Chapter 96
After I acknowledged Derol, he leaned cautiously into my embrace. I gently patted his back while glancing over at Serina. Then, while I was lost in thought, one of my hands was slowly lifted.
When I looked up, Ardion was bringing my hand to his lips. His soft breath ward the back of my hand.
“Laila, why does it feel like you’re looking at Serina more than ?”
“I was just checking to see if she might wake up.” I gave a vague excuse. Ardion’s gaze felt a little too close.
“Laila, do you still not trust ?”
I turned to him. His erald eyes were locked onto mine, watching intently, waiting for my answer.
“It’s not that. I do trust you. It’s just… I can’t help but worry.” I forced a smile and stepped aside slightly.
Ardion glanced at Serina once before speaking in a low voice. “Laila.”
He slowly turned towards , his downcast eyes seeming to carry a hint of danger. Looking directly into my eyes, he softly said, “My mana has never once failed .”
“…”
His hand brushed my cheek and tucked my hair behind my ear. I lowered my gaze slightly, but his fingers gently lifted my chin. Our eyes t naturally.
He smiled. “Except with you.”
His sharp eyes softened beautifully. For a mont, I just stared at him blankly. Beneath his long lashes, a heavy breath escaped. His gaze slowly drifted down to my lips.
Suddenly, a high-pitched squeak interrupted us. Ardion’s expression instantly froze. Frowning slightly, he looked down.
“We’ve arrived.” Derol stood upright and pointed at the door. Now that he ntioned it, I realized the carriage had stopped moving.
I didn’t even notice we’d stopped…
I quickly straightened up and glanced at Serina.
“I’ll take care of Serina,” Ardion said calmly and opened the carriage door.
He stepped down first, then held his hand out to . Derol scrambled up to . I tucked him into my pocket and took Ardion’s hand.
He helped down from the carriage and ordered a servant, “Take her to the prepared room.”
The servant bowed and carried Serina away.
I watched him for a mont, then asked Ardion, “Which room is she going to?”
“One far from ours, just in case she tries anything.”
I nodded and looked around. Since this was Ardion’s palace, no one seed suspicious.
Then I felt a slight tug at the hem of my skirt. Looking down, I saw Derol standing on two feet, looking up at .
“Master, I’ll go to my room now.”
“Already?”
“Yes, I’m quite tired.” Derol turned his head slightly and looked at Ardion.
Ardion simply gazed at him, but there was so kind of silent exchange between them. Sohow… it felt like they had grown close.
What happened while I wasn’t around?
As I stared at Derol, Ardion spoke.
“Laila, Derol says he’s really tired and wants to rest.”
He reminded of what Derol just said. For so reason, it felt like he was trying to send Derol off quickly.
Still, since Derol said he was tired, I nodded and bid him goodbye. Derol bowed to and quickly ran into the palace. I watched him dart away as Ardion took my hand. I looked up at him.
He smiled and said, “Laila, the weather’s getting colder lately. If you stay outside too long, you’ll catch a cold.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I flinched instinctively. By now, I should’ve been used to it, but whenever he pulled in close like this, my body still froze in surprise.
Ardion, however, seed unfazed by my reaction and held tighter. As I moved my arms, he slid his around my waist and said, “Laila, don’t you think it’s ti to get used to this?”
“…”
“We’re married now, rember?”
“Well, yeah, but…” I trailed off awkwardly.
Ardion stopped walking. His expression looked more serious than usual. With a piercing gaze, he asked, “Don’t tell you’ve forgotten already?”
“Forgotten what?”
His brow furrowed. “Our wedding.”
I jumped. “What? How could I forget the wedding?”
“Then why are you acting so awkward?” He looked genuinely confused, his eyes boring into .
“I think I’ve always been like this…” I forced a smile. To be honest, I was never that forward with Ardion. Fully accepting him was still difficult for .
He stared at for a mont with a tense expression. Then he glanced around and called out to a nearby servant. “Prepare the bath.”
