Jasper stepped inside and sat next to Raven on the bed, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Raven looked at him, confused. "Why?"
He mumbled something incoherent before finally saying, "Because I said mean things?"
Raven shook her head slightly. "No, you didn't. You just said the truth. We married with an agreement, but I guess, the day we married... I really had fun, and you... you took my first kiss. I thought something was going on between us."
Jasper's eyes widened and thought, 'First kiss? Oh, shit.' He tried to comfort her. "I do respect first experiences and I'm really sorry that I lost myself in the moment. So if I ruined your first kiss, I hope you'd forgive me"
Raven covered her face with the pillow. "It wasn't bad..."
"What?" Jasper leaned closer, not hearing her clearly. "What did you say?"
She pulled the pillow down just enough to yell, "It wasn't bad!"
Jasper blinked, taken aback. "Then what's the problem?"
"The problem is me," Raven said softly. "I'm being a problem in our deal."
Jasper looked at her with curious eyes and asked. "What do you mean you are the problem?"
Raven's voice trembled slightly. "I'm not sure since I've never fallen in love before, but I may have feelings for you."
Jasper laughed gently. "Is that the problem?"
Raven frowned. "What's so funny?"
Jasper smiled. "It's fine if you feel something or like me a little bit. I don't mind."
Raven looked at him, her eyes searching. "Are you sure? but why?"
"Yes I'm sure and the reason is that, you are not in full control of your emotions. So I'm not gonna blame you for that," Jasper said. "And beside, I did enjoy the day we married too."
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah, it was fun."
Raven's expression softened. "Then, if I want to know you more, would you be okay with that?"
Jasper nodded. "I don't mind. Uhm... in return, I mean you don't have to, but can you give me blood sometimes?"
She nodded, and Jasper stood up, Just as he was about to teleport themselves to castle, Raven grabbed him by the sleeve. "Can we travel around the village a little bit so people can see that we're actually on good terms?"
Jasper sighed, then smiled. "Sure, I already left the castle. It should be fine to spend more time here."
Jasper and Raven walked hand in hand through the village, drawing curious and surprised looks from the dark elves. The village, with its steel houses and darker vegetation, bustled with activity. Children played near the edge of the forest, while adults traded goods and engaged in various tasks.
Raven seemed to relax a bit as they moved through the village. The villagers' surprised glances quickly turned into respectful nods, acknowledging their presence. It was clear that seeing Jasper and Raven together brought a sense of peace and curiosity to the community.
They stopped at a small market stall where an elderly dark elf woman sold fruits and herbs. Raven picked up a small, dark berry and offered it to Jasper. "Try this. It's a local favorite."
Jasper took the berry and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Not bad," he said with a nod. "Different from what I'm used to, but not bad."
Raven smiled, and for a moment, the tension between them seemed to melt away. They continued walking, occasionally stopping to greet villagers or inspect the various stalls. The more they interacted, the more relaxed Raven appeared, and the more at ease Jasper felt.
As they reached the edge of the village, near the border with the elven forest, Raven turned to Jasper. "There's something I want to show you."
Intrigued, Jasper followed her as she led him through a narrow path. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a crystal-clear pond, surrounded by dark, towering trees. The water shimmered with an ethereal glow, reflecting the faint light that managed to penetrate the dense canopy. The ground was covered with an array of unusual herbs and plants that Jasper had never seen before.
'Holy shi... I've never seen these kinds of herbs' Jasper thought to himself, eyeing the rare plants with excitement. 'I can use them for alchemy...'
"This place is beautiful," Jasper said, looking around in awe.
Raven nodded. "I used to come here often when I needed to think or be alone. It's a special place for me."
Jasper took a deep breath, feeling a sense of tranquility wash over him. "I can see why."
They sat by the edge of the pond, their feet dangling in the cool water. For a while, they just sat there, enjoying the peacefulness of the place.
Raven broke the silence. "So, like I said, I want to know more about you, understand who you are."
Jasper looked at her, his expression softening. "I understand. Ask me anything."
Raven took a deep breath. "What are you interested in?"
Jasper leaned back, thinking for a moment. "There are a lot of things, but mainly alchemy."
"Alchemy?" Raven asked, surprised. "I always imagine alchemists as old people with long white beards and hair," she mumbled, "not h-handsome as you."
Jasper laughed. "I'm pretty old myself too, so I guess I kind of fit the description."
Raven's curiosity piqued. "How old are you?"
Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. I stopped counting after seven hundred."
Raven's eyes widened. "Oh, then it's fine. I thought you were over a couple of thousand years."
"I mean, I might be a couple thousand... Can we stop talking about age, please?" Jasper said with a slight smile.
Raven nodded. "Why alchemy though?"
"There are two reasons," Jasper replied. "First, I'm not good at it. Second, I've left nothing else to do in my life, so I focused on my entertainment and did whatever I enjoy. Then for that reason, I tried a lot of hobbies and I got bored with all of them except for the Alchemy. Alchemy is kind of fun because like I said I'm not good at it, and it has no ending since I can create new things with different combinations and you never know the results, you have to try again and again... Beside that you can use alchemy in everything like games and..."
He looked up to Raven for a moment and asked "Am I boring you?"
"No, no! Continue," Raven said quickly.
"Actually, recently I made a new game, and I need a queen to my partner in game, so I thought you could play that role," Jasper said with an uneasy smile.
Raven blushed. "Y-you want me to be your queen?"
Jasper grinned. "Yeah! In the game."
Raven's embarrassment turned into a shy smile. "I'd love to."
Jasper couldn't hide his excitement and said, "Really?! Uhm, I mean good"
After they chat for a while, Jasper stood up and helped Raven to her feet. "We should head back before it gets too dark."
Raven nodded, and together they made their way back to the village. On their way back, Jasper secretly took a few plants with him.
As they walked through the village again, the dark elves looked on with approval, whispering amongst themselves.
Back at Raven's house, her mother, Elara, watched them approach. Her expression softened slightly when she saw them together, a sign of hope and cautious optimism.
"Thank you for letting me take her out," Jasper said to Elara.
Elara nodded. "Just remember what I said."
"I will," Jasper promised.
Raven gave her mother a quick hug and said, before turning to Jasper. "Tell my father, I'm okay now"
Jasper took her hand. With a flash of light, they teleported back to his castle.