Chapter 29
Sudden deals are made over negotiations but truly important deals are made only on the basis of trust. Right now, I needed to gain his trust and he needed to gain mine.
We were two people who needed each other for the long term. Such important decisions aren't made in hours. It would be best if you had years for that.
"Let us begin with something simple so we both can know that we can count on each other." I proposed and Richard nodded.
"Let's begin with this, I will give you a piece of information and then you can decide its worth, and then we can begin a harmonious relationship between us," I suggested to which he nodded again.
"Siros, DeMarco, and Langley," I said three names with which he was very familiar with. His eyes went wide when he heard these names. He was smart enough to not ask how I knew though.
He stood up, and I did so too. He extended his hand and we both shook our hand. "I am looking forward to our next meeting." He said before they all left.
Only Antassia bowed to me out of courtesy while Victor looked like he never wanted to see me again. To be honest, I had nothing against Victor. It was entirely human to want to protect your interests and he wasn't doing anything wrong by doing that. He didn't even know the true motive of the church.
[But he is hostile]
'That doesn't give me the right to kill him. There are stages of hostility and his stage is forgivable.' I replied.
Wanting to be selfish isn't wrong.
"Go home, both of you. Rest well and then come back in the morning." I instructed both of my new subordinates who nodded and left after saying goodbye to me.
Not long after they left and I was left to think things on my own, a knock once again reached my ears. Since no one else was around, I opened the door myself and smiled first thing when I saw who it was.
"And here I thought Her Highness didn't like what I did," I commented as Laura entered my room without me granting permission. Her knights stared at each other, troubled at what to do when she said, "Wait outside" and closed the door herself.
She turned to look at me and came closer. Once she was dangerously close, she placed her right hand on mine and her left hand on my right shoulder.
I smiled and placed my left hand on her back and pulled her in further, gluing us to each other.
"I wanted to thank His Highness personally. But I have to apologize, it took too much time to settle things regarding the spies." She softly spoke while we both started to move our feet. There was no music but she remembered the rhythm of steps from before.
"Your Highness doesn't seem so apologetic though nor do I see any token of gratitude." I playfully said, inhaling her sweet scent.
"You're right I don't. But that is because I want His Highness to choose his reward." She replied while we kept moving, deeper inside my chambers.
And what can I ask for?" I asked as I kicked the door to my room which opened.
"Anything." She replied.
"Anything?" I skeptically asked with my eyebrow raised.
"I'm in your room alone, aren't I?" Had to say, the point she raised was difficult to dispute.
"I hate it when we are so formal when addressing each other," I said for no reason. She nodded and asked, "Then what would you like me to call you, Adrian?"
I smiled and said, "I would love it if you could say my name with affection in public as well."
"That would end up giving others the wrong idea." She said while we moved further in. The furniture in my room was mostly destroyed except for a chair so I headed for that.
"And what if that is what I want?" I asked with a smirk as I sat down and she settled on my lap on her own accord.
She turned around and sat on my knees, facing me. "If I didn't know any better, then I would think that you are trying to claim me as yours."
"And is the queen of Ravenknight averse to that idea?" I asked.
"I thought we weren't being formal." She replied while sliding just an inch closer on my knees.
"We are. I was just referring to your status." I replied as I placed my hand on her side hips.
"Are you asking how I feel about being owned by a man?" She asked with a soft voice.
"I'm asking if that is how you are misunderstanding it?" I clarified.
"No, I'm not. If you were really treating me poorly, then that's not where your hands would have been." She replied which eased a lot of my worries.
Laura was an independent woman. A power-hungry independent woman. But she didn't bargain on her dignity for that. If that would have been the case, she would have teamed up with the winning princes, not me.
"What is it about me that made your heart beat?" I asked as I moved my hands, pulling her closer.
"The look in your eyes when you killed those bandits." She replied with a small blush on her face.
She really is amazing.
[Control yourself]
'Not my fault. It's natural to be turned on by the type you like.'
"The question is; would you be so accommodating when you find out about this?" She placed her hand on me and my HP lessened by a quarter.
Black magic. It seems that our innocent Laura was not so innocent after all.
[I can feel you undressing her in your mind]
'I'm not so idiot to not know the risks that come with having intercourse with a fully undeveloped body.'
Putting the fact aside that I was a doctor, I also knew that she wouldn't allow it. Teasing is fine. But she won't allow anything further. As I said, she is a woman with dignity.
