She was more than happy to show him, and they moved to one of the groups of people swaying to the rhythm of the music. Joining them, they started rocking their bodies together while discussing various similarities and differences between their respective realms and their own ways of approaching such events. They taught each other some traditional dances while chatting too. All in all, they enjoyed their little moment so much that neither of them noticed when almost three hours passed, and they were getting slightly winded.

  Bryn blushed faintly and Asterios chuckled at her, extending an arm to the Valkyrie and leading her aside so that they could rest a little. She thanked him for the amazing time they had spent together and went ahead to join the two heavily drunk women by the wine table, a little parched herself. One of the ladies could potentially use a bit of her magic too, returning to a somewhat functional state. The blue-haired one, of course.

  Roaming his gaze around the party of tremendous size, Asterios spotted Silvia sitting on a bench and watching from the sidelines while petting some snuggly cat sitting on her lap. He picked up two mugs of refreshing apple juice and started approaching the princess.

  But shortly before he reached her spot, the cat suddenly stood up, arched its back with a threatening hiss, and bolted away faster than lightning, leaving Silvia spooked and confused, with her arms raised into the air. They glanced at each other and Asterios smiled wryly, covering the remaining distance separating them.

  “I think there might be some beef between cats and Dragons.” He chuckled softly, handing her one mug.

  She smiled warmly and scooted to the side, making some more space for him to sit down. Asterios obliged and they took a sip together, observing the partying people. One thing they had learned since their arrival in Glimmervale, was that people here certainly knew how to have fun, and they definitely loved to do so on any given occasion. It did not matter who they were or what was their status, everyone came together to celebrate and enjoy the night.

  “So, what are your plans now?” Silvia asked, still gazing into the mesmerizing crowd.

  “First, we’ll see how things develop here for a moment, wait for everything to settle down after the battle,” he replied, glancing at her beautiful profile, warmly illuminated by the lit torches and bonfires. “Then, we’ll most likely begin our search in Bryn’s realm. That part hasn’t changed.”

  “Going through the gates?”

  “Yeah.”

  A brief silence fell onto them. Neither Silvia nor Asterios said anything else for a few minutes. They sipped on their drinks while taking in the sights and sounds of celebration.

  “I’m sure you are aware of what my father is trying to achieve in the background,” she began first again.

  He smiled a little and nodded. “I have an idea or two.”

  Silvia slowly turned her face to look at him, her amber eyes gleaming from the fires dancing around them. “What do you think about it?”

  “Well, it depends, mostly on what’s your opinion on that,” he replied.

  She returned her gaze to the front and began to stroke the mug resting on her lap with her thumb.

  “To be perfectly honest, I’ve never felt this close and… nice… around anyone else before, and not just in terms of our incredibly compatible spiritual energy. Since the very first day we met, I felt this weak pull towards you, perhaps fueled by curiosity too, which gradually grew in strength the more time we spent together, adventured, learned about each other—”

  A slightly intoxicated man stumbled over his feet and threatened to fall over onto them. Somehow, he barely managed to keep his balance and made his unstable way past their bench. Asterios had raised his arm to shield Silvia, but it, fortunately, wasn’t needed.

  He glanced at the princess with a warm smile, offering a hand to her. “Would you maybe like to take a little break from these amazing but extremely crowded festivities in a slightly quieter place?”

  A quiet chuckle escaped Silvia’s lips and she nodded, taking it gently. “With pleasure.”

  They stood up together and Asterios led them towards the castle, walking on the sidelines of the celebratory party. Holding hands the entire way to their destination, they shared occasional greetings with various people heading in either direction. Quite a lot of them were at least somewhat tipsy. Thanks to that, no one seemed to care about them in the slightest, allowing the duo to take an undisturbed breath of fresh, chilly, night air.

