Oriana entered Seren’s chamber only to find her quietly seated in bed, her eyes closed. It was evident to Oriana that Seren was still feeling the effects of the alcohol she had consud the night before, her body struggling to recover.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Oriana bowed, a twinge of guilt tugging at her for Seren’s current state.
Seren opened her eyes and regarded Oriana. "Don’t mind for being a bit out of sorts."
"It’s alright, Your Majesty," Oriana reassured her.
"Please, take a seat," Seren offered, gesturing towards the chair by the bedside.
Eva promptly arranged the chair for Oriana, who approached the bed before sitting down. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small pouch, offering it to Seren. "Your Majesty, please accept this. It may help alleviate your discomfort."
Seren eyed the pouch curiously. "What is it?"
"dicine to ease your headache. I’ve personally prepared it, and it’s quite effective," Oriana explained.
"Seems like I really need it," Seren accepted the dark cloth pouch. "But I would prefer if you called by my na, just as you did last night."
Hearing Seren’s request to be addressed by her na, Oriana’s mind drifted back to part of their drunken conversation from the previous night.
’Seren, you’ve really missed out on life.’
’You’re not wrong, Oriana.’
’Don’t worry, Seren, you have now. I’ll show you all the fun.’
’You’re truly a good friend, Oriana.’
’Drink more, my friend. Let’s have so more fun.’
’I already feel dizzy. Dray won’t allow to drink more.’
’Forget those annoying husbands of ours. If he tries to stop you, just use your power and put him in his place.’
’I can’t hurt Dray. He’s my husband.’
’So? Is he a god? You know, once I beat my annoying husband using my power of Demoness, and now he’s obedient like a cow.’
’You did?’
’Yes, and I’m telling you, you should try it too.’
’But, Oriana, why would I beat up your husband?’
"No, you can’t. Only I can hurt my husband. You go beat your own husband.’
’Alright, if he won’t let drink, I’ll give him a good bite. He bit once, so it’s only fair.’
’He bit you?’
’Yes, when we were newly married. One night, out of nowhere, he bit . It hurt.’
’That’s so wrong of him, Seren. You should definitely give him a taste of his own dicine tonight. Go bite him and make him bleed.’
’Yes, I will.’
As Oriana’s mind raced with concern over the drunken conversation they’d had, she couldn’t help but worry, ’I hope she didn’t actually try to bite King Drayce. I don’t want to be labelled as a bad influence on innocent lady like her.’
"Um, Your Majesty, I was drunk, and it was just idle chatter," Oriana explained tentatively.
Seren arched a brow. "Are you implying that I need to make you drink every ti just so you’ll address by na?"
"No, I an... you didn’t actually follow through with what we talked about, did you?" Oriana asked, hesitatingly.
"I’ll tell you everything if you promise to always address by na," Seren insisted firmly. "It’s an order, one for us to remain friends forever. Am I such a terrible person that you’re hesitant to be my friend?"
"No, Your Majesty. In fact, it’s an honor to have you consider your friend. I... I will comply with your request," Oriana replied, feeling the weight of Seren’s words.
"Good. Now, I’ll take this dicine. My head is pounding," Seren pulled out one pill and swallowed it. She then looked at Oriana, a hint of gratitude in her expression. "I truly did enjoy myself last ti, thanks to you. Though my head is aching now, it was worth it."
"I’m glad you feel that way," Oriana responded politely. "I hope you were alright last night."
"I was fine, but Drayce wasn’t," Seren replied with a sigh.
Oriana couldn’t help but gulp nervously. ’Did she really try to bite her husband? I was the one who encouraged her.’
"What happened?" Oriana asked hesitantly.
"I bit Dray," Seren confessed, pouting beneath her veil.
"You really did?" Oriana almost exclaid in surprise.
"You said you beat your husband, so why can’t I bite mine?" Seren retorted, noticing Oriana’s astonishnt.
"Do you... do you rember all that conversation, Seren?" Oriana felt a flush of embarrassnt.
How could she have casually discussed using her powers to beat Arlan? It was suppose to be between her and Arlan only.
"Of course I do," Seren replied matter-of-factly. "Even in my intoxicated state, I rembered it when we returned here. I bit him on the neck, where he has his Dragon tattoo," she explained, pointing to her own neck to indicate the spot.
"Tattoo?" Oriana recalled that she had never noticed any tattoo on Drayce’s neck, despite her keen observation skills.
"Oh, I forgot. No one else can see that tattoo; it’s invisible to others," Seren clarified. "He was born with it. Other than his mother, only I can see it because I’m his mate."
"That’s intriguing," Oriana comnted. "Do other Dragons have tattoos as well?"
