27 Dumplings & Flavors

Annalise followed the Lords out of the kitchen as they all headed toward the porch to have their breakfast - especially prepared by none other than Lord Valerius.

Sera and Aunt Claire had already returned with some groceries and were currently busy setting up the dining table that Garron and Mr. Warren had already moved outside on the porch before the two of them left to collect the remaining groceries and other items from the cart that Damien had purchased from the city.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she completely missed the person standing in front of her and ended up bumping against a hard muscular chest. A pair of strong arms folded around her waist before she got pulled into the arms of Lord Damien.

"My Lord?" Annalise looked at her husband in confusion as she noticed the empty hallway where they were currently standing. It seemed like Lord Valerius and Lord Kenric had already left and only the two of them were left behind.

"How about watching where you are heading, Princess? It won't be good if you end up colliding at every other step." The smirk on his lips made Annalise lower her head as she felt embarrassment taking control over her.

She felt his fingers on her chin as he made her raise her head and look into his eyes. "You should look into my eyes when I'm talking to you." It wasn't a suggestion, but neither did it sound like a command. He just seemed to be voicing out what he wanted.

"Yes, My Lord." Her voice was a mere whisper. She was too distracted by the feel of his body pressed against hers that she could hardly pay any attention to what he was saying.

She felt his thumb grazing her lower lip and it made her look up at him only to find his gaze trained on her lips. The energy sizzled between them as the tension started rising. The desire was there and so was the temptation that was pulling them toward each other like a magnet.

A deep sigh left Lord Damien's lips as he closed his eyes and lowered his head though his hand remained placed against her cheek and his thumb was still pressed against her lower lip.

When he opened his eyes again after a few moments, his beautiful grey orbs had returned to normal and he appeared calmer and collected. He removed his hand from her cheek as he spoke, "When are you going to give me my Moon thread?"

Annalise stared at Lord Damien in surprise for a couple of seconds before she finally started reacting. "Oh! The Moon Thread? Yeah..." She conjured the last remaining divine thread that she had in her possession and showed it to her husband who offered her his hand so that she could wrap the thread around his wrist.

Without wasting another moment, she hurriedly wrapped the Moon Thread around Lord Damien's wrist and as soon as she tied the final knot, she felt a powerful spell settling over their Moon Threads. It seemed like all the four divine threads had created a link between them and their masters as well.

"It needs some decoration." Lord Damien suddenly said but his eyes were actually trained on the Moon Thread wrapped around Annalise's wrist. "Let's go. The others must be waiting for us."

Annalise nodded her head as she followed behind the Lord. It took them barely a few minutes before they both stepped out on the porch where the dining table was already set and Lord Valerius and Kenric were waiting for them.

"Brother, did you buy any seeds? They found around a dozen pouches in the basket of the groceries." Kenric raised the question as Damien and Annalise took their seats around the circular dining table.

She sat between Lord Valerius and Lord Damien and it only made her feel more nervous. She was reminded of the memory when she was sandwiched between these two men just a couple of days ago. Though her current situation was pretty different from the previous one, her mind and body couldn't help but feel the same sensations.

"I bought the seeds just in case they wanted to grow the vegetables here in the castle. The side garden attached to the kitchen is almost like an empty place that can be used as a vegetable garden." Damien replied to Kenric's question as he settled down in his seat.

"Looking at the state of the orchard, do you think growing a vegetable garden is possible here?" Kenric asked as he poured himself a cup of cold herbal tea but then the realization hit him and his attention moved towards his wife.

Though Annalise had been silent all this time, she had been attentively listening to the conversation of the Lords. So when Kenric's question was met with complete silence and no one spoke for the next couple of moments, she finally looked up and found all three of her husbands looking at her.

"Is something wrong, My Lords?" She asked as she looked at the three of them, waiting for their responses.

"It's nothing. Let's have a taste of these dumplings and tell us what you think about them." Lord Valerius added two hot dumplings to her plate before pouring a cup of her favorite herbal tea for her.

"Thank you." Annalise appreciated the warm gesture of her husband and she did just as he told her. She took a small bite of the dumpling and felt the seasoning filling inside it spilling on her tongue in flavors that almost made her moan out loud in appreciation of the taste that she just experienced. "It's so good."

She noticed a small smile on Lord Valerius's lips as he turned his attention to his own plate and the Lords also took bites of their dumplings. A smile broke out on her lips too as she realized just how sweet the moment was. She was eating her very first meal with all of her husbands.

"My Lords, My Lady, a letter from the Palace has arrived."