Chapter 314: Gently


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey carried Suzanna to his room and pushed open the door. His room was filled with candles, setting the mood for a romantic evening. He took Suzanna to his bed and summoned wind elements to snuff out the candles. The candles were beautiful, but sometimes darkness was moreforting.


    Anfey undressed himself and wrapped his arms around Suzanna, who was lying in bed and trying to adjust to the darkness. Sensing his closeness, Suzanna blushed furiously. Due to powers of Heart of Nature, Anfey could see through the darkness and see the tiniest changes in Suzanna’s expression.


    After a few moments, Anfey began slowly undressing Suzanna. Her dress was very hard to take off, but Anfey was very patient. He nted dozens of kisses on Suzanna’s lips and cheeks as he carefully unbuttoned her dress. He took off the dress and threw it aside, leaving the expensive garment lying on the ground.


    Then he moved on to her undergarments, a thin white slip that d tightly to her body. Suzanna blushed and pushed on Anfey’s chest, but when Anfey moved his hands away she moved closer to him.


    Suzanna gasped when Anfey took off her slip, blushing.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Anfey whispered. He knew that Suzanna was slow to trust and wanted to make sure that she waspletelyfortable with this. He did not want to bring her any pain or difort.


    Suzanna bit her lips. She was a very traditional person and was very nervous about what was about to happen.


    "Suzanna?" Anfey asked again. "Are you sure?" Even though Anfey appeared very confident, he was almost as nervous as Suzanna, if not more. He had taken other women to bed before, but most of those rtionship had been purely physical andsted no more than a few weeks. Suzanna was one of the few women he had truly loved and cared for. He felt as if everything he did was wrong and everything he was about to do would be wrong as well. He needed confirmation from Suzanna to proceed.


    Suzanna knew that she had found someone she could trust with her life and rely on for the rest of her life. Anfey would share her happiness and sadness, and in turn his happiness and sadness would no longer be his alone. They belonged to each other and would never part. Suzanna took a deep breath and nodded. She took Anfey’s hand in hers and said, "Yes, I’ve never been more sure about anything."


    —


    Anfey woke up at the crack of dawn. He opened his eyes and saw the horizon brightening. Normally, he would already be up and doing his morning exercises. Today, though, was special. He was hardworking, but he was not mad. He would make exceptions for special asions. He knew that if Suzanna woke up and found him gone, she would be very disappointed. He would hate to see her feeling down.


    Anfey turned and nced at Suzanna. She was sound asleep. She must be having a good dream because she was smiling sweetly even as she slept. Even with her hair in disarray, she was beautiful. Anfey reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her closer to him. Suzanna shifted and her eyes flickered open.


    "Morning," she said with a smile. Her voice was slightly hoarse but still sweet.


    "Morning, love," Anfey said. "How are you feeling?"


    "Well enough," Suzanna said. She shifted and nestled closer to Anfey. "How are you?"


    "Never better," Anfey said, pressing a kiss on Suzanna’s hair. He pushed himself up and jumped out of bed, picking his clothes up off the floor. "Do you want to go practice a bit?"


    Suzanna sat up and yawned, ncing out the window. "This early?"


    "It’s light," Anfey said, peering out the window.


    Suzanna sighed. "Out," she said, waving her hand. "I need to dress."


    "Alright," Anfey said with a grin. He began walking away from the bed, still half naked. Suzanna sighed and shook her head.


    "No,e back,e back," she said. Anfey went back to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. Suzanna moved over and wrapped the nket around him.


    "It’s winter, don’t you remember?" she scolded. "It’s too cold. You’ll catch a cold like this." She was his wife now, and Suzanna felt that Anfey’s well-being was her responsibility.


    "Don’t worry," Anfey assured her.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes. She nced at Anfey and found his face closer to hers than she had expected. She jumped as she locked eyes with him. The two sat, staring into each other’s eyes as if they were in a trance.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and summoned the two out of their trance. "Anfey!" someone called. "Someone’s looking for you!" Then they heard the sound of footsteps running away and giggling.


    Anfey sighed and stood up. "Let’s get dressed," he said gently. He picked up the dress Suzanna wore the night before and handed it to her.


    "Yeah," she said, smiling softly. "Let’s do that."