Chapter 66
But the blessings Sylaria gave him did not end there.
On the night they consummated their marriage…
Euclid experienced a rapture he had never known in his life.
The electrifying ecstasy of purification filling his whole body. The bliss of his divine power becoming clear and clean as if bathed in light.
Until then, he had always thought of joining bodies with a woman as something unclean. As a Holy Knight, he had strived to keep himself pure in both body and mind. Anything to slow, even a little, the violent surges of his divine power.
But when he joined with Sylaria, he felt something beyond words.
It was as if his entire life had been waiting for this, yearning for this.
So Euclid, so unlike himself, desired her and craved her.
With each joining, a new hunger he had never known before awoke inside him. More. Just a little more. He wanted to go deeper and bury himself wholly within her.
He wanted to become one with her.
That day, Euclid realized for the first time in his life that he could desire someone.
She had not merely purified him. She had awakened instincts he had not even known existed.
And it did not end there. Through his engagement to Sylaria, Euclid had risen above Arendtert. He had witnessed the Empress, who had once tightened her fingers around his throat, seethe with defeat and fury.
Was this even real?
Euclid was stunned by how completely his life had changed with Sylaria’s arrival.
He was happy.
But along with that happiness came fear.
The fear that this miraculous person might vanish.
The fear that she might leave him.
So Euclid resolved to give her everything she wanted.
To never let her grow tired of him.
To ensure she would stay by his side.
He would make himself a man of worth in her eyes. A man she would never want to discard.
If necessary, he would grind down his own body and soul to live for her sake.
For only after meeting her had he truly begun to live as a man.
Changing an expedition site was nothing. If Sylaria wished it, then so it would be.
Euclid rose quietly from his chair and crossed the room with calm, steady steps.
Now, he would go to Shastir Gorge.
Preparing to depart for the hunt, his heart was untroubled.
In the past, every monster expedition had been shadowed by fear, the dread of losing control.
That fear had once kept him from fully unleashing his divine power even against monsters.
But that was before Sylaria.
Now, Euclid feared nothing.
Stepping into the corridor, he turned his head toward the window. The sunlight fell bright and warm over him as he looked up to the sky, and a confident smile slowly spread across his face.
* * *
At her vanity, Sylaria too looked out toward the sky.
Her gaze drifted down slowly to the sunlit garden.
‘Has he reached the gorge by now?’
Yesterday, Euclid had departed for the expedition. She had wanted to see him off, but he had stopped her, saying there was no need to rise so early. So she had only heard of his departure that morning.
‘Euclid will do well.’
Sylaria drew in a quiet breath.
He had gone to do his duty, so she must do hers.
Soon, she would leave for Faustina Lacroix’s estate to attend the tea party.
She had chosen a dress neither overly lavish nor too modest, with great care. The hairpiece and jewels had been selected just as meticulously. After all, this was the first social gathering she would attend since becoming the First Prince’s fiancée.
“All done, Milady. Do you like it?”
Having just finished arranging her hair, Marin asked with a small, hopeful smile.
Sylaria looked at the woman in the mirror, herself.
She wore a soft lavender dress that matched her violet eyes, her brown hair swept to one side and adorned with diamond jewelry.
It was a style in step with the Empire’s fashion, refined but not ostentatious.
“Perfect. Thank you, Marin.”
“It’s nothing, Milady.”
Marin smiled shyly at the praise. Sylaria gave one last check over her attire and rose. She turned to the waiting ladies-in-waiting, all ready to serve.
“Shall we go?”
At her words, the maids moved at once, bustling efficiently.
Guided by them, Sylaria stepped out of the palace.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.