Oblivion (A Black Clover Story)

Twelve

Nozel said nothing more but did as he was told. Before I turned off the water, I made sure to carefully wash myself of his seed. It was true- I didn't want to get pregnant. At least not right now and especially not by him. The thought of having a royal child made me shudder. Hell no.

After making the necessary preparations for drawing a bath, I turned the water back on. Nozel then set the candles on the edges of the bath before settling in and handing me a bottle. I looked carefully, recognizing it as one of the things I had been provided. It was a bubble bath concentration that was made with the same lavender scent in the steamer I'd put up. "Good to know you like this scent," I thought aloud as I poured a small amount into the water where the faucet was pouring it in.

I sat down in the half-filled tub, Nozel following my lead after the lights were turned off. Leaning my head back onto a rolled up towel for comfort, I closed my eyes and sighed. It can't get any better than this...

It felt like I was being watched.

Opening my eyes again, I turned my head to meet the gaze of my royal lover, whose lavender eyes were fitting of the scent we were surrounded by. His expression could not be deciphered. "What?" I inquired.

He said nothing and stayed unmoving for a moment before leaning forward to kiss me. This time, his lips were the most gentle I'd ever felt them. Nozel's hand lightly wrapped around the back of my neck, his thumb caressing my cheek. The gesture made me blush. What was even more startling, though, was how he managed to slip beneath me and sit me sideways on his lap and leaned me forward to kiss me more. Not once did he kiss me harder or allude to the fact that he wanted anything more. He just wanted to kiss me.

Even the tips of his fingers touched my body softly and, oddly enough, he didn't touch any of the areas on my body that would be deemed sexual. And I could tell he had no sexual intentions because, as I was sitting in his lap, I knew he wasn't aroused. He just gently held one hand on my waist with the other supporting the back of my neck as he kissed me so passionately.

Eventually, he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine for a moment. "Nozel?" I called softly.

"Hmm?" he replied, his hum like a gentle song.

"What was that for?" I asked, voice quiet.

He sighed softly. "Can I not kiss you?"

I swallowed hard. "Of course you can kiss me, but..." I trailed off for a moment, but quickly regained my vocal footing, "I've never seen you be so... You've never been so nice before."

Nozel lifted his head and we made eye contact. His irises were intriguingly mesmerizing. "I'm nice," was all he replied with.

"Yeah, right. You're an ass 24/7," I snickered.

His brows furrowed, but not in frustration for once. It almost seemed as if... He were being vulnerable with me in that moment. "Do you really feel that way?"

"Yes," I told truthfully. "That much was evident when you pretty much got into an argument with Captain Yami when you showed up tonight."

Now he seemed frustrated. "And your laughing wasn't helping."

I giggled. "It was funny! Because I know that you do braid your own hair. I've watched you do it. And I love Captain Yami and all his jokes even though he can be harsh!"

He merely stared at me like I'd just hit a nerve. I wondered what it was that I hit. Then, he closed his eyes. "Tch. I can be nice when I want to be."

"Oh? And I'm an exception?" I teased.

His expression didn't change. "Yes."

I laughed nervously. "It's weird having you be so nice. I know you as some arrogant prick who doesn't care for peasants or commoners. The fact that you're royalty and Captain of the Silver Eagles is your whole personality. You're mean, you have a nasty attitude, and you treat people like shit. Some of your words hurt more than you realize," I snapped, watching as he flinched with every single thing I listed.