid.” He said.
I nodded.
“Okay, thanks for assuring me.”
“He has changed.” He muttered while watching Cross.
“Years ago, he would’ve burned my entire field just to avoid doing this.”
I looked at him and didn’t reply.
“Did he tell you who I was?” Buttins suddenly asked.
“No.”
He let out a quiet laugh.
“I’m Cross’s brother. The rightful heir to the throne of Larvana before it was placed in my little brother’s hands.”
My eyes widened.
His brother?
No wonder they looked alike, but if they were brothers, why was there so much hatred between them?
“If you two are brothers, then why do you hate Cross so much? I could feel the tension between both of you.”
His smile disappeared.
“Cross is not who he seems to be.”
He looked straight into my eyes.
“He’s a chameleon. Clever and manipulative. He only stays with people while they’re useful to him. The moment you have nothing left to offer, he’ll throw you away.”
My chest tightened.
Would Cross really do that?
Without realizing it, my eyes drifted toward Cross.
He was still harvesting Shadowbulbs as though nothing had happened.
At that moment, I wondered how much of him I truly knew.
I wasn’t Princess Imogen, the woman he truly loved.
Once he found the crown, would he still need me?
“I’m not trying to scare you.” Buttins continued calmly.
“I’ve known Cross my entire life.”
He looked toward his younger brother.
“And only I know who he truly is.” He turned back to me.
“If I were you I’d leave while I still could and if you’re still in doubt ask him about Lorraine.”
Before I could ask who Lorraine was, footsteps approached us.
Cross stopped beside me.
His eyes briefly met Buttins’
“The compass.” Cross said.
Without another word, Buttins reached into his robe and pulled out an old compass forged from black metal.
He dropped it into Cross’s hand.
“Don’t lose it.”
Cross closed his fingers around it.
“I won’t.”
He immediately reached for my hand.
“Let’s go.”
He didn’t even wait for a reply.
He pulled me away from the Shadowbulb field and through the garden until we finally stepped outside the gate.
Only then did he stop.
He slowly let go of my hand.
His red eyes settled on me.
“What did he tell you?”
I blinked.
“What?”
His expression became serious.
“Don’t lie to me, Imogen.”
A brief silence settled between us, then his lips parted.
“I heard every word.”