Chapter 94: Steam and Silence
In the sweetness of a dream Kael had been sleeping quietly, drifting in the kind of warmth that made him unwilling to open his eyes, but that peace came to a sudden end when he felt a splash of something cold and wet fall across his head, the chill sliding down until his body was entirely damp, and he instantly jerked upright in shock.
"What the... did someone throw me into the river again," he murmured groggily, rubbing at his eyes with a halfhearted hand, and as his vision cleared and he turned to his side, he froze at the sight before him.
Seraphina was standing there, silent and unyielding, her gaze resting on him with a coldness that cut deeper than the water itself, and at her side, almost casually, rested the familiar bottle from which she had clearly poured his rude awakening.
"Um... Good morning, darling," Kael whispered, stretching his arms slowly above his head as though trying to ease the stiffness of his body and his embarrassment together. "Did I oversleep again?"
She did not answer. Instead her blue eyes lingered on him, sharp and unblinking, as if she had no intention of granting him even the courtesy of a word.
He shifted slightly, moving closer, and waved a hand before her face just to see some reaction. Though he noticed she blinked now and then, there was still not a sound from her lips, only that same severe expression which made his chest tighten with unease.
"She is awake, no doubt about that," Kael thought uneasily, his mind racing with excuses. "Then why is she staring at me like some statue carved of ice? Is it because of last night... I mean, it is not as if I truly did anything unforgivable, but to her it must have seemed more than a crime, more than sin, something beyond incest even in her eyes. Still... I guess I should say something..."
Yet before he could decide what to say, Seraphina moved slightly, turning her head, and his eyes caught the faint glimmer in her silver hair. He leaned forward without thinking, his breath caught in his throat, and for a moment all his usual playfulness dissolved into stunned silence.
"No way... She... she is wearing it. She is actually wearing the clip I gave her," Kael whispered inwardly, his eyes widening with disbelief that soon melted into a kind of fragile hope. "I never thought she would. I thought she had probably tossed it into her wardrobe without a second glance, never even bothering to touch it again, but..."
Happiness welled inside him, but along with it came a pang of disappointment, because she had not worn it in the way he imagined. Instead of placing it at the center of her hair the way he had dreamed she would, she had fixed it slightly to one side, just above her ear, where its curve rose delicately upward through the flowing silver strands.
The color of the clip blended almost too perfectly with her hair, nearly hidden, yet the small flower within it glowed faintly, and in that faint glow she appeared even more beautiful than he had dared to imagine. His pride insisted he should cling to his original wish, but in his heart he could not help but think that the way she had chosen suited her even more, as though the clip itself had been made for that very place, shining quietly amidst her silver hair, enhancing rather than outshining, making her look regal, distant, and untouchable.
"At least she is wearing it," he thought, his chest warming despite the cold water still clinging to him. "It suits her more than I ever dared hope. Her hair shines on its own, yet with the clip resting there it does not lose its glory, instead it becomes something even greater. Both of them are queens in their own right, her hair and the clip together."
But that fleeting joy ended swiftly when her eyes shifted back to him, colder than before, and a shiver ran down his spine, sharper than the water had been.
"Who gives this kind of look first thing in the morning? Why will you not greet me properly?" he cried out, his pride wounded, his voice rising in frustration.
Seraphina, however, only turned her face away with a faint movement, her expression entirely indifferent, and without sparing him another glance she walked away, leaving the room in silence, leaving him with a small sting of pain in his chest that hurt more than he wanted to admit.
"Is she... ignoring me? Of course she is," he muttered bitterly, and as the thought echoed inside him, he finally noticed the full extent of his wet clothes clinging to his skin. His eyes widened in alarm.
"Crap... if this water reaches my stomach I will be damned," he gasped, tugging at his shirt with hurried hands and stripping it off, his voice full of dread. "I must stay away from water as much as I possibly can. I cannot let it touch me, not even once more. I cannot endure that kind of pain again... I really do not want to."
---
"Four hundred ninety-nine."
The whisper escaped Kael's lips as his trembling arms strained to hold him up. His body was soaked with sweat, and through the thin pale fabric of his shirt every outline of his exhausted frame could be seen.
He was at his limit, every muscle in his body screaming for rest, his chest heaving in uneven breaths, yet he forced himself to endure, refusing to collapse, refusing to admit defeat so close to the end. His arms shook violently, his knees threatened to give out beneath him, but with a guttural groan he pushed upward one final time.
