When Drayce returned to his bedchamber, he found his wife done inspecting the ornaments of his room, her slender form standing by the window and staring at the meandering mountain ranges at a distance. She had seen the same view from his study before, but she discovered that the view from his bedchamber was even better.
"Do you like the view from here?"
Startled by his voice, Seren looked over her shoulder. She didn't notice when Drayce came back to the chamber, much less that he was already standing behind her.
"Ah, yes," she replied, feigning calmness as she turned around to completely face him."It's beautiful."
"Then I won't mind you staying in my chamber to keep enjoying the view."
If Seren was not looking at his face, she would have thought he said those words with genuine intentions, but seeing the mischief in his red eyes--not to mention that sly smirk on his lips--she could guess his real motives were not as genuine as he sounded.
She immediately backtracked. "I enjoy the view from my chamber better."
He moved closer to her, cornering her against the window. "Why do I feel like my Queen is getting smarter now?"
"I..." Her flustered gaze immediately noticed the wounds on his half-naked body, and it gave her reason to stop this wolf who looked like he would eat her whole. "Your wounds...Dray, we need to treat your wounds."
Drayce frowned at his wounds. Not like he minded them but if he prolonged their treatment, his wife would see those wounds healing on their own, and all his effort would be wasted. He immediately moved away from her. "You are right, we need to treat these wounds. You almost made me forget the pain I am feeling."
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Your Majesty. I have brought medicine to treat your wounds."
"Come inside," Drayce instructed.
Orion opened the door and entered the King's chamber with his head lowered. He put the wooden tray carrying a small bowl of herbal paste on the table at the center of the lounge area before excusing himself.
As soon as the servant was gone, Seren immediately walked past Drayce and went to sit on the couch. She picked up the small bowl of herbal paste and gestured at the half-naked man.
"Come, sit beside me."
Drayce, being an obedient husband, walked towards her and sat on the couch as she had instructed him. She turned towards him, ready to apply that paste on his wounds, but her eyes narrowed as she noticed something. The cuts appeared fresh, as if they had been made mere minutes ago.
"Why did you sit in the water for so long?" she chastised him. "Instead of looking better, the wounds opened, and they look worse than they should."
Drayce cleared his throat awkwardly. "I won't do it again."
His wife almost caught his trick, and he felt relieved that she blamed it on him soaking in the water.
'Why does she have to be observant today of all days? I have to be careful while fooling her.'
Seren picked up a little paste on her forefinger, deciding which among the cuts on his chest should she start, while Drayce's gaze was stuck to his wife who was focused on tending to his wounds.
She gently applied the paste to the longest on the left side of his chest and said, "It will hurt a little."
It reminded Drayce something and he immediately turned on his acting skills. The moment her finger pressed against his skin, he visibly flinched as if he felt pain. However, he did not say a word, merely pressing his lips together, as if he was pretending that was not the case.
Seren looked at him with a worried gaze. "Does it hurt a lot?"
With a little painful expression on his face, Drayce shook his head. "It does not hurt."
However, the moment Seren applied the paste to another cut, he let out a pained groan.
"I will be more careful. You do not have to pretend it doesn't hurt." Seren, being kind and naive, trusted him and then lifted her veil a little and blew on his cut like a mother would to a little child. "There. This should help with the sting. Does it feel better now?"
Drayce nodded immediately.
Seren continued to do the same--blowing on his wounds frequently as she applied the herbal paste on each and every visible cut.
Drayce's eyes remained fixed at the lovely sight as the view in front of him was the best he could ever imagine--his wife tending to his wounds carefully, earnestly trying to ease his pain by blowing on them.
He was so immersed in the satisfaction that Drayce didn't realize when Seren had finished applying the herbal paste on all the cuts on his chest. "I think I got all of them covered. I saw you had more wounds on your back. Turn around so I can take care of them too."
Drayce discovered that he liked following his wife's instructions, and with a wide grin on his lips, he turned around obediently. He craved for such care and affection from her, and for a moment, he had a wicked thought--that he would not mind getting hurt again and again if she would remain this considerate towards him.
Meanwhile, Seren applied the paste on his wounds, but along the way, her touch would slow as her gaze lingered on his wide muscular shoulders and well-toned back. As Drayce could not see her, she was free to look at his body as much as she wanted. Her movements were slow and it was taking her more time to tend to his back as compared to his chest and stomach.
After taking her sweet time, she calmed herself down and said, "It's done."
Drayce turned to look at her who hid her pervert intentions from a while ago really well, looking back at him all innocent like always. Her husband stared at her for some time without a word, which made her feel like she was caught red-handed.
Seren cleared her throat. "Is there any wound I missed?"
Drayce shook his head. "I think you got them all."
Seren put the bowl of paste back in the wooden tray and wiped her hand to the soft cloth kept beside it. Despite keeping her eyes down, it was as if his gaze were boring holes in her. She could not stand his silence that was making her feel like he had known her thoughts all along and wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"I will take a leave then." She was about to stand up but Drayce held her hand and pulled her back to sit on the couch.
However, their bodies were pressed together, and she started to act flustered, her mind making excuses.
"Dray, let go. Don't hold me too close or else the paste would be wiped--"
But her husband held her firmly and he put his finger on her lips over her veil to stop her from speaking. Looking at that pair of intense-looking red eyes, Seren felt her heart skipping a bit. "Dray..."
"My Queen enjoyed looking at my bare body while I never got to see anything of her. Isn't it unfair?"
Seren gulped, sensing his intentions. "What...do you mean?"
Drayce didn't answer as his gaze moved from her face to her neck and down towards her clothes. His eyes were fixed on those layers of fabric covering her body.
'I-Is he planning to undress me in broad daylight?'
Anxiety covered her mind as she fervently hoped her guess was wrong.
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