594 Turn Around
After Seren had her meal and spent some time on the deck, Drayce came to her, “Wind is getting strong. You might catch a cold. Better stay inside and rest.”
Seren could not say no to him as she didn’t want to be a reason for his worry during this journey. Moreover, it was late at night and sleeping was better.
“Uhm, will you be accompanying me or do you have to be here on the deck?”
“I don’t have to be here. We can go for rest,” Drayce informed as he guided her way back to the cabin, holding her hand in his.
The servants didn’t follow them as they only watched the couple leaving the deck. When they reached the cabin, Drayce took her upstairs towards the open bedroom with a slanted glass ceiling.
“Stay here.”
Seren stood by the bedside while Drayce went towards the wooden chest placed on one side. He opened it and pulled out the set of the nightdress and carried it to Seren.
“You can change into these ones. I’ll wait downstairs. I have some work to do in the study.” Drayce placed the nightdress in Seren’s hand and was ready to leave.
It surprised Seren as Drayce would always wait for such chances but he was leaving. She could see he clearly had a lot on his mind and might be still upset because of Erebus.
“Dray!” she called him.
Drayce stopped and turned to look at her, “Do you need anything else, my Queen?”
His voice and his gaze were gentle as if to show he was perfectly fine but Seren being familiar to him for a while now, could see what he was trying to hide.
“Hmm,” she nodded.
“What is it?”
“Help. Your help to change my clothes,” she replied without a tinge of hesitation.
Drayce was taken aback by this sudden demand from her. She always avoided this same thing and now she was offering it to him on her own.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She nodded, “I am. This ship moves a lot and makes it difficult for me to work with ease. Moreover, I think I am feeling a little dizzy due to seasickness so I need your help….”
“I won’t be just helping you change the dress,” he interrupted her, his red cold eyes full of warning for her.
She stared at him for a moment as he looked different from his usual self. Though he was caring towards her, he looked intimidating as if something had changed inside him.
‘Is it really because of Erebus…because he was intimate with me?’ a woman’s instinct was telling her she was right about what she was thinking.
“It’s fine,” she replied, after getting her analysis about him done. It was a time to make him feel better, to make him realize she was his and she valued him the most.
Drayce stared at his bold wife for a moment and then walked towards her. He could see through her attempts and thought to go along with them to let her know every one of her attempts towards him mattered, her every step towards him was counted.
He stood facing her and picked up a set of night dress from her hands. The next moment the lid of the wooden chest opened on its own and Drayce tossed the folded night dress back in it.
“You won’t need them for a while.”
Seren could guess his intentions clearly but stood firm. After all she was the one to offer herself to him. ‘It’s alright!’ she consoled herself.
Drayce looked straight into her beautiful eyes as he could clearly see her trying to be brave despite feeling nervous. But he said nothing and simply moved his hand to her face and his thumb caressed her cheek over her veil.
“I will wait for the day when you will also allow me to see your face without this veil. I want to see all of you, Seren.”
Seren’s gaze finally wavered at hearing about the veil but she didn’t oppose him, not wanting to upset him. She felt his hand slowly move down while his fingertips brushed along her neck and settled at the broad neckline of her dress which clearly showed her slender neck and those beautiful collarbones along with the fair and delicate part of the top of her chest.
A gasp left her lips as she felt the tips of his fingers leaving a trail of heat along her skin.
“Turn around,” she heard him say.
Seren did what he asked, but her heart was beating faster as if to think if she had dug a hole for herself to bury in it. She found Drayce moving her hair over her right shoulder and his fingers untangling the knots at the back of her dress to loosen it up. With each pull on those laces, her heart would feel like jumping out of her chest.
Slowly her dress started to loosen around her chest and once it was done, his hands moved towards her shoulders to pull it down. Just as her dress started to move down the chest, Seren wanted to hold it but Drayce held her hands while still standing behind her.
“Do not cover yourself.” She heard him warn and let go of her hands.
He then pulled her dress down which pooled around her feet. The cold breeze touched her bare delicate body which was left only in the thin white cloth of chest band wrapped around her mounds and white short loose pants like frilly undergarments long up to her midthigh.
Drayce eyed the layer of goosebumps on her delicate skin as his hands move to undo the knot of thin white fabric on her back. It just took a single pull to one of the parts and it came undone. Seren wanted to hold it but still remembered his warning in a calm but authoritative voice and gave up on the idea.
The long thin cloth was wrapped twice around her chest before tying the knot. Drayce removed it and it fell on the floor, accompanying her dress. Seren felt the need to cover herself but then found his fingers lingering around her waist, finding their way to remove the last remaining garment on her. She gulped and waited for him to continue, her breath turning shallow at those light touches from his fingertips, enough to make her anticipate something more.
Just as that last piece of clothing accompanied her clothes around her feet, Seren could not be calm at all. She froze and didn’t know what to do. Just as she thought he would do something or would come closer to her, she felt him moving away from her as he took steps back.
Seren turned her face to the side and looked over her shoulder, only to feel him staring at her bare form silently while standing behind her. She didn’t know what he was up to. As if his gaze was piercing through her skin as it moved down from her head to her neck, bare back, slender curvy waist and those beautiful bare legs which she had clenched together and one rubbed against others as if to hide in embarrassment.
After a short silence, she heard him again, “Turn around.”
Seren’s heart skipped a beat at his order. She had to face him, all naked and he would observe her boldly.