The red Audi R8 merged smoothly into traffic.
While driving, Damian glanced sideways at the passenger seat: Marin was scrolling through her phone, relaxed, as if the morning meeting had never happened.
The car was almost silent.
"Ahem…" Damian cleared his throat.
Marin looked up, watched him for a second, and huffed. "Don't think I've forgiven you yet."
He smiled. "Alright, little sun, can I ask you something?"
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
Damian immediately laughed. "Hahaha…"
"What are you laughing at!" Marin gave him a light smack on the arm. "Say what you have to say!"
Damian quickly suppressed his laughter. "Why did you tell Rin those things this morning?"
The relaxed expression on Marin's face instantly grew more serious as she fiddled with her seatbelt. "Ever since she started living with us, I've noticed."
Damian kept his eyes on the road, not interrupting her.
"Rin steals glances at you every now and then," Marin began counting on her fingers, "when you hand her a drink, her ears turn red; when you tell her the University of Tokyo's food is good, she smiles to herself; even when you fix her tie knot as you pass by…"
She suddenly stopped and glared at Damian in frustration. "Anyway! The way she looks at you is impossible to hide!"
The red light came on, and Damian stepped on the brake, turning his head to look at her pouting face, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"At her age…" Marin's voice lowered, "that's exactly when it's easiest to fall in love. Besides…" she threw him a reproachful look, "someone's charm level is off the charts! Especially the girls who've seen your concerts!"
Damian couldn't help but smile slightly. "Jealous?"
"Not at all!" Marin flared up instantly, denying it out loud. "I'm just stating objective facts!" She began counting on her fingers again. "Kaguya Shinomiya, Megumi Kato, Eriri Spencer, Yukino Yukinoshita…"
She stopped mid-count, scratching her head in annoyance. "Aaaah, I can't even list them all! All those women keep their eyes on you like hawks! And that's not even counting your crazy fans!"
Damian watched her rant, the corners of his lips curving up unconsciously. When he tried to pat her head, she slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me!" Marin warned sharply, but there was still a faint smile in the corner of her eye. "I've made a decision!"
Then she clenched her fist, her eyes shining with determination. "I'm going to secure the house. It's better to make the people I trust part of the family. For example, Rin-chan."
Damian raised an eyebrow. Marin pumped her fist. "I'm going to be the lady of the house! No matter how many women there are, I'll keep them all under my command."
He was dumbfounded. "Wait, where did you even get that line from…?"
"Don't butt in!" Marin said, and started counting on her fingers again. "I know how much you make from concerts and investments."
She lowered her voice and leaned closer to him, her tone mysterious.
"Right now we're living in a single-family house, but soon we'll move into a bigger one, right? After all…"
Her ears turned red. "Every time we… do it… I can't control my voice very well."
"Pff—!" Damian couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Don't laugh!" Marin exclaimed, embarrassed and irritated, giving him a hit on the shoulder. "It's your fault for being so… so…!" She stammered for a few seconds before shouting, "So strong!"
He was still smiling when Marin's expression suddenly changed. She lowered her gaze and began tracing circles on her skirt.
"Actually… I feel like I'm not a good girlfriend."
Damian took her restless hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You'll always be the best in my heart."
She smiled faintly, but soon lowered her head again. "I'm not… every time, in the end, you don't even get to enjoy it…" her voice grew softer and softer, "I end up exhausted, and yet you still worry about how I feel…"
The traffic light turned red again, and Damian brought the car to a complete stop. He turned to her and cupped Marin's burning face in his hands.
"Listen to me." His thumb gently caressed her cheek. "For me, sleeping while holding you is what matters most."
Marin rubbed her cheek against his palm, savoring his warmth. "Me too, but…" She straightened up, her eyes filled with resolve. "I can't think only about myself."
"For example, the Shinomiya family controls a huge part of the Kantō economy. If Kaguya were your girlfriend, you could enter the highest social circles." Her tone quickened. "There's also the Yukinoshita family, with their influence in construction, or Eriri's mother, with her connections in the art world…"
Suddenly, Damian rested his hand on her thigh, cutting off her analysis.
?
Marin looked up, surprised.
The air around him had changed. He was no longer the warm Damian from before, but someone radiating sheer dominance.
His relaxed posture, unwavering gaze, and commanding voice filled the entire car.
"Marin," he said in a deep tone, "I don't need anyone's help."
