The night's silence offered no answers, only the rustle of leaves and distant echoes of a world steeped in hidden conflicts.
Mavislin was just about to stretch her arms when she felt something heavy pinning her down. Still groggy, the dragoness assumed it was just the sheets, tangled around her in sleep.
But as awareness crept in, she blinked in disbelief, realizing it wasn't fabric holding her still—it was the Viceroy's muscular arm draped possessively across her waist.
Her breath hitched as the weight of the situation settled in, along with the warmth radiating from Zenos beside her.
Stifling a groan, she tried to ease herself upright without waking him. But the moment she shifted, it only made things worse—Zenos instinctively pulled her back, drawing her closer into a half-embrace, his hold tightening as if in protest to her escape.
Mavislin sighed, her heart fluttering as she felt the warmth of his body against hers. This was definitely not how she'd imagined starting the day. Oh well, what can the dragoness do...
"Given your usual demeanor, I anticipated being the one to rouse you in the morning, not the other way around," groaned Zenos as he felt Mavislin trying to wiggle out of his grasp.
"I don't require much sleep, I do so only to regain my mana. Anyways, get your arm off before your bed becomes the next toilet," warned Mavislin, unable to deal with anything in the morning.
"You say that but you've got a bit of a morning temper. And I do recall you being annoyed last night," replied the Viceroy, allowing the girl to go free.
"And I never expected the Viceroy to be such a cuddler in bed," joked Mavislin as she slammed the door to the bathroom.
A few moments passed before the dragoness emerged, looking just as refreshed as she had before yesterday's battle. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes fell on Zenos. She tried to stifle a gasp, but the sight of him nearly undid her composure.
Draped in a silken robe, the Viceroy lounged with effortless elegance. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, engrossed in a letter he held in his graceful hands.
There was something magnetic about his posture—something that stirred a flutter of emotions within her that she hadn't felt in ages.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to admire the way his sharp features softened in the daylight and wondered if he noticed her gaze lingering just a bit too long.
"You seemed slightly disturbed… Does the letter harbor bad news?" questioned Mavislin, quickly regaining composure.
"It is not entirely bad news... yet it does require my immediate attention. The sole benefit in this situation is that my father has granted his approval for you to work alongside me—though it comes with a condition."
"We are expected to first crush the looming threat against the Legion. Only then will this alliance be considered worthwhile."
"But that's good news, right? And I can call the shots to be allied with you, despite how Matt and I were supposed to subdue you."
"Won't your superiors be angered?"
"I would personally cook you dinner if my superiors could take the time to care about what I am doing. Taking you down was just a side mission for us. The real problem is dealing with the Legion."
"As long as we can find a way to shut down whatever they're up to right now, my superiors don't really care how I go about it. They've got bigger fish to fry."
"And I do apologize, I might have forgotten to tell you why it's such a worrying matter to us…" explained the dragoness as she sat on the foot of the bed.
"It will have to wait, allow me to freshen up and we will head to the dining hall for breakfast," boomed the Viceroy as he laid the letter on his desk and headed towards his bathroom.
The dragoness sighed as she was left alone again, slamming herself into the soft bed again. She then looked up at the ceiling, pondering about what her partner was doing while she was living a life of luxury.
"He is going to be so angry… I might bring him some of his favorite food to comfort him…" wondered Mavislin as she relaxed into the bed.
It was then that the dragoness realized she didn't know her fluffy bunny's food preferences.
As the Viceroy and dragoness walked through the barren hallways, Mavislin couldn't help but notice the lack of servants around, despite the place being called a palace.
"If you are curious, I gave the servants a clear choice: they could either remain or retire. Those who opted to remain did so with the understanding that they would serve under my leadership."