The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 166: Secrets

Chapter 166: Secrets

"I don’t want to be suspicious of her," Nikolai muttered as he stopped in his tracks. He was just a few meters away from the makeshift tent he had made for Mineah, and he couldn’t help but simply stare at it while he busied his head with the various thoughts he kept having.

For days, Mineah refused to participate in the search, simply letting her mother and wizard Lurio do it while she herself just rested. He told her that she could get more energy from him, but she refused to do so saying that her mother and wizard Lurio would be able to manage the search without her. But as he had observed, it wasn’t productive at all.

Then, after a few days of rest, his wife finally decided to participate in the search with him. He hadn’t felt her getting energy from him ever since they started, but he was sure that she was still searching. But then, Vulcan showed up, and that look on her face...

Nikolai quickly shook his head and scoffed. "There’s no way Vulcan’s using Ezekiel’s body, right?" he reasoned to himself. "No human can withstand that kind of power without dying."

At least, that was what he told himself. Despite everything, he found it weird as to why Vulcan wasn’t attacking. It was in its nature to destroy any living thing it sees, and yet why was it only attack Helion’s army? There was something really unsettling here, but he couldn’t just go ahead and interrogate his wife. He wanted to trust her, and he shall do exactly that.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Nikolai let out a loud sigh before he quickly stretched his lips wide as he watched Mineah go out of their makeshift tent.

"There you are," Mineah spoke to him with her sweet smile.

Nikolai couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. Just seeing his wife smile like that at him just make every worry he had disappear. And here he was again simply basking under his wife’s gaze, his emotions overflowing with wonderful sensations.

"Sorry, I hunted for something more delicious for us," he explained with a smile as he started preparing the elk meat for a pair of skewers.

"That’s too much," Mineah chuckled. "A rabbit would’ve done it for me, but I suppose having elk meat is nice too. Thank you, Lai."

Nikolai smiled as Mineah sat beside him. Watching him carefully as he prepare the meal for the two of them, she looked eager to try and learn how to cook not unlike back when they were at that small cabin out in the mountains. Then again, not that he needed to do many preparations since he had already drained the elk from its blood while it was still alive. Still, he made sure to keep himself a bit hungry. He loved eating with his wife, one who undeniably had a bigger appetite than most women.

Silence reigned between them as they silently waited for their meal to cook. Somewhere along the way, Nikolai felt Mineah’s head land on his shoulder.

"Lai," she called.

"Yes, Mine..."

"Would you get mad at me if I still hid secrets from you?" she suddenly asked.

Nikolai frowned as his gaze remained on the meat that he was roasting. There was a terse silence before he directly asked, "Are you hiding more secrets from me, Mine?"

Mineah moved, and he turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze, and somehow, her saddened eyes made him worried. "What’s wrong, Mine?"

"I’m still hiding a few things from you, Lai," Mineah confessed.

Nikolai bit his lower lip. She was fidgeting, and he could easily hear and feel how her heart drummed against her chest. He could see how conflicted she was with how her mouth moved to try and speak only for her to back down. She seemed to be struggling to find her words.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he encouraged, and thankfully, Mineah nodded.

Raising his hand, Nikolai gently tucked a few of her stray locks behind her ear. "Hmm... How about you go ahead and eat first," he suggested. "We can talk about it after you’re well-fed. Maybe by then, you’ll have a bit more courage to tell me about it."

Mineah blushed as she bashfully let out that usual adorable chuckle and smile she had. He was glad that he was able to lighten the mood, at least. She was tensing up, and he had to at least try and keep her relaxed. Still, he wouldn’t deny that he was currently aching to know what exactly she wanted to tell him.

"Here," he nodded to her as handed her the skewer of roasted meat. it. "Be careful. It’s still hot."

Unfortunately, it would seem that Mineah had already begun eating. And sure enough...

"Ouch," she murmured. "Yeah, that’s hot."

Chuckling, Nikolai quickly grabbed the skewer from her and blew some air on the meat.

"I guess I’m just too hungry," Mineah mumbled as she watched him closely.

Smiling, he stripped a small piece of meat from the skewer and then fed it to her gently. Absentmindedly, Mineah took every piece of meat he fed her as she casually chewed on her meal.

’Those secrets... It feels like it’s something big with how she’s acting,’ Nikolai thought as he quietly observed his wife while feeding her. ’Would she even be willing to part with them?’

"I’m full," Mineah smiled after swallowing the last piece of meat he fed her.

Hearing her statement, Nikolai grabbed the flask of water and gave it to her to drink. Then, once again, another deafening silence reigned over them.

"I’m having a hard time, Lai," Mineah broke the silence with a sigh. "I want to tell you everything, but I can’t seem to find the courage... Can I tell you about it once we’ve already found Ezekiel? Will that be alright?"

Nikolai frowned at his wife. He found her request questionable, and yet seeing how her eyes were starting to get red and well up with tears...

"Alright, let’s do that then, Mine," he relented with a heavy sigh. "You can tell me everything once you’re ready."

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a smile was finally visible on her face. "Thank you, Lai, for being patient and understanding," she beamed as she pounced on him.

He chuckled and snorted, "Seems like you already know my weakness, Mine."

It was exactly what always got to him. He was melting with her simple gestures such as this, and a hug was all that he needed to feel right with the world. It almost felt like he could have all the time in the world as he waited for her to tell him every single secret she was hiding.

In the silence of the night, their bodies entangled themselves into a warm hug... But then, Nikolai was suddenly alerted by a loud and frighteningly thunderous roar heard from the sky.

*Roar!!!*

"Vulcan!"

With a shout, he gritted his teeth as he watched the golden dragon proudly fly around the sky. He hated seeing that monster flying freely as if it owned everything and had never killed innocent lives before... How could this dragon act this privileged?! It almost looked like it was beyond his grasp to try and avenge his father.

That scene... That moment then suddenly flashed through his eyes. How his father struggled to fight Vulcan’s soul inside his body. Until the very end... his father protected him, not letting Vulcan’s soul out of his body to try and fuse with his body instead.

"Have I told you, Mine... How this horrendous dragon tried to get out of my father to get to me instead?" he recounted. "Vulcan wanted to merge with me upon seeing that it wasn’t going to be successful with my father, but my father died holding onto him to protect me. He tried to fight and kill Vulcan inside his body to protect me... But then, my father died..."