She held her breath, feeling her heart tremble at the certainty in his voice.
"I," Damian said, wearing an arrogant smile that radiated power and disdain, "can achieve everything on my own."
His voice dropped lower. "If I desire it, I can make it happen."
"..."
Marin was completely stunned, staring at him in disbelief.
That feeling… absolute dominance… the same one that had made her lose control so many times during his concerts, once again coursed through her body.
If this were an anime, she was sure her eyes would be heart-shaped right now.
Damian's smile deepened, taking on a cold indifference.
"This world," he said calmly, though every word echoed like thunder, "is nothing more than a playground for me."
His gaze drifted toward the streets beyond the windshield, as if he saw only meaningless figures.
"And I," he continued, his voice filled with overwhelming confidence, "am the biggest cheater in this game."
Then he turned his head, his sharp eyes locking onto Marin's once more.
"So, Marin, all those analyses about alliances and status…"
He smiled faintly. "It's not that I need their influence to raise my worth."
"It's that," he said, pronouncing each word with the gravity of an undeniable declaration, "they are the ones who need me."
"..."
The car fell silent. Marin could only hear the violent pounding of her own heart, echoing fiercely in her ears.
She looked at him, unable to move.
Damian's face radiated such overwhelming power that it dried her throat, flushed her cheeks, and wiped every thought from her mind.
His words kept repeating in her head like an echo she couldn't silence.
The silence inside the car was broken only by the distant hum of traffic.
"Ugh…" Marin murmured, pressing a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. "Too… unfair…" Her voice was barely a whisper, and the blush spread all the way to her ears.
The contrast between the Damian who could dominate the world with a single gaze and the sweet boyfriend she knew was so overwhelming that her head felt like it might burst.
She felt dizzy, and her lower body throbbed.
The car came to a smooth stop in the parking lot.
Damian turned off the engine and looked at her. The arrogance that had surrounded him moments before vanished completely, replaced by a calm warmth.
"We've arrived, little sun." His voice had returned to its usual gentle tone.
Marin looked at him, still dazed. She couldn't understand how he could shift so easily—from a king to such a tender man in just a few seconds.
Damian unfastened his seat belt, leaned toward her, and pressed the button on hers.
Click
The sound of the buckle releasing filled the air.
He moved closer naturally, his masculine scent enveloping her, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Marin felt her heartbeat slowly begin to settle.
"Marin," Damian murmured near her ear, his breath brushing her skin, "you don't have to think about such complicated things."
He gently brushed a lock of her golden hair aside and added, looking into her eyes, "I'm still me… the same Damian who just wants to live each day peacefully with you…"
Marin gazed at Damian's calm face, and the turmoil in her chest slowly melted into serene warmth.
A dominant king or a sweet lover… both were him.
'N-no… I can't take it anymore…!' she screamed inside, feeling her breath quicken.
Her body moved before her mind could react, and before Damian realized it, she had already thrown herself onto him.
"Mmh!" He barely managed a muffled sound before Marin straddled him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him intensely.
Their lips met with a force that spoke louder than words: it was a kiss full of emotion, desire, and love.
Damian froze for a moment, surprised, then held her firmly. One hand slid along her back to her waist, pulling her against his chest, while the other sank into her hair.
In the narrow space of the seat, their bodies pressed together, breathing in sync, feeling each other's hearts pounding wildly.
The kiss deepened, warm and consuming, until Marin finally had to pull away just to breathe.
Their foreheads rested together, lips still brushing, as a thin silvery strand broke between them.
Marin's face was completely red. She bit her lower lip as her legs trembled slightly.
"D-Damian…" she whispered in a trembling voice, filled with desire. "I… I don't want to buy the car anymore…"
Gathering her courage, she leaned close to his ear and whispered with warm breath, "I want… to do it… now…"
Damian let out a low chuckle, shifted gears, and started the engine.
"Hold on tight." His voice was deeper than usual.
The red R8 roared and shot forward, leaving behind only the echo of the engine and the smell of burning rubber.
At the entrance of the dealership, the bald salesman waited with a servile bow. He barely caught a glimpse of the taillights disappearing into the distance.
"Aren't… aren't they going to buy it?" he muttered, dropping the quote from his hands. Then he clutched his head in despair. "It must've been because I didn't bow low enough! I offended him! I have to get them back!"
________
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