The effort was too much. The moment he completed it his body gave out and he crashed to the ground, rolling slightly onto his back.
The sky above welcomed him, already bright with the rising sun that stretched across the horizon, pouring golden light over the training grounds. The long shadows of trees lay scattered around him, painted across the earth like streaks of ink.
His weary gaze drifted sideways and came to rest on Seraphina. She stood a short distance away, dressed not in her full armor but in the shirt-like black suit she often wore beneath it. Her sword sliced through the morning air with a precision so sharp that it was difficult for Kael to even follow her movements. Her strikes were ruthless, controlled, and impossibly fast, each cut more exact than the last.
"Damn... just how much training does this woman even need," he muttered inwardly.
His thoughts were cut short when she suddenly stilled, her body pausing for only a breath before her movements shifted. She blurred across the ground with such grace that it was more like watching a dancer than a warrior, her sword sweeping and her steps weaving in a rhythm that seemed to flow with the wind itself.
Time stretched as he watched her until at last she drew to a halt, slipping her sword back into the sheath at her waist with an elegance that made the entire sequence look like the conclusion of a carefully choreographed performance.
Kael, unwilling to remain unnoticed, pushed himself up from the ground with a sudden jump, hoping to draw her attention. Yet his exhausted body betrayed him, causing his legs to falter, and he nearly lost his balance before awkwardly catching himself. A strained and sheepish smile spread across his face as his eyes found hers.
Seraphina, however, did not return the smile. She simply stood and regarded him with that cold, unwavering stare of hers, as though she were analyzing him with deliberate detachment.
When she began walking toward him, Kael straightened at once, brushing off his embarrassment with a cough into his hand, determined to play it cool.
"Darling?" he tried with an innocent tone.
She stopped just before him. She said nothing, only looked at him again with that same indifferent gaze that could freeze anyone in place.
"Hey, why are you ignoring me, huh?" Kael pressed, his words tumbling out quickly as though he feared silence itself. "I mean... I know I might have done something wrong last night, but that wasn't my fault. You completely misunderstood everything. I would never actually mean anything like that, how could I? I'm just an innocent man, you know. I swear it's the truth. It was simply a situation that sometimes happens to boys, that's all, you understand, right? It wasn't my intention, I never wanted it to seem that way at all."
She blinked once, slowly, and then nothing more.
Kael clenched his fists, his frustration building until he finally blurted out, "Okay, I'm sorry!"
Seraphina let out a faint sigh, folding her arms across her chest. "About what?"
He stared at her blankly. "Huh? Didn't I just say it? About last night, of course. Because of my wrong behavior. Isn't that why you're angry?"
Her voice remained calm, even, almost too composed. "Oh, that? Not at all. In fact, I had already forgotten about it... until you reminded me just now."
Kael stumbled back a step as if struck, barely catching himself from falling over. "Then why are you ignoring me? Why have you been acting as if I don't exist since morning?"
Seraphina did not answer immediately. Instead her hands moved slowly, finding the strands of her silver hair that rested against her shoulder, and with absent fingers she twirled them once before speaking. "About that..." she paused deliberately.
"About what?" Kael asked, impatient.
She breathed out lightly before replying in that same cold tone, "I found myself in a rather complicated situation. The question is how to explain it properly... Oh well, let me put it this way. Do you perhaps know of something called good manners?"
Kael stared at her, his brows furrowed. "What kind of ridiculous question is that? Of course I know what good manners are, though I admit I rarely use them. Wait... are you bringing up last night again? You think that was bad manners? If that's the case then I already said I'm sorry."
Her hand drifted from her hair to her temple as though his words were giving her a headache. "Why are you so determined to drag me back into last night? I already said that is not what I'm talking about. You are misunderstanding everything again."
Kael tilted his head, his confusion plain. "Then what is it supposed to mean?"
But she did not answer right away. Her gaze grew distant, her expression softer yet strangely unreadable. The clip he had given her, the Love Blossom resting in her hair, only made her look even more beautiful in the morning light.
Yet something about her silence unsettled him.
She stood there, touching her chin, her eyes drifting as if she was caught in thought, something uncharacteristic of her usual sharp composure. Kael felt a flicker of irritation rise in him, a rare emotion whenever he looked at her.
Finally, she broke her silence with a faint whisper. "It is nothing..."
