"William!! "What place is this?? And how did you bring me here?" Sera’s curious voice rang.
Her voice carried both amazement and confusion as her eyes darted around the surroundings.
A soft breeze passed through the maple leaves above them, creating a gentle rustling sound that filled the silence between them.
William sighed; it was time to tell Seraphine about some things he had hesitated to do before, but now that he had decided to be truthful to those he cared about, he decided to come clean.
For a long time, he had kept several secrets buried within himself. The system, the domain, the mark, and many other mysteries surrounding him were things he had carefully hidden from the world.
But Seraphine was different.
"This place is a domain of infinity; it is a personal domain that I use," William said before elaborating further, explaining the features of the domain to her.
His voice remained calm as he described the strange rules of this place, the way time moved differently, the way the environment could be altered according to his will, and the countless possibilities the domain offered.
He spoke slowly, making sure Sera could understand everything without being in a hurry.
He did not worry, and neither did the system stop him.
According to the system, Sera was already bound to the mark of destiny; she could not betray William even if she wanted to.
William never doubted betrayal from Sera anyway; the only worry he had was convincing the system, which surprisingly never objected.
Even now, the system remained completely silent.
"Whoa!! Really!! 1 day outside is equivalent to a year here??" Sera asked, amazed by what William said.
Her eyes sparkled brightly, reflecting pure excitement.
Strangely, William was feeling proud looking at Sera’s shiny eyes, like a child showing off his toys to his crush.
"Yes!! And that’s not the end; there are more features, you know, hehe!!" William spoke, and till now his nose’s bridge tightened with pride.
There was a faint smugness in his tone as if he had just revealed the most impressive thing in his collection.
Sera looked into the sky.
The sky of the domain stretched endlessly above them, a calm blue expanse that seemed far larger than any sky she had ever seen.
"Ah, I wish I could see the whole expanse from above," she said with a smile.
Her voice carried a dreamy tone as she imagined what the vast domain might look like from the sky.
William, who stood behind her, flashed a grin. A mischievous idea instantly formed in his mind.
"Will-waait!!" she said as she felt William’s hand on her waist; she did not mind, but was flustered because the touch was unexpected.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as his hand rested firmly around her waist.
The sudden closeness made her heartbeat quicken.
"Just trust me," he whispered softly before pulling her closer to him. His voice was gentle and teasing.
"Climb on my feet," he said.
Sera nodded with a blush and climbed to her feet; she was here barefoot after all; she hadn’t expected to meet William the first thing after leaving her bed.
Her toes curled slightly as they touched the top of his feet.
She was turned away from his face, so there was nothing she could hold onto. She just held his hands that were wrapped around her waist
William slowly floated into the sky.
The ground beneath them gradually moved farther away as the wind brushed gently against their bodies.
Sera flustered, "Will, how are we flying??" Her voice carried both excitement and nervousness.
"Don’t panic!!" Will said as he raised the altitude.
The maple tree below them slowly shrank as they ascended higher.
Sera had never taken a flight herself, only shallow floats with her spirits, but the altitude William was floating at was already several feet above the ground, making Sera nervous.
The wind now moved faster around them, gently tugging at her hair.
"Oh shit!! William, don’t let me fall from here!!!" Sera panicked.
Her fingers instinctively clutched his clothes tighter. William chuckled and tightened his grip on her waist.
He pulled her and rested her head against his chest. "Calm down, Sera!! I would never let you get hurt."
His voice carried a reassuring warmth.
Sera looked down at the serene landscape; the fear slowly dissolved as she felt William’s warmth behind her.
The vast domain stretched endlessly below them, rolling grasslands, scattered forests, and distant hills glowing under soft sunlight.
She cupped his face.
Her fingers brushed gently across his cheek.
"Thank you," she said.
William replied with a peck on her cheeks while they slowly floated around the vast domain.
The moment felt strangely peaceful.
"By the way, I feel like I have been here before. Did you bring me here in the past?"
William pursed his lips. He had expected this question eventually.
"Remember the time you got kidnapped during the mission a few months back?"
"Yeah," William could not see Sera’s expression since her face was facing away from him, but if one looked carefully, they would see the smile on Sera’s face had disappeared; a premonition rose in her heart, and her eyes flickered fast, indicating her inner turmoil.
Memories of that day resurfaced in her mind.
"Actually, I was informed of your kidnapping the same day by someone, and then out of worry, I started searching and finally found you. Then, after saving you from kidnappers, I brought you here to spend some time." William said in a steady tone, realizing that Sera’s breathing and heart rate suddenly dimmed, like she was holding her breath.
He knew he was going to get a reaction, but he was prepared.
"That day you were under the effect of a severe dosage of sedatives," William spoke as he started rubbing her shoulders and hands from behind.
"That was the day of our first kiss," William concluded with a sigh.
Sera remained stunned for a moment before she turned around in mid-air while balancing her steps on William’s.
Seeing this, William turned cold.
Wasn’t she scared of this height just now? he thought.
He looked at Sera, who was now a bit distressed as she looked at William.
"So I was holding myself back for nothing!! Why did you tell me so late, you dummy!!!"
Sera screamed and punched him lightly on his chest. Before grabbing his face and planting a deep kiss on his lips.
William’s heart beat like a drum watching Sera’s behavior; she was not the meek, shy Sera that he had pictured in his mind.
Her boldness completely caught him off guard.
Several moments passed as Sera did not let William go; only now did they end their kiss and take deep breaths that they were holding.
William looked at Sera’s satisfied expression as if she had a meal after going hungry for several months.
There was an unmistakable happiness glowing on her face. She hugged him tightly after that.
"So from now on we will meet often, right?? No matter where we are!!"
William nodded; from inside, he was thankful that Sera was not asking about the white raven who had saved her in front of the world.
William wouldn’t hide it if Seraphine asked him, but he still wanted his Sera to stay away from the mess she was not a part of.
Although how long William would be able to hide that fact from her was a question of its own.
Suddenly, Sera pointed at something below. Her eyes lit up with curiosity again.
"Oh, look!! "There is a small house down there!!" Sera said.
From above, the small wooden house looked cozy, sitting quietly beneath the shade of several tall trees.
"Did you make it to pass free time, or do you often do your cultivation in there?" Seraphine looked at William excitedly.
"Let’s go there!!" she said.
William looked at the house with an awkward laugh.
The cheerful excitement on Sera’s face contrasted heavily with the growing nervousness in his heart.
He had just been thinking about avoiding divulging the information about his identity as eternal sovereign to Sera.
It seems like he did not have a choice now; Sera would see Lia lying in there, and William would have to go through a questionnaire.
Maybe Sera would suspect him of cheating on her and would get pissed off at him; maybe she would stop talking to him.
William sighed as he looked at Sera’s cheerful gaze. He was ready to go through this.
After all, Sera was his woman, the love of his life, and someone he would protect and provide for.