The Soul Reborn: From Silence to Sovereignty Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Spoiled with Love

"I moved quietly across the bedroom, almost floating, lighter than I had felt in weeks. Maybe it was the joy of knowing Noah was truly home, or it was just the way his presence made the world feel safer."

“Look,” I said, beckoning him over with an excited wave of the hand. “I got a few things for the baby while you were away.”

Noah followed my gesture with his usual calm grace; his blue eyes were locked onto mine like I was the only thing that mattered. That’s how it should be; he’s mine after all.

He followed me to the corner where I’d set everything up. Soft pastel blankets folded in a neat little stack, a tiny wardrobe with fox-themed embroidery, and of course I would stuff all those cute baby fox furs we got from that store inside of it.

“Look at this,” A giggle escaped my mouth. I had bought that jewel-studded baby bottle, of course, as a decoration because I sure as hell wouldn’t let her drink out of that.

Noah just looked at me with a face that said, “You really bought this.” He just smirked as he took it in his hands. “The stuff people make for some gold.”

“Hehe, I know, right? I just had to buy it because of how ridiculous it was.” After I showed him the most useless but expensive thing I bought, I gave him a tour of everything else I’ve crammed into our huge room. Of course she was going to sleep with us, maybe until like ten… or longer, who knows.

“This little one is already so spoiled,” he murmured with a chuckle, running his fingers over the edge of the exceptionally glamorized crib.

I leaned into him with a smirk. “She deserves it. Besides, we have the money. Lyra is going to be our pride and joy in the future, something that brings both of us into the light and unites us as one, our sweet little baby girl.”

We then lay down together not long after that, his arms immediately wrapping around me the way they always did, even more so since he’s been back. His obsessive nature is on full display, not allowing me to go anywhere without him.

With my head nestled against his chest and his hand gently resting on my bump, I finally breathed out a whisper I’d been holding for too long.

“Now I truly feel safe again, like… this huge weight I’ve been carrying finally fell off my shoulders. Even when I pushed forward, I still felt it pushing me down, but the second I’m in your presence, it’s like it weighed nothing at all.”

He kissed me a few times on the top of the head.

After a moment, I grinned. “I bet I can guess what happened.”

“Oh?” he murmured.

“You got here a day earlier because you couldn’t handle spending just one more second away from me,” I said as I teased. “You left them without letting anyone know, probably galloping your horse straight through the night like some tormented male lead."

“All because your body just couldn’t handle being separated from my awesomeness any longer, needing to refill on his most beloved Sera.”

Noah’s chest rumbled with laughter. “You make it sound like I’m addicted.”

“Aren’t you?” I lifted my head just enough to raise an eyebrow at him. “Admit it. You needed your fix.”
I already knew how much he enjoyed my scent. More than once, I’d caught him breathing deeply with his face buried in the crook of my neck. Not that I could blame him… I was just as guilty.

He rolled over, gently pulling me with him until we lay face-to-face. His expression was heated, like if I so much as touched him the wrong way, he might lose control and pounce.

“I’ll admit to that,” he said softly, but his voice carried a seductive element. “There wasn’t a second out with all those men and beasts that I didn’t want to breathe in my beautiful wife. Can you blame me for wanting to get here even a day earlier?”

I blushed, even though I still smiled smugly.

“That’s my Noah,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips before teasing him with one slow lick as I pulled away. But he didn’t let me go, catching the tip of my tongue in his mouth. He sucked on it gently before letting it go. “You’re hopeless,” I said with a soft laugh.

“Only for you,” he murmured with a knowing smile, clearly aware of my playful intentions. Was it bad to have sex this far into pregnancy? I wasn’t completely sure, but I decided to trust my instincts. If nothing else, it gave us something to look forward to… being able to play like we used to.

That night, I slept like a rock, curled up in Noah’s big, strong arms, surrounded by warmth and a steady heartbeat. It was almost unfair how peaceful it was, especially after how restless I’d been lately before he had shown up.

From my book knowledge, this is always when something is about to happen. I better be on my toes and pay attention to my surroundings going forward.

When morning came, I cracked one eye open to see Noah still half asleep, arms loosely around me, hair a mess, and a tiny bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. My handsome, powerful archduke and somehow still the softest of pillows.

I gently poked his cheek. “Time to get up, sleepyhead.”

He groaned softly. “Good morning, beautiful; this is how I want to wake up for the rest of my life.” Noah grinned as he slightly held me tighter.

“I wish,” I said with a smirk. “But we can’t stay like this for long, sadly. My promise to teach those scholars still stands, and there are two days left to fulfill it. Ditching them now wouldn’t be right, not when the fate of the North depends on what we’re building.”

He blinked, looking at me with those ocean-blue eyes. “You’re still doing that?” I could feel the slight annoyance in his voice.