Kael leaned forward, frowning. "Nothing? So, what, you simply want to ignore me for no reason? Is that it?"
His hand rose to his temple, and his voice swelled into a dramatic cry as his head tilted back toward the heavens. "Oh, great mother nature, witness this cruelty! Look at what she is doing to me. She refuses to speak, she treats me as if I am unworthy of even a single word. My heart shatters with every passing moment. Her hatred grows without limit, and one day, yes one day, she will surely throw me out of the mansion. And then what will become of me? If she casts me aside I will have no home, no roof to shield me, no place to rest. I will be forced to crouch beneath the open sky, starving, abandoned, left to wither away in despair. Tell me, is this truly the fate you have chosen for me?"
As he peeked at her through the spaces between his fingers, Seraphina's eyes narrowed, her irritation finally breaking through. "If you keep whining like that, I promise I will throw you out of the mansion."
Kael chuckled softly and leaned just enough to catch her eyes, "Oh, my sweet queen, have mercy on this poor soul please," he murmured, and then a sly smirk curved across his lips as he added, "Well, I already know you can't throw me away. Hehe."
Seraphina let out a weary sigh, her fingers curling slowly into soft fists, as though she were deciding whether to restrain herself or not. "You really want to get hit by me again," she said with a cold sharpness, "I think last time I didn't use much strength at all. Perhaps I should now."
Kael stepped back quickly, almost hopping with a childlike urgency, "Hey, no... that's cheating, completely cheating. How come you can hit me whenever you want and I can't even think of touching you? That is not fair at all."
Seraphina took a single measured step forward and let her fingers loosen as though brushing away dust, her gaze remaining fixed, "Your mouth has been running far too much this morning."
"Oh, I remember now," Kael said, rubbing his cheek as though reliving it, "your slap was quite good last night." He gave a slight pout and tilted his head, "Could you perhaps do me a favor and pet my head again, just like you did then? You also claimed you don't care about me at all, you said it yourself... so why did you try to comfort me last night, hm?"
Seraphina's lips curled faintly as she glanced aside, "Huh? Well, I did because..." she lowered her chin a little, her voice quieter though still cold, "I thought the monster may have left you shaken in some way, and the last thing I want is to deal with you in that state." Yet inwardly her thoughts bitterly contradicted her words. The truth, which she would not give voice to, was far more delicate. She had felt something strangely pleasant in that small act, something that clung to her fingertips when she touched his hair.
"Traumatized or me?" Kael brushed his hair back lightly as though displaying his pride, "You forgot who your husband is. How little faith you have, darling. You should have known already that I don't carry trauma... I am the one who leaves monsters with trauma." His tone was bitter, and although he wore a confident mask he knew well enough he was lying. That night had scarred him more than he would admit, though in his mind he excused it with a thought: it was only because he had been without his sword.
Seraphina took another small step forward and sighed again, the sound low and restrained, "Uh... huh?"
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly, "Are you mocking me, Seraphina?"
"No, of course not," she replied without hesitation, "It is only that I still cannot quite believe you managed to defeat an A-Rank monster, that is all."
"I know you won't believe me," Kael whispered under his breath, his smile dimming, "Forget it. I am truly disappointed in you." His eyes lifted to hers again, more serious this time, "And last night, didn't we talk about a child? What did you think about it? Do you really want one?"
Seraphina remained silent for a moment, then with a cold softness replied, "No."
Kael gave a long sigh, "I see."
What followed was silence, heavy and lingering. Neither of them moved, neither spoke, as though the very air between them weighed too much to cut through.
Kael understood her answer perfectly, and in truth he shared her reasoning. He did not wish to raise a child either. Her refusal was born of duty, of hatred perhaps, or perhaps of her unshaken dream, the same dream that had carried her to knighthood: to one day create a law where nobles and commoners would stand equal before justice.
His refusal, however, was born of something far darker. He knew if a child were born to them, that life would be steeped in blood and misery. He often wondered how many more years he could continue hiding himself before the truth caught up with him, and when that day came, if there were a child waiting, what fate would await them? It was better, he told himself, to have nothing at all.
Yet his dark thoughts dissolved when his gaze settled upon Seraphina again. The golden sunlight had caught her in its embrace, and her silver hair glowed with a radiance that made the sight nearly unreal. The breeze played with her strands as though it belonged to her, and in that shifting light the blue flower in the clip gleamed with a subtle brilliance that took his breath away. He found himself thinking that he could watch her in that sunlight every day and never grow tired of it.
