Elvira

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My stomach growling in public, was something I had become accustomed to and could care less about.

Starving had become a norm for me, as I would always get denied food as punishment.

However, what has my cheeks stained with red this time, was the fact that I had just eaten three plates worth of food mere hours ago, and here I was hungry again. Not to mention, Adelio had witnessed it all.

I didn’t want him to look at me with distaste or disappointment.

However, it seems like my worries were limited to just me because when I sheepishly looked up Adelio didn’t have the slightest bit of judgemental look on his face. Instead, he had one of understanding.

He unclasped our intertwined fingers and gently moved me away from his lap, then placed me on the bed. My heart fell a little. Why is he letting go of me? I wanted to be in his embrace much longer.

He then stood up and walked to a stand with a couple of jackets hanging off it. He unhooked a long black jacket and made his way back to me. Then he gently draped the jacket over me.

The jacket smelled just like him, and I felt comforted to be wrapped in his scent.

He placed one of his hands underneath my legs, then the second on my back, and lifted me up bridal style. The moment I was in his arms again, I clung to his neck like it was my only source of stability.

“Come darling, you need food,” he said heading to the door.

On his way out, he glanced at the mess on the floor, then his eyes trailed to Mira before he said “Milo take care of things here”

Panic ran through me at his words.

“Wait, please don’t hurt Mira. I thought you agreed you’ll let her go.” I said quickly.

“And that I will love. Don’t worry she’ll live,” he said barely sparing Mira a glance.

He took me out into the hallway and down the Blackwood stairs. I could perceive the smell of food from here, and it made my stomach grumble again.

We were finally down the steps, and it seems to lead to a parlor room.

There were chairs and tables made out of black wood, and seats cushioned with a white padding. All are arranged in the form of a small dining table.

Adelio took me to one of the chairs and placed me on it.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, brushing loose strands of hair from my face.

I nodded my head in response, and he stalked off toward a nearby room which I assumed was the kitchen.

Left alone in the parlor, I started to explore the room with my eyes.

Small plants and glowing gemstones shaped like flowers decorated the tables, giving the place an elegant look. Chandeliers were hanging above each table, but the light was dim, giving the room a cozy feel.

On the other side of the room was a marble counter with different types of liquid refreshments. Everything was well put together in a clean manner. Whoever owns here has good taste.

As I was studying the room, my eyes caught movements on the staircase. I turned around and saw Mira and Milo coming down the stairs.

“Mira!” I yelled excitedly, as she made her way to where I was sitting.

She smiled at me and took the chair next to the one I was sitting on. While Milo just sprawled on a chair next to hers, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you’re alright,” she said.

“I could say the same for you. It was dangerous to challenge Adelio back there” I replied.

“To be honest, it took all my strength just to stand up to him. He is my true emperor after all.”

Right. Mira is originally from Caelestis, so that makes Adelio her emperor. I don’t know much about their chain of command, but I know it goes against their nature to defy their ruler. She looks extremely exhausted and pale-faced.

It’s a miracle she was able to escape the palace and make it all the way here. I’m pretty sure after the whole incident with me and Adelio, King Aden would have the palace heavily guarded in case of retaliation.

Speaking of escape...

“So Mira, what are you going to do now? You can’t go back to the palace, can you? They probably know of your disappearance by now. As servants, we are prohibited to leave the palace walls. We are never let back in after.”

Mira looked like she thought it over for a while, then said “You’re right, I can’t return to the palace. But that’s okay because it’ll be boring without you anyways.”

She paused. “The entire Kingdom of Elysia would be boring without you. I’ll really miss your presence” she said, giving me a sad smile.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Huh? Without me?” I questioned.

“What?” Mira blinked at me

“Huh?” I blinked back at her.

We both stared at each other in confusion.

“What do you mean without me, Mira? I finally questioned.

Mira stared at me, her face riddled with confusion.

“Elvira...aren’t you going with the emperor to Caelestis?” The way she asked her question was like I was expected to go with Adelio, and there was no other outcome

Milo gave a lazy laugh. “Empress, did you really think his majesty would leave you here? Do you know what it means to be someone’s mate? His Majesty has been searching for you for a lifetime and has finally found you. Believe me when I say he’d never let you go.

“When I call you empress, it isn’t for fun. It’s because you are quite literally our empress.”

I shuddered at his words. Sure I’ve heard him call me empress several times, but I was too preoccupied with other things that it flew right over my head. It never really sunk in.

As I was mauling it over, Adelio walked out the kitchen door, carrying a tray of food. My eyes followed him until he was standing in front of me.

Mira quickly got up and bowed to him, and I’m reminded once more that he was an emperor. It was only a while ago that I too had to bow to royalty, but he told me not to bow to anyone. I am his empress, he said. I am his.

Adelio noticed my awkwardness and asked “What is it fleur? You look absentminded?”

Before I could reply, Milo intercepted with humor in his voice. “She thought you were going back to Caelestis without her.”

Well, forgive me for not knowing about how mates work. Humans don’t typically move in with their...lovers... right away.

Adelio was in the middle of dropping the tray on the table when his weight shifted and his body paused.

He turned to look at me. “You thought I was leaving without you? Why would you think that?” He asked, studying my face. His gaze looked like he was puzzling something and I could tell that he was searching for the answers on my face.

Then his expression cleared up, and one of realization took over. “Is that why you were crying earlier?

