Sweet Haru (revised)

In an isolated bar with only a few patrons inside, a mysterious man unceremoniously plopped down a small bag full of gold coins on top of the table. One could barely see his profile due to the hooded black cloak he was wearing, deliberately covering himself from the prying eyes of the public.

"This is to keep your mouth shut from tonight's mission." He muttered in a stern voice and quickly turned around to leave.

An old man with a black eye patch and long slit scar on his neck was slouching at the corner table. His hair, face, and hands were grimy and he reeked of booze and puke. Indeed, a perfect example of a filthy thug.

The old man snorted then spat out on the floor. "Hey, hey, where is the love here? Sit down, will you?"

"I don't have time to acquaint myself to uncouth people like you. So, if you'll excuse me..." He trailed off and just scoffed in disdain.

The thug clicked his tongue and ignored his biting remark. "This uncouth bastard just did you a very huge yet dangerous favor. The least you can do is to double, nah, triple the amount of the payment. After all, abducting several virgin maidens was no easy game."

"Old man, greed will not take you anywhere. If anything, it will be your undoing. Heed this gentleman's words..." His eyes glimmered in sinister intent as he gritted through his clenched teeth. "Take the money and forever hold your peace."

Oblivious to his impending doom, the old man laughed out loud and even propped his feet on the table. "Young man, these old bones of mine have been through hell and back. You're too inexperienced to even think of outsmarting me." He met the man's intense stare with equal passion and firmly declared his demand. "Three bags full of gold coins or you can expect your atrocities to be known in the entire realm."

The mysterious man nonchalantly smiled as though he had been eating those kinds of threats for breakfast. "Old man, there is something you failed to know about me," he started off as he leaned on the table.

The smug grin on the old man's lips stiffened and his jaws locked, rendering his breath to be stuck in his throat. Then, black veins suddenly appeared on his flesh and crept up to his face. Before anyone noticed it, black goo and crawling insects came out from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. His limbs gave out and his life ended without another sound.

He continued as he looked at the now unmoving corpse in front. "I have been living in hell throughout these years with nowhere else to go back."

He grabbed the bag of coins on the table and left the dreary place in haste. Once he was a distance away, a shrill scream echoed throughout the starless night.

Meanwhile, inside a dimly lit bedchamber full of luxurious furniture, two souls were intimately cuddling on an enormous canopied bed. The air smelled of sex, silently conveying the passionate affair that was delightfully fulfilled not so long ago.

"Adis, I heard that the abduction of women is becoming rampant again. Do you need any help with that?" A delicate fair lady asked while enjoying the feel of her beloved's entire weight on her.

Her body was already full of his sinful love bites. Her wrists and hips were marked by his forceful grip. Moreover, her whole being was being enveloped by his intoxicating manly scent.

Adis chuckled upon seeing his wife fighting her sleepiness by stroking his broad back, though it seemed that it was a losing battle as half of her consciousness was already in dreamland.

"Leave the dirty work to your man and just focus on showering me with your undivided attention." He whispered against her lips.

"Mn," she unconsciously nodded. Her eyelashes gradually felt heavy. His soothing voice and whispers were lulling her to sleep.

She smiled softly when she felt Adis kissed her forehead. His actions never failed to entice her to do his bidding. She remembered the day she saw him for the very first time. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. Everything about him was simply captivating.

But, now that she could think of it, she wondered if he cast a spell on her on that fated day.

A year ago, on her way home from university, Haru was hit by a truck. As she laid on the ground full of her blood, she thought that the gods must have finally noticed her.

An orphan like her who didn't have any family and friends would finally be free from this lonely world.

'I wish that in my second life, I'll be able to make friends and find my one true love,' was her last thoughts before she heaved her last breath.

And when she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a field of flowers. However, when she gained her focus, she realized that the entire place was covered in ice and snow. She then realized that she was in a totally different world.

She saw a man standing on the edge of a cliff, looking at the distance with his back facing her. He slowly turned around when he felt her sudden movements.

On that day, she had a fated encounter with the most handsome man she had ever seen; raven black hair, red demon eyes adorned with long thick lashes, perfect sharp nose, and sinful red lips. He had a lean body with muscles in all the right places and a pale jade skin.

When he showed her his gentle smile, she was completely enthralled. "Mysterious maiden, what is your name?"

"H-Haru... A-Akatsuki Haru," she timidly replied.

"Haru," he repeated softly as if tasting the sweet meaning of her name in his lips. "Such a lovely name. I am Adis, and I have been waiting for you for a very long time."

"Huh?!"

"Haru... Haru!" She was awakened from her dream by Adis' soft call. "Don't sleep yet. Let's have a bath."

Ah, that's right. She fell asleep for a bit and dreamed of the day she came to this world. That fated encounter led her to the Kingdom of Umbra and married its King, Adis.

Her husband carried her in his strong arms and went to an enormous bath hall. He gently placed her inside a pool full of warm water.

Haru sighed upon feeling the water easing the tension of her muscles. She was starting to fall asleep again due to the calming scent of the incense. She buried her back on Adis' hard body when he hugged her from behind.

Adis kissed her head and gently bathed her, careful not to wake her up from her sweet slumber. Something welled up in his heart as he saw his marks on her fair, rosy skin.

Once they were done bathing, he carried her back to their chamber and laid her on the newly changed bed sheet. Despite having many servants waiting for them outside of their room, he preferred to personally take care of her when they're together, especially after they made love.

After making sure that she was comfortably sleeping on their bed, he also laid on it in his naked glory. He gently scooped his beloved and carefully placed her on top of him. Her face contently buried on his shoulder as she purred in her sleep. He chuckled and inhaled her addictive scent through hair.

"Sweet dreams, my love." He whispered lovingly then finally fell asleep.