Elyonari nestled deeper into the folds of Vastarael's warmth, spooning the curry rice into her mouth as she clung to the smallest sparks of comfort that came from being with him.
Her head remained against his shoulder, but the thought that had been haunting her wouldn't let her stay in blissful silence much longer.
"Veneri, you're married to Adelasta."
Vastarael paused for only a heartbeat. Then, with a casual hum, he dipped the spoon back into the bowl.
"Technically, she kind of forced it on me. She didn't tell you?"
Elyonari turned her head to look up at him.
"You can't love two women at once."
He held the spoon in front of her mouth and smiled knowingly.
"Says who?"
"Well—"
"Open your mouth, Ely."
She growled softly but obeyed, letting him pop another spoonful into her mouth. She chewed slowly, narrowing her eyes at him as if to say this isn't over. He chuckled under his breath when he saw her pout.
"It's not wrong to love more than one person. That's not how I was raised and it's not how love works. At least, not for everyone. My father has three wives and they all love each other, and him, dearly. They were close, tighter than most blood siblings, and none of them ever questioned the way their bond was shared. It wasn't about greed, or conquest. It was about choosing to love. Choosing to give love... room."
She stared at him in silence, the food softening in her mouth. Vastarael continued, easing another spoonful toward her lips, which she accepted with a sigh.
"I like Adelasta. She's cold, stubborn, and constantly annoys me but, she saved my life when Stephos wanted to end me. We've trained together, fought together and bled together. I've known her for over a decade. That means something."
He didn't stop.
"And then there's you."
She blinked at that. He wasn't looking at her. He was watching the stew swirl in the bowl as he stirred it.
"You came out of nowhere. You're a beautiful, unapologetically proud and stubborn in ways that would terrify most men. But when you laugh, Elyonari, it's real. When you smile, it's like you mean it. Even when you like using me for your hobbies and activities, which I don't hate by the way, there's heart in them. And back in the academy, you didn't try to change me. You saw me for what I was and you still let me in."
"I…"
"You don't have to answer yet," Vastarael said, another spoon in front of her mouth before she could reply. "Swallow first."
She glared but didn't resist. She'd gotten used to him interrupting her just to spoon-feed her in between heavy conversations.
"And Phaenora… she's always been there. A constant tease but one of my most loyal companions. She calls me 'Veneri' like it's a joke, but she's carried my wounds on her back and she never flinches when I ask her to walk into hell with me."
Elyonari was silent for a long while, chewing thoughtfully, almost guiltily.
"It's not that I'm trying to be greedy," he finally added. "I just… don't see love as something you can cage. Love isn't finite. It's not a single candle in the dark that you have to ration or protect. It's a wildfire when it wants to be. A flood when it has room. If you try to limit it, you risk killing it."
She looked at him again, cheeks puffed in thought.
"And I'll be honest with you…" Vastarael murmured, "I love seeing the people I love depend on me. Like now."
Elyonari blinked.
"Normally, an elven princess would never be caught dead sitting in some man's lap, being fed like a child, even if she loved him. You would have too much pride and legacy to do it. But you? You're allowing this because you know me."
"..."
"That's how I do it. I treat everyone informally. I don't act like I'm better than them, even when I literally am. That's how people open up. You did, too. If I hadn't done that with you back after I won against Adelasta in the Richinaria Palace on my seventeenth birthday, you never would've looked at me the same."
"…True," she whispered.
He fed her another spoonful before she could say more, and this time, she didn't fight it.
"You're not just a crush. You're not a side thought. I like you. I really do."
Elyonari turned away, her cheeks flushing wildly.
"Stop saying it like that… you're embarrassing me…"
Vastarael leaned close, his voice like velvet.
"Why? You don't like being called gorgeous?"
"I never said that!"
"Oh? Then how would you feel if I said—"
He suddenly nipped her ear lightly.
Her entire body jolted like a current ran through her, and her breath exploded out in a squeal.
"Hey!"
He threw his head back and laughed.
And gods… his laugh.
It was a thing of wonder, so rare that she had to blink just to make sure she wasn't dreaming it. His smile was devastating. He looked so boyishly handsome when he laughed, with just the right amount of mischief, the kind that made her heart ache in the best way.
"…You're unreal."
Vastarael tilted his head. "Hmm?"
"You're… the only man I've ever known that looked like a carved statue and treated people like people. You're not exactly nice but you're real."
"You like me because I'm hot."
"I like you because you're hot and you don't act like you're hot."
"Well, I don't need to act," he said with a wink. "I literally am the Prince of Beauty."
"You ruin every good moment."
He chuckled, brushing a few strands of her silvery-blonde hair from her face.
"You love it."
"…I do," she whispered again. "I'm a murderer, you know. I killed to survive. I broke rules. I betrayed people. And you're still holding me like I matter."