“N- No,” I said, quickly averting my gaze.

“El,” he said, shooting me a keen look.

The seriousness in his voice made me gulp down the words of denial I was just about to spew. There was no point in hiding it now, besides something tells me he wasn’t going to let this one slide. So I glanced back at him and nodded my head.

I heard the chair beside me screech, and Milo got up. “Want to go grab some food from the kitchen Mira?” He questioned.

Mira’s eyes lit up at the mention of food, but she quickly toned her excitement down as a weary look came over her face.

Milo mused, “It’s either grab some food with me or stay here and listen to these love birds fawn over each other. The look in their eyes is enough to make me gag.”

At Milo’s words, Mira sprang up, almost knocking the chair down. She avoided eye contact with me as she wasted no time rushing to the kitchen with Milo.

Goddess. We didn’t look that bad, did we?

Adelio’s attention didn’t seem to be distracted by the two deserters; his eyes were still on me, totally unwavering.

He picked me up and took my place on the chair, then sat me on his lap so I was straddling him. I wonder if it’s going to be like this every time; him being my very own personal chair.

I leaned my back into the table behind me and rested my eyes on Adelio’s. They were now a faint blue color.

He took my hand and kissed it, then he brushed the hair from my face. “Why didn’t you tell me about your concerns?”

I bit my lips and ducked my head a little. “Because I was embarrassed, and I also found it odd. I just met you, I shouldn’t be crying like a baby over you leaving. Besides, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me with you...” I trailed off.

“Darling,” he said, exhaling a quiet breath. “You aren’t quite used to mating scenarios, and I’m sorry for not paying more attention to that aspect and to the consequences it brings. You are my mate, my very essence. Intentionally or not, your body will crave me, your mind will crave me, and you will crave me.”

He cupped my face into his palms and continued. “Crying at the thought of not seeing me is completely normal. I haven’t fully marked you yet, so your emotions would fluctuate every now and then. Things around you will start to lose all forms of logic, and that too is also completely normal.”

His words were falling in line with what I’d been experiencing. Things were beginning to make sense.

My emotions would always spiral out of control, making me feel like I was harboring someone else’s thoughts and feelings.

“And about me leaving without you..." Adelio brought his thumb to caress my chin, then his forehead touched mine. “My El, would you return to Caelestis with me?” He asked.

His voice was soothing, requesting, and almost a whisper. However, there was also an adjuring undertone to it.

My heart sparked at his request. He wanted me to go with him!

“Okay” was all I could mutter, even though I was beaming inside with joy. I was going with him! He wasn’t leaving me behind.

Adelio’s lips curled up in a smile. “It’s a good thing that you said yes" - His angelic smile then turned into a devilish one. - "Because quite frankly it didn’t matter what your answer was. I’d still drag you back to Caelestis with me.”

I gaped at him. “So what was the point of asking me then?”

“Because darling, leaving your home kingdom on the spur of the moment can’t be easy, and I’d like to take your feelings into consideration. However, even if you had protested, I’d have let you stay as long as you wanted, but would eventually take you back with me”

I resisted the urge to smack the grin off his face. What a crude man. However, he was wrong about one thing.

“It wouldn’t be hard for me to leave Elyisa” I muttered. “I don’t have anything binding me to this place. I wouldn’t be missed by anyone, neither would I miss anyone... well except for Mira.”

Adelio was quiet for a bit, then he asked “Do you want to bring her with us to Caelestis?”

My eyes no doubt twinkled. “Can she really come?”

“Anything you want gorgeous.” he chuckled.

I was incredibly happy. Leaving Elysia didn’t bother me in the least bit, however, I was nervous about entering a new kingdom by myself. Things would be great if I had Mira with me.

“Are you guys done?” Milo asked, poking his head out of the kitchen. His mouth was stuffed, and he was in the middle of chewing.

“Milo, make preparations to depart tomorrow,” Adelio said.

Milo groaned. “You are seriously overworking me, your majesty. We should have brought Arzheal along with us. That workaholic wouldn’t mind doing all this tedious work. I didn’t even get to explore the human kingdom to my heart’s content...all those fine ladies...fine wine...”

Milo just kept grumbling as came to seat down at the table, with a plate in his hand. Mira also followed right behind him, stuffing her face in the process. The aura around them was calmer now like they had somehow bonded in the kitchen.

Adelio ignored Milo’s ramblings and leaned over to pick up a plate from the tray behind me.

I took a glance at the food that had been appetizing me with its smell. There were about eight sliced meats on the plate, decorated with what looked like mint leaves. Beside the meat, were four potatoes that were sliced open and stuffed with green onions.

The food looked so good and I was salivating just staring at it. My stomach was whining with impatience.

Adelio took one of the sliced meat and placed it into my mouth.

Ugh, the taste was to die for. I’ve never tasted anything so good. The only thing my poor taste buds were used to, was stale bread and clumped-up rice that was on the verge of being rancid.

“Who cooked this masterpiece?” I moaned.

“Me,” Adelio said.

I blinked at him in shock. “Seriously?!”

“What? An emperor can’t cook?” he smirked

“No, uh- I thought...” I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment. “It just tastes good,” I concluded.

His eyes squinted as he bubbled with laughter. Then he whispered in my ear. “I’m glad you like it. If you so wish my love, I’ll cook for you every single day. For the rest of our lives.”

My heart stuttered. Rest of our lives. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the sound of that.