Chapter 232: It's Not The Devil, But You

Seren opened the book again and even before she could see the picture of a naked man, she covered it with both hands and shut her eyes just like how she did with the picture of a woman. 

Being a woman herself, when she couldn't even see a naked woman's picture so easily, then seeing a naked man's picture was highly impossible for her to accept. 

'Not just him but all the people in Megaris seem to be so ill-mannered and had received poor teaching. How can they make such a book and even force others to read it,' she frowned inwardly with her eyes still closed and cursed in her mind, 'ill-mannered, impudent, insolent…' She repeated all kinds of synonyms associated with shamelessness, the people in Megaris had. 

She opened her one eye to take a peek at the book first to make sure she had covered the picture entirely and only then she opened her other eye just like before. She looked at Drayce who was busy and then looked at the book. Exhaling out as if she was committing a great sin she mumbled, "Martha forgive me for disrespecting your teaching."

Drayce's sharp ears caught it and a light smile was painted on his lips but he managed to hide it in case she looked at him by any chance she wouldn't be able to see him smiling. 

Seren moved her fingers down to expose the face of the man in the sketch. Just like the sketch of a woman's figure, it had arrows pointed towards the various parts of the face. 

'Head, eyes, nose,' she continued to read and stopped with a light frown as she thought, 'Isn't this all should be similar to a woman's body other than not having a round chest? Why does he want me to see a naked man's picture too? So ill-mannered that he even wanted to take his clothes off in front of me to show his body.' She sighed deeply.

Drayce could hear her sighing again and again and smirked, 'Seems like she is cursing me.'

Seren continued observing the face in the picture as her sight observed the man's lips. She stared at it for a moment as if it reminded her of something and then looked at Drayce, especially his lips. 

'His lips are better than the man in this picture,' she thought and continued to look at Drayce who was busy working and going through the parchments. 

Seren looked back at the man's sketch, the rest of his body from below his face was still covered with her hands. She couldn't help but compare it with Drayce's face, 'Now I think about it, not just lips but his entire face is far better than this man in the sketch.'

Seren subconsciously turned to look at Drayce as if she was in a daze and couldn't help but be like this. She made herself comfortable by moving her one hand away from the picture and rested it on the table at the elbow and her face rested on her palm. The more she looked at him, the more this young Queen was getting mesmerized by the beauty of the man in front of her. 

Seren forgot about studying the man's sketch figure in the book and instead started studying Drayce's face. Her sight observed his jet black long hair, 'His hair looks so shiny and so dark. I never saw anyone having such dark hair before.' She observed his dark and finely curved up at the end eyebrows, 'They make his red eyes look even more intimidating...ahh...his eyes. I never saw anyone with red eyes before just like no one has purple eyes like me. His eyes are so pretty. Even his nose is so beautiful and makes his face look so sharp.'

Her sight moved further down and stopped at his thin lips. As if her sight got stuck there, she couldn't move it away and remembered those moments when he touched her lips with his. Subconsciously, she gulped and licked her own lips as if she was thirsty and her heart started to pick up the pace. The next moment the flower mark on her forehead started to shine lightly as if the light rays had swept past it. 

She was unaware that Drayce could sense her every movement and could even hear her raising heartbeats. The whole time while she was enjoying the treat of his handsome face, he was aware of it but didn't disturb her, thinking she can always study using his body. 

"My Queen," he called her without looking at her.

It startled her and the hand she was resting on the table at her elbow to support her face in her palm, slipped down the edge of the table and she felt like a thief who got caught. The skin of her elbow felt a little burning as it was harshly rubbed against the border of the table but she couldn't even show her pain.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty?" she asked, hiding her elbow behind the table and rubbing it with her other hand. 

Drayce finally looked at her, "My Queen, I have already offered you to study by using my body. It's still not late. I can always undress for you."

'Did he...Did he just notice I was staring at him?' she panicked. "N-No, Your Majesty. I was just…."

"Have some water. You must be tired by reading that book for a long time," Drayce instructed. 

She looked at the glass of water kept on her table and immediately got her hold on it. Listening to what he said was the only solution she had to hide her embarrassment. Moreover, she was actually thirsty after the special treat of the handsome face of the man sitting in front of her. 

While drinking water, she thought, 'Why am I embarrassed and scared like this? Is looking at someone's face a crime?'

Drayce was looking at her drinking water in haste and said, "Take it slow, My Queen or you will choke yourself up just by drinking some water."

Seren heard him and slowed down but her hands were still shaking and her heart was still beating faster as he had caught her staring at him. 

"Take a deep breath, My Queen," he instructed and Seren did the same. 

