Crimson Overlord

Chapter 193 Awakening 2 

Night fell.

The last radiance of the sun vanished underneath the horizon, only to be replaced by the darkness that enfolded the world inside the ruin. The clouds drifting in the air were also smeared in a dark hue. Lily went to sleep alone in her special tent. Orpheus was sleeping in his tent as well, the same for Illya and Hellion. Deep in the middle of her sleep, Lily found herself in a situation like a spectator watching a play. A woman and a man seemingly on a date. 
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Since she was always casual with her dress and appearance, he now felt that her beauty was even more spellbinding when she cared about her appearance. 

He was sure that if he walked outside now with her arms tucked in his, it would surely carry away the breath of both men and women of any age. She gave off the feeling that no men were worthy enough to lay eyes upon her. But he knew that no matter who or what she was, whether he was worthy or not, he would never let go of her. 
"You are so beautiful Emea." 
The woman felt over the moon hearing his loving and sweet compliment. Her eyebrows which seemed as if they were brushed on a canvas, raised as her eyes smiled in happiness. She hugged him intimately and felt how warm his chest was. A strange feeling of absolute safety and warmth always filled her body whenever she was in his embrace. 
The first time she felt this was when she asked to let him sleep with her for the first time, and since then, strangely, she couldn't sleep without him. 
Her attachment to him developed at an abnormal speed, and it increased even more, especially after seeing he didn't back down knowing who she was. No matter how short or long the time she spent with him, she felt as if she had been with him for years, and a strange void in her heart would always be filled whenever he was near her. She wouldn't feel complete without him, and his existence gave meaning to her life. The black-haired man kissed the woman's forehead and smiled as he pointed towards one of the chairs put out near the table he had prepared, "Now, let's take a seat and have dinner. I have something special to give you. Otherwise, this dinner wouldn't be special:' Her eyes sparkled, hearing that the man wanted to give her a gift. She happily nodded and quickly took a seat and looked at him in anticipation of what he was going to give her. 
She turned her head when the delectable aroma of the food he prepared wafted through her nose. It was something she loved. Mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of peas, rare roast beef slices as thin as paper, noodles in a green sauce, cheese that melts on one's tongue served with sweet blue grapes. The vivid colors of the food spoke to its freshness and the bold flavors to come and she knew she was going to enjoy it. Moving her eyes around the woman was greatly impressed with how warm and beautiful the garden looked now with all the string lights and candles, highlighting the beautiful flowers and plants even more. 
The man sat opposite her and asked with a charming smile, it seems like you love what I have done with the place:' Upon hearing his words she gave a bright smile as she said, 'Yes. It looks so beautiful, especially with the surrounding view. I feel very fresh and happy sitting here and having dinner like this. This is way better than going to those luxurious restaurants:' The two happily ate their food while lovingly gazing into each other's eyes, while at times they would look at the scenic view outside and enjoy it. However, the woman couldn't stop wondering what the man was going to give her, especially her first gift from him. He finished his meal, and after drinking some wine, he asked her, "You are curious about why I have set up all of this right?" Naturally, the woman nodded, saying she was not curious would be an understatement, so she was waiting for him to tell her everything and the man knew this. He stood up and gestured towards him to take his hand. The woman slowly got up and placed her hand on his palm while maintaining her gaze on his eyes. He pulled her towards the balustrade while facing the full moon, hanging up in the skies right above the waterfall. As he gazed at the beautiful view in front of him, he asked her, You remember asking me about love, right? You now know how to love someone, but still, there is more to it that you don't know yet. Love is not just about living together but a promise we fulfill for the rest of our lives, even after our deaths! He looked into her eyes, "And want us to make this promise by marrying each other" An exquisite ring with two pear-shaped diamonds placed on either side of a brilliant cushion-cut white floated from above and hovered before the woman's eyes against the backdrop of the full 
moon. 
Seeing the artful and glimmering ring which gave off a subtle silver spark, her eyes got transfixed on it. 
Her lips partially opened with a dazed expression and held the hovering ring in between her fingers. She slowly turned her gaze over to the man with an overwhelmed expression and mumbled as her eyes became moist with happiness, "Orpheus, do want to marry me? Knowing my identity?" She could not help but ask this question as she felt fear, she was afraid he would reject her even when she knew he was still present after discovering her secret. She thought today's date, this dinner, everything was just his last gift before parting ways with her, never would she have expected something like this, so she was still unsure, wondering if she was not dreaming or he was not playing with her because she hide her identity. The man shook his head slowly, which made the woman's eyes lose their glow, but his next words spirited up her eyes again, "Of course, I want you as you are already my woman, and you don't have to worry about your past or identity as none of them matter to me. I, Orpheus Kyle Blake, ask Emealeena Von Hestia if she would be willing to marry me, Orpheus asked with a dazzling smile. Emea's lips arched into a beatific smile, her eyes turned misty as she nodded fervidly, "Yes!" Emea didn't expect Orpheus would suddenly propose to her out of nowhere and saw marriage as a distant thing that one would only do before having a child. She then thought that she thought too much about it, and a couple can also be married without having a child as well. As he said, marriage was a promise for staying together forever. 
But she didn't understand what the ring was for and wondered if it 
had anything to do with marriage. Still, she was feeling so euphoric that her heart couldn't stop itself from fluttering nonstop. Orpheus saw her keenly looking at the ring and chuckled as he took it from her forgers, "I want to put this ring on your finger so that it symbolizes the eternity and dedication to being lifetime partners! He took her dainty and tender white left hand onto his palm and inserted the ring onto her ring finger, which perfectly fit her finger. 
He continued, And with this, we already promise to love, protect, and cherish each other even if only the embers of our souls are left! Feeling the cold and elegant ring decorated proudly around her finger, she felt a sense of bliss she never felt before, and understanding the meaning of having this ring; she already decided to hold on to it and protect it as if it was her life. "For now, you will be my fiance because we can only officially marry after what we came here for," He said softly. Emea's expression, however, didn't change as this was more than enough for her. So, she simply nodded with a smile while appreciating the ring on her finger. "This is a handmade ring that I made myself for you. Do you like it?' He asked with a dashing smile. 
Emea's gaze moved over to his starry black eyes and nodded with a besotted expression, "I love it..." She cupped his face while intensely gazing into his eyes—' and I love you... Orpheus' "I love you too Emea." Orpheus declared before sealing her lips with a kiss. In that kiss was the sweetness of passion, a million loving thoughts condensed into a moment. 
And Lily who was watching this could feel it however what shocked 
her more was the identity of the man, his name, his face, and the woman that looks like her. 
Snap! Suddenly, Lily heard the sound of something snapping inside her and it happened.