  Asterios wondered where they should stop for their little break and Silvia suggested either of their bedrooms since those had the lowest chances of anyone interrupting them again. He agreed and chose to bring them to the chamber currently assigned to her in case any of the other girls wanted to take a rest in their chamber in the meanwhile.

  Holding the door for her, he received an appreciative nod and watched the princess walk up to the balcony window on the other side of the room. Locking the door to assure their privacy, he soon followed after her and reached Silvia’s side, gazing down at the town alongside his scarlet-haired friend.

  As they stood there in silence, enjoying the faint breeze, their fingers somehow found each other again. Neither of them saw anything wrong in that and had no intentions of taking their hand away. The gentle hold they shared felt warm and pleasant.

  “I’m not really sure what to say,” Silvia began, clearly struggling a little to find the correct words. “I think… I might have developed a crush on you. Is that what it’s called?”

  She turned to him, looking at his face for a possible answer.

  “Do you think about me a lot?” he asked, brushing her delicate skin with his thumb.

  She nodded lightly.

  “Do you want to meet me whenever you have some spare free time?”

  She nodded again.

  “Do you feel a little uneasy around me? Perhaps somewhat fluffy? Nervous about how you appear while we are together?”

  At every single question, Silvia faintly nodded her head.

  Asterios smiled at her softly. “Then, I think we are safe to assume that you truly might have some feelings for me, at least according to a certain book I’ve read in the past. It listed these symptoms as possible signs of falling in love, or at least developing a crush on someone.”

  “Do you also experience such things around me?” she asked curiously.

  “All the time. I greatly enjoyed our time together and it would be extremely hard for me not to grow fond of such a charming and thoughtful woman.” He scratched his neck a little awkwardly. “I apologize if I seemed really disinterested or maybe even dismissive, but I just didn’t want to openly court someone of your standing while having both our statuses in mind.”

  “I understand.” Silvia showed a sweet smile. “I’ve been doing the same thing. Deep down, I knew that I wanted to get closer to you, especially after watching how happy all the other girls are. But part of me still was a little skeptical. Even though I felt like it was completely unnecessary, I kept testing you again and again.”

  “Dressing up and the bath?” Asterios asked and laughed softly after she nodded with a shy smile. “That’s understandable. You had all the right to do that. I can only hope that I didn’t disappoint you.”

  “I can assure you that you passed each of them with flying colors, to the point where I felt almost silly for doing all that.” Silvia’s smile grew a little. “So, in regard to our concerns about our statuses, it wouldn’t really matter that much. It’s not like we would have to set a marriage right away or anything. I don’t think a princess isn’t allowed to date or meet someone. The only worry I have is that I really don’t want to get between you and your women.”

  “If you had, they would have made that known long ago.” He shook his head, squeezing her hand tenderly. “Do you think they aren’t aware of everything that’s happening right now?”

  Silvia chuckled softly, looked Asterios in the eyes for a brief moment, and turned to the front again. Silence enveloped them once more as they held hands. She started to brush his skin with her thumb too.

  Asterios decided to be the one to break it this time and gave Silvia a light squeeze. After she glanced at him, he took a hold of her other hand, brought them together between their bodies, and turned them to face each other properly. Looking straight at the beautiful, fiery princess, he showed an affectionate smile.

  “Silvia. Would you like to be with me? I really enjoy having you by my side.”

  She stared back at him with a charming, little smile which at the same time felt like the biggest one she had ever shown, and she gave him a firm, also confident nod.

  “I think I would.”

  They chuckled at each other and Asterios pulled her closer. She let him do so while holding his hands and raised her chin a little bit, allowing Asterios to join their lips in a soft, subtle kiss. Even though their mouths only brushed together in a delicate peck, a very apparent, warm spark passed through them, causing both of them to shiver in excitement.

  After withdrawing herself, Silvia sighed dreamily. “That was… nice.”

  “Yeah. It was,” Asterios agreed.

