Seraphina's bedroom wasn't a room; it was a freezer.
As soon as the double doors closed behind them, Kael shivered. The air here was thin and biting, visible as white puffs with every breath he took. Frost coated the windows, the vanity mirror, and the massive canopy bed in the center.
"It gets worse at night," Seraphina muttered, noticing his reaction. "The Draconic Essence lowers the ambient temperature. Most maids refuse to enter after sundown."
She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, looking small in the vast, cold room.
"Your bed is there," she pointed to a plush velvet chaise lounge near the balcony, about three meters away. "It has heating enchantments."
Kael walked over to the couch. It was indeed warm, humming with faint magic. He sat down, loosening his tie.
"So," Kael said, looking at her. "What's the protocol? Do I watch you sleep? Do I sing lullabies?"
Seraphina glared at him, unbuttoning the collar of her dress to reveal the scar again. It was glowing a faint, ominous blue.
"You stay awake. If I start screaming... or if the ice starts spreading to the walls... you touch me."
"Touch you?"
"Reset the cycle," she said, lying down and pulling the heavy fur blankets up to her chin. "Just... don't let the dragon take over."
She closed her eyes.
Kael watched her. For ten minutes, silence reigned.
Then, it started.
Seraphina's brow furrowed. Her breathing became jagged.
No... get out... she whimpered in her sleep.
The temperature in the room plummeted. The water in the glass on the nightstand froze instantly, shattering the crystal. CRACK.
Kael stood up. He could see a blue aura leaking from her body, forming the spectral shape of a dragon's claw hovering over her.
"Not on my watch," Kael whispered.
He activated [Mana Skin] to protect himself from the biting cold and walked to the bedside.
He reached out. He didn't just hold her hand this time. The energy was leaking from her chest, from the scar.
He placed his palm directly over her heart, separated only by the thin silk of her nightgown.
[CONTACT INITIATED]
ROAAAAR!
A silent roar exploded inside Kael's mind. He wasn't in the room anymore. He was in a dark void, staring at a pair of massive, vertical golden eyes. The soul of the Frost Dragon.
INSECT, the voice boomed. YOU DARE STEAL MY TRIBUTE?
Kael stood his ground in the mental landscape. He grinned.
"I'm not stealing," Kael thought back. "I'm taking out the trash."
[Skill Activated: RECYCLE]
The golden eyes widened in confusion as Kael's system turned into a black hole.
[Warning: High-Density Mental Energy Detected.]
[Recycling "Dragon's Nightmare"...]
In the real world, Kael gasped. This energy was different. It wasn't just raw mana; it was willpower. It was intent.
[Success.]
[Gained: +5 Mental Strength (Willpower)]
[Gained: "Dragon's Breath (Ice)" - Skill Fragment (1/10)]
The spectral claw dissolved. Seraphina's expression smoothed out immediately. The nightmare was gone, eaten by Kael.
He pulled his hand back, shaking the frost off his fingers.
"Skill Fragment?" he muttered, looking at the notification. "If I do this nine more times... I get a dragon's skill?"
He looked down at Seraphina. She had shifted in her sleep, turning towards his warmth. Without thinking, her hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, holding him there.
Kael sighed. He couldn't leave now even if he wanted to.
He sat on the floor beside the bed, his back resting against the mattress, her hand gripping his wrist.
"System," he whispered. "Show me the crafting blueprints."
Since he couldn't sleep, he might as well plan.
He opened the inventory. He had the [Refined Titanium Chunks] from the warehouse.
[Blueprint Available: Titanium Dagger (Rare)]
Requirements: Refined Titanium x1, Leather Grip x1.
Success Rate: 100% with System Assist.
"I need a weapon," Kael mused. "But a dagger is too short for fighting monsters. I need something versatile."
He looked at the options.
[Blueprint: Chain-Blade (Rare)]
A retractable blade attached to a reinforced chain. High difficulty to master. High mobility.
Cost to unlock: 200 SP.
Kael checked his balance. 350 SP.
"Unlock."
The blueprint burned into his mind. He liked the idea. With his [Shadow Step], he could teleport, and with a chain-blade, he could control the battlefield from mid-range.
"Tomorrow," he promised himself. "Tomorrow I turn that titanium into a leash for death."
His eyelids grew heavy. The warmth of the room (now that the dragon was suppressed) and the exhaustion of the day caught up with him.
He fell asleep right there, sitting on the floor, holding the Empress's hand.
The Next Morning
Sunlight streamed through the frost-free windows.
Kael woke up with a stiff neck. He groaned, trying to stretch, but realized his arm was pinned.
He opened his eyes.
He wasn't on the floor anymore.
At some point in the night, Seraphina had dragged him up. He was lying on top of the fur covers, and Seraphina was curled up against his side, her head resting on his chest, her arm thrown over his waist like he was a giant teddy bear.
Her leg was tangled with his.
Kael froze. If I move, I die. If she wakes up, I die.
The door clicked.
"My Lady, I have brought your morning tea and the daily repor—"
Alfred walked in.
He stopped.
The tray of tea rattled in his hands.
Alfred looked at Kael. Kael looked at Alfred with eyes that screamed HELP ME.
Seraphina stirred. She tightened her hug, burying her face deeper into Kael's neck, sniffing him.
"Warm..." she mumbled sleepily. "Smells like... safety."
Alfred slowly backed out of the room.
"I shall return in... an hour," the butler whispered, closing the door with a soft click.
Kael stared at the ceiling.
[System Notice: Intimacy Level Increased.]
[Relationship Status: "Complicated".]
"You have no idea," Kael whispered to the blue screen.