Chapter 197: Seren Ivanov, The Queen Of Megaris

Under the comfort of the extremely soft blanket, Seren tried to sleep but couldn't. She found it odd. It had been nearly a month since she left the Royal Palace of Abetha, and she had experienced travelling across three kingdoms, thus, she was already used to being in a new place every night. With each stop their entourage made from the central regions towards the eastern part of the continent, everything was new and different to her, as if she had entered another world. She should have been used to sleeping in an unfamiliar place by now. However, sleep couldn't come to her despite being tired of the long journey.

Giving up on sleep, Seren thought to get up and go check the balcony attached to her room to get some fresh air, but the moment she pulled that warm and thick blanket aside, her body shivered.

'So cold!'

The temperature that night was decent, normal even, for the natives of Megaris, but being a person who grew up in the warmer side of the continent, Seren found it similar to the freezing cold of Abetha's winter.

Remembering the rows upon rows of clothes inside her wardrobe back when Eva and Marie helped her to get changed, she decided to get something warm to wear over her nightgown.

As she rubbed her arms, Seren took a lamp and hurried to the side chamber which was bigger than her room in the tower. Dresses, gowns, hats, boots, jewelry... The wardrobe was filled with luxurious things meant for a queen, things that Seren was not used to seeing or wearing.

She looked at the huge wardrobe spanning across the entire wall and felt worried over which one to get. After a while, she frowned to herself, 'What's to think about this? Just get something thick. Doesn't matter.'

Heading towards the part where coats and robes were located, she pulled out the first one that came to sight—a thick coat of royal blue color, stitched in the way to make it look perfect on a woman's body. Seren did not even bother to properly button it and simply wore it over her nightgown before picking up the lamp again to go towards the balcony. As soon as she opened the glass door, a strong gust of cold wind passed across her body, causing her to shiver even when she wore such a thick coat.

Clutching her coat closer with her free hand tightly around her chest, she stepped out, pretending to be unbothered by the cold. She figured she should try her best to get used to it; after all, this place was now her new home. She wanted to see what was outside and how everything looked from the balcony. It was such a strong unreasonable urge, wanting to confirm the view.

'Is it the same as what I used to see from my tower every night in Abetha—faraway mountains, a winding river and a starry sky?'

She crossed the small distance from the door towards the semi-circular stone railings of the balcony.

Breathtaking!

From her balcony, it seemed like the entire city of Blackhelm was a blanket of darkness filled with countless fireflies. After all, the Royal Palace of Megaris was built on a mountain, thus the numerous lamps and fire torches ignited everywhere below created a stunning sight. With the help of the moon, she could see a huge river about twice as wide as the Grand River in Abetha. On the riverbank, she could somehow see the tiny silhouettes of boats and merchant ships floating on the water due to the lamps hanging in them.

She gasped. 'A ship! I've read them in books, but this is the first time I've seen one in real life. I want to see one up close!'

As she let her gaze admire the beauty of Blackhelm, she found everything? new and mesmerizing. She stood on the balcony, not minding the cold wind which was making her shiver more. It took her several minutes to realize she could hear the sound of her own teeth chattering. She could only pull the lamp she placed on the stone railing nearer to her, before pulling the coat closer to her body.

'I should have worn gloves as well,' she could not help but pout.

Just then, a pair of warm arms surrounded her. The fact that someone was standing behind her without her realizing it made her jump in fear, but one manly hand held her steady. An arm circled around her waist, while the other one covered her mouth, stopping her from making any sounds.

She felt a pair of warm lips whispering in her ears.

"My Queen, you seem to be cold. Let me warm you up a little."

The voice pulled her out of the shock as she realized, 'It's him!'

Drayce removed his hand from her mouth after she calmed down upon realizing it was him. He moved to circle both his arms around her small body, his palms on the back of her hands to entangle his fingers with hers. After gently rubbing her icy cold skin, he held her hand tightly to pass her some more of his warmth.

"Do you feel less cold now?" he asked.

'He is so warm,' she sighed inwardly but didn't reply to his question. "Your Majesty... what are you doing here?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Can't I be here, my Queen?" he asked gently while letting his lips brush against her earlobe. Seren shivered again, but this time, it wasn't due to the cold but the tingling sensation caused by the man holding her.

'It's his palace and kingdom. Of course, he can go anywhere,' she grumbled in her thoughts, 'but can't I have some privacy and alone time for me?'

As usual, she did not put her complaints into words.

"I mean, this is the Queen's chamber, Your Majesty," she explained, "and I have been informed that His Majesty has his own chamber."

Drayce hummed in a response, agreeing to it, and added, "But did no one inform you that the king can go to his Queen's chamber whenever he wants to?"

Seren shook her head saying no and thought, 'What kind of rule is this?' as she heard Drayce continue speaking.

"If my Queen is not happy to be surprised by my sudden appearance in her chamber, then I will do my best to not make my presence unexpected, but rather, constant. I can stay to accompany my Queen in her chamber every night from now on."

Her startled eyes widened. 'Stay in my chamber?!' She spurted out in a hurry, "T-That would be too much of a hassle! It's fine as it is!"

Drayce smirked, "Is that so?"

"Yes!"

"Then, is it fine if I visit my Queen's chamber whenever I want?"

"Huh?" Seren felt trapped. She definitely didn't want him to stay in her chamber every night. Letting him visit was better than that. "Yes, Your Majesty..."

Drayce smiled lightly at her inner struggle to permit him. He decided to stop teasing her and changed the subject. "Do you like the view from here?"

"Hmm." She nodded.

Still holding her in his embrace, with her back pressed against his chest, the royal couple continued to appreciate the night view of the capital. The night was peaceful, and there was nothing to hear but the soft whistle of the wind and their own steady breathing. Seren was slowly getting used to having skinship with Drayce, and she didn't mind him standing pressed to her like this.

'Maybe, this is what husband does,' she thought, not realizing the fact that she enjoyed the warmth she felt from him.

"My Queen?"

"Hmm?"

"Welcome to Megaris," he said in a low yet charming voice. Seren thought it was kind of funny he only decided to tell her this now, but she remained silent as he continued to talk, not wanting to ruin the mood. "This entire kingdom belongs to you now. You are? Queen Seren Ivanov, the Queen of Megaris, who will rule this kingdom alongside me. Every single person in this kingdom is meant to obey your orders. Just do whatever you feel right without worrying about others, not even me."

She lowered her gaze, focusing on the flickering flame inside the lamp on top of the railing. 'Do whatever I want? Is he serious?'

"I mean it," he continued, as if he heard what she thought. "You don't have to keep wearing this veil here either. Just live freely the way you want, not caring for how you look or what others say. I, your husband, accept you the way you are."

His words made her frown.

'Remove my veil? Martha said I can't. It will make me and the man who will see my face suffer.' She seemed to feel like Drayce was putting too much emphasis on her veil, and worry flooded her mind. 'What if he takes off my veil and sees my face? How can I stop him? I need to find a way.'

Seeing her remain silent instead of getting excited over her freedom, Drayce continued to reassure her. "You don't have to take it off right away if you are not comfortable, my Queen. Take your time getting familiar with everyone here, and later, you can take it off whenever you want. Also, shouldn't I at least know what my wife looks like? This way, I can at least imagine what our kids are going to look like, either like you or like me."

"K-Kids?" Seren mumbled.

"Hmm." He nodded lightly. "Don't you want to have kids with me, my Queen?" Drayce asked, forgetting his wife didn't know about the way to have children.

Seren looked down towards her stomach and mumbled under her breath, "But, it's not round yet."