After encountering the beast, Professor Dark, whom I’d met in camp, caught wind of the situation and pardoned Eliot and me from the hunt. It was well before sundown, giving me some alone time with Alice, assuming she was done with her tasks. Worst case, I’ve helped her out a bit.

There was a party later in the evening, and considering how busy we were today, there was doubt in my mind about how much time we’d get to spend together during the three-day trip. This wasn’t at all what I had in mind when I agreed to go, but I knew how eager Alice was about venturing into the Beast Lands again.

Besides, it was my fault we got suspended. Because of that, Alice lost her opportunity to meet new people who were just as confused as she was about everything. Now we’re both stuck being outcasts, clinging to each other as we’re about to start attending classes again.

Luckily, she knew Penelope and Rose. Both fairly popular from what Ron told me. He even expressed feeling weird hanging out with Penelope alone. Too many people were glaring at him, confusing him for her suitor.

Ron claimed that wasn’t even the worst part. Men he could handle, but women? He’d roll his eyes at the thought.

Now, where would she be hiding? I wondered right as the calm mountain stream flowing alongside our camp tickled my ears.

Right. It was so obvious I couldn’t help but smirk.

Alice was so princess-like that no title needed to claim her as such, ever drawn to beautiful and feminine things while having a ferocious and unyielding side that I loved so much. She was kind and caring. Even a glance of her mesmerising self was enough to enthral me eternally.

To think there’d be so many cruel enough to ask me not to look at her that way. Perhaps they ought to ask the Sun not to set.

Then I saw her. By the spring, her hair still braided with the neck exposed.

She was slightly leaning forward, stepping on her toes while trying to smell the white blooming flowers amidst the thick bush. Her smile so winsome I could’ve stood there forever. Even the ambience played its part, gracing me with the ethereal symphony of life echoing throughout the surprisingly quiet and mystical forests of the Beast Lands.

She looked so peaceful.

Eventually, she caught a glimpse of me. Her eyes jumped, followed by a shy smile as if calling out my name in surprise.

“Mind if I join you?” I still asked, voice loud and clear as I approached closer.

“As if I wasn’t waiting,” Alice giggled, locking eyes as they began to flirt.

And when I got close enough, I asked for her hand by offering my own. “How about a walk then?”

I figured we both wanted to step away from others.

“Was hoping you’d say that.” Her reaction caught me off guard. Like I’d fallen for her trap.

“Got something in mind?” My brow furrowed.

“Um-hum.” She proudly hummed. “Professor Natasha gave me a task before she left but told me I could wait for you to return before going. And I didn’t want to go alone.”

“So you were hoping I’d tag along, huh?” I chuckled.

“It’s not far, but I still prefer not going alone. Perhaps I should’ve asked another man for help?” She raised one of her eyebrows and dropped the other, making me regret asking. Something about the way she said it made me want to be defensive.

“No, no. . . That’s not what I meant. You’ll do just fine with me,” I said, well aware of how it sounded.

“Figured.” Alice started giggling, grabbing my hand and taking the lead. “Come on. It’s cute that you’re jealous, though.”

“Jealous? You’ll see no such thing from me,” I claimed, quite confident too.

“You can deny it all you want. It’s written all over your face.” She kept a slow pace, smiling while we walked side by side. “Besides, I like it when I imagine you telling everyone I’m yours and yours alone.”

My heart skipped. No way would any man resist getting flustered after hearing her make such a bold claim.

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even bring myself to look to see if she was blushing or not. Still, she confidently held onto my hand–

“God, what am I saying. . .” she muttered in Elvish. So quiet that I barely heard her.

“What was that?” I impulsively asked. Dumbass.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.” She shook her head, averting her gaze. “Let’s just carry on.”

She outplayed herself. Her quick tongue proving a double-edged sword.

For some odd reason, it was a lot easier dealing with my embarrassment after knowing she felt the same. Even made it funny.

“Right,” I smirked, focused on the feeling of her soft hand. “And what exactly do we need to do?”

Not that I wasn’t going to follow her regardless.

“Down the stream, there’s an entrance to a short tunnel connected to a chamber. She gave me a mana crystal and told me to use it once inside.” Alice snapped her fingers, conjuring a light blue crystal in her hand. “No idea what it does, though.”

“Curious?” I asked.

“And you aren’t?” She finally dared look back at me, her mind drawn to the mystery.

She knew me well.

“Can’t wait to find out,” I said, watching her pocket the crystal again.

We kept walking. The conversation naturally flowed.

“. . . so when I saw her again, I just ignored her,” Alice said with a proud smirk and eyes closed. “Hm!”

I lost it when I heard her Hm!

“It’s not funny!” Alice protested, looking back at me but smiling nonetheless.

