Home.

Ralph dragged his legs wearily as he made his way up the stairs, struggling to keep pace with Theovin. 

As they approached the door, Theovin reached for the handle, but before he could grasp it, the door slowly creaked open.

As the door opened, a woman appeared in front of them. 

She looked like she was in her early thirties, with piercing forest green eyes that sparkled in the dim light. 

Her heart-shaped jawline accentuated her pearly white teeth that were on full display with her bright smile.

The woman was Theresa, and she greeted Theovin with respect by placing her left hand over her right breast before addressing him. "Theo, you're back. 

Where have you two been?" she asked politely, her motherly smile never leaving her features.

"We were out for a bit, but now we're back." Theovin muttered, trying to sound polite even though he was anxious to carry his mate inside.

"Theresa's eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the bundle in Theovin's arms. 

Her heart raced as she realized it was a human wrapped in a white bedsheet. 

She took a step forward, her curiosity getting the best of her as she leaned in to get a closer look. 

Her eyes scanned every inch of the bundle, trying to understand what was happening. 

Theresa's heart sank as Theovin walked around her, not allowing her to catch even a glimpse of the face of the human he was holding. 

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she felt her face turn hot. 

She could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest, as the moment felt awkward and intrusive. 

'What was I attempting to do?! Preying into the King's matter?!' she scolded herself, feeling guilty for intruding on Theovin's business. 

She turned to face Ralph, but tilted her head up slightly, trying to hide her embarrassed face from him. 

Ralph didn't even notice the look of shame on Theresa's face as he exclaimed, "I'm back, Theresa!"

"Why are you coming back this late?" Theresa asked, turning around to make her way into the house.

"Oh, it was Theovin. He got a bit crazy this morning at the office, and I had to follow him to clean up his mess." Ralph explained.

As they reached the door, Theresa knocked on Ralph's head, causing him to yelp in pain. "What was that for?!" he screamed, holding his head.

"I will not have you speak to the King in such a manner." Theresa chided, her expression stern and her mouth in a thin line. 

She crossed her arms under her breast and stared pointedly at Ralph, making it clear that she was not going to tolerate any disrespectful behavior towards Theovin.

Ralph cried out in pain, rubbing his arm where Theresa had just slapped him.

"That may be the truth, but there are certain ways to speak about the King, and respect is one of them." Theresa retorted with a firm voice, not letting up on her stern expression. 

She turned around and walked into a big corridor, lined with a plush red carpet in the center. 

Theresa's flat slippers made soft padding sounds as they came in contact with the softness of the carpet, accompanied by the thumping sound of Ralph's shoes as they connected with the red carpet.

Suddenly, Theresa veered around, startling Ralph who was right behind her. 

He halted his steps and asked, "What now?" But in the next second, Theresa landed a hard slap on his forearm, causing him to cry out in pain, "Paah!!"

"Ahhhhhh! What was that for?" Ralph cried out in pain as he tightly grasped his right arm. 

Theresa, who was also a dragon, had exerted an extraordinary amount of strength in the slap, making it an excruciating experience for Ralph.

Rather than providing an answer to Ralph's question, Theresa delivered another powerful slap, this time landing it underneath his head. 

The sound of the impact echoed through the room, leaving Ralph disorientated.

"Paah!" he exclaimed as he stumbled three steps back, attempting to distance himself from the slapping woman.

Frustrated, Theresa exclaimed, "How many times do I have to repeat myself? I have told you repeatedly not to wear shoes inside the house!"

Theresa enunciated each word as her voice grew more intense with each passing moment.

"My bad!" Ralph sheepishly admitted his wrongdoing and turned around to leave. 

However, he paused as a realization dawned on him, causing his eyes to widen.

"Why didn't you slap Theovin too? He also wore his shoes into the house." Ralph questioned, pointing his finger in the direction that Theovin had walked moments ago.

Theresa folded her arms behind her back, adopting a stern teacher-like stance as she gazed down at Ralph. 

"Well, I didn't witness him wearing shoes inside the house - the person I saw was you." she responded firmly.

Ralph was in disbelief. "What! You literally opened the door for him and let him inside. How could you not see that?" he exclaimed, feeling angry and frustrated at Theresa's bias.

"Don't forget, Ralph, you are not Theovin." Theresa pointed out, emphasizing her point with a meaningful look.

"Ralph let out a tired whine, "But I am exhausted and want to sleep now."

Theresa's voice boomed with authority through the empty hallway, "Ralph! Shoes off now!"

"Okay, okay." Ralph capitulated, defeated. He turned around and retraced his steps, heading back the way he had come, leaving Theresa standing alone in the hallway.

Theovin carried Rosey past a lavishly furnished sitting room and up a magnificent spiral staircase made of posh white marble situated by the side.

He cautiously made his way up the staircase, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Rosey in his arms. 

As he reached the top of the staircase, he took a right turn and proceeded down a corridor that was completely lit, with pristine white doors on both sides.

He walked past all the doors until he reached the end of the corridor, where he encountered another short flight of stairs. 

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he turned left and walked straight to the door located at the very end of the hallway.

The door appeared to be painted in a lighter shade of midnight black. 

Theovin grasped the handle and gently pushed the door open, revealing a pitch-black room. 

Undeterred, he walked in with Rosey in his arms and shifted to the right.

With his hand outstretched, he quickly located the light switch on the wall without any difficulty and pressed it.

In an instant, the once dim room was illuminated with a soft, warm light.