Zethan was speechless, staring at his wife, who sat before him with her legs open, waiting for him to bite her. She was offering herself willingly.
This Loris of his had already placed so much trust in him. He had tasted her blood before—its unique, forbidden flavor was enough to make soone forget restraint.
Before she knew it, he turned his face away, nervously scratching the back of his neck.
"It’s fine, Loris. I’m not thirsty."
Lilia’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the subtle shift in his expression. Was that... embarrassnt? His ears were slightly pink.
He moved from the bed and then stood. "I’ll be going to watch the sparring match."
Was he trying to dodge the question? The way he said it—almost rushed—made Lilia suspicious. She was silent for a while, studying him.
Then, she imdiately sat up. "I’ll co with you. We could practice together. What do you think?"
Zethan remained quiet for a mont, as if calculating sothing in his head before he finally responded.
"You will."
"Let get ready," she said, already moving toward the wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of leggings and a zip-up top before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
By the ti she was done, the sun was rising.
Zethan had already changed into sothing suitable for practice, and together, they walked downstairs.
As they strolled through the hall, Lilia glanced at him, curiosity lacing her voice. "Do you practice in case of ergencies—like what happened that day? Does it help with... your Vampiric speed or sothing?"
Zethan stopped in his tracks, turning toward her.
The way she asked, the intrigue in her tone—it was almost as if she were fascinated rather than fearful.
Shouldn’t she be terrified? Shouldn’t she be questioning how sothing she once thought fictional was now her reality?
Yet, here she was, calmly asking a vampire about training.
He resud walking, taking her hand in his.
"Not really. Just to exercise."
She hesitated before asking another question. "So... how do you hide the fact that you’re a vampire? Would it really be that bad if the world knew?"
Zethan stiffened. His footsteps slowed, his expression unreadable. Then, he turned to her, cupping her cheeks with both hands. His face hovered inches from hers, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Then, he bent toward her ear and whispered,
"It’s best the way it is, my wife. There are a lot of things that are better hidden from the world."
Andfromyou.
Lilia fell silent, trying to process his words.
A slow smile played on his lips, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and as if the mont had never happened, he continued walking, leading her outside toward the sparring area.
And then, as if sothing finally clicked, he spoke.
"Loris, I don’t think you’ll be practicing today." He paused before adding, "You know what? Just watch."
Lilia shook her head. "But I want to practice with you. You could teach so of your special skills."
Zethan was silent for a mont before responding. "You’re still recovering."
"But rember, the doctor said I could start after a few days," Lilia argued. "It’s already been a week, which ans I can begin my exercises."
He let out a breath.
And then she continued, "Fine. Then how about you teach so defense? You could be my personal teacher."
She smiled at the idea, and he considered it for a mont. It seed fair. Now that they were actually preparing for sparring, teaching her a few skills didn’t seem like a bad idea.
He finally nodded, and they both stepped into the open field.
As usual, Lucas arrived, pushing a rolling cart filled with various blunt tal weapons for sparring.
Zethan turned to him. "You may go."
Lucas bowed slightly before asking, "Should I call the others for practice?"
Zethan shook his head. "No. I will practice with my wife today."
Lucas hesitated, surprised, but quickly masked his reaction. He lowered his head fully.
"Understood, boss."
With that, he left.
Now Zethan and Lilia were alone.
Zethan moved as he spoke. "So... I’ll simply teach you self-defense. Is that clear?"
"Yeah, noted."
He stopped, his gaze settling on her.
The way she bit her lip, the excitent bubbling in her eyes—it was obvious. She really wanted this.
Zethan shook his head in disbelief.
Why did she always get excited about the things he least expected?
Finally, he spoke quietly. He stepped toward her, closing the space between them.
Standing before her, he reached out, his hand resting lightly on the back of her neck. His voice was low and steady.
"If soone were to hold you here, how would you react?"
She hesitated before turning to face him.
