The night passed quietly, and by the time morning arrived, pale sunlight had begun slipping through the curtains.
Elias slowly opened his eyes.
For several seconds, he stared blankly at the ceiling before remembering where he was. Then he felt the warmth against his chest and lowered his gaze.
Natasha was asleep in his arms; her long black hair had spilled across his chest and partially covered her face, while her breathing remained slow and rhythmic.
Elias stayed still, afraid that even the slightest movement might wake her.
He quietly studied her sleeping face for several moments before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"How beautiful..." he mumbled.
He gently moved a strand of hair away from her face, then carefully slipped out of bed.
After making sure Natasha was still asleep, Elias left the room and headed toward the bathroom.
By the time he returned, freshly bathed and dressed, Natasha had already awakened.
She was sitting on the edge of the large bed, her black hair falling loosely around her shoulders.
Elias smiled.
[Good morning.]
Natasha froze.
Her expression immediately became shocked as the events of the previous night came flooding back to her mind.
For a moment, she stared at him as though she wasn’t certain whether she had imagined everything.
Then she hurriedly reached for the notebook and quill on the bedside table.
After writing for a few seconds, she turned the notebook toward him.
Good morning.
Elias chuckled softly.
[You should freshen up.]
Natasha nodded.
Elias gave her a small smile before turning toward the door.
[I’ll see you at breakfast,] he said, then stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
For several seconds, Natasha remained seated on the bed, staring at the closed door.
Her fingers slowly tightened around the notebook.
Meanwhile, Elias made his way toward the kitchen.
The moment he entered, he found the two maids preparing breakfast while quietly chatting with each other. They immediately noticed him and bowed.
"My lord."
"Good morning," Elias said.
Elias glanced around the kitchen before asking, "What happened to the sugar fruits I requested yesterday?"
One of the maids immediately stepped forward and presented him with a small pouch.
"We purchased them this morning, my lord."
Elias accepted the pouch and smiled.
"Good work."
He turned around and left before the maids could say anything else.
A few minutes later, he arrived at Stella’s room.
He quietly opened the door and peeked inside.
Stella was still asleep.
Her crimson hair was spread across the pillow, and she was curled up beneath the blankets with an unusually peaceful expression.
Elias smiled.
"Sleep well," he mumbled.
He walked over to the bedside table and placed the pouch of sugar fruits on the small drawer beside her bed.
He hesitated for a moment before looking back at her.
She looked completely harmless when she slept.
It was difficult to imagine that the same woman had beaten him the previous day.
He quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.
As he walked down the corridor, another thought suddenly struck him.
"Ah..."
He stopped.
"Now that I think about it, I also have to bathe Monica."
He turned around and headed toward Monica’s room.
Elias took out the key and unlocked the door before stepping inside.
Monica was lying motionless on the bed.
The blue magical formations surrounding her remained active, bathing the room in a faint azure glow.
Elias slowly approached.
The moment he came within range of Monica’s poison, something inside his body reacted.
A faint sensation spread across his skin as his skill activated.
[Shadow Ghost Poison Resistance activated.]
Elias’s eyebrows rose.
"So it’s called Shadow Ghost Poison?" he mumbled.
He had wondered what type of poison Monica carried, but until now, he had only known that it was extremely dangerous.
Suddenly, a calm voice came from the bed.
"How do you know that?"
Elias froze.
His entire body went rigid, and he slowly turned his head.
Monica was awake.
Her bright blue eyes were staring directly at him. Her expression remained almost completely flat.
Elias stared at her.
"You can speak...?"
Monica blinked once.
"When I am awake," she said almost nonchalantly. "And I am seldom awake."
Elias remained silent for a moment. Then he nodded.
"I see..."
So Monica wasn’t mute like Natasha.
She simply spent most of her time unconscious because of the poison.
Elias took another step forward, now much more curious about the woman lying before him.
Monica narrowed her eyes.
She studied him from head to toe before asking, "Are you the guy the Mage Tower sold me to? They really are a petty bunch."
Elias frowned and shook his head. "No, I am your husband."
Amusement filled Monica’s eyes, and she mumbled, "Is that any different? At the end, they threw me away because I am no longer what I used to be."
Elias stopped a few meters away from her.
"You don’t seem surprised or mad by this."
"I was expecting something like this to happen. Those who had been jealous of my talent won’t let this opportunity pass."
He stared at her with a deep frown. To think she was already expecting the Mage Tower to abandon her.
"Are you from Crimson Ducal Clan?" She asked curiously.
He nodded. "I am."
"A direct heir?"
He nodded again.
"Heh. A bastard then."
His expression darkened, and he nodded one last time.
"So they decided to lump us two failures together. There has to be something poetic about it."
Elias raised an eyebrow and asked, "You like poems?"
She chuckled. "I hate them. Many Scholars waste their time on poems instead of arcane theories."
Elias stared at her in silence for a while.
"You can ask whatever’s on your mind," Monica said.
His lips parted, and eventually he asked, "Does it not hurt...?"
She smiled and looked at the ceiling as she answered, "It does. Very badly at that, but what’s a little pain to the future all-time strongest and greatest Magus?"