The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 356: The Golden Bracelet

Chapter 356: The Golden Bracelet

Annalise sat in the cozy corner of the library that had easily become one of her favorite spots in the entire castle. Her gaze was fixed on the golden compass that was sitting warmly in her hand, its needle turning around in circles.

"How long are you planning to glare at it like that?" Pristine teased as she moved to arrange another row of shelves. She had recently taken over the job to reorganize the library and so far, she was doing a pretty nice job.

"I just can’t decide how should I keep it with me. A sword is a big no, and the same goes for a whip or a bow. Then should I turn it into a dagger and keep it in my waist belt?" She asked the question out loud that had been puzzling her for a while now.

Pristine stopped dusting one of the shelf’s columns that she had just emptied and turned to look at Annalise. "Why not keep it as a compass in your pocket since you have successfully turned it into one?"

The idea wasn’t as bad when compared to the idea of carrying a sword or a bow all around the place. But in the end, she felt the compass was too heavy, and not each of her dresses had a pocket in it.

After giving her suggestion, Pristine resumed her work and left Annalise with her thoughts. On the other hand, Annalise continued to ponder what she should do with her weapon. She had earned an hour of free time after successfully passing Esmeray’s test early in the morning and now, her free time was already coming to an end. Still, she hadn’t been able to solve the problem regarding her weapon’s form that she could easily carry around.

She sat there staring at the compass for a while before her gaze suddenly shifted to the moon thread around her wrist and an idea suddenly struck her brain. Feeling enthusiastic, she hurriedly imagined a clear image of what she required from the weapon and watched as the compass turned into a ball of golden light and moved toward her wrist, encircling it before the golden light turned into a beautiful golden bracelet next to her moon thread.

A bright smile bloomed on her lips as her idea turned into a success. Feeling both relieved and excited, she hurriedly made her way out of the library in search of her husbands.

She found Valerius in the side garden and it seemed like he was the only brother who was present in the Castle while the other two seemed to be in the Secret Realm.

"Valerius."

The Winter Prince turned to face her at her call and Annalise ran straight into his arms which engulfed her into a tight.

"You seem really happy. Anything special?" He asked while brushing his slender fingers through her hair, an intimate gesture that Annalise really enjoyed.

In response to his question, she hurriedly nodded her head before pulling out of his arms and raising her left wrist to his eye level. "Here." The enthusiasm in her voice was almost infectious. Her energy at the moment was so positive and joyful that it radiated through the entire castle and its surroundings.

Valerius took her wrist delicately in his slender fingers, his touch sending a shiver of warmth through Annalise despite his skin being cold like usual. His gaze was fixed on the bracelet, and he marveled at the intricate golden design that encircled her wrist. The bracelet seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly energy, casting a gentle, warm light around them.

"It’s beautiful," Valerius murmured, his voice low and filled with wonder. "This is your weapon, right? But how did you end up with this idea?"

Annalise couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. She took a deep breath and began to explain how she had transformed her weapon into several items other than a weapon, like a golden globe, compass, and even a lantern. She recounted how she had spent hours pondering how to carry the weapon discreetly, fearing it might draw unwanted attention or prove too cumbersome to carry around.

"As I stared at the compass," she said, her eyes sparkling, "I suddenly thought of my moon thread." She held up her wrist and pointed her eyes at the delicate, silvery thread that had been woven around her wrist since her wedding night. "I imagined the compass merging with it, becoming a part of my everyday attire."

Valerius nodded, captivated by her tale. "And then what happened?"

Annalise’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. "I pictured the compass transforming into this golden bracelet and, with a surge of magic, it happened just as I envisioned." She extended her arm towards him, offering a closer look.

Valerius examined the bracelet with a sense of awe. It was not just a piece of jewelry; it was a testament to Annalise’s ingenuity and magical prowess. "You truly are remarkable," he said, his voice filled with pride.

Annalise blushed at his praise but couldn’t hide her joy. "I thought it would be the perfect way to carry my weapon discreetly. Plus, it looks rather lovely, don’t you think?"

Valerius chuckled softly, his fingers tracing the intricate patterns on the bracelet. "Indeed, it does. But remember, my love, having a powerful weapon isn’t enough if you would not know how to weild it properly and to the best of its ability."

Annalise nodded, her gaze turning serious. She understood the responsibility that came with wielding such a magical item. "I promise to practice diligently."

Valerius leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I have no doubt that you will, my brave Annalise."

"Since I have done such a good job, shouldn’t you reward me?" Her tone was suggestive as she looked up into Valerius’ bright icy-blue eyes.

"A reward? What do you want?" Valerius asked as he closely studied her expression with a little twitch on his lips. It’s rare for his wife to be this enthusiastic about something, so he was really looking forward to what she was thinking.

"Actually, since we are talking about rewards, then you owe me not only one but two rewards." Her enthusiasm only peeked the more she talked about her rewards.

"Two? What’s the other one for?" Now, Valerius seemed a little bit lost as she mentioned the second reward.

A really big smile stretched Annalise’s lips as she reminded him - "Remember the challenge you gave me a couple of nights ago? The one where I needed to find out what sort of spell you were using?"

Realization dawned over him and Valerius stared into her eyes as he reminded her - "But we canceled that challenge."

"Did we?" Annalise asked innocently while tilting her head to the side.

"You..." Valerius was having quite a difficult time catching up with her thought process.

Taking a step forward to close the distance between them, Annalise wrapped her hands around his neck before she spoke - "Don’t know about you but I never planned to end that challenge without winning... and..." She added as soon as she noticed Valerius opening her mouth to speak. "... you said there were no rules. So, my plan of making you lower your guards can’t be a problem."

Her fingers grazed the side of his neck and she performed the same spell that he used that night, proving that she indeed knew the spell now.

For a moment, Valerius was at a complete loss of words. The Winter Prince was having a hard time processing the fact that his wife had so easily fooled him and won the challenge.

Slowly, he nodded his head in acceptance. "Alright, I accept your victory, and your right for the rewards. However..." His hand gave a hard tug on her waist, pulling her body against his and bringing their faces extremely closer. "... you also deserve a punishment, love."

"Punishment...?"

"Mmhmm..."

Annalise tried to take in deep breaths in order to calm down her crazily racing heart. She wasn’t afraid of his ’Punishment’ as she knew that he would never harm her. Besides, she was aware of what the possible ’Punishment’ could be.

"What is the punishment then?" She asked while gazing into his deep eyes that were looking at her with twinkle in them.

"How about..."

Annalise waited with her breath caught in her throat, her ears listening closely to his every word.

"... I give you personal training on how to use your weapons along with different spells?"

Annalise pulled back enough to glare at her man with dissatisfaction which made him burst into laughter.