A day before Adira's birthday, Casimir took her out—without Heise. He was left in the care of the Sylveris parents and Lyfa.
Although Heise didn't want to part with his mother—cause even though she seemed normal, he could feel that there was something wrong with her—but decided against it, thinking that there was something important his parents needed to talk about.
Casimir led her around the plaza and let the lady have her fill of fun. Adira also took the chance to bring Casimir to her second family and introduced him to Peter, Hyacinth and even Owen—which oddly incited ambiguous irritation from the boy.
Before the latter thought of something and brought him to her favorite place in their fief—a cliff that overlooked the bustling and luminous plaza with the Sylveris Castle on the background.
That overlooked a fraction of the people she needed to protect at all costs. Even at the cost her own happiness. Besides, she's had plenty of it it'll last her a whole lifetime—ever since she met Casimir and Heise.
"I always come here to think about things or relax. I love watching over everyone live their lives desperately yet happily."
Adira spoke and had this far off look in her dark grey orbs with dully glowing galaxies of stars.
"Casey... If I.. If I told you.. to take me right here, right now... Would you?"
She bashfully asked and slightly craned her head towards the frozen stoic man—his expression clearly showing how surprised he was with her words. Even more so when she started to unbutton her clothes.
"A-Adira!!" Casimir exclaimed and quickly seized her hands to make her stop. Anymore than that and his heart might just burst out of its cages.
Please!!! Spare me from these type of jokes!!!
"You... Do you not want me... Casey?" She asked with a lonely expression on her face—that was further arousing and inciting the poor locked up beast.
"What the hell?! Do you know how much I want you?! You cannot even fathom how long I've been patiently waiting for you!
I've never been as patient as this for anything at all! And you doubt if I want you?!"
"That's why... I'm giving myself to you, Casey. That's.. what you want, right?"
She then returned to unbuttoning her clothes when Casimir grunted and caught her hands mid-action—a bit too strong—and accidentally pushed her down with her arms raised above her.
"Are you kidding me right now?! You think I only want your body?! Is that it?! What I want most is your heart! Do you still not get it after all these time?!"
Casimir was getting angry after he heard what the woman said and could barely keep himself under control as thin layers of ice started to coat Adira's wrist.
"You have my heart, Casey. All of it is yours." She briefly told him, not explaining anything any further, before she initiated the kiss and kissed him deeply and clumsily.
Casimir, who was on his last straw of self control, responded to her kisses and hungrily claimed her cherry red lips. Tasting. Devouring. Taking what was offered to him willingly.
He briefly parted with her and watched her breathe heavily from his kisses, all flushed and breathless, and felt for the first time—since he noticed he had loved her and maintained perfect self-control—that building heat overflow all at once.
It was driving him insane. Lovely. Crazy. Beautiful. Divine.
But something was bothering him.
"Damn it, Adira. I don't want it to be like this." He grunted as he shut his eyes tight and buried his head on her exposed white neck all the way down to her upper chest—exposing a little bit too much of her snow white skin.
"I want to marry you. I want to follow the proper order. I do not want this."
And Adira's heart clenched painfully. She had been resolved to give her everything to Casimir.... and then give him up.
But seeing him like this was making it hard. Excruciatingly and heartbreakingly hard.
"I'm sorry for pushing you, Casey." She apologized and kissed his head before wrapping him in a warm embrace. "I just wanted to let you know how much I love you."
"You don't have to do that. No matter if your love amounted to even just a little bit of mine, I will still love you regardless."
"I love you too, Casey. So wait for me. I'll give you this world. That should make all those people shut up." Adira whispered before peppering the man's tensed face little and light kisses.
Casimir stopped briefly and figured that Adira must've known how the council had been forcing him to make Iris Latifolia his Queen instead of Adira.
If you must know how they knew about it, then it's a desperate attempt the Latifolias did to restore the status Casimir stripped from them.
It must be why she suddenly acted like this.
"You don't need to give me anything. I'll do it. I'll acquire the world for you. I'll conquer it and offer it to you. Just stay beside me always, please. I beg you. Promise me that you'll stay beside me for always."
If only things were as simple as that. But what about your people, Casey? Are you going to abandon them for me? Will you do the same as I did for Triton then?
Will you kill them all for me? Because Casey, I think that the only way that you can acquire the world is if you kill them all.
However, I won't let you do that. I won't allow you to.
"I love you, Casimir Athanasius Rozen Versaillus. Remember that. In this life, you are the only husband that I will take." Adira sealed her vow with a kiss.
It could only be Casimir but at that moment he felt as if Adira was saying her goodbyes—that if they parted tonight, then he'll never see her ever again.
It was filling him with numbing anxiety—slowly gnawing and tearing him apart. Although he doesn't know why but he could feel it. He was panicking.
He deepened the kiss, desperately seeking something that will otherwise calm him down. To calm the inner storm raging inside of him. He needed something that will reassure him that Adira won't go away after tonight.
So he said,
"Adira, the day after your birthday, Marry me."
The lady could only give him a soft and warm happy smile with tears threatening to spill down her eyes.
Please... Just this time. Just once. Don't see through me.
"Yes."
Notes:
Hi! Since I will be on duty tonight and might not find time to update—also since I finished this miraculously early, I decided to post this now. I'm also giving you guys a heads up that I might not be updating for the whole week of next week since I have a week-long exams on that week. So please bear with me for depriving you of updates for a week. 🙇🏻♂️
P.S. for those that wanted "steamy" scenes, I don't know how far I can go with those kind of scenes without feeling uncomfortable or awkward, but please make do with this for now.
That is all. 🙇 Thank you! Banzaaiii! 🎉