Drayce and Seren were ready to leave the royal banquet after a while, as she didn't feel comfortable staying with the strange gazes, especially that particular gaze always following her.
"Dray, would it be rude if we leave early?" Seren asked. "Will it offend the Othinian royal family?"
Drayce shook his head. "You are the queen of garis, and you can offend whoever you want, even the entire continent."
"Umm... I don't wish to take advantage of being the wife of the most powerful king, but I really wish to leave this place. I don't feel good here," she replied honestly.
"Let's leave then," he agreed as he offered her his hand.
Seren accepted his hand but then looked around to search for soone.
"She is with Arlan," Drayce answered her unspoken question.
Seren looked back at him. "Are you sure about it? I brought Oriana here under my responsibility, so I can't help but be worried."
"Trust , they are together," he offered her a aningful look, "...and they are having quite a good ti?"
Seren's eyes widened. "Already?"
"She is his mate. How long do you expect him to be patient?" he replied.
"How do you know? I an..." she realized sothing—her husband's sharp hearing senses—and imdiately extended her hands to cover his ears. "It's rude to listen to soone like this."
Drayce found her adorable as he looked at her, not removing her hands from his ears. "My queen, you shouldn't act so adorable in public. You might attract more attention."
Seren realized they were still inside the banquet hall, and her gesture of covering Drayce's ears had drawn quite a number of gazes and smiles.
She awkwardly pulled her hands back and heard Drayce say, "I didn't listen to them intentionally, but when you were looking for Oriana, I just extended my hearing senses for a mont and grasped the situation. When you're here with , I don't need to extend my senses to pry on others."
She offered an awkward nod under those gazes and said, "Can we leave now?"
Drayce held her hand with a gentle grip. "Let's leave."
"Do you always keep your ears on and listen to what I talk about?" she asked.
"Hmm, not always. Only when I feel you need to be under my watch and you might be in trouble," he replied, a smile gracing her lips. "Or sotis when I miss you in the middle of my work and want to know what you're doing."
"That ans you hear what I talk about," she said with a displeased tone. "I have no privacy."
"No, my Queen. I don't intend to invade your privacy... I just..."
"Promise you won't listen to my conversations with others, unless it's absolutely necessary," she spoke. "Not even when you miss . That's not a reason to pry into my privacy."
"I'll keep that in mind," he agreed as usual to whatever his wife wished for. "If I miss you in the middle of work, I'll just stop working and co to you."
She looked at him with a disapproving gaze. "You're a King, you can't just do that."
"I'm a husband too, and I certainly can do that," he replied. "Or would you prefer I invade your privacy?"
"Alright, as long as you don't eavesdrop on my conversations with others," she agreed finally.
Drayce knew there would be tis he'd miss his wife and wouldn't know what she was doing. Visiting her seed far better than listening in on her.
anwhile, Seren felt relieved recalling the naive conversations she had with her servants. She hoped Drayce hadn't heard them all. Perhaps in the future, she would have private talks with her servants again, her only outlet for her thoughts, and she didn't want Drayce to know about them.
Though he was her husband and deserved to know everything about her, but just like every person, she had a right to her privacy and would not want certain things to be known by him.
The two departed, observed by a pair of snow-blue eyes. He had watched Drayce and Seren and found the Queen of garis not simply beautiful but adorable. Her innocence and the way she interacted with her husband piqued his curiosity, and he yearned to know more about her.
As he was about to finish his wine, he glanced at the glass in his hand. "This wine has suddenly lost its flavor," and set the glass back on the table. Standing up, he signaled to his knight that they were departing.
Stepping outside the banquet hall, he saw the garis royalty's carriage already leaving. He instructed his knight, "Inform Zaria Lynx to see ," then took his seat in his own carriage.
The knight nodded, and the carriage of the King of Thevailes also left the banquet.
In his study, Sar waited for a certain black witch. A woman entered and bowed to the King. Despite Zaria's status being well above any human's, she understood the importance of showing the necessary respect to the King.
"It seems His Majesty has encountered the enchanting beauty," Zaria remarked before taking a seat.
Sar gave her a serious look, not responding to her comnt. "When will you fulfill what you promised ?"
Zaria chuckled. "Impatient? It seems I was not mistaken in offering you a woman with the most beautiful eyes."
"I expect results soon," he pressed.
"We are already prepared with our plan, Your Majesty," Zaria assured. "Once the garis entourage leaves the Othinian palace and reaches our designated location, I assure you she will be in our hands."
"What about King Drayce? Are you confident you can overpower him?" Sar asked, skepticism evident in his tone.
The smirk on Zaria's lips widened. "I'm going to use sothing against him that will render him powerless. He'll face a force not of this realm, one that no earthly supernatural can withstand."
"Do what you must, but I demand results," he commanded coldly.
"It won't be long," she assured. "They are leaving Othinia tomorrow, and we are ready for them."
Sar gave her a nod, only to hear Zaria again, "Also, once you capture Queen Seren, consider taking control of the entire kingdom of garis."
He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. "After he loses his wife, he'll certainly wage war."
"Yes, he will, but he won't be capable of fighting," Zaria clarified. "The power I intend to use on him will weaken him significantly for an extended period. You can seize this opportunity to order your forces to attack garis."
"Is this why you advised to have our military forces on standby?" Sar inquired.
She smiled. "My preparations are never without purpose."
"Then I'll leave the execution to you."
Zaria nodded, then added, "King Sar, I'm curious about your lineage, about your ancestors."
"Our family founded this kingdom, and we've continued the legacy," he replied nonchalantly.
"Is there a complete record of your ancestors?" she probed further.
"Every royal family maintains a record of its lineage, noting nas and achievents. Why this sudden interest in mine?" he questioned, curiosity piqued.
"I was wondering if you'd be interested in learning magic," she proposed.
Scoffing and raising an eyebrow, Sar retorted, "Are you trying to make one of your minions, like those ineffectual wizards who can't even complete a simple task?"
"You could surpass them with your capabilities," she suggested.
"I have no interest in becoming your minion. I'd rather you serve , and run brands for ," he stated flatly, his eyes devoid of any desire to learn magic. "When I have a powerful witch like you by my side, why do I need to be like you?"
"You seem to possess a natural affinity for darkness, despite being human. Such cases are rare," she observed. "That's why I inquired about your lineage."
"My lineage is exactly as I've described," he responded, his tone firm. "You should focus on our plan instead of trying to turn into sothing I have no interest in."
Zaria chose not to press further. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
Once Zaria left, he leaned back lazily in his chair and rembered the story he had heard about his ancestors from his grandmother when he was a child but he always took it as the words of an old woman who was losing her mind with age.
'Our first ancestor descended from the sky from another realm. We are different from other humans, Sar. Do not be like your father and try to find your true potential. One day, you will be above what you can see and understand. Try to pry beyond it.'
He shook his head, trying to shake those words from the old woman, 'Grandmother sure had a knack for weird imagination.'
User Comments
0 comments from readers