By the crack of dawn, the door leading to the Queen's cabin opened.
An exhausted Drayce appeared inside the cabin after changing into dry clothes, and without hesitation, he joined the peacefully sleeping woman in bed, contentedly wrapping himself around his wife. Sensing his warmth, Seren snuggled deeper into his embrace without a word before returning to sleep.
By the time she woke up hours later, strong sunlight had already illuminated the cabin through the small glass window, making her aware that it was probably late in the morning. The surprising thing was, though she woke up later than usual, Drayce was still sleeping by her side, holding onto her like a body pillow.
A gentle smile tugged her lips as she observed the lines and shadows on his sleeping face, his already handsome angular features further enhanced by the stream of sunlight.
Drayce was an early riser, always leaving bed before sunrise, thus, someone like Seren who loves to sleep in never got the chance to see him like this. This was a rare chance to admire his handsome face without getting embarrassed that she was staring too much.
'His brows, those long eyelashes, his perfect nose, those sultry lips...ah, it's simply a work of art! How can a man be this beautiful? Even his skin looks good under the sunlight...'
Seren had a strong urge to caress his face, but she didn't follow through as she didn't have the heart to wake him up.
'Seems like he overexerted himself and used too much of his powers last night. I should let him rest for as long as he needs.'
He looked so peaceful and at ease that she dared not even change her position, not moving even a little, worried it would disturb his sleep. Though this made her muscles tense uncomfortably after some time, she found herself distracted by the handsome sight of her husband.
Drayce continued to sleep like that for another hour, and Seren greeted him with a smile in her gentle gaze the very second his eyes opened.
"Did you sleep well, Dray?"
His sleepy eyes blinked slowly, the haze of sleep still heavy in those red orbs, and she felt like her entire being was getting sucked into them. A wild thought flashed in her mind, and she hurried to reel her thought in.
"Hmm?" he replied in a husky voice and held her body tighter, closing his eyes once more.
"Do you still want to sleep?" she asked, as she felt tinglish at the side of her neck where Drayce was snuggling his face.
"...A little bit more?"
Seren found herself amused; this powerful man was behaving like a husband wanting to be somewhat spoiled by his wife.
She patted his head, enjoying the feel of the strands of his black hair in between her fingers. "All right. I need to get up so I will leave you to sleep..." she tried to say, but in response, he only held her tighter and let out a grumpy groan.
"Stay with me," he said, not willing to let her go.
Seren almost laughed as she obediently laid by his side.
'He is acting like a child yet I don't dislike it.'
Behind her veil, she was smiling so widely, her cheeks almost hurt, and she relished the pleasant emotions she felt at this moment.
She was important, she was needed, and she was loved.
After enjoying some more sweet time together, Drayce finally kissed her forehead and let her go. "Good morning, my Queen."
"Morning, Dray."
Her warm gaze was stuck on his face.
"Why are you staring? Are you mesmerized by how handsome I look?"
She giggled. "Hmm, something like that? Who knows..." She touched the random hair strands from his face and moved them behind his ear. "You are really handsome, Dray."
The corner of his lips lifted at her praise, causing his normally cold appearance to appear somewhat gentler. "Am I?"
"Yes, you are."
"Do you like my appearance?"
"I do."
"As long as my Queen is happy with my looks."
Seren paused her hand that was playing with his hair, causing Drayce to complain, "Why did you stop?"
"Well..." she hesitated. "You are a good-looking man. Surely, you'll feel disappointed once you see the face behind my veil and find that my appearance is not attractive to your eyes."
"Does it matter? I have already given my heart to you. No matter how you look, you are mine, and that is the only thing you need to remember."
"Handsome and a sweet talker. What am I going to do with you?" she commented, feeling overwhelmed with his words.
"I can do sweet things as well," he said, as his bright red eyes gave her a meaningful look.
She immediately sat up in bed and changed the subject. "Dray, it is fine for me to walk around the deck today, right? Yesterday, I was cooped up inside the cabin the entire day and it was kind of suffocating."
"Just in time. We are scheduled to dock today in Port Hope ," he informed as he rolled in bed to lay on his back.
"Where?"
"Port Hope. Formally, the name is Azures Island, but the locals just call it Hope Island or Port Hope. I'm talking about a small inhabited island where ships and merchant vessels which pass through this sea route normally stay. Years ago, it's merely a camping place for tired sailors, but it gradually developed into a port town. We can roam around the market if you feel like getting down from the ship."
"An island?" Her eyes brightened up. "I would love to go there."
He nodded and sat up on the bed. "Get ready then. I will check where we are now," Drayce said as he stepped out of the bed. Just as he reached the door, he turned to look at her. "My Queen?"
"Huh?"
"Have you thought about what you will do to please me so you can get answers to your questions?"
"I have yet to decide what to do." She helplessly shook her head. Meeting his amused gaze, she blinked a few times, making a face like an innocent kitten. "Can you give me a hint about what you like?"
He smirked playfully, saying a cheerful, "I believe you will get it right," before leaving.
"What? Am I a mind reader to know what you like? Dray! Come back!" she said loudly but her words were not answered.
"Hmph, how dare he run away?" She frowned. "He really is so stubborn."
Drayce, who was chuckling outside the cabin, could not hide the amusement in his eyes. The grin on his face refused to leave even after he climbed the spiral stairs and opened the door to the deck. "Not more than you, my Queen."
It just so happened that Slayer was standing right outside the door. He heard Drayce and sighed after seeing the man was alone. "Eavesdropping again?"
"Listening to your wife cursing at you is not considered eavesdropping. In the first place, she cursed so I could hear it." Under his knight's unimpressed stare, he clicked his tongue. "Tsk, a single soul like you cannot understand it."
"Such a showoff," Slayer sighed but fell in place a step behind Drayce like a dutiful escort knight as they headed towards the quarterdeck where the captain was.
"How long till we reach Port Hope?" Drayce asked.
"The weather is nice, so we will be there in an hour or so," the captain answered.
Thanks to the favorable tailwind caught by the sails, their ship reached the island in under an hour. Seren was excited to leave the ship and step onto firm land, and as they neared the island, her enthusiasm grew.
An island!
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