The servant quickly bowed and disappeared into the palace.
“A bath?” I asked, puzzled.
Ardion laced his fingers through mine. “It seems you’ve forgotten you’re married to .”
“What does that have to do with taking a bath?”
“Let’s bathe together.”
At his words, I quickly looked around. Thankfully, the servants had all gone off to work and weren’t around.
I whispered urgently, “Ardion, Serina’s here right now, and you want to bathe together? And why would you say sothing like that out loud here?”
“Laila, this is my palace. Everyone here follows my word.” His eyes glinted darkly.
“But Serina…”
“What about her? She won’t be waking up anyti soon. She’ll be out for at least two days.”
“But Serina is still…”
“Stop bringing her up. It’s like you’re trying to get between us. You know, earlier, you looked at her more than .”
“What does that even…” I couldn’t finish. I simply couldn’t keep up with Ardion’s train of thought.
As I stared at him blankly, his lips brushed against my cheek. I looked up at him.
He said casually, “You seem used to this… Maybe it’s the other things I don’t do often enough?”
My cheeks instantly flushed. I could feel the heat spreading across my face. I barely managed to calm myself and whispered, “… You do this a lot.”
“A lot? No, Laila. If we want you to get used to the rest, we need to do those things even more often.”
“…”
“And don’t forget. We were apart for a while.” He tightened his grip on my hand and kissed the back of it. He t my eyes and smiled.
Although I was practically glaring at him, Ardion seed unfazed. The way he smirked… He looked just like a devil, one who had found a new toy to play with.
I barely composed myself and looked at him. “Ardion, right now…”
“Laila, I am your husband. Did you forget our vows? We’re obligated to fulfill our duties as a married couple. It’s even enforced by imperial law.”
I was speechless. From the way he was talking, it felt like spending the night with was the only thing on his mind.
Exasperated, I asked, “… Is that why you married ?”
“Yup. So I could have fun with you all I want.” Ardion grinned.
❋ ❋ ❋
For two whole days, Ardion wouldn’t let rest. He hardly allowed to leave the bed. Whenever I seed even a little recovered, he’d pounce again, either kissing deeply or marking sowhere visible.
Because of that, red marks blood all over my neck and collarbone. He liked leaving traces on , so I had to cover myself with veils all the ti.
This morning was no different. I was draping a veil over my neck to hide the red spots when…
Knock knock.
A cheerful knock ca at the door. Ardion had gone to his office early, burdened by all the work that had piled up during his two-day ‘vacation’. I finally had a quiet morning to myself.
I cleared my throat. After yelling so much over the past two days, my voice was in rough shape. I coughed a few tis and then managed to speak. “Co in.”
Thankfully, my voice didn’t crack. The door opened, and a servant stepped in. “Good morning, Your Highness. Shall I bring breakfast here?”
At so point, I had grown used to being called ‘Your Highness’. I an, it made sense since I was married to Ardion, but hearing it still felt surreal.
I nodded. The servant bowed and left. I stood there dazed for a mont, glancing around the room.
Now that I thought about it, Derol was nowhere to be seen.
Wait… I haven’t seen him all morning.
After spending all that ti with Ardion, I had barely had a chance to check on Derol. I quickly stepped out of the room.
That was when a small black rat scurried towards .
“Derol!”
Smiling, I bent down.
Derol stood on his hind legs and waved at . “Master!”
I reached out my hand, and he climbed right into my palm, his eyes gleaming.
“Master, I’ve been well. I was bored, so I kept watch on Serina.”
“Serina?”
“Yes! And just now, Serina woke up.”
“She woke up?”
Derol nodded vigorously. “If you go now, you should be able to speak with her.”
“Which room is she in?” I looked around.
Derol pointed with his tiny paw. “Straight down this hall, last room on the left.”
Listening to Derol, I walked briskly. Serina had woken up. My heart raced. I couldn’t help but quicken my pace.
“Master, it’s this one!” Derol pointed to a dark door.
I took a deep breath and knocked.
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