When Arella woke up, she saw a gentle yellow light illuminating the room. The light was coming from a lamp placed on the side table nearby. As she gradually regained consciousness, she realized that she wasn't in the grassland anymore, but in the bedroom!
She first checked the other side of the bed, it was empty. She touched it, this side was cold and neat. No impression of anybody lying down next to her could be seen on it.
Where was Adrian? Was he really the feared and revered Ice Dragon? She even touched his beast form! Ahh! Her faint core started vibrating loudly!
An Ice Dragon! The rumored son of Beast God! The pride of beast clan! The leader of beasts. And that Ice Dragon was her husband! Damn! She couldn't believe her luck! Just by being around him could do wonders! His beast had the power to lead any beast. Perhaps, it could help her dormant beast as well! Thinking of the immense possibilities, she couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. Ahh! It was like she was being favored by the Beast God!
But wait a minute! What happened after she lost consciousness? He was in his beast form and she remembered that he wasn't carrying any spare clothes! So, when he changed back, was he naked?
She hurriedly checked her own condition and realized she was still wearing the same dress as the night before. She let out a sigh of relief, not because she was afraid of anything happening between them, or doubted Adrian's character, but because she simply wasn't ready for it.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she already had her life planned with her ex. But who would have known that such a tragedy would befall her?
No, it wasn't a tragedy! A person who could cheat before their marriage could do the same even after their marriage. She should be thankful to have escaped her fate. She now had a new life in front of her. No shackles of the past should bind her.
She was now a married woman with a husband. So far, he has only treated her with kindness, and respect. She knew that she needed to reciprocate those same feelings, but she needed time to adjust her emotions.
Suddenly, a grumble echoed in the empty room. Even though she was alone, a faint blush of embarrassment painted her cheeks.
Oops! She was hungry! She looked out of the window. It was pitch dark. She shouldn't be blamed. She did not have dinner yet. It was acceptable to be hungry.
But this wasn't her old house where she could sneak into the kitchen even in the dead of night grab something to eat. This was her new home. And she did not know where Adrian was. Would it be okay to enter his kitchen without his permission?
She remembered that the cook had prepared their dinner before leaving. The food should still be there, right? Another question made its way to her mind, had Adrian eaten yet? Was he hungry too?
Arella did not know. And she did not even know whether she should leave the room or not. She wanted to lie down again, but her stomach refused to let her be. A few months ago, she was diagnosed with malnutrition, which is a huge problem for the beast clan. Lack of nutrition could weaken their beast form. Hence, she was advised to eat timely meals.
She had to eat her meals on time. She was aware that cold meals could harm her, but something was better than nothing. At last, Arella made up her mind. She thought that she would look at Adrian first.
If he was awake, he should be in his study. Then, she could approach him and ask him if he was hungry or not. In this case, she could impenitently enter his kitchen.
If he was asleep, he should be in the guest bedroom. If he was really asleep, then, well, she would just quietly borrow his kitchen for the night. She planned her next course of action while moving towards the door.
When she opened the door of her bedroom, she noticed a faint light coming from the kitchen. This puzzled her. Was there anybody else in this home? Or was it Adrian himself? Was he, like her, hungry and munching on a midnight snack?
Filled with questions and curiosity, she made her way downstairs, to the kitchen.
Through the glass partition, the back of a busy man working inside the kitchen could be seen clearly. It was Adrian himself, with a monochromatic apron hung on his front.
Umm, no matter from which angle she looked, she couldn't believe that such a gentle man had a beast form so ferocious! The Ice Dragon was known for its ruthlessness and coldness. But so far, Adrian has only pampered her with compassion and warmth!
As Adrian made his way towards the dining area, he noticed a figure on the stairs.
"Oh! You are here! I was about to wake you up!" Adrian's voice had no traces of surprise. It appeared as if both of them had made an agreement beforehand.
Arella got startled and had no idea how to respond to the situation. Though Adrian made her feel comfortable, it was still very awkward for her.
