Ashtoria froze, her body still resting on Riven’s lap. Her eyes remained fixed on his face, but her thoughts had drifted far… into the deep layers of memories and scars she had buried for so long.

“I love you.”

She could tell without a doubt that the man before her meant every word he said. There was no hesitation in his eyes, no false warmth in his tone. Just quiet, steady sincerity.

The sentence lingered in her mind, echoing like a voice in a hollow corridor. Riven’s voice, low and raspy, seemed to wrap around her, refusing to fade—like a spell etched into her memory. To most, those words might have sounded simple, even ordinary. But to her, they felt sacred. Priceless. Irreplaceable.

She closed her eyes slowly, letting those words seep into the frozen chambers of her heart. And for the first time in her life… she felt a real warmth. Not warmth from magic or fire, but something far deeper—an inner flame that could only be lit by love.

Ashtoria tried to recall: had anyone ever said those words to her before?

No. Not a single soul.

Her father gave orders as she was dragged away. Her mother stood in silence as whips tore into her back without mercy. Her brothers and sisters once threw stones at her. They laughed when one hit her face, then called her a demon, a disgrace, a curse on the family.

Her extended relatives labeled her a mistake that should never have been born. They wanted her gone. The servants avoided her. The guards obeyed her out of fear, not respect. And the people she protected? They mocked her behind her back—calling her a cold-blooded monster, a demon who delighted in cruelty.

True love… had never existed in her life. Only wounds, humiliation, and solitude.

And now, the man before her—who had no idea how much those words truly meant—had given her something more precious than anything else: the feeling that she… was loved.

Her eyes opened again. She looked at Riven in silence, and when their gazes met, the emotions she had long suppressed began to stir, to erupt in silence.

Something inside her had changed.

Since the moment she first met Riven, she had already liked him. His modest appearance. The way he spoke to her without fear. His honest eyes and kind words. But back then, she thought it was just fascination—infatuation, like a queen enchanted by a rare object she wanted to claim. Like a cherished possession she wished to keep for herself.

But now… it was no longer that.

That feeling had grown. It had taken root. It had spread through her like wildfire until she could barely breathe.

She truly loved this man.

A love strong enough to make her spill blood for anyone who dared touch him. A love that made her want to drag Riven into her world and lock him there forever. And yet… also a love that made her want to protect him, even if it cost her life.

No—it wasn’t something that had just begun. She had loved him with that intensity from the very start. Only now did she fully understand it. Now, she was certain. Her love burned so fiercely, it felt as if it could tear the whole world apart.

In her mind, the future began to take shape.

Once all of this chaos was over… once the traitors had been silenced, the enemies obliterated, and everything standing in their way burned to ash… she would bring Riven to her palace. She would bathe him in flower-scented water, dress him in the finest royal silks, and before the eyes of the world… she would marry him.

Not just as a queen.

But as a woman.

As his.

Completely.

And no one—no soul in this world—would have the right to take Riven from her.

Ashtoria remained silent. But inside her chest, her heart pounded so violently it felt like it might shatter under the storm of emotions rolling within her.

Meanwhile, Riven had no idea what was happening inside the woman before him. He simply gazed at her softly, his forehead still pressed against hers, their noses brushing like lovers sharing warmth in the dead of winter.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t move.

As if he instinctively understood that words were no longer necessary.

Their breaths mingled, warm and slow. The air between them felt like a small, sacred space—occupied only by two people… two souls… two wounds that had finally found each other.

And in that silence—so sacred, so fragile—even though not a single word was spoken, everything had already been said.

About love.

About pain.

About the deep, irrational desire to belong to one another.

And most of all…

About choice.

Because from this moment on, for Ashtoria, there was only one path forward.

And Riven had placed himself right at the center of the storm that was her love.

Riven stared quietly at Ashtoria’s face. Behind the calm gleam in her eyes, he realized something so simple, yet so profound—he knew nothing about this woman.

He didn’t know what she liked. What she hated. Her favorite food. Her hobbies. Or even her past—a past that clearly had no place for happiness. The only pieces he had were fragments from when she revealed her identity to him.

He had once chosen to keep his distance. A line he wouldn’t cross—out of caution, perhaps, or an unconscious desire not to get too involved.

But now, everything had changed.

He had made up his mind: he wanted to be with her. Seriously. Genuinely. And if that was true, then he needed to begin understanding her, little by little. Even the smallest things.

He waited until Ashtoria calmed down, until her tears had stopped falling. Then, with gentle fingers, he wiped away the last trace that clung to her cheek.

His gaze softened. With a playful tone, he spoke, trying to lighten the mood.

“Asha… you never answered my question from earlier. Where did you learn… those things?”

The question lingered in the air. Ashtoria didn’t reply—not with words. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him softly.

This kiss was different. Slower. Calmer. A gesture not of passion, but of peace.

Riven returned the kiss, then slowly laid them both down on the bed. Their hands remained clasped. Their breaths in sync.

When he pulled back slightly, Ashtoria looked into his eyes and whispered, “I learned it from Daphne.”

Riven cursed silently. Of course… that damned noblewoman.

Ashtoria then asked, innocently, “Did you not like it?”

Riven laughed under his breath. Her question was so sincere, so disarming.

“I liked it,” he said. “But promise me something, Asha.”

She blinked at him, curious. “What is it?”

“Don’t take advice like that from others again. Not from Daphne. Not from books. Not from anyone.” He paused, his smile turning playful. “If you want to learn… things like that, let me teach you. I may be a pure-hearted virgin, but I know quite a bit about that stuff.”

Ashtoria tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“If it’s you teaching me,” she said quietly, “I’d like that.”

“So you promise?”

She smiled, eyes warm. “I promise.”

Riven’s smile widened as he spoke in a teasing tone. “In that case, shouldn’t you take responsibility for getting my ‘little brother’ all worked up?” His voice was gentle as his fingers traced the line of Ashtoria’s jaw in a provocative caress.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep