Chapter 19

He pulled her to her feet, skillfully unfastening her clothes.
She let him dress her in the new outfit, puzzled, "How do you have such fabric?"
This material could be obtained at the Mystique Shop, but it was very expensive. Mages usually used it as spellcasting tools, wearing it as clothing was too extravagant.
"I spent a few nights with the Fairy Queen. She was very pleased with my skills in bed, so she granted my request and had this custom-made for you." Noticing her body stiffen, he smiled and kissed her smooth back, slowly pulling down the skirt, "Are you jealous?"
"You couldn't have met the Fairy Queen." She bit her lip stiffly, annoyed that he had caught that fleeting thought, a strange feeling that even she hadn't noticed.
"Haven't seen her recently. The Fairy Queen manages thousands of fairy tribes, where would she find time to fool around with me? I had the Mystique Shop make this." The dress hung from her shoulders by two silk ribbons, revealing her slender shoulders and arm lines. The skirt draped down to her ankles. He wrapped a shawl around her, enveloping her in a mysterious black hue, making her look elegant and ethereal.
He was extremely satisfied, covering her slightly cool hands from behind, holding her in his chest, "Shouldn't feel cold anymore, right?"
She was stunned and nodded involuntarily. Though the fabric was thin, it was warmer than a coat. Even with some skin exposed to the air, she didn't feel cold. Her hands and feet were always cold in winter, and his body temperature was lower than hers. Relatively speaking, he shouldn't have noticed her fear of cold, but he did, and he had this expensive outfit made for her.
"You look better in something light. Winter clothes are too heavy." His lips moved along her neck, "Besides, it's easier to take off this way."
She was taken aback by his words, alert to his increasingly bold actions. She immediately broke free from him, but he caught her slender waist, and they both tumbled onto the bed.
"We've been together for so long, still shy?" He teased her, nibbling on the thin shoulder straps, "I have seen the Fairy Queen."
She suddenly stopped struggling, "You've seen her?"
"I attend a regular gathering that expands once a year. Excessive desire can be deadly, didn't you know?" He had good stamina, but she was just an ordinary person. How could she endure nightly revelries?
"Really? I haven’t heard of any vampire dying in bed from that." He chuckled lightly, holding her as he got up, walked to the window, and sat on the windowsill. With a stretch of his hand, he could touch the densely leafed branches outside. "Do you know what a Lifetree lives on?"
"Purification." A Lifetree would devour evil energy, and demons never dared to approach it. Therefore, wherever it was, the place remained pure and clean, without a trace of evil. In some ways, the Lifetree played a similar role to the former Earth Spirits.
"Is it really purification? We see the tree absorbing filth. Wouldn't a person who constantly swallows dirty things get sick?"
She looked suspiciously at his smiling, handsome face, "You mean..."
He just smiled without answering, reaching out to grab a branch, "Put your hand on mine."
She didn't understand but still placed her arm over his, her delicate fingers touching his long ones. Watching him grip the branch tightly, she felt the magic in his skin start to flow out, from his arm, wrist, to fingertips, continuously injecting into the branch.