Parting (2)

"Well, it might not be a bad thing," Alex murmured as he reclined on the sturdy trunk of a tree, his gaze sweeping over the awakening settlement.

In a matter of minutes, his subordinates woke up and diligently readied themselves for the journey their new master had told them about last night. They had no idea where they were going to be taken and could only hope that they would be treated well.

Meanwhile, amidst the bustle of preparation, Alex scanned the assembled group, searching for a particular individual.

The one he was searching for was the woman with whom he had locked eyes as he passed by the carriage on his way to battle the level 5 monsters. Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't locate her. He didn't know what she looked like in the first place and only remembered her eyes, which were quite beautiful by the way.

'Another time, I guess,' Alex shrugged.

He had intentions to discuss matters with his subordinates on a more personal level anyway, so he figured he would encounter her then.

Soon after, the five subordinates designated by Anna rallied the others into five groups, each embarking on a different carriage.

An hour later, everything was set, and it was time to leave.

Amelia and Maya stood beside Alex, while Lilia, Anna, and Grace stood nearby. Cedrix and Anita stood across from them.

"Thanks for everything you've done for my daughter and me, Lord Alex," Cedrix bowed respectfully to Alex.

Standing beside the old man was Anita, who mirrored her father's gesture and also bowed in gratitude to Alex.

"Everything is good, old man. I simply fulfilled the promise my father made to you," Alex smiled warmly, giving Cedrix a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Where are you guys going to settle now that everything is finished?" he inquired a moment later.

Cedrix glanced between Alex and his daughter before replying, "We will return to our former home and-"

"Absolutely not!" Alex interjected firmly. "Beyond the fact that it's foolish to return to your old house, which is nothing but ash right now, it's also dangerous to stay there. Instead, you can come live in my mansion," he proposed.

The old man regarded him with suspicion and spoke, "I'm sorry, my lord, but we can't accept that. You've already done so much for us. We can't be freeloaders. My pride won't allow me to accept such a thing," Cedrix declared firmly.

Looking into the old man's eyes, Alex understood that he wasn't joking.

"If that's the case, then come and work for me," Alex suggested. "Your abilities might prove very useful to me, and with Anita's culinary skills, she can work as a chef at my mansion."

Cedrix fell silent, pondering Alex's proposition. After a moment, he nodded, "Alright, we will come live at your house."

The reason he accepted was ultimately because he still felt grateful towards Alex. If he could repay him by being at his service, there was no reason for him to refuse. Like Alex had said, they had no home to return to anyway.

"Good, good, good," Alex nodded with a pleased smile. "At least this way, I wouldn't have to separate a father from his daughter."

"Ehh, w-what do you mean, Lord Alex?" Cedrix inquired, his voice wavering slightly.

"Well, obviously after our marriage, Anita will come live with me. If you don't want to come, then it means you'll be living alone," Alex reasoned with a smirk.

Cedrix's expression instantly soured, though he managed to not pass out right now.

"Marriage... with Lord Alex... why?" The old man mumbled as he turned around and walked towards the carriages, seemingly out of it.

'At this point, I'm beginning to wonder, am I that bad?' Alex pondered, observing Cedrix's distressed state.

He shook his head and refocused on Anita, ready to tease her, but was surprised when he noticed the glare she directed at him.

Closing the distance between them with a step, he inquired, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you want to harm my father?" She asked, her eyes squinted in suspicion. "By now, I've realized that you're mentioning our marriage in front of him just to unsettle him. Is your intention to cause him harm?"

If Cedrix were here now, he'd be moved to see Anita finally behaving like the daughter he raised.

"Answer me," Anita demanded firmly.

However, in the blink of an eye, Anita's bravado evaporated.

Alex took another step closer, halting just inches from her face. "You look beautiful, especially with those fierce eyes," he complimented.

This time, it wasn't merely teasing from his end; he genuinely found Anita incredibly alluring when she was in this fierce state. It's not to say he didn't think she was beautiful otherwise; it's just that this unknown aspect of her personality intrigued him.

Anita could sense it in the way he gazed at her, causing her to shyly avert her eyes, cheeks flushed with a blush.

However, what Alex did next caught her completely off guard.

Alex drew even closer, until his torso was practically pressed against Anita's chest. With a gentle touch, he lifted her face, ensuring she met his gaze directly.

"Don't avoid my gaze," he whispered as he stared into Anita's beautiful azure eyes.

Anita nodded gently, her gaze locked onto Alex's silver eyes, seemingly captivated by them.

"You mentioned avoiding the topic of marriage when your father is present. Does that imply that you're now opposed to the idea of marrying me?" he whispered softly.

"N-No, it's not like that," Anita stammered, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I-It's just that since he seemed uncomfortable with the topic, I thought it best not to discuss it in his presence."

"So, it doesn't mean you're opposed to the marriage?" Alex inquired, his hand that was holding Anita's chin lightly caressing her right cheek.

Anita blushed and meekly shook her head. "N-No."

"I guess that settles it," Alex said with a gentle smile, releasing Anita's chin.

"T-Then if that's all, I will go rejoin my fa-"

"Wait," Alex interjected, placing his hand on Anita's shoulder to stop her. "Won't you at least give a goodbye kiss to your future husband? It might be a while before we see each other again. Don't you think it's sad if we just part like this?"

Anita flinched, her face practically turning crimson while her azure eyes flashed with a multitude of lights.

Alex grinned inwardly. He really enjoyed seeing this woman when she was embarrassed; that's actually why he couldn't resist constantly teasing her.

'However, I should probably let her know I was joking just now,' Alex mused with a wry smile, observing the blush spreading from Anita's face down to her collarbone, her hands trembling slightly.

Just as Alex opened his mouth and was about to tell Anita to relax, the latter moved with a swiftness Alex didn't think she possessed.

Anita placed each of her hands on his face and sealed her lips with his!

Alex's eyes opened wide in surprise, caught off guard by Anita's unexpected boldness.

However, he quickly got a hold of himself and kissed Anita back, savoring the divine lips of the half Virax.

If Cedrix were here to witness this scene, there is no doubt that the old man's heart would have truly surrendered this time.

Unfortunately for Alex, the kiss didn't last more than a second.

Anita let go of his face, and before he could say anything, she rushed away, a furious blush on her face.

'I did it, I did it, I did it!' she kept repeating in her head with a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment.

Soon, as she approached the carriage, a joyful smile spread across her face. 'I did it! I kissed him!'

While Alex believed she was blushing because of his demand for a goodbye kiss, the truth was that Anita was blushing because she had genuinely wanted to kiss him!

She had been wanting to do it since the moment she laid eyes on him, so when he asked for a kiss, she made up her mind to go for it!

'I hope I didn't make the wrong decision,' Anita pondered.

Meanwhile, as Anita retreated with a goofy smile on her face, Alex could be seen tracing the contours of his lips with a reflective gaze, lost in thought.

Right now, he was contemplating when he should arrange the wedding with Anita so he could claim her as his own.

Although he was attracted to Anita, the talk about the wedding was just playful teasing. However, Alex had just decided that he was going to take this matter seriously and make Anita his wife, and the sooner, the better.

In that moment, Alex was jolted out of his daydream when he heard:

"Just look at him, one kiss and he had forgotten about everything else," someone remarked with a deep sigh.

"Mm, looks like he's forgotten about us as well," another voice added, humming in agreement.