"I don’t know how I’d react. Aren’t you supposed to tell first, as the teacher? Then later, ask again, so I can answer with what you’ve taught ?"
Zethan was silent. For once, he didn’t know what to say.
Finally, he spoke as he stepped before her, then moved back slightly, giving space.
"Now let’s start with basics first, let’s start with kicks. Kick ."
Lilia lifted her leg to strike him, but before she could make contact, his hands had already caught her.
Slowly, he lowered her leg and spoke again. "Use all your strength. Hit ."
She tried again, putting more force into it, but once more, he caught her with ease.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Before she knew it, in a flash, he had already moved to the cart area, retrieving the blunt tal. Then, stepping toward her, he handed it over.
"Hold it," he instructed.
She took it while he remained unard. His gaze was steady as he spoke.
"Go ahead. Fight . Just do it."
Lilia hesitated for a mont, then nodded with determination.
She turned slightly and—
"Begin."
Taking a firm grip on the blunt tal, she attempted to strike him, but he dodged every single move.
She turned, moving toward him with all her might. She struck again, and he dodged.
Sighing in relief, she was glad he had actually dodged. From how much force she had put in, if it had been soone other than Zethan, it would have caused serious injury.
She moved again, now determined, as she began to strike without stop or pause, yet he dodged every single one.
No matter how many tis she tried, he avoided her attacks effortlessly.
After nurous failed attempts, he suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her hands and holding them back.
HOFF...HOFF...
Lilia breathed heavily.
"You’re doing good," he said.
Lilia could hardly believe it.
Was he just saying that to make her feel better?
Of course, Zethan was already skilled. Soone who had dodged bullets before—this was nothing to him.
Then, leaning in, he murmured, "There’s no need for self-defense. I will protect you at all costs."
Lilia rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course there is," she shot back.
Finally, Zethan moved, taking the blunt tal sword before tossing it away. Then, he spoke.
"Attack ."
Before he knew it, Lilia thrust her hand forward—then suddenly winced, bringing it back as she began to sniff.
"It hurts," she muttered, rotating her wrist.
Zethan’s expression shifted to one of concern as he stepped forward to check her hand.
But before he could react further, Lilia landed a punch—right toward his crotch.
Zethan, being fast enough, caught her hand just in ti.
His grip tightened slightly as he leaned in, his voice low and teasing.
"I’d advise you not to do that... unless you want us to do sothing far more intense than self-defense here in this field."
Lilia’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed instantly, knowing exactly what he was implying.
Zethan then added, "Not to ntion, we are still in the process of making our quadruplets. Do you want to ruin the machine?" He pointed at his crotch, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.
Zethan finally smirked, clearly impressed. Now he understood exactly what she was trying to do. This little Loris of his knew that he might lower his guard if she complained, so she had used it against him. A smart wife, indeed.
"Let’s continue. I’ll do better now," she spoke, determination lacing her voice.
Zethan nodded in approval—until...
GROWL.
Lilia’s stomach betrayed her.
Why did it have to disgrace her in the exact sa way it had last ti in the sparring field?
Zethan chuckled, shaking his head. "That’s enough for today, Lilia."
Lilia finally nodded, feeling like she had done enough—or rather, her annoying little tummy had decided for her. Her breaths were heavy, rising and falling with exhaustion, her cheeks burning red with embarrassnt.
"I’ll be taking my leave now," she said. Then, after a brief pause, she added, "I’ll practice so more later."
With a quick nod, she turned away, already craving a drink of water, a refreshing bath, and—thanks to her dear stomach—a proper al. Without another word, she stepped out, leaving the training field behind.
anwhile, Lucas arrived, moving hastily, a black and gold intricately designed envelope clutched in his hand.
Zethan, still holding his sword, was practicing a little longer. He effortlessly tossed it into the air, caught it, and executed a few precise strikes.
His voice was quiet but firm. "What is it, Lucas?"
Lucas held out the envelope. "There is an urgent ssage from the palace."
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