"So you want to hold off on the engagement?"
I asked in a disgruntled voice as Olivia cuddled up to me. After an intense time of lovemaking and certain master-slave play, the two of us found ourselves on the bed, with Olivia tightly clutching onto me. While she loves these occasional 'plays', what she loves more is me spoiling and loving her.
"No, I want it to be done but in secret for now. I want its legitimacy to rub it on Catherine's face. Until I have your heart 100% to myself, I want to hold it back."
"I see..."
I spoke out, sounding a bit disappointed. Seeing so, Olivia panicked a bit as she spoke out.
"But if you find it difficult or hate it, I am more than open to announcing this in public!"
'Why? To get my head on a stake? Not that they can do it...'
Hiding my true thoughts, I shook off my disappointment. Giving Olivia a kiss on her nose, I spoke.
"Don't worry about it. What makes you happy makes me happy. Plus, I too find it a bit difficult to fully commit when a part of me misses Catherine."
My words caused Olivia's eyes to dangerously narrow. Seeing so, I corrected myself.
"Make no mistake, my longing is towards the family I lived with, Catherine, especially my children. The one I miss is the Catherine I was married to. You can't expect those feelings to fade."
As I finished saying so, my expression became complex, the pain of losing my children appearing on my face. This caused Olivia to look at me with pain and immense jealousy. It must be killing her inside that I already formed a family with Catherine. No doubt Olivia will be using the engagement to leverage herself above Catherine, which would inevitably bring the information to Marlene, forcing the two of them to take more powerful moves to keep Olivia in check before she gains full control.
'Though for the engagement to move forward, my family needs to agree.'
And thinking about those three women back home, I am sure that they would definitely raise another issue when this is brought forward. I'm sure my family won't allow for this engagement to move forward, but what will be difficult would be to fully commit Olivia towards not revealing our relationship.
Sure, she wants to hide it due to her pride in fully winning me over, but when my family vehemently opposes the engagement, Olivia will surely not hold herself back. She would try to talk about our relationship, or she might even ask me to open up about it. At that time, things would inevitably get dynamic for me. It would even result in me losing the complete trust of my family.
"What are you thinking about?"
Olivia suddenly asked, seeing that I went silent. I shook my head at it as I replied with a smile.
"No, just thinking about how I will bring this engagement forward to my family."
Hearing my words, Olivia shook her head at it as she replied.
"You don't have to worry about it. I just got word from my mother that she will be heading here to talk about it in person with your family."
"You do know my grandfather has a significant say in this..."
I replied.
"And my father will be taking care of things on that end..."
Olivia replied, yet still, my face looked cornered.
"What's wrong?"
Olivia asked, taking the bait. Seeing so, I responded.
"Sigh... it's nothing. I just feel like my family won't be up for the engagement."
My reply made Olivia frown as she asked.
"Why?"
"Me being engaged to you means that I will be marrying into the royal family. My mother, aunt, and grandfather have no interest in me entering the family walls of schemes and betrayal."
As I stopped speaking, I held Olivia's hand, giving silent support as I continued.
"Plus, even my reach teacher not be upon it, as the full force of the Archery Association would then be behind the Empire. I'm sure you have thought of all this, yes?"
I finished speaking with a question to which Olivia started to respond.
"Yes, I did think of all that, but I am sure that I can make all your family understand."
'I highly doubt that.'
As I kept my thoughts to myself again, Olivia continued.
"Plus, if your family is against a political joining of us, then we can simply reveal our loving relationship to them."
'Then you or I will be killed by either my or your mother.'
Then again, I can't be hurt, but not like Olivia can get out of that unscathed or alive.
"Yeah, about that, before we move on with all that, I guess it's time that I say some important things to you."
As I spoke this, my voice became unnaturally serious. While hesitation and love filled my gaze.
"What is it?"
Olivia asked back, matching the serious situation.
"Before we get in deeper, I think I should tell you the truth of me leaving my family on a travel and, above all, the truth of the things I would have to face, one in which I might not make it out alive."
My final words got Olivia's full frontal attention. Seeing so, I leaned towards the bedrest, while keeping Olivia on my body. My gaze turned toward the ceiling as I started to speak.
"Do you remember back when I fought for my sisters and awakened my bloodline?"
"Yeah,"
Olivia responded.
"Well, the story begins from there..."
...
"This... this... this..."
This is all Olivia could keep saying as I finished telling the 'truth' of my story, one that definitely shook Olivia to her core. Lots of emotions of pain, happiness, awe, and fear passed through her, and even now Olivia seems to be processing the information that I gave her.
"Shush... here... here... for now, take arest, Olivia. Organize the information that I have given you, and then we shall have a more in-depth conversation."
Speaking so, I patted Olivia's hair while keeping her head on my chest. Soon, under my words, her already tired body slowly went to sleep. Looking at Olivia's innocent sleeping body, I smiled. The future ahead will definitely be hard for me, but once I get through them, the rewards will definitely be sweet for me.
With all such thoughts, I went to sleep, hugging Olivia to myself. After all, within two days, her mother might be arriving, and in that timeframe, I have a lot to do.
...
"So you are some chosen mythical hero to lead the world to the future?"
Olivia asked as I placed the spoon into her mouth. She bit lightly as some juice from the sausage spilled from her mouth. I moved as I wiped it off with a handkerchief.
Right now, it's the next day, way into the morning. The two of us woke up refreshed, and I made breakfast, which now ended up with the two of us feeding each other. My actions brought a light blush to Olivia's cheeks.
"I won't go that far, but overall, yes."
I responded as I opened my mouth to take a bite of the food Olivia presented.
"So there is some powerful dark organization that rivals the War Council out there, that has been discreetly sowing the seeds of war and death?"
Olivia asked before which I fed her again.
"That's the gist of it."
I responded as Olivia fed me back.
"So the Corruption Era might return?"
As Olivia asked this, her voice sounded very worried, and she had the right to. The stories of the time when trust was a luxury no one could afford are horror stories passed on to all.
"That's what I am trying to stop."
I replied as I placed my utensils down.
"So you have been fighting against all this, alone?"
Olivia asked pride and worry filling her as she held my hand over the table.
"In the beginning, yes, but now I have people I trust and a powerful organization under my control."
I responded.
"The DarkNight, right?"
Olivia asked.
"Yup."
I responded, to which Olivia could only shake her head in disbelief.
"To think you have control over it. Looks like you still have things to shock the world."
Olivia said with narrowed eyes.
"That's true."
I replied with a shrug, a moment of silence settling between us. As Olivia took a deep breath and asked with utmost seriousness.
"So, are you hiding any more secrets from me?"
"Yes."
I replied instantly, plunging the room into a cold bath.
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