Chapter 98: 98-Love at first lightning
"What do you think we should do when we find him? How do we make up to him for being spoilt beasts?"
Sseraphis asked with a serious expression, genuinely believing that Nytherael might have an answer to his question.
Unfortunately, he was asking the wrong beast because Nytherael had no idea what they should do either.
Raised by parents and a family who had spoiled him with overwhelming affection since childhood, Nytherael knew how to receive love. But when it came to giving love, apologizing, understanding other people’s feelings, or expressing gratitude, he simply did not know how.
How could he know? No one had ever taught him.
Coming from a wealthy and influential family, whenever someone upset him, they were the ones who apologized instead of him apologizing for his own mistakes. Whenever someone did something kind for him, they thanked him for giving them the opportunity rather than receiving thanks from him. Everyone made an effort to understand his feelings, while he himself had never truly tried to understand anyone else’s until that very day.
"I think it would be best if I gave you the chance to share your opinion first," he said, pretending to be humble when, in reality, he was only offering the opportunity because he couldn’t think of an answer himself.
But who was Sseraphis?
He had been raised within the Abyssal Coil, a place where emotions were considered dangerous weaknesses. The strong were respected, while the weak were trampled beneath everyone’s feet. To survive, he had done everything possible to become strong.
Once he reached the top, he grew accustomed to stepping on others, taking whatever he wanted by force, and looking down upon the weak in the same way others had once looked down upon him when he lacked strength.
He didn’t know how to soothe Aeltharion’s wounded heart or calm his anger. If the task had been breaking Aeltharion’s heart, body, or dreams, he would have had countless ideas.
He shook his head. "I don’t know what we should do. I’ve never cared about anyone’s feelings except my own."
"Neither have I," Nytherael admitted.
It didn’t take them long to find Aeltharion.
Using true sight to follow the trail he had taken, they eventually found him standing near a flower shop. He carried a small bag filled with wild stuffed intestines he had been eating.
The enjoyment he felt was obvious from the way he licked his lips and fingers, savouring every last trace of flavour.
"Aeltharion, it’s a good thing we found you," Nytherael said happily.
He took the pouch of gold shards and placed it back into Aeltharion’s hand.
"It wasn’t right for us to dismiss this market without giving it a chance and seeing what good things it has to offer," he said in an unusually gentle voice.
Sseraphis stepped forward from behind him, wearing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He still didn’t want to be there, not even for a moment, but he disliked the feeling of knowing that he would hurt Aeltharion’s feelings by walking away.
Aeltharion continued chewing on the roasted stuffed intestines for a moment as he looked at his mates and reflected quietly.
It was true that the things he enjoyed were often very different from the things other beasts of wealth and status usually enjoyed. Because of that, it was difficult for beasts of similar standing to understand him.
He had assumed that marriage meant Nytherael and Sseraphis would naturally come to enjoy the things he loved, but he had forgotten something important.
Nytherael and Sseraphis were not robotic ambassadors whose programming could be altered with the push of a button. Their opinions, preferences, and personalities had existed long before they met him, got to know him, and eventually married him.
"I’m sorry too," he said, genuine regret filling his heart. "It wasn’t right for me to bring you here for our first day of hearts celebration."
Seeing an opportunity, Sseraphis quickly moved closer to Aeltharion. His eyes sparkled, and his entire face lit up like a star.
"Now that you’ve realized not everyone enjoys markets like this..." he began hopefully. "Can we go somewhere else?"
Nytherael smacked the back of Sseraphis’s head, though without any real force. "What did we agree on?" he asked in a low voice.
"But Aeltharion is apologizing," Sseraphis argued as though Nytherael was the unreasonable one. "That means he understands we don’t enjoy being here. As our mate, isn’t it also his job to make us happy?"
"But..."
"It’s alright," Aeltharion interrupted with a smile. "Just tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you there."
Nearby, a vendor selling flowers, beautiful cards, and other romantic gifts noticed the pouch of gold shards in Aeltharion’s hand. Greed immediately flickered in his eyes.
Putting on an inviting smile, he approached Nytherael, Sseraphis, and Aeltharion.
"Come take a look at my shop," he said smoothly. "I’m confident I can make your day of hearts truly memorable."
Sseraphis looked the merchant up and down, irritation rising inside him. All he wanted was to leave, and now this vendor was trying to sell them things.
"We don’t need anything you’re selling."
"Please, customer. At least come take a look first. How can you know whether you need something or not if you haven’t seen it?"
"Go away," Sseraphis snapped, his eyes turning sharp.
Aeltharion placed a hand on Sseraphis’s shoulder, calming him.
"It’s the day of hearts. There’s no need to fight today. Let it go," he said gently. Then he turned back to the merchant. "We’ll take a look at your shop."
Moments later, they found themselves inside. Nytherael and Sseraphis hurried to sit down while Aeltharion followed the merchant farther inside.
"This way," the merchant instructed.
At that moment, he activated several lightning cores he had prepared earlier. The cores burst to life.
Lightning crackled around Aeltharion, illuminating him from every angle. His golden skin gleamed brilliantly. His eyes shone like twin stars, and even his clothing seemed to become more striking beneath the dazzling display.
Nytherael stared. Without realizing it, his own eyes began to glow as he watched Aeltharion in a new light.
The customers inside the shop found themselves equally captivated, unable to look away from the dragon. For a moment, everyone simply stared in stunned silence.
It was love at first lightning for Nytherael. Until that moment, the dragon had simply been one of two beasts he was mated to. A lover and husband in name, but it was at that moment thar Nytherael saw the allure to the beast, and it made his mouth run dry.
"Do fox’s eyes flare up like that?" Sseraphis asked, equally drowning in the allure of both Aeltharion and Nytherael.
His violet-black eyes were stuck on Nytherael’s eyes and in those pools where one side was a crimson flame and the other side a golden flame, he saw the reflection of Aeltharion engulfed in the lightning display and his heart swayed.
He found both beasts too captivating to look away. He was charmed in the simplest way possible, and for a moment, he forgot his dislike for that shop.
"Eyes?" Nytherael didn’t understand the question and his mind couldn’t begin to think about it. He just watched Aeltharion with full focus, not daring to look away in fear of missing even one sparkling moment.
The lightning display ended, Aeltharion glared daggers at the shopkeeper. "If that is what you meant by memorable. I am not impress..."
"I disagree," Sseraphis said. "I think it was a start of something beautiful," he added.
"I think it was," Nytherael confessed too.
Aeltharion blinked. He looked back at the spot where he stood as he was engulfed in the lightning display and wondered if there was something else in the display he missed.
His mates attitude took a turn so suddenly that it left him speechless. They went from ’I hate this place’ to ’I can see it’s appeal’ in a matter of a few breaths.
"MORE!" Nytherael and Sseraphis demanded, hopeful that the next trick will be just as simple and just as breathtaking.
"And feel free to use lightning for demonstrations," he offered the shopkeeper.
"Lightning?" Aeltharion, Sseraphis, and the shopkeeper asked in unison.
"Him," Nytherael pointed at Aeltharion.
~
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