Chapter 46: Morning Dawn
The deep chime of the fourth morning bell vibrated through the stone floor of the vault.
Clank, clank, clank!
High at the entrance, the heavy iron chains began to rattle as the locking bolts were drawn back from the outside.
Seraphina jolted upright on the stone altar.
Panic flashed through her wide blue eyes.
Her thin white chemise was soaked with sweat and arousal, clinging tightly to her damp skin and outlining every curve of her chest and hips.
Her golden hair was messy, spilling across her bare shoulders in wild strands.
"The doors," Seraphina whispered in a trembling voice, clutching the thin linen over her lap. "Someone is opening the doors..."
Leo stood up calmly from the side of the altar.
He showed zero panic.
He reached over to the wooden study table, picked up a dark traveling cloak hanging from the chair, and tossed it over Seraphina’s trembling shoulders.
"Put it on," Leo commanded.
Seraphina grabbed the thick cloth in a hurry, wrapping it tightly around her neck and pulling the hem down past her bare knees.
The cloak carried Leo’s thick, warm scent.
Her cheeks burned even hotter as she breathed it in.
The massive iron doors ground open slowly, letting in the cool, crisp morning air and the pale grey light of dawn.
Two Academy guards in iron breastplates stepped through the doorway, spears held at the ready.
"Lord Leo? Lady Seraphina?" the lead guard called out, his eyes scanning the room.
The guard stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes fell upon the shattered floor tiles in Sector Three, the scorched black blood stains, and the dead carcasses of the two Abyssal Void Hounds lying near the shelves.
At the center of the room, the ancient stone altar glowed with bright, stable golden light.
"Corrupted beasts breached the seal during the night," Leo said in a calm, flat tone, buckling his sword belt around his waist. "The incursion has been neutralized. The vault array is secure."
The guards stared at the crushed monster skulls in pure shock.
"T-Two void beasts... defeated in close quarters?" the guard stammered, his face turning pale. "We will report this to the Grand Archive Elder at once!"
Leo stepped down from the marble dais.
Behind him, Seraphina climbed down from the altar.
Her bare feet touched the cold stone floor.
Her legs shook with such violent weakness that she had to catch the edge of the stone slab to keep herself from falling over.
Her inner core was still buzzing with the deep, melting aftershocks of her explosive climax.
She looked up at Leo.
Her sapphire eyes were filled with an overwhelming storm of emotions: deep relief, religious guilt, and an undeniable, helpless dependency on the tyrant who had saved her life and stripped away her sacred pride.
"I will see you at the morning assembly, Saintess," Leo said, his dark eyes locking onto hers.
Seraphina’s breath hitched.
She clutched her silver prayer beads against her chest with white knuckles.
"Y-Yes... Lord Leo," Seraphina whispered softly, lowering her head to hide her crimson face.
She hurried past the guards, slipping out of the heavy iron doors into the morning light to return to the temple dormitories to wash her trembling body.
Leo did not look back.
He walked out of the underground archives, taking the wide stone stairs up toward the surface.
The Royal Academy was already waking up.
Cadets in white and blue uniforms were walking along the paved paths between the training grounds, their murmurs filling the crisp morning air.
Leo ignored them all, heading straight toward the elite residential quarter in the East Wing.
He reached the top floor of the dormitory building and stopped before the polished oak door of his luxury suite.
Leo pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The suite was warm and quiet.
A fire crackled softly in the stone hearth, casting a golden glow across the polished wood floors and dark leather sofas.
Near the large balcony window, a slender figure was sitting on the wide sofa.
Elara Snowveil.
She wore only a thin, pale-blue silk nightgown that fell loosely over her delicate collarbones and stopped high on her smooth, pale thighs.
Her waist-length silver hair cascaded over her back like spun moonlight.
In her porcelain hands, she held a warm ceramic teacup.
The moment the door clicked shut, Elara turned her head.
Her pale ice-blue eyes lit up with instant warmth and relief.
She set the teacup down on the small table and stood up, walking across the rug with light, silent steps.
"Leo," she murmured softly.
Before Leo could speak, Elara stepped into his space, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and pressing her soft, warm body tightly against his chest.
Her small head rested against his shoulder.
"You were gone all night," Elara whispered, a tiny pout tugging at her pink lips. "The bed felt too cold without you."
Leo smirked, his hands sliding down her back and resting firmly on the soft curve of her hips through the thin silk.
"I had a duty to fulfill in the vault," Leo replied.
Elara buried her nose into the collar of his shirt, taking a deep breath of his scent.
Suddenly, her body stiffened.
Her ice-blue eyes widened slightly.
She pulled back an inch, looking up at Leo with narrowed eyes.
A sharp, unmistakable scent was clinging to his skin and clothes: the rich, sweet fragrance of holy temple incense mixed with the distinct floral aroma of Seraphina’s sacred light mana.
"You smell like her," Elara said, her voice dropping into a quiet, dangerous whisper.
"Like who?" Leo asked with calm amusement.
"The Saintess," Elara said, her eyes flashing with a spark of possessive, cold fire. "Her sweet holy oil is all over your collar, Leo."
Without waiting for an answer, Elara leaned in and sank her sharp white teeth directly into the side of Leo’s neck.
She bit down hard, pressing her teeth into his skin just enough to leave a small, bright red crescent mark right below his jawline.
A soft gasp escaped her lips as she tasted the salty warmth of his skin.
Leo did not pull away.
He grabbed her slender waist with both hands, lifted her off the floor, and sat down on the large leather sofa, pulling Elara directly onto his lap.
Elara straddled his thighs, her thin silk nightgown riding up to her hips, exposing her smooth, porcelain thighs against his dark trousers.
"Are you marking your territory, Elara?" Leo asked, his rough fingers tracing the curve of her jawline.
Elara’s cheeks turned pink, but she did not look away.
Her cool, delicate fingers unbuttoned the top three buttons of Leo’s shirt, pressing her flat palm against his bare, muscled chest.
"You belong to me, Leo," Elara said, her voice trembling slightly with fierce devotion and sweet jealousy. "I don’t care if she is a Saintess of Lumina. I was the first to give myself to you. You are mine."
"Is that so?" Leo murmured.
He pulled her face down and captured her lips in a deep, demanding morning kiss.
Elara let out a soft, shuddering moan against his mouth.
Her cool, mint-scented tongue met his with desperate hunger, kissing him with all the pent-up longing from the lonely night.
As their lips moved together, a soothing wave of pure, glacial frost mana flowed from Elara’s core directly into Leo’s chest.
The sub-zero energy danced with his Black Sun heat, cooling the burning fever from the vault and circulating through his meridians in a perfect, harmonious flow.
Elara melted completely in his lap, her soft body molding against his hard frame as she clung to his shoulders.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sharp, firm knock echoed from the outer door of the suite.
Elara broke the kiss, panting softly with flushed cheeks and swollen lips as she looked toward the hallway.
A clear, elegant voice carried through the wood from outside.
"Leo? Are you awake?"
It was Celestia Raine.