"The King of Agartha, the Black Dragon, has a Dragon tattoo on the left side of his chest. And then there’s Prince Arlan; you’ll have to find out about his tattoo on your own," Seren replied cryptically.
Oriana reflected on her mories of Arlan, recalling instances where she had seen him shirtless or in intimate attire, yet she had never noticed any tattoo on his body. Perhaps he didn’t have a Dragon tattoo after all.
"Are all Dragons supposed to have one?" Oriana inquired again.
"Yes, according to what my mother-in-law told , that’s the case," Seren confird.
"Is it true that only a mate can see that tattoo?" Oriana posed another question.
Seren nodded. "From what I understand, that seems to be correct."
’I’m not his mate. No wonder I can’t see any Dragon tattoo on his body,’ Oriana thought to herself.
Seren observed Oriana’s conflicted expression and suggested, "He’s your husband; you could always ask to check his body."
Oriana’s face flushed with embarrassnt. "No, that’s alright. There’s no need to check."
Seren chuckled mischievously. "I’m sure if you asked, Prince Arlan would gladly remove his clothes for you."
Oriana choked on her tea, caught off guard by Seren’s remark.
"Are you alright?" Seren inquired, a hint of amusent in her tone.
"Yes, I just drank too quickly," Oriana replied hastily, trying to compose herself.
Seren couldn’t help but smile. It was all too easy to tease Oriana.
"May I ask sothing?" Oriana began.
"We’re friends, so feel free to ask anything," Seren replied.
"To beco mates, King Drayce needs to mark you and then complete the bond. But you haven’t been marked yet, so how are you able to see that tattoo?" Oriana inquired.
"Hmm, you have a point. I’m not officially his mate since we haven’t established a bond, but I can still be considered his mate because his Dragon has chosen as such," Seren explained.
"How do they choose soone?" Oriana pressed further.
"I’m not entirely sure, but it seems to happen the mont they lay eyes on that person for the first ti. It’s an instinctive process for them," Seren elaborated.
As Oriana processed this information, she realized the implications. ’So clearly, Arlan’s beast hasn’t chosen , or I would have been able to see the tattoo on his body. What was I even thinking? Hoping to be his mate? Not everyone can be as fortunate as Seren. I’ll just have to accept the fact that he’s going to have another woman as his mate. But why do I feel so unsettled with this thought of him having a mate?’
Observing Oriana’s distant expression, Seren gently inquired, "What are you thinking, Oriana?"
"Nothing much," Oriana replied, masking her inner turmoil.
Seren continued, "Once a divine beast chooses soone, they devote themselves solely to that individual and can only be with her. So, I am both Drayce’s wife and the mate of his beast, Erebus."
"Erebus?" Oriana queried, puzzled by the unfamiliar na.
"Erebus is the na of Drayce’s dark side, represented by the red Dragon," Seren clarified.
Oriana was intrigued by this revelation. "So, is the Dragon a separate personality?"
"Yes," Seren confird, elaborating on how Drayce’s dark side erged as a distinct persona, how Erebus ca to be nad, and her current relationship with Erebus.
"....Now I am not afraid of him. In fact, he’s even more obedient to than Drayce can be."
"I’m glad to hear that everything turned out well for you," Oriana remarked sincerely.
"Yes, I feel the sa," Seren replied.
As they continued their conversation, Drayce entered the chamber. "Please, be seated," he said to Oriana before turning to Seren. "I’m stepping out with Arlan for a while. I’ll be back shortly."
Seren nodded, and Drayce left after grabbing his jacket.
Once he was gone, Seren turned to Oriana. "Did you notice the bite mark on his neck?"
Oriana nodded, her gaze inadvertently drawn to Drayce’s neck, where Seren had ntioned the presence of a Dragon tattoo, only to notice deep marks or teeth imprints.
"It seems like you didn’t hold back," Oriana remarked with a chuckle.
Seren laughed softly. "Even I don’t know how I did it, or why he even allowed to bite him."
Oriana’s amusent faded as another thought occurred to her. "But shouldn’t it heal quickly? Dragons have self-healing abilities."
"They do, but it’s different when it cos to their mate. Any harm inflicted by their mate takes ti to heal," Seren explained.
Oriana recalled the incident when she had cut a vein on Arlan’s neck, and it had healed almost instantly. It was another reminder that she wasn’t his mate. However, she also felt a sense of relief knowing that she wasn’t his mate or that day Arlan would have bled severely. How foolish she had been to act in such a manner to hurt him without even thinking twice?
By the ti they ended their conversations, Oriana had only one thought, ’I wonder where does he have his tattoo and how does it even look?’
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