CHAPTER 113: PAINTED BONDS

Lady Stephanie’s eyes widened...she had forgotten to cover that part or wear something that would conceal it. She had thought no one would notice, as it wasn’t that obvious. But then again, the Queen was very observant. Ariana slowly removed her hands, not wanting to draw too much suspicion.

Ariana shifted her gaze to Stephanie worriedly, but her eyes widened further when she noticed the way Stephanie’s cheeks flushed slightly. Her eyes gently narrowed further as she waited — and then Stephanie whispered,

"Luna Ariana, may I tell you something?"

Ariana nodded as she waited for her to speak, and then she did.

"I found out last night... Lord Zekel is my mate."

Ariana’s lips parted as she noticed the way Lady Stephanie’s gaze moved away shyly, her neck turning red. She knew something must have happened between them giving her reaction, she could not help bit smile it was rare seeing lady Stephanie act this shy and just then, Ariana moved her hands to sign.

"Luna Ariana, it is time," Leah spoke.

Ariana nodded as she stood. Lady Stephanie then added,

"I will be taking my leave now, as I’m sure the carriage must already be here. When next I visit, I’ll tell you more," she said.

Ariana smiled in understanding, her smile growing warm. She and Leah moved into the hallway as they walked toward the room section.

Meanwhile, Stephanie walked toward the main door of the palace. She did not know if she had made a wrong decision by not telling Ariana about the letter.

Now, she was curious...did the Queen even know that her ex-husband was alive?

She knew that, at this point, she wasn’t the right person to tell the Queen such a thing, as it could lead to something else entirely.

Just as she reached the main door...

"Who knew that this stubborn lady was my mate all this while, huh?"

Her body stilled. She knew that voice very well, she didn’t even need to be told who it belonged to. Her heartbeat raced as she forced a calm expression. Slowly, she turned, and just as her gaze locked with Zekel’s, her heart skipped.

"Lord Zekel," she greeted as she curtsied.

Zekel raised his brow, not expecting such a formal greeting from this stubborn woman.

"What’s with the introduction?" he asked calmly, raising his brow and watching her intently.

She replied, her tone calm and collected.

"I will be taking my leave now, as the carriage must already be here," she said coolly.

Zekel raised his gaze. He had no idea why she was acting this way.

"Yesterday you were so bold when you touched—"

Stephanie’s face turned crimson as her eyes widened.

"Zekel!" she called, her voice louder than intended.

Finally, a smirk landed on his lips. This was the woman he knew..,not the formal one from earlier.

Stephanie’s gaze shifted as she checked if anyone had seen her or heard him. She gave him a hard glare this ma really was shameless she could not even believe that after all the dodging him back at home only for her to be the one getting worried him last night .

"Stop being shameless, Zekel," she warned.

Zekel simply chuckled.

^^^

Ariana entered the small hall room. A foamy chair rested there, and a big board stood in front, not too far from it. As she walked in, she realized a man stood there, organizing the paintings. He looked like he was in his late thirties. He finally raised his head and bowed.

"Greetings, Luna," he spoke respectfully.

Ariana nodded and curtsied gently as she moved to sit on the chair. The door opened, and Leah bowed her head, gaze lowered before leaving.

Zavren walked towards Ariana, his strides graceful and purposeful.

His lips curled upwards when he saw his wife. He reached her, and Ariana slowly turned her gaze to him. A smile widened on her lips as Zavren sat beside her, his hand moving to her waist.

He noticed Ariana’s nervousness. He then turned to her as she whispered softly,

"Sweetheart, don’t be nervous. Even if it doesn’t come out well, we could do it every time together. Just be free, and don’t be hard on yourself."

Ariana nodded, her face lighting up.

As Zavren adjusted himself, the man arranged the board properly and waited for the King’s reply.

"You may begin," he spoke calmly.

The man nodded respectfully and bowed. Zavren watched him.

As the man began painting, Ariana grew more comfortable as time passed. Zavren being there was already soothing enough for her.

Time passed as the man continued the soft stroking of the brush. She noticed how fast he was — it seemed like he was doing it quickly, yet perfectly.

Eventually, the man pulled back. He bowed, then spoke,

"I am done now, Alpha Zavren and Luna."

Zavren nodded and spoke,

"The painting will be ready before tomorrow, sweetheart. Immediately it’s done, I’ll make sure you’re the first to see it."

Ariana nodded gentlyher heart warming, and they stood.

"How about you come with me while I hunt for birds?" Zavren asked.

Ariana’s eyes stared at him questioningly, and he chuckled lightly. He held her hands gently as they stepped out of the hall.

"You don’t have to worry. I only kill the bad ones," he said, noticing she didn’t like the idea.

They walked outside to the garden and moved to a particular area away from the inner route leading to the cave. Zavren stopped.

A small wooden box rested there. He opened it, pulling out arrows, and there were a lot of them. He walked, Ariana following beside him. They reached a clear spot as Zavren took one of the arrows and moved.

"Let’s see if any lucky bird passes," he said.

Ariana just stared at him. Lucky? she thought. How could a bird that would die be considered lucky? This man really was something. The way he said things — if you didn’t stop to think about it, you might not even understand what he meant.

Then he raised the arrow.

A crow flew above.

He balanced and then—

SWOOSH

The arrow flew smoothly, striking the bird and sending it falling. A soft thud sounded as the bird landed on the dried leaves.

Ariana’s eyes widened, not because of the dead bird, but because of how precise he was. He was just so smooth, like he wasn’t even trying. Zavren, noticing her admiring gaze, smiled proudly like a proud husband. His lips curled widely as he took another arrow and positioned it. But no bird passed. His jaw ticked—he had wanted her to keep admiring him.

Just when he was about to give up, seconds passed and another bird flew by. Zavren moved, and the arrow flew sharply, straight into the bird.

Ariana’s eyes widened even more. He quickly pulled out another arrow, and just as the bird fell, he released, second arrow struck the already-dead bird mid-air. He turned, and Ariana’s surprised gaze, just as he expected, remained on her face.

"Are you curious about how I did that?" he asked proudly.

To his surprise, Ariana shook her head.

His lips curled up as he chuckled. She wasn’t interested in his explanation — she just wanted to see his skill.

Zavren’s lips lifted further as he took another arrow and fired.

SWOOSH

The arrow flew fluidly, landing in the center of a tree. To Zavren’s surprise, Ariana began to clap lightly.

He moved. Just her looking at him that way stirred something sweet inside him. He walked to her and threw the bow to the side. Gently, he pulled her close and began to kiss her. He kissed her softly, so gently, sucking her lips like they were some rare sweet meant only for him.

After a while, he pulled away and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Sweetheart, go in. I’ll come meet you later," he said.

Ariana nodded and calmly walked back to the castle.

Zavren’s face darkened as he waited for Raven to arrive.

"Your Highness," Raven said. He knew he had interrupted something important between the King and Queen. He didn’t know why, but every time he had a report, the King was always with the Queen.

And now, the King’s expression wasn’t calm at all—it was deep and suffocating. But Raven knew there was no point beating around the bush.

"...A... a letter," he managed to say as he waited for Zavren to respond.

Zavren’s displeased gaze landed on him as he spoke lazily.

"That better be worth it. Read it, and give me the summary."

Ravenn gulped and nodded.

"A letter from King Vrazen," he said, tearing the letter open quickly. As each second passed, his throat tightened. He opened the letter and read....his eyes widened.

As soon as he was done, he spoke.

"Y...Your Highness... it seems the vampires want to make peace with us."

He paused, reading the last line again, and then continued with disbelief,

"They no longer want the Senerp... and they don’t want war."