Chapter 222: Ch 221: Cuffed for Safety

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Kael looked down at his wrists, which were chained to the bed he was lying on.

He had no recollection of when this happened. He remembered coming back to the castle and being put to bed before his arms were chained down, making it impossible for him to even move properly.

"Seraphina, this is...I don’t think this is needed."

Kael pointed out in an almost pleading manner, but Seraphina ignored his words. Instead, she looked at him with a proud look in her eyes.

"I feel a little better knowing that you won’t do anything reckless anymore. Don’t you feel better as well, Leon? I bet Iris and Lyra will say the same."

Seraphina silently pressured Kael into keeping his cuffs on, and he shrank under her gaze and decided to follow her instructions for now.

But once he was alone, he could open these cuffs...

"Knowing Kael, he could just be pretending to cooperate with us for the sake of letting our guard down. We cannot trust his judgment."

Leon pointed out, and Kael hated how well Leon knew him.

"Hmm, you are right. In that case, one of us should stay behind to keep an eye on Kael. I will take the first shift. You both can go to sleep for now."

Seraphina put herself forward, and it was clear that she was unwilling to take no for an answer.

Leon looked unsure about this arrangement, but Elena made the decision for him. She grabbed his arm and decided to drag him out for now.

"Alright, we got it. We will leave Kael to you for now, Seraphina. Make sure to keep us updated if anything happens."

Elena nodded and dragged a protesting Leon outside. Kael watched this happen with a tense look in his eyes, and then he looked at Seraphina with the same expression. But Seraphina neither flinched nor showed that she was bothered.

Instead, she dragged a chair toward his bed and sat down. Her head rested on her clasped hands before the tension started to drain out of her body.

"Thank god you are alive and well. Do you have any idea how we spent these past two years—"

"-I think you mean 1 year and 8 months—"

cough

"These past two years worrying about your safety? I was waiting for you to contact me every day, but you never did. You did not even bother to tell me directly why you were going away. The only one you got to talk to was Leon! Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

Seraphina asked in a desperate voice, and her eyes looked ready to cry when she looked up.

Kael wanted to reach out and pull her into a hug, but that seemed impossible when he tried. His cuffs stopped him from making any sudden movements, so he decided to sigh and verbally comfort her.

"Seraphina, it’s alright. I am not dead, and I just made the best decision I could at that time. My body was breaking apart due to my use of immense power, and the barrier around this estate held me together long enough for me to recover."

Kael pointed out, and Seraphina looked annoyed at his explanation.

She buried her face in his lap and looked up at him with a pout.

"This is not fair! How can I hold on to my anger when you give me a reason like that? It makes me feel like an asshole when you do this."

She complained, showing her anger at Kael by pretending to be even more unreasonable.

The more she behaved like this, the calmer Kael felt. He could actually think of Seraphina as a kid when she was like this, and he reached out to pat her head gently.

"It’s alright. It is my fault for not telling you about it—"

"So you agree that it is your fault? Then, can you promise that nothing like this will happen again?"

Seraphina decided to press her advantage as she leaned over Kael even more. She was completely engulfing his body with her shorter frame, and Kael felt like he had nowhere to run...

Not that he needed to run from Seraphina. He needed to reassure her for now so that she would feel more stable.

Kael extended his hand to pat Seraphina’s head, but the cuffs stopped him. He suddenly became acutely aware that he was being held here like a prisoner. So he decided to ask Seraphina for help.

"Ugh, I understand what you are going through, Seraphina. But do you think you can uncuff me? I feel like I cannot comfort you like this—"

"No! Think of this as your punishment. You will not be freed from these cuffs until you learn that running away from us and shouldering all the burden yourself is not the right thing to do."

Seraphina sounded firm. The earlier vulnerability was also gone from her voice.

Kael had a feeling she was not willing to hear anything from him for now, so it was better for him to save his energy rather than try to persuade her to free him.

So Kael sighed and threw himself back against the bed to rest. He was aware of Seraphina’s eyes on him.

"I think it will be for the best if I go to sleep now."

Kael told Seraphina, and she nodded before sitting back down.

Her presence was a constant reminder, and her aura kept brushing against his, making it hard for Kael to forget that she was sitting beside him.

But he forced his mind to calm down, and he quickly fell asleep. His sleep was just deep enough that he was not disturbed when the others changed shifts. And when he finally woke up, Seraphina was gone. Instead, Nathan was sitting beside his bed with a bored expression.

Nathan’s eyes snapped toward him instantly, and Kael felt like a specimen being observed.

"Ah, you are finally awake? That’s good. How do you feel? If anything hurts, then tell me now. I can call for the doctor—"

"There is no need for that. I am fine now. Rather, I don’t see anyone else here. Where is everyone?"

Kael asked, suddenly fearing the worst.