THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

Seraphina, caught off guard by the sudden shift, instinctively touched her chin, lost in thought. After a moment, she answered honestly, "Slimy creatures, I guess."

David blinked, momentarily stunned by her response before bursting into laughter. The sound echoed through the chamber, catching Seraphina off guard. Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink as she frowned in confusion.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked, trying to maintain her composure as David wiped away a tear from his eye.

"No, no, not at all," David replied, his laughter fading into a warm smile. "I wasn\'t expecting that kind of answer, but it\'s good to know."

Seraphina, thoroughly embarrassed, coughed lightly and steeled herself. "Apologies, my lord. Could you elaborate on your question?" She glanced away, still feeling the heat of her embarrassment.

David chuckled again, then leaned in closer, his teasing tone shifting into something more serious. "Besides your fear of slimy creatures," he began, "I know your secret."

Seraphina\'s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. She had always guarded her secrets closely, revealing little to anyone. "You\'ve mentioned a few things before, like my mother—"

David cut her off, his voice firm and direct. "I know you can\'t cultivate as a witch."

His words struck her like a thunderbolt. Seraphina\'s eyes widened in disbelief. How could he possibly know? Since leaving the coven, she had buried that truth deep within, hiding it from everyone, even the Fingers. Her ability to evade death had earned her a reputation as the cunning seer, but this? This was a truth no one should have known.

David watched her reaction, his expression unreadable. "I\'ve known for a while, Seraphina. The question is... what will you do about it?"

Seraphina studied David intently, her eyes narrowing as she tried to piece together the puzzle that he had become. "How?" she finally asked, her gaze unwavering.

David leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "I told you, didn\'t I?" His response was calm, but Seraphina wasn\'t buying into his vague explanations anymore.

"No," she said, her voice now tinged with something darker—fear. "I don\'t believe that anymore."

The air between them thickened with tension. David, sensing the shift, let out a slow breath, as if weighing his words carefully. "I didn\'t just spare your life because you\'re useful to me... well, partly that," he admitted with a half-smile, "but I also know things, Seraphina. More than you can imagine. And I\'m willing to share that knowledge with you."

Seraphina\'s heart raced. Why had he spared her, really? What more did he know? Her mind swirled with questions until one cut through the fog of her thoughts. "Who are you? Really?"

David raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by her question. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you even human?" Seraphina pressed, her voice growing more urgent. "Or... are you a Sovereign in disguise?"

David sighed, running a hand through his hair as if he had heard this line of questioning too many times. "That again huh?" He paused for a moment before answering, choosing his words carefully. "Let\'s just say that when I died—or rather, crossed the threshold—I glimpsed both the past and the future."

Seraphina blinked, stunned by his response. He was being truthful, but she sensed he was holding something back. "Does that mean you can see everything? The whole world?"

David shook his head. "Not entirely. It\'s more... selective. As long as someone is connected to me, a branch forms. Through that connection, I can peer into their past and, sometimes, their future."

Seraphina\'s eyes widened in realization. That\'s how he knew so much about her. Their fates had been intertwined from the moment they met, from enemy to reluctant ally. But a chilling thought crossed her mind—David could connect with anyone he met, learning their secrets, their histories, their futures. He was tied to the Earl, one of the most important figures in Solaria. His influence, his reach, was endless.

It was as if he were becoming something else entirely—something far more powerful. A god of perception, time, and memory.

David wasn\'t ready to reveal the truth—that he was a transmigrator from another world, and that everything around her was merely part of a story written for the amusement of others. Maybe, one day, he would share this secret, not just with Seraphina, but with his other lovers as well. For now, he had to focus on gaining her trust, one step at a time.

"I can\'t stomach all that," Seraphina admitted, her voice trembling slightly as she processed his words. Why was David telling her this? "Aren\'t you afraid I might tell someone about your abilities?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It doesn\'t really matter," David replied, his tone calm but laced with something deeper. "But you and I... we\'re the same."

Seraphina\'s brow furrowed, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. She was still trying to wrap her head around David\'s knowledge of her. Then, it hit her—David understood her in ways no one else had. He knew her pain, her struggles, her loneliness.

In the coven of Maven, Seraphina had always been looked down upon, ostracized for carrying a gift bestowed by another Sovereign. Her peers and elders resented her, and she had suffered greatly. Abused and exiled from her home and country for refusing to use her powers to aid a nation that treated her worse than a dog, she had every reason to hate them. Her ability—though not as potent as David\'s—allowed her to avoid paths that led to her death, but at a cost. Each time she used it, it drained her talents, limiting her ability to cultivate.

Joining the Fingers had been her only way to pursue forbidden knowledge, to acquire items and research that were denied to her elsewhere. She had built walls around herself, but now, for the first time, someone had stepped into her world.

David stood up and quietly moved behind her. Without a word, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her gently from behind. Seraphina flinched, startled at first, but quickly melted into his warmth. For the first time, she felt like she wasn\'t alone. Someone understood her, shared her pain. But David had gone beyond merely surviving his broken world—he was offering her a chance to carve her own path.

"Huh..." she exhaled, her breath shaky as she leaned back into him. "You win. What do you want from me?"

David led her to the bed, where they both sat on its edge, the soft, luxurious fabric beneath them. He took the moment to rest his head on her lap, closing his eyes as if seeking comfort in the quiet intimacy of the moment.

Seraphina looked down at him, her fingers absentmindedly brushing through his long, white hair. A small, almost amused smile played on her lips. "Such a baby," she thought, feeling a strange mix of peace and uncertainty. This was a man who held secrets far deeper than she could fathom, and yet, here he was, vulnerable in her lap.

"What I want from you is very simple," David said, his voice soft but firm, as he enjoyed the gentle caress of her fingers through his hair. "I want your mind, your seer ability... and your heart."

Seraphina\'s hand paused mid-stroke, the weight of his words sinking into her. For a brief moment, she hesitated, but then something unexpected stirred within her—a desire, deep and unspoken. She continued running her fingers through his hair, her touch now more deliberate, more intimate.

"I give you what you ask for," she whispered, her voice laced with a sultry purr. "But... what will you do for me?" It was a selfish question, she knew, especially coming from someone whose life had been spared by the very man lying in her lap. But she needed to hear it, needed to know what David was truly offering her.

"I\'ll help you break through to the next cultivation stage," David revealed, his words like a balm to her soul.

For a moment, the world stood still. The room was filled with silence, save for the steady rhythm of their breathing. Seraphina\'s hand trembled slightly as she processed what he had just said. Years of frustration, unfruitful research, and the crushing weight of powerlessness suddenly felt lighter, as if the burden she had carried alone was finally being shared. A tear slipped from her eye, then another, until they fell in gentle streams.

David turned his head slightly, feeling the wetness on his face, and looked up at her. Her tears shimmered in the dim light, not of sorrow, but of relief—of hope. She, the witch who had been cast out, the one who had always been so cunning and cold, was now on the verge of something far greater than she had ever imagined.

With a tender touch, David reached up and wiped her tears away, his fingers tracing the path they had made on her cheeks. In that quiet moment, there were no words, only the unspoken understanding between them. Seraphina had found something more than a mere ally. She had found a partner, someone who would help her carve her own destiny.

As she gazed down at him, her heart felt lighter. The future that once seemed so bleak was now filled with promise. She was no longer just a pawn in the coven or a witch scorned by her own people. She was Seraphina, the great and cunning witch of Death, about to claim the power that was rightfully hers.