"Mhm. Not bad at all, this shadow sense."
Seishan murmured, looking down at her hands. A highly satisfied expression colored her striking, breathtaking face.
"And this is just the beginning. As you rank up, you should unlock other shadow-related abilities as well. So, I'm not such a bad catch for a husband, am I?"
Sunny stated shamelessly, pulling her naked body flush against his own in the water.
"Mhm!" she hummed playfully, turning her head to look at him with narrowed, mischievous eyes. "We'll see." She then leaned back, melting fully into his embrace.
Meanwhile, Sunny took the opportunity to inspect her runes through their bond.
---
Wives: [Cassia / True Name: —], [Seishan / True Name: —].
-
Name: Seishan.
True Name: —
Rank: Dreamer.
Attributes: [Sanguine], [Mark of Divinity], [The Blood], [Shadow Ring].
[Sanguine] Attribute Description: [Once, the Moon Goddess shed a tear in the night, and from it the Sanguine were born—creatures of peerless beauty and lethal strength, cunning, intelligent, and sly. Yet, they feared the sun.]
[Mark of Divinity] Attribute Description: [You bear a faint scent of divinity, as though someone briefly touched by it once, a long time ago.]
[The Blood] Attribute Description: [You have inherited the Lineage of the Beast God.]
[Shadow Ring] Attribute Description: [The shadows recognize you as their mistress, and bestow upon you their blessings.]
Aspect: [Matriarch of Blood].
Aspect Description: [You are a creature of the night, born of the noblest blood. Your beauty and mental affinity are matched only by your cunning and elegance, combined with superhuman strength. Humans called them vampires, but they lived in the brightest daylight just as much as in the darkest night.]
Aspect Rank: Supreme.
Aspect Abilities: [Nosferatu].
[Nosferatu] Ability Description: [You can momentarily transform into a creature of the night to enhance your physical and sensory capabilities. As well as your thirst.]
Flaw: [Bloodthirst].
Flaw Description: [You possess an insatiable thirst for blood. Only its consumption can truly satiate you. The thicker and more potent the blood, the more you will crave it.]
---
'Interesting.'
The night breeze drifting in from the terrace was crisp and clear. The steam rising from the bathwater enveloped them in an intimate, isolated warmth—a little sanctuary where only the two of them existed. Looking out at the rest of her private quarters felt like staring through a thick curtain of frosted glass.
Sunny sat leaning against the back of the spacious tub with the Princess resting on his lap. Her body, buoyed by the liquid, felt weightless. Her firm, soft bottom pressed intimately against his rigid, aching erection, trapping his length between her plush thighs in a maddeningly sweet grip. Her velvety gray skin was a feast for the eyes; her strawberry-red lips and piercing scarlet eyes stood out beautifully, framed by the long, silky curtain of wet black hair cascading down her back.
Sunny held Seishan securely in his arms, both of their naked bodies submerged up to their shoulders in the soothing heat. His arms were wrapped around her waist, the soft undersides of her bare breasts grazing his forearms. His fingers reveled in the feeling of sinking into her tender flesh. To his eyes, her exposed, elegant neck practically begged to be bitten, while beneath the water, his member throbbed visibly against the cleft of her soft backside.
"How are things progressing?" Sunny asked softly, whispering the question directly against her ear.
Meanwhile, his hands began a lustful exploration. His right hand reached up to cup her breast like a ripe fruit, massaging the soft flesh and gently rolling her hardened peak between his fingers. His left hand scooped up a handful of hot water, pouring it over her back before expertly massaging the tension from her shoulders.
"Mnn!"
The Princess moaned softly, tilting her head back against his shoulder. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, entirely surrendering to the pleasure.
"Everything is going smoothly," Seishan answered, turning her head slightly to look at him, seemingly mesmerized by his delicate, demanding touch.
Sunny continued to knead her breast, gently groping her as he felt her hips instinctively rock back against him. Her soft cheeks tightened around his shaft in a slow, rhythmic friction, sending a rush of hot blood straight to his groin.
