The Omnipotent Empress

Chapter 42 "Third Date: Passion"

Renata raised a brow. "You want it?"

"Yes." His lips curved into that familiar, secretive smile. "If you'd be kind enough to give it to me."

Her violet eyes narrowed slightly. "For what?"

"A project," Doverin replied simply.

"What kind of project?" Renata said flatly but curiously.

"A personal one," he said, lowering his tone - soft, smooth, and evasive. "But I can't tell you yet. You'll ruin my fun."

Renata stared at him a long moment, unreadable, before finally exhaling. "Fine. Just take it. But if it's another one of your experiments that involves blood sigils and midnight rituals-"

"It's not," he interrupted gently, amusement flickering in his gaze. "No blood. No sigils. Only patience."

As his hand passed over the corpse, a faint crimson mist swirled, and the thick black fur detached itself from the beast with delicate precision. The strands gathered into the air, folding together into a neat bundle that hovered beside him.

Renata crossed her arms. "You're not even going to tell me what it's for?"

Doverin looked up at her through half-lidded eyes, a mischievous glint hidden beneath the calm. "No. Secrets are sweeter when kept from the one they're meant to delight."

Her lips parted slightly, then pressed into a small, resigned line. "Then I suppose I'll find out eventually."

He stepped closer, the forest light falling across his sharp, godly features. "You will. But not because I'll tell you-because you'll see it yourself."

Their gazes locked for a moment - her violet against his crimson - silent, steady, charged. The forest fell quiet, as if nature itself dared not interrupt.

Finally, Renata broke the stillness with a faint scoff. "You're insufferable."

"And yet," Doverin murmured, leaning just enough that his breath brushed her ear, "you don't walk away."

Renata sheathed her sword, ignoring the flutter of heat that touched her cheeks. "Because you'd get lost without me."

He chuckled, low and rich. "Perhaps I already am."

By evening, Renata returned to the guild with the mana crystal glowing faintly in her satchel. Outside her window, the moon rose-white and immense-and in its glow, a single strand of Velvet Mornyx fur drifted through the night like a ribbon, carried by a spell unseen.

Far away, in his private hall, Doverin laid the fur upon a table of obsidian. Around him glowed faint runes and threads of violet light. His hands brushed the material as if it were sacred, and with a quiet smile, he whispered to the empty air:

"A secret woven in silence, for her eyes alone... She'll see its meaning soon."

The air trembled faintly - a promise sealed by loyalty and passion alike.

The days passed quietly, and the rhythm of autumn settled upon the city like a gentle sigh.

Renata continued her duties as an A-rank adventurer, her name echoing across the guild as one of the few who could clear high-risk requests alone. From dawn to dusk, she roamed the outskirts of the kingdom, slaying beasts that prowled too close to trade routes and protecting merchants who dared travel under storm-lit skies. Her violet sword cut through monsters with flawless precision - each movement elegant, calculated, and beautiful, like a dance of death wrapped in grace.