“It kind of is,” I said, letting out a deep breath to calm down. My vision a bit blurred.

But she didn’t look too happy with what I said. It made something within me shift.

For a second, I believed that my core pulsed and mana ravaged my body. But then I realised no.

“Wait. I meant to say that you ignoring Maya was funny, and the Hm!–” I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her, so I held back the best I could.

Alice rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Let it out.” Alice said, and so I did.

She sighed as I let out the last few chuckles begging to escape.

I don’t know what it was, but being around her made me feel so at peace. The world stopped moving, yet time flowed faster.

“And for the record–” I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. “Your ears aren’t weird. Nor have I once thought of them as strange. If anything, they were fascinating. Yours in particular.”

“Huh!” Her brows jumped, and cheeks turned pink. Her fair skin doing little to help hide the fact.

“It’s a compliment.” It really was. “Just take it. . .”

“Whatever you say. . .” She went a bit quiet. Her emotions all over the place.

The mood changed, but luckily timing saved me.

“Look.” I pointed forward. “There’s the entrance.”

Alice immediately shifted her gaze. “Thank god.”

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I did my best not to react, but knowing Alice, I had doubts it went unnoticed.

She was leading the way. Wasn’t sure why, but I wasn’t going to bother arguing.

The damp cave was wide enough for us to comfortably walk around while the flora did us a favour with bioluminescence. Light blue gracing the cave walls.

It was truly a sight to see. Surprisingly, Alice didn’t stop to look at any of the flowers.

It made me wonder if perhaps I’d put too much stress on her with the kiss. But then I felt arrogant for feeling like she’d obsess over me as much, or maybe I was just becoming aware of my insecurities.

While it used to be easy to keep everything to myself, the more time we spent together, the more I wished to share with her. Not like I didn’t do so already, but there were things I had a hard time telling.

It made me wonder what that even was.

“You okay?”

“Hm?” I muttered. Alice’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“I asked if you’re okay,” she repeated. “You seem a bit out of it. Want us to take a break?”

“No, no. I’m okay.” I smiled, thankful she asked. “About the–”

“You hear that?” Alice suddenly asked, turning around.

The distant sound turned out to be trickling water that grew into a soothing symphony. Fresh scent of water hit our nostrils.

“We must be here,” I said.

Alice stepped toward the sound but then suddenly stopped again, turning to her left.

She placed her hand along the wall and closed her eyes.

“What are you doing?” I was curious.

Mana then manifested around her, pulsing through her arm and into the stone, leaving behind a symbol which resembled a strangely shaped upside-down bowl. I was clueless as to what it meant.

“I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us.” She looked back at me. “This should help.”

“Sounds scary,” I chuckled.

“Horrifying even,” she joked. “Come on.”

Light waited up ahead. Then suddenly, the cave widened into a breathtaking chamber, illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the gaping hole above us.

At the heart of the chamber was a tranquil basin into which a waterfall cascaded from an opening in the cave wall. Its crystalline stream glistened like liquid silver.

From the looks of it, the water reached depths that ranged from waist-deep to neck-deep. Quite inviting for a swim.

“Woah. . .” I couldn’t help but be awed.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Alice asked.

“You said it,” I answered, looking back at her. “But you should probably use the crystal before we forget.”

“Right.” Alice snapped her fingers, conjuring back the crystal she pocketed.

Next, she walked closer to the water and closed her eyes while holding it out. With a touch of her own mana, the magic within the crystal activated, and a faint ethereal glow expelled from it before fading seconds later.

“That’s it?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe we just don’t know what it did,” she was quick to point out.

“Right. . .” I sighed, looking at the water. “We should at least go for a swim,” I jokingly suggested.

“Yeah,” she said.

Took me a second to process, her confident tone almost making me believe her.

“Right,” I chuckled.

“Hm?” She looked confused. “I was being serious.”

“But what about our clothes?” I asked.

“You bathe in your clothes?” Her brows furrowed. “Look. I don’t mind if it’s you. Besides, you already saw me once. And I for sure saw you. But now that you’ve pointed it out, I can’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, so I’ll need you to close your eyes while I undress.”

“Oh. . . Right. Sorry.” I did as she asked. However, I wasn’t sure why since she hadn’t told me I needed to do so immediately. It made me appear a bit too eager.

“And no Dragon Sense.” I could hear her smiling as she said it.

“You mean Mana Sense?” I asked such an obvious question.

“Dragon Sense sounds cooler,” her voice slowly approaching.

The urge to say something was there, but I knew better and kept my mouth shut for once. I could feel Alice stepping up to me, and my mind immediately thought this was it. Either that, or she was playing a cruel joke.

But then it happened. Alice’s soft lips pressed against me.

My mind blanked.

