Chapter 198: Zero stamina?...
Vince leaned his back against the locked oak door, the heavy wood cool and solid against his spine as he crossed his arms in a desperate attempt to look composed. A light sweat had already broken out across his forehead, beading at his temples and threatening to trickle down. The dim, golden light of the royal chamber cast long shadows across the plush rugs and the massive velvet-draped bed, and the air itself felt thick with residual divine energy, heavy and charged like the moments before a storm. His heart still hammered from the sudden surge he had felt through the soul-link, that wild, overwhelming pulse of power that had dragged him here at a run. Now that the immediate panic had faded, a different kind of tension coiled tight in his chest.
"Your Majesty," Vince said, forcing his voice into something that resembled an official, diplomatic register even as it came out slightly rougher than he intended. He kept his gaze carefully neutral, fixed somewhere near her shoulder rather than lower. "I felt a massive fluctuation in your core through the soul-link. I assumed you were in mortal danger. Now that I see you are... *recovering* well, I will take my leave so you can rest."
Moriele let out a soft, throaty laugh that rolled through the quiet room and sent an involuntary shiver straight down Vince’s spine. The sound was low and rich, edged with something darkly amused and unmistakably hungry. She slid off the edge of the mattress with liquid grace, the sheer silk robe draping loosely from her elbows. The thin fabric did almost nothing to conceal her. It parted further as she moved, exposing the flushed, luminous skin of her torso and the glowing purple crown crest that pulsed rhythmically over her heart—each throb a visible reminder of the divine energy still flooding her system. Her silver hair spilled in loose waves down her back, catching the lamplight like liquid moonlight.
"Rest?" Moriele purred, the word drawn out like a caress. She took slow, unhurried steps toward him across the plush rug, her bare feet silent against the deep pile. Every movement was deliberate, hips swaying just enough to make the robe shift and reveal more. "How can I rest when the divine energy you forced into my core is burning through my veins? My mana channels are overflowing, Vince. I am suffocating... and you know *exactly* what I need to balance it."
The heat in her voice was unmistakable. Vince could feel the residual power still rolling off her in waves, a dense, intoxicating pressure that pressed against his own senses. His arms remained crossed, but his fingers dug harder into his biceps as she closed the distance. He held up both hands in a defensive gesture the moment she stopped right in front of him, close enough that the faint, warm perfume of her skin—something floral and faintly electric—reached him.
"Moriele, listen to reason. I’ve had a long 24 hours. I fought Marcus, I transcended mortality, I signed a world treaty, and I literally just spent the last four hours back-to-back with your daughter. I have zero stamina left. I am completely drained."
The words came out more pleading than authoritative. Exhaustion sat heavy in his bones; the cumulative weight of battles, negotiations, and the earlier hours spent with the princess still clung to him. His divine core felt scraped raw, his body aching in places he preferred not to catalogue. Yet the woman standing inches away radiated a different kind of demand—one that ignored fatigue and logic alike.
Moriele tilted her head, a wicked, intoxicating smile curving her full lips. Her dark eyes, luminous and predatory, slowly traveled down the length of his body. They lingered on the broad line of his chest, traced the tense set of his shoulders, then continued lower—past his waist—until they settled directly on the front of his trousers. The intensity of that gaze felt almost physical.
"Zero stamina?" Moriele whispered, stepping even closer until her warm, perfumed breath grazed the side of his neck. The soft brush of air against his skin made the fine hairs there rise. "You say you are tired, Vince... but your body seems to be telling a very different story."
Vince looked down.
Despite the bone-deep mental exhaustion, despite every protest still sitting on his tongue, and despite his determined attempt to play the role of the stoic First Custodian and leader, the sight of the gorgeous, barely covered High-Elf Queen standing so close had triggered a visceral, instantaneous reaction. His cock had gone rock solid beneath the dark fabric of his trousers, straining hard enough to tent the material in full, unmistakable view. The betrayal was so complete it almost felt like a separate entity acting against his will.
His own body had completely betrayed him.
"Traitor," Vince muttered under his breath, glaring down at his own waistline as if sheer disapproval could force the reaction to subside. Heat flooded his face—part embarrassment, part reluctant, unwilling arousal that refused to listen to reason.
Moriele chuckled softly, the sound pure victorious delight. It was the low, satisfied laugh of a queen who had just watched her opponent’s last defense crumble. "It seems your divine authority knows what its Queen requires, even if your mouth tries to deny it."
"Moriele, wait—"
Before Vince could finish the sentence or gather enough will to step aside, Moriele raised her right hand. A concentrated swirl of green wind mana erupted beneath his boots in a warm, controlled gust. Without his divine authority currently active to nullify the spell, the magic took hold effortlessly. The warm current lifted him entirely off the floor, floating him weightlessly through the air as if he weighed nothing. He instinctively reached for the edge of a nearby pillar, fingers brushing carved stone, but the wind pulled him smoothly backward. It carried him across the chamber with effortless precision and dropped him flat on his back onto the massive velvet bed. The soft mattress and heavy covers gave under his weight with a quiet sigh of fabric.
Before he could push himself up or even fully process the shift in position, Moriele was already moving. She straddled his waist in one fluid motion, her bare thighs warm and firm as they pinned his hips firmly to the mattress. The sheer robe slipped further from her shoulders, pooling around her elbows, and her long silver hair fell forward like a shimmering curtain, framing both their faces and shutting out the rest of the room. From this close, the dark, possessive hunger in her eyes was impossible to miss—ancient, royal, and absolute.
"No more talking, Vince," Moriele whispered, her voice low and intimate as her hands slid down with practiced, unhurried ease. Cool fingers found the buckle of his belt, working it free with deliberate precision while her thighs kept him exactly where she wanted him. The glowing crest over her heart pulsed brighter, matching the rapid rhythm of her breathing. "Tonight, you belong to your Queen."
The words settled over him like a binding. Beneath her, Vince felt the last of his resistance fracture under the combined weight of exhaustion, the residual divine energy still crackling between them, and the undeniable, traitorous heat of his own body answering hers. The chamber around them—the locked door, the soft lamplight, the distant hush of the palace—faded into irrelevance. Only the weight of the High-Elf Queen above him and the clear, unyielding intent in her gaze remained.