Kael drew in a deep breath, almost as if to steady himself, and then moved his legs with sudden purpose. "Well, I think I will go for the run. Make breakfast before I return, understand?"
Seraphina raised her brows faintly, her voice dry, "Are you perhaps ordering me?"
Kael rolled his eyes and waved his hand with dramatic exaggeration, "No... no, how could I? You are the one who should do that after all."
Without giving her the chance to retort, he jogged out of the mansion, leaving her behind.
She remained still for a moment with an unreadable face, then finally sighed and walked away in silence to begin preparing breakfast.
---
The jogging left him breathless, his entire body aching by the time he circled the whole district, yet when he returned he once again teased Seraphina to join him in the bath. As always, she rejected him without a shred of hesitation, and he found himself smiling sadly as he stepped into the bath alone.
Pulling off his shirt, he turned toward the mirror, only for his heart to nearly stop. The twisted tattoo was damp with sweat, yet the searing pain that should have come with the touch of water did not return.
He froze and whispered to himself, "What... I thought sweat was a kind of water too, so why isn't the pain coming? Is it because sweat comes from my body... that must be it. Or maybe... because sweat is warm. Warm... is sweat really warm? Well, it is, since it comes from body temperature, and after all that training I'm sure it's not cold."
He drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly, a realization dawning over him like a faint light. It seemed he had discovered a way through.
"Does that mean I can take a bath with hot water?"
The question lingered in the air, heavy with possibility. He recalled how last night he had bathed in cold water as always, because to him it was far more relaxing than hot, yet the thought of never being able to bathe again gnawed at him.
"I have to test it," he muttered. "If it fails, it will hurt a little, and that is all."
He slipped his shirt back on and made his way into the kitchen. Seraphina, who was nearly finished preparing breakfast, looked up at him the moment he entered. Her eyes immediately narrowed when she noticed his unchanged shirt, and she instinctively covered her nose with her hand. "You... why didn't you bathe yet? Are you truly standing here like this? If this is one of your ridiculous dramas, Kael, I swear..."
Kael ignored her complaint, stepping past her with that careless air of his, and began opening small cupboards and drawers as if searching for something. "Don't worry," he said lightly, "I will take one."
She paused midway through her work, her hand stilling as she raised a brow in quiet suspicion, her voice cutting through the silence with sharp indifference, "So, why are you here? And what exactly are you trying to find?"
Kael, however, gave no sign of hearing her words, for he had already lowered himself down and was crawling forward like some shameless fool, his eyes fixed on the ground as if in search of something important, while Seraphina simply observed him with that cold and detached stare that never softened.
He crept closer and closer until his hand was almost on the hem of her gown, but before he could dare touch her, Seraphina shifted back in a single step and her expression sharpened, her brow twitching ever so slightly with irritation as her eyes narrowed on him.
And when he moved forward again, ignoring her presence altogether, her patience snapped and her voice rang out with cold fury, "Idiot... do not move another step. Unless you wish to burn yourself alive."
Her words made him freeze, and with hesitation Kael lifted his head only to find himself directly beneath the magic stove.
There, right before his eyes, was a small compartment built into its base, wide open as if inviting curiosity. Inside rested a glass chamber, and within that chamber lay a long diamond-shaped crystal with sharp tips on both sides. Its form was jagged and almost black as night, yet at the upper tip it burned with a vivid golden glow, the point connected by a narrow pipe that fed into the stove above.
Recognition struck him at once, for it was the crystal that powered the magic stove itself, and the warmth radiating from it was enough to make his cheeks flush with heat. Before he could even process it further, however, Seraphina's hand seized his collar and yanked him backward with sudden force.
"Stupid fool," she hissed as her cold gaze pierced through him, "why are you so desperate to die?"
Kael shook his head slightly, almost sheepishly, though he tried to laugh it off, "I don't want to die... not really."
Her eyes narrowed even more, "Then why are you here?"
The moment she released him he stood quickly and brushed off his clothes, then with a crooked grin he explained, "It's nothing dangerous, I promise. I was just curious about something, you see... I simply wanted to take a proper hot water bath, so I came here to find a way to boil water."