Thrill surged through me but was quickly followed by confusion as it wasn’t my lips they pressed against. Instead, it was my cheek.

“Alice?” I muttered her name, feeling her lips leave and hearing her step back before I opened my eyes.

She stood still, dressed and with her hands hidden behind her back, looking at me with a cheerful smile etched on her face.

“Done,” she proudly announced. “I did as you asked.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind–”

“You said kiss. Not my fault you didn’t specify on the lips.” She averted her gaze with a smug smile matching her tone.

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Maybe you believe I’m indecisive,” she said. “Or afraid of what others might think. Maybe even as to what the future holds because of our differences. But I’m not.”

Her gaze shifted over again, her smug smile turning soft.

“It’s just–” She hesitated for a second. “It’s just that I’m greedy.”

“Greedy?” She caught me off guard again.

“Yeah. . .” She turned to face the basin. “I wanted my first kiss, my real first kiss, to be you kissing me.”

There was a slight pause, giving me time to think.

“Now she wants to be treated like a princess,” I jokingly said in Elvish, showing her that I practised.

“Silly of you to assume I don’t always wish to be treated like a princess,” she said, her back turned toward me before Alice started taking off her clothes.

Before I knew it, her skirt fell to the ground, and the shirt slid off, leaving her in nothing but undergarments. And while I was still thinking if I should close my eyes, her hand was already reaching for the clasp to undo her black lace bra that matched her underwear.

There was no way I could’ve looked away. My eyes couldn’t help but explore every inch of herself she’d show me.

But only when she leaned slightly forward and grabbed the sides of her laced underwear did I truly lose it. She intentionally stepped forward, showing herself off while the last piece of fabric on her slid down her legs, stepping out of them with ease.

She was so elegant in her movement that I couldn’t catch a single glimpse of what I sometimes imagined. Then she entered the waist-deep water along the edge, turning around with her arm covering her breasts.

“You coming?” She asked, a playful grin on her face.

“With you staring?” I asked.

“Didn’t notice you looking away.” She sat down and leaned against the edge.

“You think I won’t?” I asked, but she just kept looking at me.

With only one option left, I grabbed my shirt by the collar and pulled it off before tossing it to the side. Next, I slipped out of my shoes and unbuckled my belt before sliding down my pants along with the underwear.

Standing fully exposed sure felt embarrassing, but simultaneously there was a sense of thrill I couldn’t describe. As if I was doing something I wasn’t sure I was supposed to.

It was exhilarating.

Alice smiled and turned around, leaning back against the stone. And not long after, I joined her in the cold water that prickled my skin.

Sat beside her, we looked ahead while enjoying the surreal feeling, neither imagining us doing this for real. Not in a million years.

“You’re not disappointed, right?” She muttered, stealing my attention.

“About what?” I asked, though figured I had a good guess.

“About the kiss, silly. . . I know that’s not what you were expecting,” Alice sighed.

“That doesn’t mean I was disappointed,” I reassured, catching a glimpse of her gaze that hesitated to meet mine. “Besides, the meaning still stands. Right?”

She nodded, albeit shyly.

Alice kept her knees bent and pressed together while her arm still covered her chest.

“Don’t think I can make it clearer without jumping you at this point,” she scoffed. “Seriously–”

“Alice,” I cut her off, my hand cupping her cheek as I leaned closer.

Time felt like it froze. Our eyes locked together like magnets.

Her eyes wanted to jump, to look away. But then a strange calm swept over us as everything felt just right.

Neither knew what we were doing as my lips pressed against hers – so soft and tender, parting so as to allow our tongues to meet at last. It wasn’t long before Alice coiled her arms around my neck, running her fingers through my hair and pulling gently. Her bare chest pressed against me.

Inevitably, we broke away from our first kiss, both out of breath and staring. Then followed the second and third kiss before we lost count. Each more passionate than the last.

I couldn’t help but grab her by the waist, pulling her in even closer.

“I wanted to do this for so long,” Alice muttered between kisses, deciding to suddenly tug on my hair to expose my neck and plant her lips.

It made me gasp as I just gave in without fighting it. While perhaps I was the one who initiated the kiss, she definitely took charge toward the end.

“Is this real? Am I dreaming?” I joked, but then Alice decided to playfully bite me anyway.

However, instead of complaining, I pulled her closer and ran my fingers through her lavishing golden hair, supporting the back of her head while embracing her in a hug.

“I could stay here forever,” she muttered into my neck.

“Right?” I chuckled. “Still, we shouldn’t stay here for too long. Others might wonder.”

She snuggled closer, her warm breath caressing my skin.

“But I guess we could stay a bit longer,” I added.

“Uh-huh,” she muttered again. “Just a bit longer.”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.