"I'm surprised. Truly." I answered as I healed myself.
"Not a natural reaction." She responded to which I just smiled as I put my hand on her veil and used the skill decay.
Her veil disintegrated before it disappeared from existence. Her flawless beautiful face came into my view along with her scars that extended from the left corner of her lips going down her flawless white neck.
"Was this what you were talking about?" I asked as I traced her scar with my finger.
Aside from the fact that she was surprised and failed to react, she was once again surprised at my reaction when she felt me caressing her scar.
"I know a thing and two about the element of darkness as well," I replied as I infused life energy from the life thread into her scar.
Although it wasn't a skill, I could do a lot more with those elements than just what was mentioned in the system.
I gave her another surprise before she could get over the ones from before. And before she could dwell on this one, I moved in and took her lips in a soft kiss, surprising her once again.
She may know how to tease me but she is mistaken if she thinks that I would be the flustered party among us.
I tasted and nibbled her lips for a while before I let go of her. Before she could get over the surprise, I stood up with her in my arms and laid her down in the chair I was sitting in, and got to preparing something to drink for her.
[Let's hope it tea]
I chuckled while I pulled the special tea worth 10000 coins from the inventory and gave it to her. She absentmindedly took it but kept staring at me.
"That was not fair." She said after some time, composing herself.
"And you rubbing on me was?" I countered while taking a seat on the floor with my cup in hand.
"I was just doing the dance you showed me earlier today." She argued with a reasonable excuse.
"I want you," I replied. "Not the current you. A few years older." I clarified some more to get my point across.
"Why?" She asked, now completely calm.
"Your eyes. They drown me. It scares me how I get lost in them." I responded, still on the floor but staring deep into her eyes.
"So why do you want me?" She asked, after a slight pause.
"Because I can feel it. I love it. The feeling that comes with knowing I'm not omnipotent. A reason to keep me human." I replied sincerely.
I had seen this before. Becoming a god. When I showed power beyond imagination, that's what I became to everyone. A god.
But the worst part was becoming one to myself. I started to believe that too. Only because I didn't fear anything.
Someone helped me find it and it woke me up. I never want to go through it again but because of what I am, that thought automatically plants itself in my mind.
So no matter where I am, I first and foremost try to find something that makes me afraid. In the real world, I have my father, and my mother to make me aware of this fact.
Here, I'm free. No one to stop me. So the moment I saw her and fell into her eyes, I felt fear.
I could see she didn't understand what I was talking about but she didn't ask me anything. She instead did what I very much appreciated, changed the subject.
"It's not easy to have me." She said with a charming smile. "Can you bear the price?"
"There is no price. If there was, you would have long since belonged to someone else." I argued. Like I said, a woman with dignity. And that was the answer she was looking for.
"You owe me a veil." She stood up and set the cup aside. I bought the thing that Allison recommended in the shop and pulled it out.
"Here you go." I handed her the veil cum artifact.
"It doesn't match with my dress." She commented when she put it on.
She was slightly surprised when she saw the veil fix itself and the color change according to her dress.
"It's an artifact. I'm quite the jealous man you see." I said while getting up.
"What does this do?" She asked, intrigued.
"Perception inhibitor. Unless you really act, most people would dismiss you as if you're not there." I explained the function of the artifact.
"Jealous indeed." She responded before lifting it and leaning in for a kiss. I, of course, am not the kind of person to deny such a thing.
We met halfway through and shared a simple soft kiss. She separated after that and said, "We will be leaving for Ravenknight tomorrow."
I nodded and replied, "I will soon come to visit you."
"Of course you will. But first, you will need to deal with Alicia." She replied instead.
"Why?" I asked, making sure to mask my expression.
"I'm not an idiot, and so aren't you, dear Adrian. The way she was looking at me like she wanted to eat me alive and whole there and then." She replied. Gosh, this minor girl is turning me on.
[Control yourself]
'Tell her that.' I quipped before I answered Laura, "I did. But that doesn't make sense. I tried to violate her."
She smiled, fixed her veil, and replied, "Then, maybe you don't know women as well as you claim to know." Before she left. I opened the door for her and her knights were still standing outside the door.
"Thank you, Adrian." She said to which I smiled and said, "Now you're being formal again, Laura."
"Just testing." She winked before she turned and left with her knights. Her knights gave me a glance of astonishment but they were smart enough to keep quiet.