Seraphina's stare lingered on him in silence before she finally spoke with the faintest trace of disbelief, "You mean to tell me that you never thought to install a magic heater in your bath to heat the water? Do not tell me you neglected that..."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous laugh, "Well... funny story, really. I didn't."
Seraphina pressed her fingers to her temple and closed her eyes briefly as if the weight of his existence alone was exhausting, "What am I supposed to do with you, Kael? Very well, I will make it simple for you. You do not need to burn yourself over a stove. Use mine instead."
At those words, Kael's eyes lit with sudden brightness, like a child hearing the most wonderful news, and he leaned in close to her as if he had just received the greatest gift. Yet as he advanced, Seraphina leaned back slightly, though the counter behind her gave her no escape, and soon she was caught within the small cage of his presence, which would have been looming if he were tall. However, he could only manage to reach her neck.
His eyes shimmered as he whispered dramatically, "Did I hear you correctly, darling? You will allow me to use your bath... that sacred place no mortal has ever touched... no, not even seen with their own eyes?"
Her both hands pressed firmly against the counter behind her which she was using to support herself, and though her lips curved into the faintest smile her voice remained cold as frost, "Who said anything about using my bath? I said you can use the magic heater. I actually keep two of them. You will find one in our room... the one you hung on the wall, thinking it some sort of ornament, when it is not. That is the second magic heater."
Kael straightened himself with embarrassment, his bravado faltering as he turned away, "Fine, fine... I will take it."
Seraphina tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement as she whispered under her breath, "You actually believed I would let you step into my bath, silly boy. That will only happen in your dreams, Kael."
His face flushed crimson as his teeth clenched in frustration, and he muttered with fiery resolve, "We shall see about that."
Without granting her another glance, Kael stormed from the kitchen in silence, his pride wounded by her merciless teasing. Yet soon his irritation faded as he found the stone within their room, exactly where she had said, and he carried it to his bath.
It took him longer than he wished to figure out how to set the device into the ornate carvings at the bath's edge, for such conveniences of this world often confounded him, and at times he truly felt as if he were some weary old man thrown into a land of endless new inventions. Still, he managed in the end, and the water gradually began to bubble with gentle warmth.
He lingered over the bath with caution, his heart heavy with the memory of the scalding pain from the previous night. The fear of it haunted him still, and his hand trembled slightly as he reached down to test the water.
With slow patience he let a few drops slide over his skin, bracing for pain, but when none came he opened his eyes wide in relief and wonder.
"At last," he breathed with dramatic reverence, "I can finally take a bath again."
In his joy he cast off his clothes without hesitation and plunged himself into the steaming water. He remained there for a long time, savoring every moment, for he had truly believed he would never be able to enjoy such comfort again, yet here he was, embraced by warmth rather than torment.
---
When he finally returned to the table, his hair still damp and his spirit renewed, the meal Seraphina had prepared was already waiting for him. He sat down, clasped his hands briefly, and began eating with eagerness, the taste a delight to him.
Across the table Seraphina's gaze lingered on him, her expression difficult to read, and her voice slipped out in a quiet murmur, "So?"
Kael, midway through chewing, looked at her in confusion, his brows furrowing, "So what?"
She exhaled softly, almost irritated, "You... you truly have nothing to say, do you?"
He tilted his head, uncertain of her meaning, "Say what? About the food? Well, thank you, I suppose. It is not really surprising... but I always love your cooking. And if you want my honest opinion, I think you are steadily improving with your skill lately though you need so much more training to reach my level, of course. Also, thank you for the magic heater, otherwise I would have been in trouble again."
Seraphina's fork clicked faintly against the plate as her lips pressed together in discontent, "That is not what I meant at all... you truly do not understand anything, do you? Tch... forget it."
Kael stared at her blankly, utterly lost in her meaning, his thoughts wandering with bafflement, "What is she even talking about? She has been acting strangely all morning. Well, it is Seraphina after all..."
With that, he finished his meal and quietly retreated to his room, leaving Seraphina alone at the table.
She released a long, delicate breath, her hand slowly rising to touch the Love Blossom resting beside her, and as her gaze lingered upon it her face flushed ever so slightly pink.
Her thoughts echoed with quiet frustration as her lips whispered words meant only for herself, "In the end he did not even say a single word... so why give me a gift in the first place? Idiot... idiot... idiot. What an absolute fool. He knows everything yet does not even know how to praise his wife properly. Ugh... I hate him so much."
---
(Chapter Ended)