CHAPTER 70: AWAKENING

Dhein, Fiorelle and Thevon were the first ones to take the lift down to the suspended wooden platform. The other lifts will be taken by the guests and the others.

As the wooden chamber began to smoothly descend through the pulley ropes, they passed by countless levels and branches — each had their establishments, some restaurants and parks. Vedis rented one branch, which was enough for the whole audience of the wedding, but people were still welcome to watch as long as there was enough space.

A wide area of the beach was also dedicated to them. Even so, the whole port city still made it so that a festival for the grand wedding was held in the entire resort.

Silence filled the elevator as they went down. Little did Dhein know, Thevon and Fiorelle were just waiting for him to speak. They were terrified of his silence.

’Isn’t he gonna say anything?’ the scion of light thought.

’Maybe this is a sign that I should keep the thing about Lady Wixorn a secret... Just what is he planning?’

They were still pretty high up, and it would take a few minutes before they could reach the bottom level. Since the silence was getting awkward, Dhein decided to speak.

"This place is beautiful, isn’t it?"

Such a dry phrase wasn’t really something Dhein wanted to say at the moment, but he didn’t know what to talk about. He also felt like he shouldn’t bring up Fiorelle’s real identity in this situation.

Fiorelle lifted her gaze towards his back.

"Huh?" she intoned.

Dhein cursed himself internally.

’I just made it more awkward... better to just keep my mouth shut.’

With that, the silence inside the lift continued.

Soon, they reached the lowest wooden platform. Dhein stepped out first and walked away while Fiorelle and Thevon lingered in front of the lift for a few seconds.

They watched as the scion of divinity disappeared below the staircase

Fiorelle turned to Thevon and he was already looking at her.

"His words are truly vague, aren’t they?" he said, shifting his gaze in the direction where Dhein had gone.

"Was he trying to tell us something?" she asked, confused.

Thevon nodded.

"Definitely. He wouldn’t say anything awkward unless there was a deeper meaning behind it."

Fiorelle agreed. So, as the lift began to ascend back to the higher levels to take the next users, she and Thevon walked together and tried to decipher Dheinyrus’ cryptic message.

"It is most probably... about that," Thevon muttered as they took the stairs.

"You mean... me being a..."

He nodded.

"Remember when your real father told you that you have a choice to make? He was implying that you can join him and the demonic forces, wasn’t he?"

A frown spread across her face.

"Yes."

Thevon cupped his chin with his fingers.

"My guess is... he said "this is a beautiful place" because he wanted you to choose humanity."

Fiorelle sighed.

"It’s not like I’m thinking about joining the other side."

Thevon threw her a glance.

’Was I wrong after all?’ he thought to himself.

***

The fast rhythm of the drums, beating to the music made the people dance. Torches and lanterns lit up the place and gave the atmosphere a festive vibe. That, coupled with the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves hugging the shore, made up the most lively yet tranquil party Dhein had seen.

Stepping into the pure sand, he saw a familiar face holding a cup of beer and wearing a laid-back beach outfit. King Petre Garvill was accompanied by his family and servants while they walked around the stalls, buying souvenirs and food.

When the king saw him, the old man’s eyes sparkled.

"Lord Theocheirós!!!"

He then ran up to Dhein, almost stumbling in the sand.

"This place is AMAZING! Thank you very much again for inviting us."

Dhein smiled.

"I told you, didn’t I? The next time we meet, it will be a joyous occasion."

After exchanging words with the king, he moved on and visited the attractions. Along the way, the locals hung flower necklaces on him and gave him gifts and souvenirs.

Moments later, Shina and the others had arrived.

She, along with Zarria and Fiorelle, really stood out with their beauty.

The princess walked up straight towards him, ignoring everything else as if only he mattered. She stood before him with a serene expression.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

He blinked.

"Yeah, why?"

Her eyes momentarily dropped to his body and then back to his eyes.

"I don’t know if it’s just me or you’ve been a bit timid all this time."

Dhein fell silent for a moment.

’Timid, huh...’

Then, he heard her say:

"Is something on your mind?"

Before answering, Dhein looked around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, even Zarria was checking out the stalls with the other scions and Fiorelle.

Then, he said:

"I guess all this change in my life has been a bit much to take in and process, but I’m alright."

They stared at each other for a moment.

His eyes widened when Shina suddenly took his hand. She pulled him away from there towards the darker and more silent part of the beach.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

She partially turned to him while they walked.

"Somewhere quiet?" she replied.

As he walked behind her, being pulled by the hand, he couldn’t help but... look down.

’Her skirt is really short...’ he thought.

...It was designed that way, and whoever picked it as Shina’s outfit was a fashion genius.

The two-piece perfectly showcased Shina’s flawless and supple skin. The light blue color of the soft fabric also blended perfectly with her white and rosy tone.

Dhein had always admired feminine beauty. Zarria, for example, was very beautiful, and he was proud of that.

But tonight, something was different. He wasn’t just admiring Shina’s beauty. For some reason, every time he looked down at her hips and the curvy part of her lower behind, his hands wanted to move in an unholy manner.

In fact, he was fighting really hard not to.

’What the hell is wrong with me?!’

He shook his head to try and make the thought vanish.

They walked pretty far. The music was barely audible and not a single soul was now in sight.

Shina let go of his hand and walked near the waters.

The waves touched her bare feet before retreating into the sea.

"We can’t talk properly if there’s a lot of people now can we?" she muttered with a faint smile, her face barely turned to him.

Dhein walked a bit closer beside her and they admired the moon-reflecting ocean together.

Before he could speak, he heard Shina ask:

"Are you hesitating after all?"

He immediately answered.

"No, I promise I’m not."

She finally turned her body to face him.

"Really?"

He wasn’t able to speak when Shina suddenly got very close to his face. Her hands were intertwined behind her as she leaned forward as if looking into his soul.

Once again, he wasn’t able to keep his eyes on hers. His gaze fell down!

’Woah...’

He might have stared at her exposed cleavage for a bit too long.

Before their bodies could unintentionally touch, Dhein held Shina by her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

"Y—You probably shouldn’t do that," he stammered.

The girl was confused at first. But when she saw Dhein’s flustered expression, she immediately knew what was going on.

She raised an eyebrow and a playful smirk crossed her beautiful face.

"Hm~? What do we have here?"

Dhein’s eyes opened wide when she gently touched his chest.

"Am I imagining things? Or you’ve been looking at me weirdly?"

Dhein gave up. There was no use hiding it anyway, so it was best to just admit it.

"Yes."

Apparently, she did not expect that. She was stunned and stared at him in shock.

"Honestly, I’ve been trying so hard not to look at you that way. So please, don’t tease me. I don’t know what I might end up doing."

She paused for a moment. Shina looked down on her own body and then back to Dheinyrus. An intense blush appeared on her entire face, reaching her ears.

"We should head back," Dhein suggested. But as he was about to turn, Shina grabbed his hand tightly.

He felt that her palms were cold and trembling. She was nervous.

When he looked at her, her head was facing down but he could tell she was still blushing.

Then, she lifted her gaze and met his eyes.

"I don’t mind, you know?" she whispered.

He swallowed. His whole body suddenly felt extremely hot.

She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pressing her soft body against his.

"I’m yours, Dheinyrus. You can do to me as you please."