Ember looked at Ray through the corner of her eyes. âWhatâs gotten into you today? You always run away from me, if not flatout ignore me. Why are you sitting on my shoulder now? Hmm? Hmm?â
The bird chirped a few times and before speaking adorably, âServants bring foodâ¦No tree nearby, master.â
Ember understood the second line but not the first one. She gently poked the bird with a finger. âYou mean, you are treating my shoulder as a tree branch? You selfish little bird. And what food? Did I not give you enough before I left my chamber?â
âMaster eats a lotâ¦Pet eats tooâ¦â
Ember felt shocked. âYou mean I eat a lot? Have you been checking on how much I eat? You just waitâ¦I willââ
The bird dodged her poking finger before circling over her head.
âCome back here, you naughty little bird!â
âMaster eats a lot!â
âYouââ
After flying some more, Ember watched the bird land on Clioâs shoulder, who was bringing snacks and tea for Ember along with Reya. Ember saw the delicious snacks on the tray. âSo thatâs why this bird is here! It came to eat! How dare it say I eat a lot?â
âMiss Ember!â Reya hurried to her side. âHow are you feeling? I heard from the other servants you fainted?â
âWhat? I did not faint. I just got exhausted, thatâs all.â
Reya was able to let out a sigh of relief. âThatâs good to hear. I will smack those girls who exaggerated their stories. Hmph! You didnât know, Miss, but we were so worried that we brought more snacks than usual to help you recover.â
âI made good progress on my lesson today, so itâs good you brought more snacks,â Ember replied but her gaze was still fixed at the bird who didnât pay her any attention. Its beady eyes were staring at the food tray.
The elf continued, âAfter practicing magic, you must be feeling really hungry.â
Rather than staying in the training grounds, Ember led them towards the nearest garden gazebo. Reya and Clio served tea and snacks for Ember. The little bird also hopped down the table, seemingly also ready to eat.
It chirped and did a silly dance. âFood!â
âNo, these snacks are for the Miss. You canât eat these, Ray.â Clio gave her grains from her pocket, something that was meant for birds to eat. The bird let out an angry chirp out of protest.
Ignoring her petâs tantrum, Ember sipped on the tea and realized it tasted different from the usual fruit teas she liked.
âIs it a different tea?â she asked. They put honey in it to make it sweet, but she could still make out the herbal taste.
Reya replied with a smile. âYes, Miss. This tea is good for you as you need to prepare your body for that night.â
Ember stopped drinking. âThat night? What night?â
Reya and Clio both blushed a little. Being the bolder of the two, Reya answered, âYou know, that special night.â
âWhat special night? What are you talking about?â
âThe night of the full moon, Miss. You know that it is a night that is special for those who have mates, right?â
Ember simply stared at them with a puzzled look. âFull moon? Isnât it normal to have a full moon once a month? I never heard anything special about it, other than they say the moon is more beautiful during that night.â
Reya let out a loud gasp. âAre you serious, Miss? Thereâs only five days till the full moon!â
âOh, it seems that Miss is not aware of it,â Clio said as she looked at the human with concern. âFor humans, the full moon is nothing more than a pretty spectacle, but for supernaturals, it is very important. More so for you as you are the mate of His Majesty, a divine beast. It will be special for you as well, Miss.â
âWhy?â Ember asked curiously as she continued to sip on this new tea. âIs something going to happen?â
Clio was torn between laughing and crying at those words. âMiss, the night of the full moon is when the magic of the world is at its strongest. That means that is also the night when the bond between mates is at its strongest.â
Seeing her masterâs clueless face, Reya decided to speak up with a pink tinge on her cheeks, âThat means on that night five days from now, Miss will find His Majesty irresistible, and vice-versa! Aahh! Our Miss will finally be His Majestyâs true mate. Miss, you probably donât know,, but you are so fortunate to be able to have your first experience on the night of a full moon. It is considered as every femaleâs dream to have their bond consummated on the night of a full moon and it is so romanticââ
âWait! Wait, stop!â Ember almost spat out her tea in shock. She turned into Ray who could only nitpick the important words from Reyaâs statement. âConsummate the bond? Night of the full moon? In five days?â
âOh! Yes, Miss! Thatâs right! You are really so fortunate,â Reya answered happily as if she was telling her master the best news sheâd received.
Unfortunately, her poor master was badly shaken with this newfound knowledge. Dravenâs words seemed to echo in her mind. She had to complete the task given to her by her mate which now looked like the most difficult task of her life.
âThe night of the full moon?â Ember exclaimed in her mind. âHis Majesty said we cannot consummate the bond till I learn to resist his scent. And unless I think about the questions he asked, then he wonât allow us to continue where we left off. But five days? How am I going to do it in five days? His Majesty didnât say we have only five days left. What am I going to do now? What if I fail my task and he wonât agree to consummate the bond? If we donât consummate soon, isnât he going to suffer more? I cannot let it happen. I need to hurry and do as he said. Only five days leftâ¦This time I need to make sure to consummate the bond.â