"You do matter. Also, we're the children of gods.. I don't think any good or evil deed justifies us, right?"
She stared at him again. Her hand slid up to grip his shirt, and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his collarbone.
"I love you."
"I know."
And this time, she didn't even try to argue.
°°°°°°°
Vastarael stirred as the first light of dawn crept through the slit in the tent's heavy fabric. A small exhale escaped him as his vision adjusted to the mellow glow.
Beside him, nestled like a forest spirit seeking warmth in winter, Elyonari was still fast asleep. Her silvery hair fanned across the pillow, and her arms wrapped tightly around his torso, one leg possessively thrown over his. Her expression was peaceful, completely disarmed by the safety she found in him.
Vastarael didn't move at first. He simply let the moment linger.
Then came the two presences. He sighed through his nose, his eyes not needing to open further to sense them.
"Alright, why are you both standing over me like ghosts?"
From beside the bed came a chirpy voice, laced with practiced innocence.
"Obsidian told us to wake you up," Shimmer said calmly.
"He said you had to come right now," Runner added. Her voice had a subtle shift in it.
He turned his head, finally looking at them properly. The two girls stood side by side in matching identical cloaks. Vastarael blinked slowly, then gave Runner a sharper glance.
"Are you alright?"
She grinned, flexing her fingers slightly.
"I feel… stronger. Like I could take down two beasts instead of one."
"Hm." Vastarael smiled faintly. "Good. You're still on rest duty though."
Shimmer giggled. "You're such a lousy dad."
"And you're stalling," Runner said. "You really should come outside. Biolumine found something."
Vastarael's eyes narrowed slightly. Biolumine never found something unless it was serious.
Just then, a soft shift of movement mad the three turn.
Elyonari blinked awake slowly, silver lashes fluttering like butterflies on the edge of consciousness. She stirred against him, then sat up a little, brushing sleep from her face.
"Mmm... Veneri?"
She mumbled, before blinking again and noticing the girls. Her eyes widened and she straightened, albeit keeping the blanket loosely wrapped over her shoulders. Even though they didn't do anything that night and still had their clothes on...
"Oh… good morning."
Shimmer and Runner were stunned. For a solid moment, the air froze as both stared at the radiant elven woman whose ethereal beauty was framed by the morning sun. Her features were simply… divine.
"Uhm…" Shimmer stammered.
"She's… wow," Runner whispered to her sister.
Elyonari smiled softly, brushing her hair behind one pointed ear.
"I'm Elyonari Mintheris," she teased gently. "Your dad's third wife."
Shimmer and Runner blinked.
"…Makes sense," they both said at the same time.
Vastarael raised an eyebrow.
"You're not surprised? I was kind of expecting you to freak out so that I can remember it."
Runner shrugged. "We've already got a cold redhead and a teasing bisexual Omniscient. Elf princess fits right in."
Shimmer giggled. "She's the nicest one so far, honestly."
Elyonari chuckled warmly, clearly charmed.
"You two are… adorable."
Vastarael rose from the bedding, slipping into his dark outer robe and stretching his limbs once before pulling out something from his inventory. He summoned the Bowl of Wisdom. With a wave of his palm, the bowl brimmed with steaming food, rice with curry, soft chunks of meat and potatoes, and rich stew, aromatic enough to make stomachs rumble.
"Breakfast," he announced, handing it over to the girls. "Eat while it's hot. Don't make me feed you too."
Runner gave a quick mock salute and dug in. "Yes, sir."
Shimmer nudged Elyonari. "You're the one who got spoon-fed yesterday, right?"
Elyonari's face flushed a deep red.
"I was… not feeling well!"
Vastarael smirked, leaned close, and whispered, "She whined like a toddler, too."
"I swear to the World Tree—!"
"Later," he said, snatching up his glaive, Calimostria, and slinging it across his back. "Come with me. You're going to want to see this."
Elyonari hesitated for only a moment, then got to her feet with surprising grace for someone who had been weak just the day before. She glanced at the girls, who gave her a quick thumbs-up, before she followed Vastarael out of the tent.
The camp was still quiet, some of the outer squads training or doing early scouting. But where Vastarael walked, the air itself seemed to shift.
And ahead was Biolumine, his polymorph Divine Creature. Her form now resembled a cross between a white cat with unicorn wings. She floated near a large boulder, glowing faintly.
Next to it was a creature twisted and cloaked in shadows. Its eyes were fixed in place, unable to move, snarling with hateful recognition even through it was dead. Its form was like a corrupted hound, but its aura was unmistakable.
"...That thing has been tracking you since the moment you landed. Biolumine caught it trying to enter camp last night."
Elyonari took a step closer, arms crossed over her chest, her mood now shifting to something more serious.
"Why would it be hunting me?"
Vastarael frowned.
"That is what we're going to find out in the Western City."