Drayce brought Seren down to the deck after they spent some time in the crow's nest at the top of the main mast.
Her husband idly fixed the part of her hair messed up by the wind. "You are yet to have a meal, right? Would you like to have it on the deck or inside the cabin?"
"I have been inside the cabin the entire day. I would like to be outside now."
Drayce agreed, and soon, a relatively simple meal was arranged for her, with the sailors helping by putting a wooden table and chairs on the upper deck of the ship. Just as her servants were placing the last of the dishes, Drayce excused himself. "My Queen, have a good meal."
She didn't expect him to leave. "Are you not having a meal with me, Dray?"
"I am not hungry yet," he answered.
"Umm, fine."
Seren no longer insisted and simply watched Drayce leave the upper deck towards the main deck, stopping to stand at the bow of the ship with his hands behind him.
After some time, Slayer noticed Drayce quietly gazing afar and approached his liege.
"Did something happen?"
Drayce shook his head a little and continued to stare ahead with a blank look.
"That means something did happen," Slayer concluded.
"It's nothing much," Drayce shrugged.
"Was it the other you?" Slayer asked and Drayce turned his head to his right, throwing a puzzled gaze at his knight.
Slayer met his gaze squarely. "Seems like I am right. Other than him, no one can bring out such a complicated expression to your face."
Drayce sighed and looked at the peaceful waters in front once more, not denying Slayer's claim.
"What did he do this time?" Slayer asked.
Drayce clenched his fists at what would have happened if Seren did not call out Erebus' name.
"He tried to mark my wife."
"And? You know sooner or later, he would have done it," Slayer replied.
As Drayce's most trusted man, Drayce had honestly shared everything about him to his knight, and thus, despite being a mere human, Slayer knew of Drayce's other self and what Seren meant for both of them.
"But now it's not the time," Drayce said as he shook his head. "Don't you know how marking and completing the bond works?"
"I know. I remember it's mentioned in one of your mother's books."
"I have not given that particular book to Seren yet as I don't want her to feel scared. But it seems like I have to tell her and warn her. She deserves to understand what 'marking' and 'mates' meant to us."
"It would be better that way but I also think you worry too much," Slayer commented.
"It's not for nothing. The moment he marks her, then she will be compelled to complete that bond with him. I cannot let it happen before she comes of age."
"Or before you have her first?" Slayer said as he looked at Drayce in his eyes.
Drayce looked away as he corrected, "Because he will scare her. He keeps hurting her. I can not allow him to do that again."
"Hmm, I understand. But you cannot stop him, you know that."
"I cannot, but Seren can. I will make her understand why she should not allow him to mark her yet. It is better that way. If we consummate our marriage first, then she won't have to suffer through the process of marking. It is a painless way to directly complete the bond."
"I think I remember this. You mean the survival phase of the mate bond?"
Drayce nodded. "Though I am sure she will survive the marking as she is not an ordinary person, I still don't wish to put her in danger or have her go through any kind of suffering. It is more reassuring that they directly complete the bond the moment he marks her."
"So you are not against him...having her...just that you want it to go in a better way for her."
"Even if I don't want to give her to him, I cannot stop her from becoming his mate. It is physically impossible. Well, it's also for her safety. The power of bond will protect her."
"You truly love her a lot, to put only her safety first and the rest later. In the past, I never thought I would live to see this day."
Drayce could not deny his friend's claim, "Nothing matters but her."
"I don't think he will be reckless. You look down on your other self too much. Think about it: Till now he had so many chances to be with her but he kept himself hidden. He must care for her as well."
"He better or..." Anger rose in his red eyes.
Slayer put a hand on Drayce's shoulder, lightly patting him. "Also, you shouldn't look down on your wife as well. I believe that since she could handle both of you till now, she could do it even better in the future. You should trust her. Women are not as weak as we think they are."
Drayce lightly brushed off his friend's hand. "I know. She can control him. I am sure she can continue doing so."
"Then rest your worries aside."
Drayce was a Dragon, a divine beast. The number of divine beasts in the continent were so few, one could rarely find them among the supernatural beings in existence. As such, having a mate was of utmost importance to them, and the bond they shared between their mates was stronger than the other beastmen; Dragons in particular were known for their possessiveness. It was also protection that was given to the mates, as not just any woman could become a mate to a divine beast.
The bond between mates was not merely a sacred vow between a pair of lovers, but the testimony of magic that meant the female chosen by the male had the ability to continue the male's bloodline and that their souls would be entwined for as long as they lived.
The bond process was divided into three stages. The first was the male marking his female, a testament that showed the male chose that female among all the other females. The second was the survival phase where the marked female had to prove herself worthy by surviving the marking, which would normally last for a few days.
Those days could be said to be a trial of life and death for a female, as not everyone can bear the marking of a divine beast, especially a powerful one, and even after the female survived, the pair would yet to become proper mates. Only after the third phase, the consummation, would the mate bond be completed.
Drayce didn't wish for Seren to go through the survival phase. If they consummate the marriage first, then Seren and Erebus could just go ahead with the first and third phases. Though the thought of letting Erebus have her broke Drayce's heart, he had no other option but to accept it. He could only hope that his other self would treat Seren better--at the very least, he should learn not to hurt her.
While the two men were engrossed in conversation, Seren's gaze would flit towards her husband from time to time, causing her to eat without tasting her food. Even though he pretended to be fine earlier, she could sense he was not. He acted normally in front of her, but she could tell he remained upset and she needed to take care of it.
===
A/N- The process of bond formation had explained in detail in the second book "The Devil's Cursed Witch" between main leads Draven and Ember. Those who had read it in the second book might find it repetitive though it's explained in short here, but it is for the readers who are yet to read the second book.
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