When morning came, Seren woke up unable to move. A strong arm was still surrounding her waist, keeping her in place, and it belonged to no other than the red-eyed man sleeping next to her. She wanted to get up as she had enough of this skinship. She felt her right shoulder hurting a little due to sleeping in the same position for so long.

With deliberate care, she held his hand and tried to lift his arm up to get out of the bed, but then heard him say in a low husky voice something that sent shivers down her spine.

"My Queen, you should not move if you don't want to be in trouble."

'Did I wake him? And I was so careful…' Seren's body could not help but freeze. 'Seems like he will punish me for disturbing his sleep. He should have just slept away from me in the first place so I wouldn't disturb him. I am not at fault, but he blames me for it now.'

"Apologies, Your Majesty," she said as she tried to calm herself, "but I need to get out of bed."

Since Seren had her back on Drayce, she did not notice the strange expression on his handsome face. The young king, who usually had a cold expression, had a wicked smile at the moment, his lips a hairbreadth away from the curve of her ear. His hot breath tickled the sensitive skin on her neck, and it caused her to want to get away from him faster.

She tried to move again, but Drayce held her steady at her waist because her struggles were causing her bottom to dangerously brush close against his lower half. "Don't move or my Queen will get the answer to her question today."

She paused, puzzled by what he said. "Question?"

Still holding her at the waist to keep her away, Drayce brushed his lips across the small patch of skin below her ear. Seren didn't know how to react as he then proceeded to suck her skin at the nape. He only answered her after taking his sweet time enjoying the taste of her skin.

"About how a man and a woman are different."

"Huh? H-How?" she asked, trying to keep in the weird tingling sensation his attention was causing inside her. 'Aside from the difference in the chests, are there other ways to know how a man and a woman are different?' Curiosity took over the discomfort she was feeling.

"My Queen, your innocence would be the death of me one day," he said as he pulled away from her nape.

'Death?' The word shocked her and she said at once, "I dare not, Your Majesty! I won't ask you questions again."

His husky laugh caused her heart to flip. "My Queen, you can ask me anything. I remember all the questions you've asked before, and though I might not answer them right now, I will do so once I deem you ready. I don't wish to go back on the words I had given."

Seren didn't know what he meant. She didn't realize how he said those words through gritted teeth, trying to suppress his bodily desires. "Can Your Majesty let me go?"

"I am still cold," he said in a hoarse voice.

'Cold?' she thought. 'My back is burning with how hot his chest is. The sun is up as well, so how can he still be cold?'

"Your Majesty, it seems you need to see a physician. Your body is unusually hot," she spoke in a quiet voice. His chest felt hot, his touch was hot, and even his breath was burning hot as it brushed against her ear and the back of her neck.

"You are to blame, my Queen," he laughed once more as he nuzzled on the small crook of her neck.

"Aaahhh…" Seren immediately raised her hand to cover her mouth. Her body felt incredibly strange, and she did not understand why she let out such a strange sound. "A-Am I to blame?"

Her body flinched at the sensation of his warm lips brushing against her bare skin. Drayce left a trail of featherlight kisses across her soft milky white skin. The next moment, she felt him opening his lips, sucking and nibbling on that very same trail.

"Y-Your Majesty…"

He didn't stop leaving his marks on her neck, and he even reached out his hand to push aside the night robe from her shoulder. At this moment, there was hunger in those fiery red eyes, a kind of desire that seemed ready to swallow his prey whole.

"My Queen failed to provide me comfort so she is to blame."

She felt scared at the strange feelings brought by his touch, and her heart seemed to be going wild inside her chest.

'I don't understand! Am I getting scared of him again? I need to get away from him! But what kind of comfort does he need for him to let me go?'

"P-Please tell me how to comfort you, Your Majesty?"

"Stay still," he instructed as he slid her night robe a little down from her shoulder, letting him appreciate more of that smooth and beautiful curve of her neck.

Seren reached out her free hand on reflex, pulling her robe back to cover her shoulder, but Drayce gripped her hand to stop. "Doesn't my Queen wish to give me comfort?"

She nodded with great reluctance, and heard him continue, "So stay still."

Seren felt like her thoughts were a mess. She could not understand what she's feeling, nor could she see why he pulled her nightgown down her shoulder, as if to undress her, when he claimed to be feeling cold and wanting comfort. Nothing was making sense to her.

'Does he want to wear my clothes too? The quilt is not enough?'

She didn't dare say a word, afraid she might offend him. Moreover, since he said it will provide him comfort, she was curious about the meaning of his strange actions.

'Mine!' Drayce thought as his red eyes remained transfixed on the beautiful sight of her slender shoulder. How he wished to suck and bite at it, and leave his marks on her fair skin to let the entire continent know that this young woman belonged to him and him alone.

And he did so. Drayce nibbled on her skin, paying special attention to enjoy its sweet taste, and the next moment, another strange yet charming sound left his queen's lips. It was a little cry of pain that sounded like seductive music to his ears.

This time, Seren was unable to hold back a loud moan.

Seren panicked internally. 'What is His Majesty doing?!'

Initially, Drayce just wanted to tease her a little, wanting to see how his little kitten would react for him to understand how far he could go with her without scaring her too much. It started with him enjoying her sweet fragrance, before it turned to him wanting to kiss her neck, perhaps tasting it lightly, but now, something inside him seemed to snap and he was no longer in control of his own actions.

With how much his body was aroused, that small seductive cry of hers awakened something inside him. His fiery red eyes turned darker and darker with each of her moans until they almost turned pitch black.

"Y-Your Majesty, please stop!"

Drayce felt like he was hit in the gut. Her cry brought him back to his senses. No, it slammed him back to his senses. His pitch-black eyes returned to their usual red, and the desire to devour Seren inside them disappeared. He looked down at what he had just done. There were lovebites and teeth marks on her once unblemished skin... with traces of blood.

'Damn, that devil!'

He immediately moved away from her, cursing inside his mind with gritted teeth and clenched fists.

'Why?! Why did it show up suddenly?' Drayce questioned himself, unable to pull his gaze away from what he had done to his wife who didn't dare turn and look at him.

He could see her shivering, still lying down on her side with her back facing him. With him no longer holding her, she was finally able to cover her bare shoulder with her shivering hand.

Guilt hit him in the gut once more.

"Apologies, my Queen. I didn't mean to hurt you," he said in a shaken voice, but she didn't respond to him, as if she had not heard him.