18 The Answer

Nikolai raised an eyebrow as he looked up to the sky.

The sun was shining particularly brightly that morning, and naturally, as vampires, they preferred to travel at night to avoid the sun. The scorching heat was very harmful to their kind, after all, particularly to lesser types of vampires that weren't an Exordium or had Exordium blood in their veins like him.

Due to his heritage, Nikolai was perfectly fine with walking in daylight. Others, however, had to use magical remedies to protect themselves from the sun, but even then their time was limited, it would only last for a certain period of time before the sun became harmful to them again.

As their convoy passed through its route, Nikolai suppressed his urge to chuckle as he watched the twisted faces of irritation on the faces of his men.

He had chosen to travel in the daylight to cater to his wife's comforts, and as a result, all his delegates had no choice but to follow his orders despite the inconvenience on their part.

And speaking of which, he turned when he suddenly felt a pair of soft hands tugging on his arm.

"Shall we go now?" his wife asked him with a sweet smile.

Seeing Mineah's refreshing expression, Nikolai couldn't help but smile back, especially with how she clung to his arm. He could only assume that this was one of her attempts at trying to make his heart beat.

He knew it was a pointless matter in the first place, but deep inside, he couldn't help but wonder if she could truly do it… If it was really possible for her to make him feel something.

Shaking his head, Nikolai focused on his wife as he held Mineah's hand, guiding her into their shared carriage. Following behind her, he was about to go inside to join her when Taro suddenly appeared at his side.

"The Seer of Ebodia is on his way to the harbor as well," Taro whispered to his ear. "He's with the Admiral of Ebodia and the rest of the Ebodian Knights."

Discreetly nodding at the information, Nikolai peeked into the carriage and looked at Mineah. "I will be away for a while," he informed her. "I'll be back soon, Mine."

Without even waiting for her reply, Nikolai then closed the door and turned in the direction of another carriage behind theirs. He scanned for the one relative he wanted to talk to.

"Aunt Alexa," he called out before she could enter her own carriage.

With her attention being called, Alexa turned to him with a yawn. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

"I'll be gone for a while to meet with someone and discuss an important matter," he tersely replied. "Would you care to accompany my wife while I'm gone and help her with the books Gregory gave for her to read? A brief summary of the important matters would be highly appreciated."

Almost immediately, Alexa's eyes lit up as she flashed him with a wide grin. "Oh, that would be my pleasure," she smirked with a sarcastic bow. "Off you go then, Your Majesty!"

Seeing his aunt's usual antics, Nikolai simply shook his head before he instantly disappeared along with Taro, promptly teleporting to where he knew the Seer of Ebodia currently was.

*****

In the blink of an eye, Nikolai appeared inside the carriage of the Seer of Ebodia, practically popping out of nowhere without even as much as a sound.

Looking around, the older man was alone, his eyes trained on the tea that he was brewing. A few seconds later, the seer lifted his head before giving him a curt bow as if he had already expected the king's arrival.

"Would you like some tea, Your Majesty?" the seer kindly offered.

Nikolai smirked as he comfortably crossed his legs in his seat. "It would seem that you were already expecting my arrival," he casually noted before pointing at the two cups on the table. "Did you see me coming to you in your visions?"

Beirut kindly smiled at him before pouring tea into his cup.

He then offered it to the king with a soft smile. "This is chamomile, Princess Mineah's favorite tea," he described with a hum as he watched Nikolai sip the tea. "She was the one who introduced this to me and taught me how to make it extra special."

"Ebodia is a very fortunate kingdom to have such a reliable Seer…" Nikolai complimented as he savored the gentle note of apple, a mellow and honey-like sweetness that flavored the drink giving it a silky feel.

He wasn't fond of drinking tea, but somehow, he found this particular flavor to be soothing and relaxing.

"As you know, Princess Mineah has a weak constitution. She is easily bruised, gets tired easily, and sometimes she'll even have a fever for no particular reason," the seer stated.

"And yet in spite of all this, she is gifted with an iron will and a strong mind. When I told her about the dreams and visions I had about her she showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she embraced everything wholeheartedly with a strong and positive mindset, courageously going against anything that might stop her."

Nikolai eagerly listened, never bothering to interrupt him even once. He wanted to find out more about his wife, and he knew that asking questions would be counterproductive.

"She's like a daughter to me. I still remember how she begged for our Wizard Lurio to teach her spellcraft and magic, saying that she wanted to be able to help protect her family since she was the one constantly receiving protection from everyone else," Beirut fondly recounted.

"In the end, she studied hard and focused on everything that she can be good at. But tell me, Your Majesty, why are you here? Surely, you can find out more about Princess - I mean, Queen Mineah through other means. Specifically through her ladies-in-waiting instead of through me.

Nikolai hummed as he replied, "The curse about her purity… she told me about it."

It was the one thing still haunting his mind. However, he made sure not to tell the man that he compelled her to reveal the fact to him.

"I see… In that case, perhaps I can give a more definitive answer," the seer directly stated. "Any man who shall tarnish her purity will meet death, but the man who shall genuinely give his heart to her can end the curse…"

Nikolai simply nodded. Based on what he had heard, it was no wonder then why his wife was so determined to make him fall for her.

"This is ridiculous then… After all, I have no beating heart," Nikolai grinned. He then added, "Are your interpretations of your visions and dreams always correct?"

Instead of giving a proper answer, the Seer simply chuckled. "My visions are not always destined to happen. Their accuracy will always be in question since they are mostly forewarnings that could help the Kingdom of Ebodia remain strong and intact," he replied.

"One thing is for sure, however, a Seraph's divine messages will always be something that shouldn't be ignored no matter the circumstance. You alone are the answer and the end to her curses, but that is in exchange for a few certain sacrifices. "

Nikolai narrowed his eyes. "Curses?! What do you mean curses?" he exclaimed "There's more?"

****

AN: Do you think Seer Beirut will tell Nikolai everything?