"Catch her and get that baby."

"We have to capture them or the great empress will punish you all."

"Don't hurt her. Capture them alive. Great empress will punish them herself."

In the dark, a woman ran carrying her baby deep inside the forest where even the light from the moon could not reach its surface.

In the dark nothing was visible as the baby opened her eyes only to cry but a hand covered her mouth and the woman continued to run as she kept mumbling in a low voice, "Shh..don't cry. We will soon be safe, Mother will protect you."

Between the various sounds around that came from so many people running on the ground covered with dried leaves and twigs from the trees sacttered everywhere, there was a sudden loud sound.

Thud!

Ahh..!

A sudden bright light appeared from somewhere and the next moment everything went dark.

"My Queen!"

Drayce looked at Seren who looked restless in her sleep while still resting her head on his arm. Her forehead had beads of sweats and furrowed lines that showed she was having a nightmare.

Seren did not seem to hear him so he called her again, "My Queen!"

Seren opened her eyes while breathing heavily and she looked scared. Her eyes stared at the well-decorated ceiling and there was no darkness around.

"It was just a nightmare." She heard a familiar voice and looked at the man's handsome face that was just a few inches away from her as her head was resting on his arm.

She didn't seem to be bothered with the closeness as her mind was still processing over the nightmare she had while staring at him and trying to get back to reality.

Drayce caressed her hand and spoke again, "You are fine and here with me. Don't be scared, my Queen."

Seren closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm herself down. She was used to having the same nightmare for so many years and it didn't take her time to come back to reality.

Seeing her relaxed, he asked, "Are you fine, my Queen."

Seren nodded and realized his hand was below her head and she was so close to him. She was about to move away, but Drayce held her, "I will get up instead," and removed his hand from below her head.

Seren looked at the man who got out of the bed and walked towards the table in the room and she closed her eyes back, thinking to calm down her chaotic brain. As always she continued to ask the same question to herself.

'Why do I always have the same nightmare? Who were that woman and that baby? Am I that baby? But they say I have been in the palace tower since I was a baby then how can I be out like this? I couldn't even see that woman's face in my nightmare. If that baby is me, then that woman must be the witch that they describe as the ugliest creature that brought me to the palace. Even Martha never said anything other than asking what I saw in the nightmare.'

Once she forced Martha only to get the answer like - "If you were that baby then how can a baby remember anything. Babies can't have any memories from that age."

'If Martha said it then she must be right but why does it feel like it happened to me and I feel scared all the time? What was that sudden light?'

"My Queen, have some water!"

She heard and opened her eyes, only to see a man in a black night robe standing by the bed carrying a silver glass in his hand. It surprised Seren that a king fetched water for her and she immediately sat up in the bed.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to…."

"I can do anything for my wife," he replied calmly and sat at the edge of bed, holding a glass of water in front of her.

Seren looked at the glass of water hesitantly. It was something that the monarch of the kingdom should not do but she was not aware of the fact that it's different when it comes to husband and wife. With her in their room, he was not the king of Megaris but just her husband.

Drayce understood her hesitation and said, "It's fine for me to do this for my wife even though I am a King."

Hearing it, Seren accepted the glass of water and had a few sips. Once she was done he took a glass from her and instructed, "My Queen can rest some more."

"I am fine," she replied, only to get a warning coated in a calm tone, "But I am not, so you better listen to me if you don't want to be in trouble."

Seren could see his gaze turned from the gentle one to intense and he observed her. Seren looked down at herself to check where his sight was roaming and the next moment her eyes were left wide open.

Her robe was not knotted and its sides were parted away to make her body visible that had her undergarments only.

Drayce observed her chest which was wrapped in embroidered silk cloth. Her shoulder and the part of the top of her chest were visible and then her flat stomach with her belly button came into his sight. He frowned to see her lower garment that covered the rest part and he couldn't even see her legs. But whatever he saw, was enough for him to go crazy at the moment. Her delicate milky white skin shone brightly in the sunlight and he wished to get his hands on it.

But soon that view was blocked as Seren pulled the sides of her robe and wrapped it back to cover her body. "Apologies, Your Majesty for being unkept."

Frowning at the disturbance, Drayce looked at her, who clutched her robe tightly and had her head and sight lowered down. Her face looked flushed with embarrassment and her cheeks had started to turn red with each passing moment as she sensed Drayce's gaze at her.

'Though she understands nothing, she at least got the sense of shyness. Not long till she will understand everything and she will enjoy every night with me. Can't wait to reach Megaris soon.'

Drayce didn't tease her more and stood up. "I will head for a bath. Will my Queen like to accompany me in the bath?"

Seren immediately shook her head, "I don't wish to be an inconvenience to your majesty."

"My Queen would be a convenience for me if you help me for a bath."

"I-I think I might disappoint you, Your Majesty. I have never helped anyone before."

With this Drayce's eyes darkened, 'This woman and her innocence,' he frowned and said coldly, "Good that my Queen had helped no one or that person would have been dead by now."

She raised her head to look at him to see why he sounded so cold. Did she say something wrong now?

"My Queen is allowed to help no one but me. In fact, it would be better if my Queen would look at no one but me."

'As if I go around looking at stranger men. If not for marrying you, I wouldn't even look at you. Strange red-eyed man,' she frowned inwardly and heard him again.

"Understood, my Queen?" came another cold statement from him.

Not knowing why Drayce turned so cold suddenly, Seren just nodded her head, not willing to go against his words, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Drayce headed towards the bath while Seren got out of the bed and fixed her robe as she tied it tightly.

She remembered how her robe turned like this. 'He was the one to remove this knot saying it's an obstacle then why get angry at me? Can't he just accept his own doing? Seems like he has a bad memory. Next time if he messes with my clothes, I will remind him of what he was doing. He dares ruin my clothes. So audacious!'