The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 325: Winter Solstice Festival (Part Two)

Chapter 325: Winter Solstice Festival (Part Two)

As the afternoon sun cast a soft, golden hue over the Sky Kingdom, Annalise and her husbands made their way back to the inn.

The Winter Solstice Festival had been a whirlwind of delight, with the bustling streets filled with the laughter of locals and the aromas of delectable treats. Annalise had thoroughly enjoyed her time exploring the capital city’s offerings.

Yet, she had hoped to grant her husbands some freedom to revel in the festivities on their own. And not much to her surprise, they insisted on accompanying her back to the Inn despite her efforts to make them understand that she would be alright on her own for a while.

"Little Bird, let us accompany you," Kenric insisted with a warm smile. Both his hands were filled with the bags and boxes of items that he had personally bought for her even when she kept telling him that she didn’t need anything.

Not having the heart to refute their request, she finally receded and allowed them to tag along with her as she headed back to the Inn.

As for the others - Marley had taken the opportunity to reconnect with his family. It was during this time that Annalise learned of his secret that everyone, except for her, seemed to already know - he was not only married but also had a two-year-old daughter.

He promised to introduce his family to them sometime during the next two days of the festival before he took his leave and left their group.

Leela and Ezra had ventured off to enjoy their own experiences in the Sky Kingdom. Meanwhile, Elijah, as the Crown Prince of the Mortal Realm, was occupied accompanying his father during their stay in the Sky Kingdom.

This situation left Annalise all alone with her husbands.

Once they reached the Inn, Kenric immediately ordered the servants to prepare a hot bath for Annalise, while Damien started tending to the fireplace in their cozy bedchamber.

She took her time to silently observe her husbands and felt her heart filling with warmth as she felt their love and care seeping into her soul through the shared soulmate bonds.

She was actually pleasantly surprised when she initially found out that Ezra had only booked one room for her and the Princes, and the four of them were supposed to share a room. In the comfort of their home, this was normal, but in a foreign land like the Sky Kingdom, it was unexpected.

Thankfully, no one acted like there was anything weird about one woman and three men sharing the same room, especially when they were married and also destined soulmates, and it eventually made Annalise calm down and feel relaxed.

Despite her learning about the fact of her being one of the supernaturals months ago, she was still far away from the world of magic, and thus, being a human, she still sometimes felt skeptical about having more than just one husband/mate.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt one of her husbands approaching her and even before she turned toward him, she knew that it was none other than Valerius.

The Winter Prince gently helped her out of her fur cloak before pulling her onto his lap as he took a seat on the very edge of the huge bed that was big enough for nearly six or seven people to sleep comfortably.

His icy-blue eyes locked onto hers, and Annalise couldn’t help but notice the longing in his gaze. Her husbands had indeed been acting unusually clingy since they arrived in the Sky Kingdom which was so out of their character... or maybe not.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Annalise asked, "What’s going on with all of you? You’ve been so affectionate since we got here."

"What do you mean, Little Bird? Were we not affectionate before coming here?" Kenric immediately pointed out with his eyebrows arched high in question.

Annalise hurriedly shook her head as she tried to rephrase her words - "It’s not that. What I’m trying to say is that you all have been acting extra clingy since we came here. Like back at home, you have always given me enough privacy every day so that I can do things on my own without feeling the burden of anyone’s company. But here, none of you have left me alone even for a moment."

It wasn’t like she was tired or mad about them being with her all the time, especially when they had always made efforts to give her proper personal space and time. They had been the most understanding from the very beginning and they barely complained at all. However, she just couldn’t ignore but notice the shift in their attitude since the previous day ever since they left the Cursed Castle. She just wanted to know if something was making them act in such a way.

"Is there something you all are not telling me?" She pressed further when she didn’t get any response from any of them even after certain long moments.

Before she could receive an answer, Kenric silenced her with a deep, passionate kiss. It caught her completely off guard, stealing her breath away. He tasted like the sweet red grapes that they are at a fruit stall in the market and as he kissed deeply, Annalise found herself giving in momentarily to his attempt of duration despite her urge of finding out what was going on with her men.

When Kenric finally pulled away after a few moments, his lips carried a satisfactory and almost sly smile on them which made Annalise feel like she had lost a battle she never tried to fight. Her chest heaved as she struggled to regain her composure.

She attempted to stand and put some distance between herself and the two men caging her, but Valerius’ strong arms held her firmly in place.

She took in a deep breath before speaking, "If you all are thinking about getting away by distracting me, then you all are going to be disappointed. If you don’t want to tell me now, I won’t pressure you, but I hope you will tell me what you all are keeping from me since I feel like it’s something really serious."

Valerius nuzzled her neck, his voice husky as he whispered, "Annalise, don’t worry too much about this. It’s just the bond. Since we are in a non-familiar place, away from the security of our home, the soulmate bond is making us act more protectively toward you. Please bear with us."

Just one look in his beautiful eyes and she knew that he was telling the truth and as she quickly shared a glance toward Kenric and Damien, both the men also nodded their heads in agreement to their brother’s words.

But despite their sincerity, Annalise couldn’t help but wonder why only this particular time they were feeling so protective of her. There had been instances in the past where they were also in unfamiliar places but despite their protective nature, they were never this worried for her. Was it because their bonds weren’t that strong back then?

Before she could voice out her inner thoughts, a knock on the door pulled all of their attention toward the manager of the Inn who entered after Damien granted the permission. He was there to introduce them to the private hot spring of the Inn.

Soon after, Annalise found herself in a secluded area of the Inn where the hot spring was located, along with all three of her husbands. They were the only ones there and her husbands had made sure to instruct the manager to keep anyone from disturbing them before they returned to their room.

The place was decorated beautifully with lenders and aromatic candles, producing dim light that fitted perfectly with the atmosphere.

The steamy water enveloped them, and her husbands surrounded her, ensuring she wouldn’t feel lonely.

It would be a lie if she said that she wasn’t suspicious of their plans but much to her surprise, none of the three tried to do anything more than just enjoying the soothing bath with her. There was no kissing, no making love or anything, just their company and a soothing silence.

They enjoyed the hot water for nearly over half an hour before returning to their room and having dinner on the balcony attached to their room, overlooking the beautiful night view of the main market street that was bustling with energy.

The first day of the festival was almost over but the excitement and energy were at their peak, looking forward to coming two days.