"Let’s go." William nodded.
The decision came out calmly, but inside his chest, there was a faint tension that he could not completely hide.
His gaze briefly drifted toward the small house in the distance before returning to Seraphine.
Sera sensed the change of expressions on his face but did not show it; she understood that there was something in that house that William was too insecure to show her.
Her eyes softened slightly as she observed him quietly. She had known William long enough to recognize when something weighed on his mind.
She nodded and let William lead her there; she wanted to see with her own eyes what was bothering her so much.
A few moments later, William arrived in front of the hut with Sera.
The small wooden structure looked humble compared to the vastness of the domain. It stood quietly beneath a cluster of tall trees; its roof was covered with moss, and the faint scent of herbs was drifting from the windows.
Maris came out, making William surprised.
The door creaked slightly as it opened, and a familiar figure stepped outside carrying a small bag.
"Maris, what are you doing here?" Will asked; he had long given her her own house to live in.
He hadn’t expected anyone else to be here today, especially not Maris.
Maris looked at Seraphine, who looked back at her expressionlessly.
For a brief moment, the two women simply studied each other curiously.
"Greetings, my lord." She then bowed towards William.
"I was here to refill the rations; Barash, Ronin, and Amorphous already finished everything you gave a few days ago."
"Oh!!"
William almost forgot to give them more tasteful food as he was occupied with other stuff; he nodded silently and then pointed at Sera.
"She is Seraphine; I think I have told you about her earlier."
Maris’s eyes widened, and she bowed deeply.
"Oh, forgive me for not greeting you, Miss Sera."
Her bow this time was much deeper, almost touching the ground.
Sera’s composure cracked as a soft smile appeared.
"It’s all right, Maris; we didn’t know each other."
Her voice was gentle, and the tension that had briefly formed between them quickly dissolved.
Maris nodded.
"You may not know this servant, Miss Sera, but I know about you; you are our future mistress," she said.
Sera blinked slightly at the direct statement.
"My lord cares about you deeply; even though he may not show it, he always talks about you and misses you!!"
Maris spoke, making Sera blush and give William a sideways look filled with happiness and satisfaction.
Her cheeks warmed noticeably as she glanced at William with sparkling eyes.
William was reeling inside; he knew he had earned another breathtaking, deep kiss from Sera.
He silently showed a thumbs-up to Maris and decided to reward her later. Maris then bowed again and took her leave.
Her footsteps slowly faded as she walked away from the hut.
Sera turned to see her disappearing figure before turning to William. She nudged him and looked at him with a smile.
"So miss me often, huh?" she chuckled.
Her teasing tone made William feel slightly embarrassed. Then her brows rose, and she spoke with an evil smile.
"How about I leave my mark on you as well!!"
William giggled. "You have been getting naughty!!"
Sera giggled. "I have a surprise for you later!!"
Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Oh!!" William’s eyes lit up. "What is it??"
His curiosity immediately spiked.
"Surprises are not supposed to be revealed before time," Sera spoke before leaving him behind and walking towards the entrance of the house.
Her steps were light and confident as she approached the door.
Williams’ expression soured again as he saw her enter. His chest tightened slightly as he imagined the moment that was about to come.
With a sigh, he entered a few moments later only to see Sera standing near Lia’s peaceful figure.
The room inside the hut was quiet and dimly lit. A faint medicinal scent filled the air, and Lia lay on a bed in the center of the room; her body was pale and unmoving.
She looked almost like someone peacefully asleep.
Sera turned around to look at him; their eyes met. William tried to remain as stoic as possible, but Seraphine sensed something in them.
She came forward to stand in front of him, her hands cupping his face, and with a soft expression, she asked,
"Who is she?"
William felt the touch of her hands, and strangely, he thought he would not be able to lie; her touch wouldn’t let him, nor did he want to.
"She is Lia, Maximus’s lover," he said with a quiet sigh.
Seraphine’s eyes widened at the revelation.
"What!!"
A rare emotion of relief appeared on her face, but then she frowned.
"What is she doing here? Wasn’t she supposed to be kidnapped?"
"I managed to save her a few days ago before I saved you from the cultists."
Sera looked at him as if she could not believe what he was saying.
"I need you to tell me the whole picture, not one-line answers that don’t help other than only deepening my worry," she spoke with finality.
William looked at her lovingly before closing the distance between them.
"Sera, what I am about to tell you is one of my greatest secrets. I hope the amount of trust I am showing is enough testament to my loyalty to you."
Sera combed his hair before cupping his face.
"I never doubted your loyalty, William; I just want to know you better so that I can help you better. I don’t want to know everything you do; I just want to know enough to make sure you are safe and happy. That’s all I want."
She said before kissing him gently, William looked at her with a relieved expression.
"Sera, I am the eternal sovereign."
"Huh??"
Sera looked at him with an expression that refused to believe him at first.
But then, with the intensity she saw on his face, she slowly realized how true he was in his claim.
She then remembered the time when she was kidnapped; people had told her that an emissary of the eternal sovereign had saved her and handed her back to her mother.
She realized that it could only be William if he had truly saved her.
She then looked at Lia’s figure.
She remembered how Maximus had gotten letters from the eternal sovereign; she remembered William leaving before them for the mission.
So many events flashed in her mind one by one, reinforcing William’s claim.
The reality slowly settled as she got lost in her thoughts.
Suddenly, she felt something warm; she realized it was William hugging her while patting her head.
Eventually, under the warmth, Sera’s mind calmed; she realized that it did not matter what identity or mission William carried; she had decided to live with William for life; nothing was going to change between them after this day.
Her heart felt warm from the fact that William had finally decided to open up to her and reveal such a huge secret about him.
She decided not to ask any more questions.
She believed in herself and the choices she made; she was sure William would never disappoint her in any way.
Her head turned up to look at him as she rested her chin on his chest.
"I love you!!" she said.
"I love you till infinity," William replied with a rare smile.
Suddenly, Sera spoke after a few minutes of silence between them.
"So how are you going to win Lia over??" Sera asked.
"Huh??"
It was William’s turn to get shocked; he stuttered and asked,
"What do you mean??!!"
Sera squinted her eyes.
"Well, obviously, it seems you are going to make Lia your second wife, not that I mind you taking in more wives, but let me tell you beforehand, I will be the leader of all your harem."
"I was your first after all, hmph!!, and I will be screening you women; you will need my approval before joining the harem, hehe!"
William almost got his brain fried by what he was hearing Seraphine speak.
He tried to check her temperature and wondered if she was alright.
"What happened, William??" she asked.
William sighed.
"First of all, Lia isn’t going to be my second wife; I am just keeping her here because she is on the verge of death. If I don’t find a cure for her, she will die, and I have a reason to save her that is definitely not love and affection.
Second, are you telling me that you are alright about me marrying other women!!!??"
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