Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

Seren continued to follow Slayer while walking behind him as she felt with each step her heart was beating faster. 'I need to calm my heart or he will listen to it again and tease me. But I still don't understand why my heart is like this all the time when I see him? He is not a monster to scare me.' 

Taking a deep breath, she looked around the corridor. It had similar kinds of paintings hung on the walls and antique and heavy porcelain vases kept around just as in the corridor of her residence. 

Slayer stopped in front of one double-sided well carved wooden door and opened it as he stepped aside. With his head lowered in front of his Queen, he gestured to her to step inside, "Your Majesty."

Seren stepped inside that spacious room. One middle-aged man in a tailored black suit who was already present inside, bowed to her, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Seren just nodded to his greeting as she understood he must be Drayce's servant and then noticed Drayce was not there. 

"Your Majesty, I am Orien, His Majesty's personal servant," the middle-aged man informed.

'Orien!' she said in her mind and observed the dining room. It was a much bigger and lavish room with huge ceiling to floor glass windows and long wooden dining kept in the middle with only two chairs at the opposite short ends of it. Those enormously big windows brightened up the entire room and made everything shine with it. It had a fireplace on the wall opposite the glass windows and had a fire burning on it.

"His Majesty will be here shortly. Please have a seat." 

Seren heard Orien but didn't go to the chair. Instead, she went towards one window and looked outside while standing closer to it. Orien said nothing and stepped back quietly to stand with his head lowered.

Seren realized, from there the view outside was different from the one from her chamber. The green land with pine trees and faraway mountains covered in snow. It didn't feel real at all but felt like a painting and she couldn't help but stare at it in a daze.

The Queen's chamber faced towards the south-west direction from where she could see a sunset and sea while the King's residence faced north-east from where one could see the sunrise from behind those faraway snow-covered hills and vast view of Greenland.

It was so different and so beautiful that she couldn't help but praise it, "It's so mesmerizing…"

"Not More than you, My Queen."

A familiar voice disturbed her and she froze at her place. She felt him standing behind her and wrapping his hands around her. He rested his chin on her shoulder and said, "Everything is just nothing, in front of my Queen."

Seren was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't realize when Drayce had entered the room and even approached her. She didn't know how to respond to the praise from him and stood quietly while letting him back hug her. 

'Seems like he loves to hug me like this,' she thought, not minding the back hug as if it had just turned into a normal thing for her.

"The view from this side of the palace is different," she commented.

"Did you like it more, My Queen?"Drayce asked.

"Hmm," she nodded and Drayce smirked, "Then how about you stay in my bedchamber so you can see this view whenever you want?"

'His bedchamber?' she exclaimed in her mind as she felt nervous with the thought of being in his bedchamber. Though she couldn't understand why exactly she felt nervous, it just made her feel uncomfortable. 'I can't stay in a stranger's bedchamber...Stranger? He is not a stranger now but...It seems good to be in my one bedchamber. He keeps removing his clothes in front of me whenever he returns.' Seren had experienced this during her two-week journey with him from Abetha when they had to share the same bedchamber all the time.

Seeing how she had turned so silent suddenly, Drayce knew she must be thinking about what he had just said. 'This woman is just so vulnerable to get my teasing so seriously. Well, not like I mind her staying in my bedchamber. In fact, I would love to have her in my bed every day and night.' He breathed deeply in her nape as his thoughts had started to get wild and asked, "What do you think about coming to my bedchamber, My Queen?"

Seren couldn't say directly no to the king and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty! But, I also like the view from my bedchamber. I like the sea and ships floating on it."

Not paying much attention to her words, he spoke, "Is that so?" He continued to hug her tightly and inhaled her scent. 'My Queen, you are always ready with excuses but rest assured, not long till you will get eaten by me completely.'

Seren realized the change in him and felt anxious. Though this closeness felt better still she was scared of it and wished to get away, "Apology Your Majesty, but I would like to have lunch. I am hungry."

Hearing it, Drayce stopped his intimate act and let her go. "Let's have a meal then."

Drayce guided her towards the long rectangular dining table which had two chairs arranged at the short opposite ends of the table with silver food pots arranged in the center with the lids covering them all. 

Drayce pulled out a chair for her and she sat in it, "Thank You, Your Majesty."

Drayce smiled and went on his side of the table where Orien hurried to pull the chair out for his King. When Drayce and Seren were standing by the window, the loyal servant stood by the door with his head lowered, not minding his King's intimate act. 

As instructed by Orien, the two servants entered the bedchamber and started to serve the food for Drayce and Seren. It was the first time when Seren was having a meal with Drayce alone. Before it was at Crystal Palace when the Great lady had accompanied them so it didn't feel this strange. She again had to eat while lifting her veil up but she knew she had no other way and she couldn't avoid having a meal with the King. 

Drayce could see through her and said, "Feel at ease, My Queen, and enjoy the food."

Seren nodded quietly and felt glad that Drayce was sitting away from her unlike how close they sat while having lunch at the Crystal Palace. 

Drayce could understand her struggle of lifting the veil all the time and eating while she was being careful not to lift it much. Drayce acted normal as if it was not a big deal and she should not feel hesitant either. 

He started the conversation, "My Queen, I heard you have visited your study today."

"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied and added her exact thoughts, "It's such a good place to be at."

"I am glad to know that you liked it."

"Thank you so much for allowing me to go there," Seren said.

Drayce looked at her for a moment and said, "My Queen, as I told you before, this palace and this entire kingdom belong to you now and you don't need to get anyone's permission to go anywhere."

"I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty," she said. 

Drayce felt pleased that she had started to accept her status and position as a queen.

They continued to have a meal while talking in between. Drayce finished his meal early while Seren was slow because of her veil and she had to eat everything carefully. Drayce wouldn't have minded eating slowly with her while accompanying her but he didn't wish his Queen to starve and said, "My Queen, will you mind if I go out for some time. There is some important matter I have to take care of. Once you are done, come out and my knight will guide you to my study."

'Is it because he thinks I am too slow and I am wasting his time?' she thought and was about to say she was done eating, she heard Drayce, "No one will come inside unless my Queen calls for someone. You can take that veil off and eat comfortably."

Seren looked at him in surprise as she concluded, 'So he is going so that I can eat comfortably.'

"Will it be fine with you, My Queen if I leave first?" Drayce asked again, as he made her feel that he didn't want her to feel bad for leaving her alone and he first needed her permission to leave.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied. 

Drayce stood up as Orien followed him out. Once the door was closed, Seren felt at ease and removed her veil. 'As Lady Tyra said, he really cares for me.' A pleasant smile painted on her lips, unknown to her. 

She ate peacefully while enjoying the view outside of the window. Once she was done, she came out of the dining room where Orien and Slayer were standing outside. Both greeted her and Slayer instructed, "This way, Your Majesty."

Slayer guided her way towards the study which was on the left side of the pathway from where she had reached the King's residence. 

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