Aldria was still in Dante's lap, and several minutes had passed. She silently accepted it, feeling the man's touch on her hair—something she had never experienced. She was a difficult woman, and there had never been a man capable of handling her... until she met Dante. Well, you could say he was a significant weakness for her.
A man she couldn't read, who didn't have a strong, formed ideal that she could exploit. He was a free being, an independent spirit who did and said what he wanted, when and how he wanted. That's Dante in Aldria's eyes, and honestly... for a woman who had lived for others her entire life... Dante was truly admirable in that regard.
And that was what attracted her to him—he was a wandering spirit, free from the world yet bound to it.
He went out when he wanted, ate when he wanted, had fun; anything interesting, he was there enjoying it. The case of the Devouring Worm was an example—she had heard numerous times that he did all that with just one thing, a big smile on his face.
Dante lived only within his own possibilities. He couldn't measure the problems of others; after all, they weren't his problems. At the same time, he understood and tried to help everyone, even though he didn't care about the problems he caused. And that was really strange, so strange it was interesting in her eyes...
"Why do I feel this way..." she thought. Her chest was tight, as if something really wrong was happening to her... "Is this me rejecting my feelings? Or is this me falling in love with him?" she wondered. She didn't know, and this wasn't a problem that could be resolved with just questions. However...
just feeling that man's hand caressing her with so much care, with so much love... she couldn't ignore it...
They had been silent for a long time, Dante just sitting on his throne of pure blood, which was really rigid, and Aldria on his lap, with her eyes closed.
"You seem to like this," he said, breaking the silence. She didn't respond, just hid her face. She really seemed like just a scared little girl with her feelings, unlike the woman he had met almost a month ago, who had intimidated him when she entered his office to talk. He remembered that day clearly.
"You didn't think you could handle me, did you?" Dante said, smiling, like a passing memory, and Aldria's heart sped up slightly.
"You're a fool, Aldria," Dante whispered, his voice loaded with gentleness and passion, very different from when he first interacted with her. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, he held her thighs while squeezing her body closer to him. "I told you that you wouldn't defeat me easily." He said it very close to her ears, causing a complete shiver through her body.
"L-let me go," she said, feeling Dante's firm grip, looking at him with a mix of... she didn't even know what she felt, so many conflicts... Dante was too strong for her to handle, and she knew that, she had always known.
"This possessive man..." she murmured, her eyes fixed on his, which had an overwhelming intensity. She could feel the warmth of his body, the smell of his red hair. She couldn't take it anymore; she was about to give in to temptation.
His words were not just empty talk. Aldria understood few things about Dante, but one thing she realized from talking to her niece, Velryna, was that... Dante loved, loved more than anything else. He was an irrational man who would wipe out an entire continent if necessary, if his wife asked for it. She already knew she was a target.
She tried in every way not to fall for this man, tried everything... but her heart wouldn't allow it. Her previous relationship... was just a façade. She was married to a man who didn't even touch her. It was a one-sided relationship...
on her part. She was nothing more than a woman substituting for the real wife of that fallen Emperor.
"I-I..." She murmured, her eyes slightly filled with tears. She was feeling something that... she didn't even know if it could be called happiness, or something close to it. It was a warmth in her chest so... comforting.
"There are many reasons for me being here and now, but do they matter? A promise to a dead Emperor? Does that really matter? I want nothing more than for him to stay dead, after all, with him dead I can have you for myself," Dante said, lifting the woman and placing her close to him, forehead to forehead.
"If you want to be truly loved, to feel everything someone can offer you, to be the real woman you are, without worrying about your problems, be mine." Dante said, seriously, like an ultimatum.
"But if you want to go back to your life of abandonment, your sad and dark life behind the shadow of an emperor, do as you wish and I will never seek you out again." His words were serious and even a bit sad, but Aldria...
"I..." She lowered her head without looking at him. She was in her last cycle of denial and this man... "You are cruel," she said, coming to her senses, her tone changing completely, her core rejuvenated as she finally said, "Alright." In a sigh of relief, she spoke without fear. "I accept to be yours." And before she could hear anything else, her lips were taken by a smoldering heat.
A calm but comforting kiss with the right warmth, an encounter that seemed to have much to say but nothing to hear, silent and calm, like the woman herself. He gently pulled away from her lips, meeting her eyes, and this time, she didn't look away for a second. She resolved to be the empress she had always been, appearing more confident and resolute than ever.
"You are mine now," he whispered, his voice filled with possession and protection. "And I will protect you, love you, and cherish you as you deserve."
Aldria nodded, a slight smile forming on her lips. For the first time in a long time, she felt a renewed hope, a soft warmth of his love touching her, a purpose that went beyond her obligations and painful past.
"Aldria Scarlet... it really does sound good," he said with a smile, giving another silent kiss to the woman in his arms.
Aldria couldn't say anything more. She had fallen into the clutches of the Demon King.