Unknown to her, a sudden warmth spread within the young man’s body the moment she leaned close to him, causing him to wake up. Even before Prince Theron opened his eyes, the familiar lips pressed against his gave away the fact that his beloved was by his side, the very woman who he had in his mind the entire time he had been away in war. For a moment, he thought it was a dream, but when he realized the warmth of those lips felt too real, he opened his eyes, wanting to see her face.

‘Esther…’

Prince Theron stared at her in a daze, mesmerized by the beauty of her eyes as he tried to focus his blurry gaze.

“Your Highness?” the young lady said in surprise. She didn’t expect him to wake up at this moment, and as she recalled what she had just done, embarrassment flooded her senses.

Hearing her voice, Prince Theron let out a weak smile filled with relief. He was scared for a bit that he would open his eyes, only to realize the blond lady in front of him was an illusion caused by his yearning. But she’s real—the Esther sitting beside him was real. He could smell her sweet fragrance, and he could still feel the lingering warmth of her soft lips on his.

Esther smiled pleasantly as she was filled with happiness. She no longer bothered with embarrassment and simply hugged him with her head resting on his chest. She could not contain the small laugh escaping her mouth.

“You are awake! You are finally awake!”

“Hmm!” Prince Theron hugged her back.

She let go of him and raised her head up to look at his face. “Thank you so much for coming back to me.”

Prince Theron moved his hand to wipe her tears. His voice was low and hoarse after spending days being unconscious, but his tone was firm when he spoke. “Is that not a given? I had to come back to fulfil my promise to a certain lady.”

“Thank you,” was all she could say as there were no words that could fully express what she was feeling at the moment.

“Hmm? Is that it? Is thanks all I will get in return for coming back to you?”

Perhaps because she was high with relief, Esther failed to notice the playful tone in his voice.  She asked with genuine concern, “What do you want, Your Highness? I will get it right away.”

She was about to move back but his hand held her at the waist to stop her. She looked at him, feeling startled, only to see him staring deep into her innocent-looking eyes. “You must continue what you were doing before I woke up.”

Esther felt her entire face heating up, but she decided to feign ignorance. “I am confused. You are still not well, Your Highness. You should—”

“We are both too smart to play this game, my lady. I am fine. Trust me,” he said in a needy voice. He was away from her for more than a month and only he knew how much he longed for her. “I would love it if the fair lady could award this poor soldier with a kiss.”

Esther could not say no to his request. Moreover, she was sharing the same feelings as him. Just as he yearned to return to her, she had waited for his return.

With a coy glance, Esther looked at those thin lips and leaned down to brush her lips against his. Just a small peck, yet both could feel the air around them rising in temperature. Gulping, Esther moved back and heard his hoarse voice beg for more.

“I expect more, my lady.”

Esther felt more embarrassed and said hesitantly, “Once you are better…I will…Your Highness…”

Prince Theron smirked and tightened his grip around her waist. Despite being bed-bound for the last couple of days, he was surprisingly strong enough to roll over and pin her body under him.

“Now, you believe I am fine?” he asked.

“This…” It really surprised her as she didn’t expect him to be this strong even after receiving an injury from a wizard’s attack.

She looked at the beaded bracelet in his hand and noticed it shining a little differently. Though others would not pay much attention to that, but she was the person who gave Prince Theron that bracelet, she knew best how that item worked.

‘This bracelet seems to have power other than mine. Is it… him? Did he use his power to save Prince Theron? No wonder this rogue regained his strength in such a short amount of time.’

While she was busy getting a grasp on the situation, Prince Theron studied her face. “Are you that surprised to see me this well?”

It pulled her out of her thoughts. “N-No, Your Highness. I am just happy that you are perfectly fine.”

“Then?” He offered her a teasing look which made her cheeks turn red.

“I…need to go. No one knows I am here,” she said.

“Trying to avoid what I asked you for?” he asked.

She lowered her gaze as she was feeling embarrassed and shy. She could feel the tension between their bodies, and she knew that if she could not escape her way from his grasp, something more intimate than a kiss might happen next.

“I…” but no words could make their way out of her mouth.

Prince Theron’s gaze softened as he relented. “Fine, we can keep it for later when you are ready on your own.”

Esther didn’t know how to respond to this shameless yet thoughtful rogue. She herself could not understand whether she wanted to continue or not, and was a bumbling mess of confusion.

Prince Theron was about to move away from her but Esther grabbed the part of his robe in front of his chest and pulled him back, making her lips meet with his. She didn’t back down this time and kissed him properly, slowly enjoying the taste and warmth of his mouth.

Prince Theron kissed her back, responding to her with equal ardour and passion, cradling the back of her head as he too enjoyed her soft lips.

It was at this moment that this pair of lovers realized how much they loved each other, wanting no other to be their partner for the rest of their lives.

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