The next morning, Lumina slowly stirred from her sleep, her eyelids fluttering as she became aware of the warmth beside her.
Her hands wrapped around Ashen’s chest, and she snuggled closer, inhaling the steady scent of him.
She didn’t know how or when it happened, but she was growing more and more comfortable in his presence which she feels is so safe.
"Hey... good morning... Are you awake?" she mumbled softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ashen didn’t move, only shook his head slightly, his hand brushing lightly over hers.
A small smile tugged on Lumina’s face and she leaned her forehead against his chest, listening to the calm rhythm of his heartbeat.
"How are you feeling now?" He whispered, concerned, threading through his voice. But as soon as the words left her lips, her expression shifted, anxiety sharpening her features.
"Have they gone back?" she asked quietly.
Ashen’s hand tightened slightly around her, and he nodded. "Yes," he murmured. Then he pulled her closer, wrapping her in his warmth.
"Never scare me like yesterday ever again..." she breathed, her voice soft. Lumina’s head rested against him as she let out a shaky sigh, nodding.
Before Ashen could speak further, a knock echoed through the chamber.
"My lord... You are requested by the king in the royal palace," Ero’s voice announced.
Ashen bent close, a faint smile softening his usually guarded features as his lips brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. "I will be leaving now... remember to eat."
Lumina gave a small nod, yet when he shifted to rise, she clung to his waist without thinking, refusing to let him slip away.
"Aren’t you letting go quickly?" she asked, her cheek flushed with mild frustration.
Ashen chuckled softly, brushing another kiss over her forehead. He could help but let out a huge grin, the thought of anything bad happening to her crossed his mind, and weirdly he never wanted that to transpire again.
He had first thought she would be hidden to him but now he would fully say that she is the one making his gold soul now lively.
"I will come back early for you," he whispered.
A faint smile escaped her lips before she let him go then he finally left.
Moments later, Stella hurried into the chamber, her steps anxious. "Good morning, my lady," she said, bowing slightly as she approached.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, settling near Lumina’s bedside. "Are you able to breathe well now?"
Lumina closed her eyes weakly, feeling the lingering exhaustion in her body. She didn’t know if the poison had been fully expelled or if a trace of it still lingered within her veins.
"Why would the king poison you?" she murmured, voice barely audible.
Stella’s hands went immediately to Lumina’s, checking her pulse, pressing gently along her wrists, arms, and shoulders.
"The king is brutal... must be to know about your powers..." Stella let out almost in tears.
Seeing her mistress in a vulnerable state the previous night almost made her lose it.
"If you hadn’t acted quickly, something might have happened before you even had a chance."
Lumina sighed, relief mixed with lingering fear. Just then, the chamber’s heavy door creaked closed, and she felt the familiar air.
A big smile appeared on her face, the one she had expected ever since her nuptial night but she didn’t appear until now.
"Aunt Seraphina... you finally came," Lumina breathed.
Seraphina stepped closer, her black cloak sweeping around her, her veil shadowing her face and as usual, everything had stopped.
She took Lumina’s wrist gently in her hand, her expression serious but relieved.
"You were poisoned," she said carefully, her voice steady.
"A dangerous one, my child. It enters the bloodstream almost immediately, attacking the internal organs before anyone realizes it’s there. It is designed to fool observers, making them believe there is no poison in your system. Only someone with advanced knowledge could detect it so quickly."
Lumina’s eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"If you hadn’t transferred it so fast, it would have been... dangerous... " She paused and stared at Lumina.
"How long did it take you to move it to someone else?" she asked as her hands adjusted Lumina’s wrist.
"A while.." Lumina replied.
"It took only moments and you had gone this far in you. It seems poison stopped spreading the instant you embraced Ashen. That is why you survived so quickly. The contact slowed the pace of the toxin."
Lumina’s hand brushed the edge of her cloak, still trembling slightly.
"But... why? You told me the poison meant for me would be so different... why would the king...?"
"Lumina," Seraphina called, her voice carrying weight.
"There is no time to question his motives. You cannot outsmart someone who is trying to test your entire power. Your survival is what matters. Now, you must focus on finding an antidote for this poison and the remaining residue in your veins."
Lumina shivered slightly. "But... would it kill me so easily?"
Seraphina inhaled deeply, meeting her gaze. "Not easily... but painfully. It is a poison that moves silently, attacking the body over time. If it were left untreated, the effects could linger, hidden, for years to pass. By then, it may have caused irreversible damage."
Lumina swallowed hard, the weight of the words pressing down on her. She traced the outline of her wrist where Seraphina had touched, still marveling at the speed with which her aunt had acted.
"So... the poison... it could have... killed me without anyone even realizing... if you had handed it to me..." Her voice broke at this moment.
Saraphina had taught her to know the moment she got poisoned how her body would feel. She knew when her father grabbed her hands but saw signs so that her dad wouldn’t notice.
"Yes," Seraphina answered, her eyes softening.
Seraphina smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from Lumina’s face.
"You have been strong. Stronger than anyone could have expected. But now... now you must focus on surviving fully."
"Survive?" Lumina asked worriedly.
"You have two years just to find the antidote or you might lose your life."