Anastasia tilted her head to the side with raised eyebrows. She looked at Theodir with intense focus. Her pulse increased as she wondered what would an elf king know about the solutions of her problems. "Please do tell me," Anastasia said as a shaky breath left her. Her skin was lined with goose bumps.

"Where do you plan to go after Evindal?" Theodir asked.

"Yelgra forests," she replied, looking at Ileus for confirmation.

"Yes, we will be going to Yelgra," Ileus validated.

Theodir placed his wine glass on the table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned forward. "I suggest you go to Tongass," he said in a cryptic way.

"Where is Tongass?" She was bewildered.

Theodir put his elbows on the table and then steepled his fingers below his chin. "Ileus knows where Tongass is."

"I do know where Tongass is. It is a dense forest in the north in the human realm. But the thing is that only you can allow us to leave from Evindal."

"I will create a portal for you whenever you want to go," Theodir replied, still looking intensely at him.

Ileus couldn't understand why the elf king wanted them to go to Tongass. But if Theodir had said that, then it was surely something he couldn't bypass. The problem with Tongass was that he had to restrict his magic because it was a human realm. Only after reaching Ivorpool Forest, which was the enchanted realm over there, could he use his magic.

"Why do you want us to go there?" he asked with a frown.

Theodir picked up the wine glass and swirled the red liquid in it. "I have a feeling that you may get your answers there." He gulped the wine in one go. One of the servants standing on the edge of the room came running to fill his glass immediately.

Anastasia's heart pounded with excitement. "But it's a vast forest and where are we going to look for answers or leads?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You have to find the way yourself. All I can feel is that you should find some clue there."

Anastasia licked her dry lips. Irritation set in her chest. In a bloody vast forest, it would take forever to find a clue, let alone understand it. She drew in a sharp breath and released it out of frustration, picked up her wine glass and chugged it down her throat. Her lead was better than a wild guess from him. She schooled her frustration and looked at him. "Thank you m'lord," she breathed.

Theordir pursed his lips and lifted his glass in acknowledgement.

For the rest of the dinner, Ileus continued to talk about their previous stories when he was in the elf academy while Anastasia half listened to him. She was divided over the fact as to where she would go after Evindal. As much as she wanted to help her parents, she was sure Ileus would want to go to Zmjia. On the inside, the conflict gave her mental stress and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn't want to delay finding the clue as pointed by Theodir, but would Ileus be convinced? Also, if she pressed Ileus to go to Tongass first, she felt guilty towards Iona for she would be negatively affected by her decision. Her mind started weighing the pros and cons of the situation. When nothing concrete came out, she felt tightness in her chest. The servant had filled her glass. She picked it up and gulped the wine down her throat.

An hour later, when the dinner was over, Ileus and Anastasia decided to walk in the gardens of the palace.

"I saw you drinking almost four glasses at dinner, Ana," he said as she curled her arms around his and leaned on it for support while walking.

"Mhmm," she said. Her cheeks were flushed pink. She was feeling lighter.

"What were you thinking? I have never seen you so flustered."

She didn't reply to him for a long time and continued to walk on a cobbled path that was flanked by lights emitting from orbs that glowed between cracked logs, which were barely a meter tall. Aroma from fragrant flowers calmed her scrambled thoughts. The night was brilliantly lit. She threw her head up and her eyes widened when she saw that the skies of Evindal were lit by two moons-a large blue moon flanked by a smaller pure white one. She was mesmerized. Her breath hitched at the sheer beauty of the moons. Stars dazzled around them as if they tied the moons with a silvery ribbon and the remaining ones sprayed here and like sparkling diamond dust against the darkness. "This is so beautiful!"

"It is," he replied. Then he stopped and tugged her hand to stand in front of him. "Isn't this the most beautiful honeymoon?" Her creamy skin glowed under the moonlight. He cupped her face and brushed her red cheeks with his thumbs. He leaned forward and then slanted his head barely a breath away from her. His gaze darted to her eyes and then her rosy lips. "What are you thinking Anastasia?" he asked. "I am curious to know."

He grazed her lips with his fangs and she moaned. All thoughts evaporated from her mind as her lips parted. As if it was beyond her control, she craned her neck and tiptoed to meet his lips. Ileus' hand trailed to her waist. He curled it around her and picked her up. She curled her arms around his neck instantly. Her kiss deepened. At first she licked his fangs and then bit his lower lip in excitement. Ileus groaned and delved his tongue into her mouth as soon as she opened it for him. He tasted her honey with wine mixed in it. "Ana!" he moaned her name in her mouth. A rumble formed in his chest. He lowered his other hand to her hips and then pulled her up. She wrapped his waist and he walked further down the garden while kissing her.

When she pulled away, she buried her head in the crook of his neck. His shaft was poking her beneath the belly. He took her beneath a tree, which was like a weeping cherry tree in full bloom. The grass beneath it was covered in its shed pink blossoms. Ileus sat down leaning against its trunk and made her sit on his lap. She straddled it and pressed her face against his chest. "Kiss me Anastasia," he said, lifting her head up. When she kissed him, he said, "Remember what I said to you about your lips around my cock?"

She gasped. She blushed so deep that she felt she heated like a freshly burning hearth. Without saying anything, she brought her hand over his shaft that was hard as steel and throbbing inside his pants. She rubbed it over his pants and he hissed. Slowly she opened his buttons and freed his shaft from his pants. She lowered herself. She moaned and then as if on instinct she licked it on the crown. "You have to be patient with me, Ileus."

"Patient?" His cock hadn't been sucked ever. Would he last even through her stumbling?

"Teach me," she said unabashedly.