"A few of my best handmaidens have begun circulating their essence. Even among Gunlag and Gemma's men, some have shown the same developments. Myself and the other lieutenants can say the same. Only Tessai has been kept in the dark, exactly as planned. The technique you demonstrated, along with the method for natural awakening, has proven exceptionally effective."
Seishan calmly detailed the progress of his grand scheme: awakening as many Sleepers in the Bright Castle as possible in preparation for the assault on the Crimson Spire, which would take place a few months from now. Sunny had secretly taught Seishan the essence control method—the very same one Eurys had taught him in the previous timeline to accelerate the Awakening process—along with the foundational steps. He let the Princess present it to the rest of the world as her own groundbreaking discovery.
This was exactly why he was laundering a portion of the Soul Shards earned through the Brilliant Emporium. They needed the shards as catalysts to fuel the method and saturate the cores of those who needed them.
Furthermore, Sunny needed to remain in the shadows. The lineage of a Daemon still flowed through his very essence, now inextricably interwoven with the legacy of Shadow.
For the rest of the plan, Seishan had successfully brokered a meeting between Sunny, Gunlag, and the other lieutenants—excluding Tessai, who harbored ambitions for the throne of the Bright Castle. Initially, the negotiations hadn't gone well. But after Lost from Light utterly humiliated Gunlag, his rabid guard dog Harus, and Gemma simultaneously, defeating all three of them in a matter of seconds, he had finally earned their undivided attention.
Through the Bright Lord's absolute authority, the Awakening method was now being circulated strictly among the court's most trusted men, kept a fiercely guarded secret from outsiders. When the time was right, Sunny would depart with a strike team consisting of Gunlag, Harus, Gemma, and a fifth member. Their destination: the Hollow Mountains, to retrieve the [Dawn Shard]—the indispensable key to returning to the waking world.
"Mmh! Ah..." Seishan threw her head back again, sighing as she thoroughly enjoyed his massage.
"How far along are you?" he asked, working a tight knot out of her shoulder blade with his thumbs. Beneath the water, his throbbing cock was being milked softly by the rolling motions of her hips, completely enveloped in the wet heat.
"By the end of this week, I should finally manage to break the second seal. Thanks in large part to your guidance," she added, her voice dropping into a husky, sensual purr as she shot him a fiercely seductive look. The grip of her body against his was pure heaven, setting the blood in his veins on fire.
Hearing this, Sunny smiled smugly, his hands confidently gripping her shoulders. "Good. Because very soon, my dear, you'll be the one running the whole castle here while we're away."
His right hand trailed down from her breast, dragging slowly over her stomach and tracing the curve of her hips, until his fingers finally reached her slick, eager folds beneath the water.
"Ah! Aah! Yes... right there."
Sunny brushed his fingers over her sensitive lips, pressing his thumb firmly against her clitoris. Seishan pushed her back flush against his chest, grinding her backside hard against his erection. He trembled pleasantly at the tight friction. As his index and ring fingers parted her lips, his middle finger slid effortlessly inside her, stroking the slick entrance as her natural juices mixed with the hot bathwater.
"Ah! Hah..."
Seishan closed her crimson eyes, rolling her pelvis up and down to the rhythm of her moans, softly grinding against his rigid length. The dark of the night and the shadows of the room were the sole witnesses to their intimate act.
"I forgot to tell you," he whispered hoarsely into the Princess's ear, his voice dark and tempting as she melted into the pleasure his fingers were giving her. "I am already an Awakened. Wouldn't you like a taste?"
Like a potent, irresistible aphrodisiac, the words made Seishan snap her head to the side. Her soft, red lips parted as she lunged for his neck.
Her sharp fangs pierced his skin, immediately drawing out the rich, powerful blood. She moaned wetly between gulps, drinking drop after delicious drop, thoroughly savoring the intoxicating taste of an Awakened. Against her backside, his member throbbed furiously, demanding entry. Against his expert fingers, her core wept into the water, silently begging for so much more.
Very quickly, all thoughts of strategy and grand plans were entirely discarded.
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