We left the dining room walking slowly, as if neither of us wanted the moment to end.
Elyra kept holding my hand naturally, her fingers intertwined with mine in a way that felt both innocent and charged with electricity. The hallway was lit by the soft light from the high windows, and the sound of our footsteps was the only thing breaking the silence.
"Let's go to the garden again," she suggested in a soft voice, glancing at me sideways. "It's easier to breathe there. And… I like being with you in that place. It's like time hasn't passed."
I nodded without letting go of her hand.
"Let's go."
We walked to the private garden. The weeping willow greeted us like an old friend. We sat on the same stone bench, but this time Elyra moved closer. Her shoulder brushed against mine, and when the wind moved her silver-white hair, some strands fell over my arm. She didn't brush them away.
"Do you remember when we used to hide here to read those forbidden books we stole from the library?" she asked, turning toward me with a nostalgic smile. "You were always afraid your mother would catch us, and I would tell you that if we got caught, we'd say it was for 'studying history'."
I laughed softly, feeling that memory warm my chest.
"And in the end they always caught us. But you never regretted it. You said it was worth it."
Elyra tilted her head and rested her cheek on my shoulder. Her hair smelled of fresh flowers and something sweeter, almost intoxicating. Her free hand moved up to my arm and caressed it slowly, as if memorizing the texture of the fabric.
"It was worth it," she whispered. "Everything we did together was worth it."
The silence that followed was comfortable, but charged. I felt her breathing become a little deeper. When she looked up, her blue eyes were brighter, her pupils slightly dilated. She bit her lower lip for a second, a small gesture that didn't go unnoticed by me.
One of the guards patrolling the edge of the garden walked past nearby. His eyes fixed on Elyra without shame, stopping on the way the white robe clung to her large breasts because of the wind. He murmured something to his companion and both smiled with that lascivious grin I knew too well.
Elyra noticed. Her cheeks flushed with a soft red. She said nothing, but slowly crossed her legs, making the fabric of her robe ride up a little on her thigh. It was an almost imperceptible movement… but she did it.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she leaned a little more toward me to pick up a flower that had fallen on my lap. As she did so, her breast brushed against my arm with more pressure than necessary.
"Allen…" she said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "These days with you make me feel… different. More alive. Like something inside me is waking up. I can't explain it. I only know that when I'm close to you, the world feels warmer."
Her fingers moved down to my hand and squeezed it. This time she didn't let go. She kept it there, tracing soft circles with her thumb on my skin.
My heart was pounding against my ribs. The potion was doing its work. Slowly. Every small gesture from her — the brushing, the way she leaned in, the slight tremor in her voice when she said my name — was a spark that threatened to ignite everything.
We kept talking for hours. About childhood, about the dreams we had, about how she had always believed I would be a great king. At one point, Elyra turned completely toward me and took my other hand as well. We were face to face, knees touching.
"Allen…" she whispered, looking into my eyes. "Even if you marry Aiz… even if fate separates us… I want you to know that my heart always had a special place for you. Always."
She leaned in a little more. Her face was only centimeters from mine. I could feel her warm breath brushing against my lips. Her eyes dropped for a second to my mouth, then rose again. The blush on her cheeks was more intense now. Her thighs pressed together again under the robe.
For an instant I thought she was going to kiss me.
But she didn't.
Instead, she rested her forehead against mine, closing her eyes.
"Thank you for being here," she murmured.
"Thank you for letting me stay close to you."
We stayed like that for several minutes, forehead to forehead, breaths mingling. The wind moved her silver-white hair around us like a veil.
When we finally separated, Elyra looked at me with a shy but new smile.
"I think… I'd like to give you a real kiss," she said in a very low voice, almost embarrassed.
She didn't wait for my answer.
She leaned in slowly and placed her lips on mine. It was a soft, innocent kiss, barely a warm and trembling touch. Her lips were soft like petals. It lasted only a few seconds, but I felt my entire body react. When she pulled away, her cheeks were completely red and her eyes were shining.