Chapter 116: Flying
Seraphel
"Because of me?" Seraphel asked, his voice shaking terribly. He took a deep, steadying breath, managing to keep his composure.
I nodded, reaching out to cup his face gently with my hand. "You, little lotus, made this Sin’s heart beat so desperately for you." I leaned in and pressed my lips against his in a brief, tender kiss.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds before I pulled back and sat up on the edge of the bed.
"Do you want to know why my heart is beating so hard for you, Seraphel?" I asked, looking around the room for my trousers.
Seraphel sat up as well, his eyes following me. "I’m desperate to know. Don’t leave me hanging like this."
"No," I replied, spotting my inner trousers on the floor, picking them up, and tossing them over to him. "Dress up."
"Where are we going?" he asked, stepping into his undergarments and pulling his inner trousers up over his legs before adjusting his heavy outer robes.
I looked back at him, a faint smile touching my lips as I tied the ceremonial sash securely around the center of my waist. "I’m taking you to a place that will blow your mind."
"Another domain?" His eyes lit up instantly.
"No," I chuckled. "This time, I am taking you around Katula itself. I want you to see the kingdom that we will rule together."
His face brightened so radiantly—as if this surprise was the greatest gift he could ever receive.
Seeing his pure excitement, I couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of jealousy, even though I was the one who planned it.
I was actually jealous of myself—ridiculous as that was.
"You seem exceptionally happy to hear that I’m showing you Katula," I noted.
"You have no idea!" he responded excitedly, clapping his hands together. "I’ve wanted to see Katula ever since I read the book and..." He froze mid-sentence, the words catching in his throat.
I shot him a questioning look, waiting for him to finish his thought, but he went completely silent, as if realizing he shouldn’t have mentioned a book at all.
"What book?" I asked, my brows furrowing as I wondered what he could possibly be reading. "The last time I checked, I haven’t permitted any books about the realm’s layout to be distributed. What book are you talking about?"
Seraphel scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, then quickly snapped his fingers. "Oh, just a book describing how beautiful Katula is! I’ve been so eager to see the kingdom, but since I’ve been stuck in the palace for weeks, I’ve just been deeply curious about what it looks like out there."
My expression darkened slightly.
Did he feel trapped here with me? Did he believe I had imprisoned him within these walls, refusing to let him explore Katula? Every decision I made was to keep him safe from the realm’s dangers, so why did he view it as me hiding him away?
"I can feel your disappointment," Seraphel muttered, taking a slow step toward me. "I don’t know why you’re feeling like that, but I want you to know... I don’t regret being here with you."
"Do you think I imprisoned you here? Do you hate me for it?" I asked directly.
A long silence stretched between us, and that hesitation felt like a quiet confirmation.
"I thought so," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "If I’ve been cold or harsh with you, Seraphel, it’s because that’s how I keep my guard up. A Sin can never afford to let his defenses down. But where I’m taking you now will make every moment of waiting to see this kingdom worth it."
Seraphel took another step closer, closing the remaining distance between us, and wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace. "Show me your world."
I smiled, resting my hand on his head and running my fingers softly through his hair. "Our world. Now, it is our world."
I snapped my fingers. "We both smell like sex right now, and our appearance is completely disheveled. That messy look belongs only to my eyes," I told him, turning him around to face the large mirror as magic rippled over us.
In an instant, the sweat was gone, our messy hair smoothed back into elegant strands, and our ceremonial clothes smoothed out perfectly, restoring us to our full, royal grand appearance.
"We look just like we did during the wedding," Seraphel whispered in awe, staring at our reflection.
I wrapped my arms securely around his waist from behind, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to the side of his cheek. "And you are completely covered in my scent."
Seraphel didn’t say anything; he simply leaned his weight back against my chest as we stood together, gazing into the mirror.
Seeing myself holding him like this showed just how remarkably perfect we looked as a couple. Knowing that he was truly mine made everything feel complete.
Mine. The thought alone made my heart race all over again.
"You look beautiful. Absolutely perfect," I murmured.
"And you are always ridiculously handsome," he replied smoothly. "I know you love standing here admiring us, but we have a tour of the kingdom to get to."
I blinked, breaking out of my trance, and turned him around. "Right," I muttered, chuckling quietly.
I snapped my fingers once more.
Seraphel gasped as the bedroom vanished around us.
We reappeared outside the domain, high above the ground, floating seamlessly through the open sky atop an enchanted flying carpet woven with glowing shadow silk.
"We’re flying!" he shouted with sheer excitement, bouncing up on his feet.
I chuckled at how thrilled he was, stepping up right behind him and leaning in close to whisper in his ear: "Don’t get too excited and lose your balance. Even though I’ll catch you, trust me, falling from this height isn’t pleasant."
Seraphel laughed, turning back to face the vast horizon ahead of us. He took my hands, wrapping them tightly around his waist, and leaned back against my chest. "I have nothing to worry about, because I’ll always have you, Azriel."
My heart skipped a beat at the way he said my name—so softly, filled with an warmth that made me desperately want to ask him if he loves me.
"Let’s fly!" His excited voice snapped me out of my thoughts as he held my hands firmly against his stomach and spread his arms wide to the wind, as if soaring on his own. "Beautiful! I’m flying! I’m really flying!"