"Hmm." Coming back to the present, she just hoped that her stomach would not growl in front of him!
Making her way to the dining area, she noticed the already-placed cutlery. It was a set. Two plates and two glasses.
"I thought you would be hungry, but eating a heavy meal in the dead of the night is not healthy. So, I have prepared light, flavored, medium-spiced noodles. We can also have a glass of milk with it. Let's make do with it for tonight." Adrian calmly put the pot of piping hot noodles on the table. He looked very natural.
Arella's sight moved towards the streaming pot. Though it was just plain noodles, it looked very appetizing. The colors were tempting her to have a taste.
"Thank you! Do you need any help?" Arella made her way to the kitchen.
"No no. Everything is ready. I was just pouring us a glass of milk. You are not lactose intolerant, right?" Adrian asked her gently. Most beasts were lactose intolerant, only a few could consume it.
"No, No. I am fine with it." Arella really wasn't a picky eater.
Both of them sat at the table and started serving and eating.
When Arella had the first bite, her eyes closed instinctively because of how delicious it was! She couldn't believe her senses! Could a pot of homemade noodles be this heavenly?
Was it because of hunger or the texture and taste of the noodles, Arella knew not. She could only dig deeper into her bowl to enjoy the food.
Noticing the little movements of his wife, a slight smiling glint appeared in Adrian's eyes. She had forgotten to praise the chef. But sometimes, actions were more apparent than the words. He knew that she liked it. Satisfied, he too, started eating from his bowl.
Soon, not a strand of noodles could be found either in the pot or in their bowls. Both of them were slowly chugging their milk.
"It was delicious. Thank you! I didn't expect you to cook. Do you cook often?" Arella's satisfied voice made its way to Adrian.
Maybe it was the charm of a satisfied meal or the safe environment, but Arella felt remarkably comfortable all over.
"No need to be so polite. Hmm, I can cook. Sometimes, during the expeditions, we have to take turns to cook. Not very often, but sometimes I do." Adrian chronologically and patiently responded to her queries.
Her voice reminded him of the sonorous chimes one could hear in temples. It was pure and very pleasant. The more he heard her voice, the more he liked it.
"Oh! I cook too. But it is nowhere near your standards. It is average in taste." Arella continued the conversation on her own. She wanted to talk to someone. It felt like ages since she had felt so warm and free.
"That's debatable." Adrian was very taciturn.
Another veil of silence enveloped them. But it was not uncomfortable at all. Both of them were at ease with it.
"Your beast form...It's majestic." Arella spoke in a broken whisper.
But Adrian who had quick senses and reflexes, could easily hear it.
"Thanks." He didn't know how else to respond. To him, it was just his beast form, but to others, he was proud, picky, arrogant, ruthless and cold. There were times, when he didn't want to be a dragon. Because being a dragon meant living in isolation. When he was a child, nobody came close to him for the fear of provoking his beast form. But as he grew up, he realized that this world was run by strength. And having a beast form so powerful was a blessing.
But now, he was afraid. Afraid that after meeting his beast, Arella too, would treat him with the same fear and would try to stay away from him. So, he tried to act calm and collected in front of her. But from the inside, he was afraid.
"Umm, I know it sounds impolite. But when you have time, can you turn into your beast form once again? Only...only if you like it!" Arella quickly added the last part.
"Turn into my beast form?" Adrian was flabbergasted. What? Wasn't she afraid? She won't treat him coldly like others? She didn't have thoughts of staying away from him?
"You see, my beast is sleeping. And I think that the presence of your beast could help waking up mine." Arella looked down. She didn't have the courage to look up to him. He won't think that she was greedy or using him, right? Was she being rude?
"Okay." Adrian spoke softly.
Both released a satisfied sigh but for different reasons. Adrian was satisfied that his beast form didn't scare her away and Arella was happy that she could use his beast form to awaken hers!
A slow chime rang in the hall. It was the stroke of midnight. It was getting late, they should head to bed now.
Arella's core, which had finally calmed down, soon went into another frenzy.
It was time to sleep.