The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 297: Missing Valerius

Chapter 297: Missing Valerius

The next morning, after breakfast, Annalise heard about her husbands’ plan of following Mr. Warren and Richard into the forest to gather firewood. The plan was to stock up enough firewood to survive the Winter.

It took her quite some effort to make Damien and Kenric agree to let her accompany them, especially the former.

"The weather doesn’t look too good and it’s really cold outside, You should stay home, Princess." Damien had tried to reason with her.

"You both are going and there’s barely anything here to do. I will be bored here on my own. Please don’t leave me here." She had pleaded while making puppy eyes, and while Damien wasn’t someone who could relent so easily, he still gave up in front of her but not without a warning - "You better not get hurt or I will never allow you to accompany us in future."

After all the requests and warnings, their group of six finally set out on a mission to collect firewood.

The weather was unusually cold and Annalise was thankful for all the warm clothes she was wearing.

The group trudged through the chilly forest, their breaths visible in the crisp air. They mostly remained silent while listening to the movements around them.

The mountain was just as famous for its dark stories as the Cursed Castle. The question was if those rumors were as false as the castle’s.

Damien led the way with an axe, and Annalise walked alongside him, trying to keep her worries at bay.

It was Sera who broke the silence and asked Mr. Warren, "Do you think we’ll find enough firewood to last through the winter?"

Mr. Warren smiled reassuringly. "I’m sure we’ll manage. There’s plenty of fallen wood around here. With all of us working together, it won’t take long."

Kenric chimed in, carrying a bundle of dried branches. "Don’t worry, Sera. If we still didn’t succeed in finding enough firewood, you all can still depend on our magic spells and the castle to stay warm throughout the Winter."

His comment made everyone chuckle and they all proceeded with their mission. By now, almost all the servants in the castle had learned about the magical powers that the Dark Lords and Annalise possessed. With time, they all had come to accept the new magical life and world they all had become part of.

As they continued gathering firewood, Damien noticed Annalise’s preoccupation. "You seem a little bit distracted, Princess. Is something bothering you?"

Annalise hesitated for a moment but decided to share her concerns as she could hardly focus on anything because of her worries. "We haven’t heard from Valerius, and I can’t reach him through our soulmate bond. It’s been days, and I’m starting to worry."

"Sometimes, communication through soulmate bonds can be blocked by certain magical disturbances. It’s possible that Valerius is facing something that’s temporarily affecting your connection. Though we also can’t connect with him, we all can feel that he’s safe, right? Besides, he’s not alone. The last time he sent the message, he had already met with Ezra and the others. With all of them together, you don’t need to worry." Kenric was the first one who reassured her.

"Also, you should trust your husband more. It’s not like you don’t know how powerful and clever he is. There’s barely anyone or anything that can make overpower him." Damien added as he gave her hand a light squeeze.

"I hope you’re right," Annalise replied with a sigh. "I just miss him, and this silence is making me anxious."

Kenric offered a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Annalise managed a small smile, grateful for her husbands’ support. "You’re right. Let’s focus on gathering firewood."

They continued their task, talking and joking to lighten the mood. As they worked, the sky grew darker, and the distant sound of thunder echoed through the forest.

Damien glanced up at the looming clouds. "Looks like the rain is coming sooner than we thought. We should head back."

Agreeing, they gathered their collected firewood and hurried back to the Castle.

"My Lady, you should get changed before you can catch a cold." Sera was immediately beside Annalise when she noticed the latter had gotten damp in the rain.

"You should indeed get changed, Princess," Damien added when he noticed her wet hair and clothes.

Before anyone could move, Kenric was standing right in front of Annalise. With one swift motion of his hand, he channeled his fire energy into Annalise and the very next second she was completely dry.

"Thank you." She whispered in gratitude and followed Sera to her chambers to get changed into a dress from her trousers and shirt.

Sera took out a beautiful purple dress and matching jewelry before helping Annalise get dressed. Once they were done, Annalise asked Sera to get changed too while she herself headed toward the library where she had left the History Book of the Seelie Realm and the Late Light Fae Queen’s diary.

As she stepped inside the library, she found Damien sitting in one of the armchairs next to the fireplace while he was busy building a fire in the fireplace. Next to him sat the History Book and the diary.

"Why are you here?" She asked him as she settled down on the chair opposite him while her gaze momentarily stopped on the pair of the book and the diary.

Damien didn’t look up from where his gaze was fixed on his work of setting up the wooden logs as he answered - "I somehow knew that I would find you here. So I brought you some warm tea and snacks."

Annalise noticed the tray with tea and snacks resting on one of the side wooden tables and nodded her head slightly while whispering - "Thank you."

Damien finally turned his attention toward her and smiled softly. "What you have been up to these days? I found these sitting here openly but I didn’t look inside them."

Once again he was respecting her privacy just as usual despite his curiosity and the thought filled Annalise with warmth. It was time for her to share at least some of the secrets she had been keeping.

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