CHAPTER 117: THE SENERP

Zavren turned immediately, his eyes widened. Her voice—it was so melodic and calm, sweet as honey. This hit differently. Her voice could bring joy; it was so smooth, like that of a seductress, and so silky it felt like rubbing your hands through silk.

He walked towards her, his expression calm, though shock rested on his face.

"Snowflake... your voice is back?" he asked.

Ariana nodded. A soft smile graced his lips as he moved closer. He bent and kissed her forehead gently. At this point, emotions he never thought he had were flooding in—emotions he didn’t recognize, ones he thought he had long forgotten.

He stood, holding her hands in his. He caressed them softly with his thumb.

Ariana opened her mouth and whispered once more.

"I love you."

Zavren bent and pulled her into a kiss. It was slow, sweet, and tender...as if their souls were whispering to each other in that moment. At this point, everything felt too good to be true. He kissed her more, not knowing why, but the way he had heard her say it, those words...he hadn’t expected them to leave her mouth. And yet, they brought him happiness.

He pulled away gently, his gaze fixed on her eyes.

"Oh sweetheart, you really are surprising me today," he said, unable to find the right words to describe the feeling stirring inside him.

"Let me send for the seer," he spoke, his voice low and affectionate towards Ariana .

Ariana nodded, her lips curling into a wide smile as she looked at him, her face filled with love and joy. Zavren bent and kissed her hands gently—her knuckles and fingers.

He walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out. Not long after, Leah entered with a new pillow. She walked towards Ariana to help her adjust, removing the previous pillow carefully.

Ariana smiled as Leah bowed, the worry on her face now replaced with joy.

"Luna Ariana, congratulations on your baby’s delivery," Leah said.

Ariana’s lips stretched into a wider smile as Leah felt tears welling up in her eyes. At this point, she felt very emotional. Who knew time would pass so quickly? She was now looking at her queen, who had just given birth. She was sure this little baby would grow up to be a beautiful girl. She had already been told about the Luna’s numbness.

"Luna Ariana, I will be the one to bathe you from now on. Please, I would need your permission," Leah said gently.

Ariana nodded calmly. That was the only way—and she needed to agree. Leah was glad her Highness accepted. She then added,

"A lady will be coming here to bathe the baby, and the baby’s ointments and bathing supplies will be sent to you and His Majesty’s chamber."

She spoke quietly. Ariana nodded, her heart flipping in happiness. At this point, she had no idea how to feel. The warmth she felt... who would have thought one unexpected night with the Alpha would lead to this? No one, not even her. And not knowing he was the Alpha King made it even more surprising.

She lay back and closed her eyes to rest, while Leah stayed in the room to keep an eye on the little baby. Ariana needed the rest—Leah could see it in her tired gaze. The way she looked so exhausted, yet awake, amazed her. She couldn’t help but wonder how the queen..being human was strong enough to give birth to a werewolf child and still be conscious after delivery. It was shocking.

Meanwhile, Zavren walked through the hallway, and Raven, who now met him, tried to keep up with his king’s graceful strides.

"I’ve sent for her," Raven said, and Zavren nodded.

"I and the queen’s chambers—have the arrangements been made?" he asked calmly.

Raven nodded, even though Zavren couldn’t see him since he was behind. He then replied,

"Yes, but the maids are now cleaning up the place."

Zavren walked towards his quarters and sat down on his seat.

"Let’s get the documents over with. The first batch will only be signed by me. The rest—you’ll handle them."

Zavren spoke, leaving no room for argument, and Raven nodded calmly. He understood why the king had just said that. The news about the queen’s safe delivery had already spread throughout the palace—everyone knew.

He knew His Highness wanted to be with his wife, as this was the time she would need him the most.

"Fredrick..any report about him?" Zavren asked, and Raven nodded.

"Yes. He’s working with the vampires now," Raven said, and Zavren nodded calmly.

"Let him be. I’ll handle him myself," he said, and Raven nodded again.

"Yes, King Zavren"

Zavren moved quickly, signing the documents. Time passed, and he was almost done when there was a soft knock on the door. Usually, this didn’t happen, but today was an exception. Raven moved to the door, his expression neutral and calm.

He turned back to Zavren.

"Your Highness, the seer is here."

Zavren finally raised his head.

"Let her in," he said coldly.

Raven bowed and opened the door. The lady entered in her usual milk-colored gown. Her hair was tied up neatly, her expression calm, though her eyes held deep wisdom and a faint trace of fear.

"Your Majesty," the woman said as she stepped forward.

"Your wife’s voice is back..." she began.

Zavren remained calm.

"Her voice will come back fully slowly. Right now, she has a limit, but she has indeed regained it. It was discovered that the baby was the one who brought back her voice. She was cursed by the Moon Goddess—because her voice could reveal the truth about the Senerp.

"The Moon Goddess made Luna Ariana mute. But now... her voice is back. I don’t know how long it will take before the vampires’ seer finds out. That’s why Lady Ariana had been mute. She holds the secret—the remedy to bring the dead back to life with her blood, Your Highness."

Zavren was silent. This wife of his was no ordinary being like they had thought. She was something else entirely.

She was the key.

The truth was..no one knew what the Senerp truly was, not even Zavren. While the vampires knew the Senerp was somewhere in Eltones, they had no idea where exactly. Zavren now knew—it was here in the palace. And who would’ve known... his wife’s blood was the Senerp all this while.

His face remained calm as the woman continued.

"We’ll have to watch her closely. She is now a threat to the vampires..." she said, but Zavren still remained silent.

"The black water?" he asked calmly.

The lady nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. She knew that was the only thing the king would want now, for his wife’s legs to be healed.

"The black water—we only have three hobbles of it, which we will give. There are no more here. We’ve sent people to the desert to get the leaves needed for the next batch. They’ll be back in a week. What we have here will be enough for Luna Ariana for this week and the next."

Zavren nodded calmly.

The lady opened the small bag she was holding and brought out two medium-sized bottles. Raven stepped forward and took them from her, gently placing them on Zavren’s desk.

Then, she pulled out another bottle. It was dark red with an oily texture.

"After drinking this, it should be rubbed on her legs. It will help support her healing. This is kennel oil. It will do," she said.

Raven took it from her and placed it gently on the king’s desk again. Zavren’s gaze lingered on the bottles, finally settling on the kennel oil.

"Where was this gotten from?" he asked.

The seer answered, as though she had expected the question—knowing how much the king cared for his wife.

"It’s a seed that was imported here. It was discovered not to be just for cooking—it has many benefits, Your Majesty," she said.

Zavren gave a curt nod.

"You may leave."

The lady nodded quickly and began to exit, but then stopped at the door.

"Your Highness, I’ll be coming tomorrow to check on your wife," she said, then left.

Raven, now curious about the kennel oil, smiled a little and spoke.

"Your Majesty, may I see it?"

Zavren’s eyes shifted to his.

"No," he said flatly, instantly washing away all of Raven’s curiosity.

Raven nodded quietly.

***

Lady Emberg

Lady Emberg stood outside her room. It was already early morning, yet she hadn’t been able to sleep. She stood quietly on the upstairs veranda, cutting away the bad parts of the roses she had planted there. There were only a few.

A knock came at the door.

After a moment, it opened. The butler stepped inside, his expression professional. He bowed deeply before speaking.

"A letter has been sent from the castle."

Lady Emberg’s eyes remained on the rose as she clipped another bad root. The soft clip echoed around the room.

"Drop it on my table," she said.

The man nodded and moved, but halted when she spoke again.

"Wait..." she said, turning and easing her hands.

"Let me see."