Chapter 732: Sothing interesting!
The soft morning light filtered through the curtains of the imperial bedroom, tinting the sheets with bluish hues that mingled with the almost palpable warmth of the couple in the center of the bed.
Scarlet was—once again—comfortably nestled in Strax’s lap, as if it were her personal throne. Her legs were crossed behind him, her arms around his neck, and her head rested possessively, almost feline, on his shoulder.
Strax ran his fingers down her back, a slow touch that made her sigh as if it kept her alive.
The egg in the corner of the room pulsed with an irritated light.
Nothing new.
Scarlet glanced at it, narrowing her eyes as if observing a declared rival.
“That insolent little thing keeps staring at ,” she grumbled, tightening her thighs around Strax’s waist.
Strax chuckled softly.
“You know it doesn’t have eyes, right?”
“He’s got energy,” Scarlet replied without hesitation. “And energy looks. And he looks at .”
The egg pulsed—clearly irritated. Scarlet lifted her chin triumphantly.
“See? He admitted it.”
Strax simply put his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer. Scarlet let out a small exclamation of surprise before relaxing against him, completely overwheld by the feeling of being held like this.
“Scarlet,” Strax murmured, “you’ve been aggressive lately.”
She lifted her head to look at him.
“Aggressive? ? Just because I want to smash that jealous egg against the wall?”
Strax raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. That’s called aggression. And jealousy.”
“I’m not jealous,” she retorted imdiately.
The silence that followed was so profound that even the egg seed to pause.
Strax touched her chin, gently guiding her face so that she looked at him. “Scarlet… you’re jealous again.”
She looked away, embarrassed… but not admitting it.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter,” he said, gently kissing her forehead—a gesture so intimate and affectionate that Scarlet almost lted. “I’m yours. There’s no arguing.”
She closed her eyes for a mont, savoring the words.
But when she opened them… her gaze sparkled.
“Great. Then keep your distance from that Ice Monarch.”
Strax laughed loudly.
“You really don’t like her, do you?”
“She’s so… she.” Scarlet pressed her lips together, clearly annoyed at the thought. “All shy, all blushing, all stumbling over her words when she looks at you. Makes want to freeze her castle in half.”
“Technically, it’s already made of ice.”
“Then I’ll lt it and freeze it again.”
Strax shook his head, smiling.
“Scarlet… she’s just innocent.”
“Too innocent,” Scarlet muttered. “That type always falls in love easily.”
Strax raised an eyebrow.
“And what if she did fall in love?”
Scarlet growled softly—a sound that made the egg tremble with fear.
“She won’t.”
Strax brought his face closer to hers, their noses touching.
“And even if it did… you know who I choose.”
Scarlet took a deep breath, profoundly satisfied… but still irritated by default.
“Great. Then everything’s settled.”
They stayed like that, embraced, breathing together for a few seconds—until Strax broke the silence.
“Now… about what we’re going to do with the egg.”
He pointed to the corner.
The egg trembled, as if answering: What are you going to do to ?
Scarlet turned slowly, with a threatening expression. “He heard.”
“Of course he heard,” Strax said, amused. “There’s consciousness in there.”
Scarlet squinted, incredulous.
“You tell that as if it were normal.”
“It’s abnormal,” Strax agreed. “And that’s why… I want to wait until it hatches.”
Scarlet let out a dramatic groan.
“Strax… how long will this take? This egg is ruining my peace of mind.”
The egg vibrated intensely, as if screaming:
YOU’RE THE ONE RUINING MINE!
Strax sighed.
“I don’t know how long it will take. But I want to be here when it happens.”
Scarlet rested her forehead against his chest.
“Strax… we can’t stay much longer.”
“Why?”
She slowly lifted her head, her expression one of pure irritation.
“Because I can’t stand that Ice Monarch anymore. I breathe and she blushes. I smile and she almost faints. I exist and she gets… excited.”
Strax coughed, trying not to laugh.
“She doesn’t—”
“STRAX,” Scarlet interrupted, pointing dramatically at him. “She’s on the edge. I know when a woman’s gone mad.”
Strax bit his lip, trying to contain his laughter.
Scarlet continued:
“And I’m not so inexperienced little queen’s babysitter. I can’t stand seeing her face anymore when we co back from our monts.”
“Hm… monts?” Strax asked teasingly.
Scarlet slapped his shoulder.
“You got it.”
The egg gave another jolt. Strax held Scarlet by the waist to steady her.
“He’s getting angry,” Strax comnted.
“Let him be,” Scarlet replied, crossing her arms. “He has to learn.”
Strax sighed with a soft smile, running his fingers through his wife’s hair.
“So… when we hatch this…” He looked at the egg, which vibrated irritably. “We go ho.”
Scarlet rested her head on his chest, finally relaxing.
“Great.”
