Chapter 640: Castle Home (3)

"She fell asleep."

Nathan murmured the observation softly as he continued gently tapping and stroking Nivea’s white hair with tender, repetitive motions. The soothing gesture had apparently lulled their daughter into peaceful slumber.

She had once again fallen asleep on his shoulder, her small body completely relaxed and trusting against him, her breathing gradually evening out into the steady rhythm of deep sleep.

"She’s missed you tremendously, even though she doesn’t vocalize it as much as she used to when she was younger," Khione said with a knowing smile, observing the peaceful scene with maternal satisfaction. "She’s learning to guard her feelings somewhat, to not seem too needy or demanding. But the longing is still there every day you’re absent."

Nathan smiled back warmly as he continued the gentle stroking motion through Nivea’s hair, listening to the faint sound of her breathing—soft, steady, completely content.

"And she has absolutely no idea how much I’ve missed her during every moment we’re apart," Nathan replied quietly, his voice thick with emotion as he carefully stood up from the sofa. He moved with exaggerated slowness and care to avoid disturbing his sleeping daughter.

Khione rose as well, moving ahead of them to lead the way toward the bedroom where Nivea could rest more comfortably than draped across Nathan’s shoulder.

"She’s growing so fast, isn’t she?" Nathan added as he walked, studying Nivea’s peaceful face with a mixture of pride and melancholy. "Sometimes I feel like she’s noticeably bigger every time I visit."

Being born from a literal Goddess and a father who carried divine blood and genetically reconstructed essence in his veins, Nivea obviously developed far more rapidly than any normal human child would. But even accounting for that expected accelerated growth, Nathan found himself genuinely astounded by how quickly she was maturing during these past two years.

"She is growing remarkably fast," Khione confirmed with a slight nod, her own expression carrying complex emotions about their daughter’s rapid development.

"At this rate, I won’t be able to hold her and carry her around like this for much longer," Nathan said with a soft chuckle that couldn’t quite disguise the faint sadness underlying his words. "She’ll become too big, too independent to want her father carrying her everywhere."

He wanted desperately to enjoy and maximize these precious years while Nivea was still his little girl—to lift her, carry her around, hold her close as a father should. Those opportunities wouldn’t last forever, and he was acutely aware of how much time he’d already missed due to necessary separation.

"She’s considerably smarter and more perceptive than you might think," Khione said with an affectionate smile as she watched Nathan gently lower Nivea onto the bed with extreme care, then carefully pull the soft bed sheet up to cover their daughter’s small form.

"She may be growing physically fast, but she’ll always want you to carry her," Khione continued reassuringly. "Age won’t change that fundamental desire for her father’s closeness. And when you’re not around, she only ever asks about you—when you’re coming back, what you’re doing, whether you’re safe. You occupy most of her thoughts."

Nathan turned away from the bed once Nivea was settled comfortably, and immediately pulled Khione into his arms, drawing her close against his body.

"I hope you haven’t been telling her weird or inappropriate stories about our very rough beginning and those difficult first months of our relationship," he said with mock sternness, though genuine concern colored his tone. "Some things don’t need to be shared with our young daughter."

"I did tell her truthfully that we didn’t start our relationship well, that circumstances were complicated," Khione replied honestly, her gaze dropping slightly and unconsciously toward her chest where the Slave Seal remained permanently marked on her skin beneath the fabric. "And she understood the situation herself when she eventually noticed and asked about the seal. She’s not stupid—far from it, actually. Her intelligence is extraordinary."

"And what was her reaction to learning about that?" Nathan asked carefully, concerned about how their daughter might perceive the darker aspects of how her parents’ relationship had begun.

"She doesn’t care about any of it," Khione said simply, meeting Nathan’s eyes again. "She acknowledged that our beginning was troubled, understood the circumstances, and then essentially dismissed it as irrelevant ancient history. She’s just genuinely happy that we’re together now, that we love each other now. The past doesn’t matter to her—only the present and future."

"As expected of our daughter," Nathan said with a proud smile, hugging Khione even closer against him. "She’s not so different from us in that regard, is she? Pragmatic, forward-looking, focused on what actually matters rather than dwelling on what can’t be changed."

He leaned down toward Khione’s beautiful face, his intention clear.

"Hmm~" Khione made a soft sound of pleasure as she accepted his kiss, her lips parting slightly to return it with gentle passion.

Nathan’s hands began roaming across Khione’s back with increasing intensity, his fingers finding the edges of her dress and dipping beneath the fabric as though restraining himself from simply ripping the garment away entirely and taking her immediately.

The desire was overwhelming, burning through him with intensity that had only grown during their extended separation.

Khione could literally feel Nathan’s barely-contained lust through his touch, through the way his hands moved across her body with possessive hunger, through the hardness pressing against her as their bodies aligned.

Her pale cheeks flushed with heat as Nathan devoured her lips more fiercely, kissing and licking and tasting with thorough intensity that left her breathless and wanting.

"Nathan... hmmm~" she managed to murmur between kisses, her own desire rising to match his but her maternal awareness pulling her back from complete surrender.

"I want you, Khione," Nathan muttered against her skin as his lips moved from her mouth to trail kisses along her cheek and jaw. "Right now. Desperately."

"We can’t... not here," Khione replied with genuine regret, her voice breathy with arousal but firm in her reasoning. "She’s sleeping right there. She could wake up at any moment."

Nathan’s golden eyes flickered toward the bed where Nivea lay peacefully sleeping, her small chest rising and falling with steady innocent breathing.

The sight immediately dampened his overwhelming lust, rational thought reasserting control. His daughter was literally five feet away, completely vulnerable and trusting in her sleep.

No. He absolutely wouldn’t have sex here in this room with Nivea present, regardless of how intense his desire for Khione had become. Some boundaries were non-negotiable, and his daughter’s innocence was paramount among them.

However, they could do something else. Find another location. The sanctuary had other spaces that would afford them privacy.

"Come with me," Nathan said decisively, grasping Khione’s wrist and gently but firmly pulling her toward the bedroom door.

Khione followed willingly, her lips still glistening with their mixed saliva, her body humming with anticipation as Nathan led her out of the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind them.

Whatever restraint he’d just exercised in Nivea’s presence was clearly about to be thoroughly abandoned the moment they found appropriate privacy. And Khione found herself eagerly anticipating exactly that despite herself knowing Nathan too well as well.