Drayce wouldn't have stopped her from looking at him but her gaze constantly fixed on him was affecting him. The way he could hear her heart beating faster, he knew she was being seduced and almost had an urge to go to her and do what might make her feel better but he dropped the idea as it was not the right moment to do so. In the end, he ended up disturbing her. 

She was just at the face of that man's figure sketch and when she would go further down, he was not sure what she would do. What if she ended up staring at something else.

Drayce stood up from the chair, "My Queen, I am heading out for some time. I hope you won't mind."

"No, Your Majesty. Please, go ahead," she replied after gulping the water inside her puffed-up cheeks.

Drayce went out and she thought, 'Did I offend him by looking at him? Is he upset?' she stared at the closed door where Drayce had just left. 'I think he won't be upset if I finish reading this book.'

Emptying the entire glass of water, she exhaled a few times and thought about resuming her study but just then she realized she had taken her hands away from the picture of a naked man and didn't look at it. First, she put her hands to cover him and only then looked at it. 

'Now it's fine,' she assured herself. 

Like an obedient student, she focussed and started studying the man's sketch in the book. 

------

Meanwhile, Drayce stepped out of the study and went towards the corridor to relax himself. 

"What made His Majesty so stressed and uncomfortable?"

Drayce heard a familiar voice but didn't care to look at the person. 

Jasper and Slayer who were nearby, came to him seeing him so distressed, and stood next to him. 

Slayer asked nothing while Jasper questioned him seriously, "What happened, Dray?"

Drayce frowned, "That devil."

"What did he do now?" Jasper asked. 

"Trying to come out again," Drayce replied. 

With a light nod, Jasper instructed, "Show me your eyes."

Drayce turned his face to look at him and Jasper looked into his red eyes. After a moment of staring, Jasper spoke, "Slayer, did you see it?"

As if Slayer understood what Jasper said, he replied firmly, "No!"

Jasper nodded in agreement and commented, "I didn't see it either."

Feeling puzzled, Drayce looked at the two, "What are you two talking about?"

Jasper smiled lightly, "Your eyes, Dray. They are red and there is no sign of that darkness which is seen when your devil is trying to come out."

Drayce frowned and turned his face to look outside of the corridor, "You two must be blind or my eyes must have turned to normal after I left my study."

Jasper looked at Slayer, "As usual you will act as his loyal knight and will say nothing, right?"

Slayer cleared his throat and looked away, "I am not sure what you are talking about."

Jasper sighed, "As expected," and looked at Drayce, "Is Her Majesty still inside your study, Dray?"

"Hmm, she is studying," Drayce replied coldly. 

Jasper, who had already understood what was happening with his friend, finally said, "It's not the Devil inside you, Dray, but that's just you. It's you who is getting attracted towards Her Majesty and when you think you can not control yourself, you try to justify it by blaming it on the devil inside you."

Drayce gave him a displeased glare and said coldly, "So you mean I was the one who bit her. Do you mean I am the one who wants to harm her?"

Jasper shook his head and said gently, "Calm down first. If you get angry, the devil inside you will come out and you will lose this precious friend of yours."

Drayce did so and heard Jasper again, "Last time when you bit her, I agree that it was the devil that was out of your control but this time it's clearly you. You should stop blaming your desires on that Devil."

Drayce said nothing and Jasper looked at Slayer, "Will you at least speak now?"

Slayer, who felt hesitant at first, finally spoke, "I think Jasper is right, Dray."

Feeling glad that Slayer had finally said something, Jasper got back to Drayce, "Though that devil is inside you, we know him better than you, Dray and we can feel when he is about to get out. Right now there is no such sign."

Not knowing what to say, Drayce looked at his two friends who nodded to assure that it was the truth. 

"It's fine to be like this, Dray. She is your wife so you don't have to find excuses to hide what you feel. Even if you find it difficult to hold back, it's fine too. Just accept it instead of hiding behind the Devil," Jasper said. 

Seeing his puzzled-looking friend, Slayer couldn't stop and spoke even without Jasper asking him to do so, "I agree with Jasper."

Drayce kept silent for a few moments as he continued to stare outside of the corridor. After a long silence, he said, "I will go back to my study. Don't bring any work for me."

Jasper smiled teasingly as the two bowed to him before he left, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Once he left, Jasper looked at Slayer, "Did he understand what we said?"

Slayer nodded lightly, "Looks like it."

"For the first time I am seeing him like this or he is always so confident," Jasper commented.

"Except for when it's about his mother," Slayer commented back.

Jasper nodded, "Hmm, that matter still affects him badly though he never shows it."