She closed her eyes.
“Because the next one I threaten to kill… is him.”
The egg trembled furiously, as if shouting:
I WANT TO SEE YOU TRY!!!
…
The main corridor of the ice palace echoed with light, steady footsteps. Strax walked slowly, his hands in his pockets, observing everything with that curious air—the typical air of soone looking for trouble… or fun.
He still had the taste of Scarlet’s perfu clinging to his chest. It was incredible how she simply refused to stay away from his lap these days. And he… well, he didn’t complain at all.
“Hm…” he murmured, turning right, following a strange scent of ancient mana.
The palace was gigantic, and since rcedes lived isolated amidst docunts and problems, few people truly understood its entire structure. That’s when sothing caught his attention.
In the inner garden, where frozen pillars ford shimring tunnels of blue light, there was a different structure.
Ancient.
Much older than the rest of the palace.
A structure of pure ice, crystallized to the point of resembling diamond. Broken arches. Sculptures of frozen dragons, symbols of bygone eras. Deep cracks that shouldn’t exist in magical ice.
Strax smiled.
Sothing interesting.
He began walking directly towards it.
He hadn’t taken five steps before two spears crossed in front of him.
The guards—both enormous, clad in reinforced ice armor—bent slightly, as if apologizing for their steadiness.
“Mr. Strax,” one of them said, his voice tallic through the mask. “This area is off-limits. Only the Monarch may enter.”
Strax raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
“Off-limits? To ?”
“Yes. It’s a direct order from the Queen.”
He tilted his head, analyzing every detail.
rcedes has a secret… interesting side.
“And what exactly is there?” he asked, pointing to the ice temple.
The guards exchanged uncomfortable glances. One of them finally answered:
“The Tomb of the Ice Dragon Empress. The founder of these lands. The First of the royal lineage. No living being shall desecrate her rest.”
Strax blinked once.
Then again.
And then…
He smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously. Full of ideas.
“I understand,” he murmured, turning calmly, as if the conversation were over.
The guards lowered their spears.
Strax took three steps.
And began to laugh.
Loosely at first.
Then a little louder.
As if he had just discovered a hidden treasure.
Or a new toy.
“The tomb of a Dragon Empress…” he whispered, running a hand over his chin, his eyes gleaming. “Made of ice, no less… who would have thought.”
He clicked his tongue, satisfied, as he continued to walk towards the main hall.
rcedes had its Founding Queen, its great secret of the kingdom, its “forbidden place”…
And he had just discovered it.
A mischievous smile spread across Strax’s face.
“I think I’ve just found a way to have a little fun,” he murmured, as if it were just a casual thought.
Because Strax, after all…
Never left a forbidden door closed.
And an ancient tomb of a Dragon Empress?
It was practically an invitation.
…
The cool breeze of Asgard rustled against the high windows of the mansion’s main office, causing the curtains to ripple slowly. Inside, Monica was engrossed in a pile of reports—maps, supply lists, military updates—all neatly arranged, just the way she liked them.
The lighting was soft, emanating from magical crystals scattered across the walls. She read incessantly, her brow furrowed, murmuring calculations and strategies.
Then a soft plop echoed near the window.
Monica looked up.
A magical pigeon—gray, with bluish feet and bright eyes—was frantically flapping its wings, carrying a small strip of parchnt attached to its leg. The pigeon seed… distressed. Almost restless.
Monica stood up imdiately.
“A ssage?” she murmured, extending her hand.
The pigeon landed delicately on the back of the chair. Monica removed the parchnt, and as soon as she did, the bird disappeared in a small bluish cloud—long-range magic.
Monica unrolled the note.
She recognized the elegant, angular handwriting instantly.
Kali.
The note read only a few lines:
Monica, we’ve found sothing dangerous. Extrely.
You’d better ask Strax to co back as soon as possible.
He’ll want to see this.
I can’t explain it in writing.
Just let him know.
—Kali.
Monica stood still for a few seconds.
Her first thought was extrely rational:
If Kali didn’t explain it on paper… it’s because it’s too big. Or too dangerous to record.
Her second thought was more pragmatic:
Strax will ask questions. Many. And he’ll want to co imdiately.
Her third thought… was less rational.
A recent mory—the missing patrol, the demonic energy detected.
Monica sat down slowly.
Her heart raced.
Sothing was brewing on the outskirts of Asgard. Sothing big. Sothing even Kali hesitated to put in writing.
Monica took a deep breath, closed the note, and tucked it away in her secret office drawer.
When she looked up, her expression was different—determined, cold, and calculating. The kind of expression that only appeared when she took complete control of a problem.
“Okay…” she murmured. “Now I need to find a way to send this to Strax without… him taking another two months playing in the snow with that jealous woman.”
She sighed.
A long, exhausted sigh.
“He really needs to co back…”
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