“Yeah,” I huffed. “They need to be able to teach children real knowledge and know what they’re talking about, Noah. Not this dribble about ‘gods willed it’ or ‘spirits make the crops grow.’ One of them actually said the sun had emotions, ugh.”

“Sounds like you’ve had it rough.”

“Most of them are two times my age.” I sighed. “Anyway, today’s less about teaching a subject and more about answering their questions, stuff they’ve struggled with throughout the week. I’m trying to see if they’ve picked up on anything useful or if I’ll be forced to write every damn textbook myself.”

Which I won’t; I will just tell them what to do because miss me with that. I have no interest in writing educational books; I will have to add incentives in the future to get them to want to write them. I couldn’t help unleashing an evil laugh.

Noah propped himself up on one elbow. “Can I watch?”

I brightened instantly. “You better! It’ll keep them on their toes, and besides… I want you to see how hard I’ve been working.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said, leaning over to kiss me before getting out of bed.

The ride to school was comfortable. I leaned into Noah, using him as my cushion while he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He didn’t complain. In fact, a smile touched his face and stayed there the entire way.

We stopped just outside the construction zone, where the frame of the school had already risen like a skeleton. The stone foundation was firm, the walls formed, and scaffolding snaked up the sides. It was impressive how fast they built to the scale I desired—gold well spent.

“Huh,” I muttered, squinting up at the beams. “Buildings sure go up way faster here than they did in my old world; it must be the magic.” I contemplated.

“Also… fewer regulations,” Noah said with a shrug. “And probably fewer safety concerns.”

Noah had always paid attention to my words about the other world and could easily make the comparison.

“Ah, right. That explains why no one’s wearing helmets or using ropes.” I winced as one man nearly slipped, but he quickly caught himself, but not without a curse. “No OSHA in sight. Still… It’s coming along well, maybe a few more weeks?”

He nodded, “Closer to two, if the weather holds.”

I smiled proudly. “It’s really happening…”

With one last look at the rising structure of my namesake school, we continued on to one of the low-floor classrooms that have already been completed. My newly minted scholars were already waiting.

The moment I stepped through the doorway, all five of them stood at once. Then they saw Noah behind me, causing every single one to immediately dip into a bow.

“Archduke… Archduchess,” the eldest man said, carefully pronouncing each title. “It's an honor to be in your presence.”

Noah gave a simple nod, but even that carried weight. I couldn’t blame them for looking nervous. He was the most powerful man in Coldmere, and now he was here, standing behind his very pregnant wife like a silent sentinel prepared to attack.

I gave them all a cheerful wave, as if their terror didn’t exist. “Good morning, I hope you’re all ready. Take your seats; today will be fun.”

As they settled back in, I leaned towards Noah and whispered, “Quick question, what’s a good monthly salary for a teacher?”

He looked at me while deep in thought, “Hmm…”

“I’ve been paying them a respectable amount so far, but I have no idea what their actual salaries should be. If they’re going to be our very first well-educated full-time professors, we need a figure that’s fair and sustainable. They’ve all been working hard and becoming more familiar with the material that I’ve shown them.”

Noah considered it for a moment, his gaze drifting over to the scholars who were now shuffling through notes and trying not to eavesdrop on our conversation.

“I’d say… A fair starting salary would be… three gold coins monthly,” he murmured. “It’s enough to live comfortably, but not so high that it stirs resentment among other professions. Once they've proven their worth and helped your school succeed, I’ll consider raising it.”

Even though they were trying hard to ignore us, I saw a few of them look back in our direction when Noah commented on salaries. They at least looked excited, so it should be a good amount of money to live off of for now.

I nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, that’s manageable. I’ll draw up the contracts once they’ve completed my full week course and proved themselves fully.”

Noah smirked. “Still don’t trust them?” He asked with a quizzical expression.

“Well… I trust that they’re trying,” I mused. “I just don’t trust that they won’t backslide into church doctrine the second I stop being their tutor.”

He chuckled under his breath.

I turned back to the scholars with my usual commanding smile.

“Today’s format is different,” I announced. “No new subjects. Instead, I’ll be answering your questions. This is your chance to clear up any confusion you might have, revisit difficult material, and convince me you’re ready to receive the salary that will be awarded to those who prove themselves.

Even though all these guys will pass anyway, even if I have to spoon-feed them the answers, I still might as well dangle a carrot.

One of them hesitantly raised a hand. “Anything goes?”

I nodded. “Stick to the material we covered, and no, I will not explain for the third time how I think time travel works. Next time, I'll throw the chalk.”

Time travel had always fascinated me in my past life, but the more I understood it, the more movies about it fell apart. They just didn’t make sense.

If time travel is actually real, I believe that any change would create an alternate timeline. This means… If someone had changed our world, it already would have happened.

Crazy thought, isn’t it?

Livia, who’d entered silently behind us, made a coughing sound that was absolutely laughter. It was practically her signature move after this past week.

The class burst into awkward chuckles, and just like that, the tension eased.