  They looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds and took back their hands, moving their arms to hug each other instead. With their bodies lightly pressing into each other, they began exchanging more loving kisses, taking their time to enjoy them to the fullest. Just like before, a pleasant spark of electricity tickled their mouths now and then, accompanied by ever-increasing warmth.

  A few long minutes later, they separated again, smiling at each other brilliantly. Silvia’s cheeks grew much rosier during their heated exchange and they were both slightly out of breath, their hearts beating much faster than usual. They knew well that it wasn’t perfectly normal.

  “While I’m not completely oblivious to these things since my maid often teases me a lot with her lewd talk, I must admit that I have no idea how to be a good wife in bed,” Silvia confessed with a more apparent flush.

  Asterios chuckled quietly. “Do you plan to hurt me intentionally?”

  She shook her head.

  “Call me actual demeaning words?”

  She shook her head again.

  “Rip my hair out, cut my skin open, or seriously injure me in any other way?”

  “Definitely not,” Silvia denied without a second of hesitation.

  “Then there is no way you can be bad in bed.” Asterios leaned in and stole one more kiss from the princess.

  Starting another kissing session, they slowly made their way to Silvia’s bed. He reached out to help her undress, but she stopped his hands and gently pushed Asterios to sit on the mattress. Giving him a tiny, bashful smile, she took a few steps back and began unpinning the clasps holding her chestplate in place.

  After getting it off, she shoved it into her spatial storage and moved to take care of her coat. Piece by piece, Silvia unhurriedly took off her black military uniform, soon ending up in just her alluring underwear. Meeting Ast’s gaze, she moved her hands behind her back and skillfully unpinned her soft, white bra, revealing her perky, moderate breasts to him. Without wasting too much time, she soon wedged her fingers under the material of her panties of the same color and sensually slid them down her alluring legs.

  Appearing in front of Asterios without anything to cover her attractive body, Silvia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she exhaled lightly, her hair began rippling like it was affected by a faint breeze. Her orange inner strands glowed and shimmered as countless small sparks flickered all over them like tens of tiny fireworks. Opening her eyes, she revealed that they shone with an amber hue too.

  “Beautiful…” Asterios muttered under his breath and Silvia’s lips curled up in a dazzling smile.

  “I didn’t know I could even do this until… our energies mixed in that fight with the Golem,” Silvia said as she slowly approached him. “Whenever I tried to grasp the remnants of your mana inside my circuits, my hair became like this.”

  He stood up and put his arms around her small waist. They looked deep into each other’s gleaming eyes, feeling the heat and tension in the air. Silvia placed her dainty hands on his chest and joined their lips in one more kiss as Ast’s clothes dematerialized in a wave of crimson flames. Her fingers began brushing over his skin as they gently made out, the temperature of their bodies and their surroundings gradually rising.

  When Silvia’s palm found Ast’s member, they stopped pursuing each other’s lips and glanced down at the same time. A little hesitant at first, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft and moved them up and down unhurriedly.

  “I always wondered how it felt in touch after that bath,” she admitted.

  “And how is it?” he asked with a smile.

  “Hot.” Silvia smiled back at him. “And very captivating.”

  He followed her actions and ran his palm down her smooth belly too, soon arriving at the alluring slit down below. Silvia inhaled softly when Ast’s fingers gently prodded her lower lips, parting them to the sides so that he could rub her more sensitive parts. They teased each other for a few moments until their breaths hitched again.

  Asterios withdrew his hand and earned himself a curious look from the slightly flushed princess. Leaving a peck on the bridge of Silvia’s nose, he began tracing a path of fluffy kisses down her face, neck, shoulders, and then chest. Arriving in front of her fair breasts, he took one tender hill in his hand and began delicately caressing the other one with his tongue.

  Silvia let out a loud sigh as her body trembled faintly. She hugged Asterios tightly, wrapping her arms around his head. Every time that his hot tongue lapped over her hard nipple, she felt a small wave of hotness roll through her entire being. It wasn’t an orgasm, she knew that well since she naturally had tried pleasing herself a few times in the past, but it felt even better.

