The Crown's Seduction-Chapter 63: Nik

Mineah felt like her body was swollen all over as she lazily opened her eyes.

"Good morning," Nikolai greeted her with a smile on his face. He was staring at her from the side of the bed, his head currently propped up by the knuckles as he raised an eyebrow.

Almost immediately, Mineah blushed as the sleepless exercises they had for almost the entirety of the whole night flashed through her head. She even lost count of how many times Nikolai made her reach her peak. Thinking about it now, it was totally insane how none of them even thought about going all the way.

"You look so flushed, my little swan. Come now and do your usual routine. We'll leave as soon as you're done," Nikolai reminded her with a smirk. "I've also prepared a bath and breakfast for you already. I'll be waiting outside for you since I don't trust myself to stay and simply watch you do your routine… I might end up…"

He let out a loud sigh at his own words. He then leaned down to give her forehead a gentle and loving kiss before simply disappearing before her face.

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Left alone, Mineah tiredly sat up on the bed as she held the quilt firmly against her bare body. She had visible marks on her supple skin, and she did her best not to be too curious about them.

'Are these what they call hickeys?' she inwardly mused while blinking at the marks on her skin. Nikolai obviously enjoyed himself marking her like this. They were all over her body. Then again, with how much he roamed his sinful lips all over her body last night, it was no wonder that they were this numerous.

Her face burning in embarrassment at that though, she quickly got up and went to wash herself in the tub of warm water Nikolai had prepared for her. Dipping herself into the water, she smiled seeing how thoughtful he was in always preparing everything in the manner that she wanted them to be.

"Did he really research everything about me?" she hummed as she comfortably relaxed in the water and touched the petals floating around her. "So relaxing…"

She let herself sink deeper into the water as she relished the sensations around her. Looking at things now, it almost felt like she and Nikolai just spent a quick honeymoon getaway during their time on the island. Mineah would love to come back here again in the future if time permitted it.

After her quick dip, she didn't waste any time in making her preparations before setting foot in Valcrez Harbor. They would be received there before a parade was arranged for them, and it wouldn't do for her to look too relaxed for such an occasion.

As soon as she quickly got herself dressed and ate her breakfast, Mineah walked out of the stone house only to see Nikolai petting his vultures. Looking on, she frowned as she saw him also holding onto a raven that she didn't recognize.

"Ready?" Nikolai hummed while staring at her as she walked towards him.

"Yes," she answered. "Also, what's with the raven?"

"This? Oh, it's a gift for you," Nikolai replied with a wide smile. "You can mark it and bestow a name for it once you're ready."

Mineah bit her inner cheek at the gesture. With a shrug, she sighed, "But only a powerful mage can do that. I'm not powerful enough to perform such a spell just yet."

Smirking, Nikolai grabbed her hand tightly and said, "What am I here for then? I'll sustain you with the energy you require to do so." He then gave her a smile as he offered the raven to her. "Come now. Hold it. Do you know how to make it happen?"

Mineah nodded. She knew everything that involved spells and potions, but she haden't actually tried everything she knew just yet. Anything that was beyond her inner energy reserves were just spells that she couldn't experiment with.

"Alright then, my little swan. Let's begin."

Upon Nikolai's encouragement, Mineah started gathering the energy that Nikolai was passing to her through their intertwined hands. Closing her eyes, she focused until she felt the boost that she required for the spell to work. From there, she started chanting out the spell to bind the raven through her and give it her mark.

"That's an interesting symbol of yours," Nikolai hummed.

Mineah opened her eyes, and she raised an eyebrow as a feather-like symbol glowed at the raven's forehead for some time before slowly disappearing. After a while, the corners of her lips curved up as she felt her new connection with the raven. Blinking, she tried to see if she could see through the raven's eyes, and she succeeded without much fanfare.

"Looks like I won't be needing to teach you any further on how to manage the bond," Nikolai hummed in satisfaction. "You already know what to do."

"Yes. Apparently, wizard Lurio already taught me everything," Mineah proudly stated. "I guess you can say that he let me inherit all the knowledge he had about magic."

"So what will you name it then?"

[Master, please give me a good name,] the raven talked to her inside her head, making her chuckle as she felt overwhelmed with the newfound experience.

Only powerful people could do this sacred and complicated spell, and she was glad that Nikolai gave her this once in a lifetime opportunity!

"Hmm, since this raven looks so ruggedly handsome as you, I'll name it after you," she hummed. "How about Nik?"

[I love it, Master,] the newly-named Nik nodded. [But I must insist that I'm definitely more handsome than His Majesty if I happen to have a human form!]

Mineah burst out in a fit of laughter at her raven's words.

"Hmm, looks like you and this Nik is getting along well already…" Nikolai scoffed.

Mineah simply smiled at Nikolai before she moved closer to him, tiptoeing up to kiss him on his lips as she murmured, "Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, Lai. I like it very much!"

Nikolai blushed at what she just did. "Ah, maybe I should give you more pets to receive more sweet kisses like this often."

[Oh please, Master, don't agree,] Nik snorted. [I promise you'll be more than satisfied with my service alone.]

"Looks like you got me a raven with a temper like yours, Lai," Mineah chuckled. "A possessive one, this is!"

Nikolai laughed, and Mineah shared a crisp laughter with him.