  While sucking and nibbling on the stiff peak, Asterios experienced something similar. With his slightly more attuned to spiritual energy senses, he could tell that each time his warm muscle tickled Silvia’s nipple, some kind of a faint connection occurred between their respective energies. That caused a small explosion, sending a thrill through their spiritual circuits and sources.

  Curious about any other possibilities, he moved lower after giving enough attention to Silvia’s appetizing bosom. She let him continue, watching in anticipation as Asterios trailed his kisses over her belly button and soon dove between her legs. Even though she prepared herself mentally for what was about to come, she still let out a soft moan when his tongue slowly traced over her tightly sealed pussy.

  “Ahhhhhhhh…”

  Her hands immediately shot to his white hair as her knees banged together. Immense heat filled her precious place, and he didn’t even part her folds properly yet. At the same time, down there, Asterios was getting hotter himself, scooping Silvia’s delicious nectar by running his tongue all over her fragrant crevice. It tasted like nothing else he had the pleasure to try, and definitely was full of fiery, spiritual energy.

  Eager to explore Silvia’s almost scorching insides, he tenderly spread her pink flower and kissed the delicate flesh of her heated pussy. The princess released another alluring whine and trembled strongly when Ast’s lips brushed over her sensitive clit. Her fingers gripped his hair even harder, and she arched her back a little bit from the incredible pleasure spreading through her nether regions.

  “Ahhhhhh… Ahhhhhh…”

  Asterios listened to her captivating voice and did his best to work his tongue over Silvia’s shy pearl as it seemed to give her the best experience. At the same time, he started delicately rubbing his fingers over her leaking entrance, inserting just their tips past her tender, wet folds. The princess tugged on his hair each time he stroked a good spot and her pulling quickly grew more frequent.

  “Ahhhhh… Asterios…. Ahhhh… I’m already…”

  Hearing her confession, he began caressing her clit with even more fondness and increased the speed of his loving rubs. Silvia answered immediately with more carnal cries and her legs started trembling in no time. He felt her pussy constrict around the tips of his fingers and more hot love juices trickled from between Silvia’s lower lips.

  Just as she came, her head shot to the back and her voice got stuck in her throat. Asterios watched in amazement as Silvia’s scarlet-amber hair shimmered even stronger and the tiny sparks exploded with tripled ferocity all around those mesmerizing strands with actual, audible crackling, truly becoming like miniature fireworks.

  The brief show faded away after Silvia slowly finished her high, breathing heavily. Holding her firmly, Asterios stood up and supported the princess with his body, letting her rest on his chest. Her fair breasts brushed against his skin pleasantly as they looked into each other’s eyes.

  “That was… Incredible…” Silvia whispered, still catching her breath.

  “I agree.” Asterios joined their lips in a loving kiss. “You looked so stunning.”

  She showed an exquisite smile. “I could feel your energy again… It made me feel amazing… I’m a little afraid of how it will feel when we actually make love…”

  Silvia chuckled faintly and Asterios joined her. He picked the princess up into his arms and brought her to the bed, stepping onto the mattress on his knees. Exchanging a few more pecks with her, he softly lay Silvia on the sheets. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, at the same time, unhurriedly spreading her legs slightly to the sides to make some more space for him.

  They paused their kisses for a moment and looked down together. Silvia’s fingers wrapped around Ast’s length, and she led him to her eager slit. He traced a few symbols over her navel in the meanwhile, which soon began emitting a barely noticeable sheen. She rubbed his glans between her warm folds for a brief moment, causing them both to sigh quietly, and slipped his tip just a little bit inside.

  Relinquishing the control of his member back to Asterios, she looked up again and gave him a small nod. He answered with the same and carefully slid himself deeper into her embrace, bringing his mouth down to brush against Silvia’s as they finally became one.