"This sucks."

"It's only rain, Yami."

"Like I said, it sucks."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, while looking at the parchment she was holding, reading it probably for the nineth or tenth time. At least. It was actually a miracle that this fucking vulnerable piece of paper was still dry, while they were standing outside, under a fucking shower provided by Mother Nature and were only covered by this luxury umbrella he hold over themselves.

What was he doing here anyway, except for having an excuse to be with his Prickly Queen?

Ah, yes. Common Realm, thefts, mission with Asta and the giant girl, searching for clues. Got it.

Yami didn't forgot, of course. It was just that Prickly Queen was way more fascinating to focus on than the mission. Granted, it was an important mission, about a very serious matter. But still!

Of course, with all those thievery acts going on for months, even the captains were personally involved in the mission from time to time and teamwork between the squads always happened from time to time again. But as much as happy he was to be at Charlottes side right now, her mere presence was distracting him heavily from the current mission. Not that he would have exchange her with another squad, but that wasn't how Yami would chose to spend his time with his Prickly Queen. And if he would have chosen another squad, only the Purple Orcas, because he was always in a foul mood when he missed Charlotte too much and Kaiser was at least aware of his feelings.

"You know that rain can be also soothing, cosy and romantic, right?" Charlotte said in a very casual tone, while putting the parchment back into a pocket, without getting it wet. Seriously, how was she doing that? This woman was amazing.

"Yeah, when you are inside," Yami replied, trying his best to not move the umbrella. "I can't imagine rain being soothing, cosy or romantic when our outside, be it under the umbrella or directly under the piss of the sky. Although… it can be very much sensual for the last part. Wanna get rid of the umbrella and fool around under the pouring piss?"

"Yami!" Charlotte protested, blushing furiously. Gosh, he loved the effect he had on her and a blushing Prickly Queen was always a sight to see.

"What? Don't you want to try something new for our… how did you call it lately… special tango sessions?"

"That's… that's not the point! We're on a mission, remember? A very important mission even! That's already one point that speaks against doing a… how did you call it lately… beddance right here, right now! There's even no bed nearby. And second, Sol and Asta are with us on this mission! Not to mention Finral who has to wait for us until we got what we came for! We can't do that while the three of them are nearby!"

"Well, as long as they don't discover us, it could still be exciting."

"YAMI!"

"I was just teasing you, Prickly Queen, don't worry."

"That wasn't a funny teasing, just saying."

"Yeah, okay… sorry, my bad. Let's say I was badly half teasing. But I mean it, I'd rather spent time with you as lovers and not as captain colleagues who have to wait for their stupid knights until they got what we came here for and under a pouring rain even! What's taking the stupid cupcake and the giant girl even so long!"

"If it can give you any comfort, I'll remind you that Finral has to wait for the four of us as well. And I'm sure he would have prefer to be with Finesse right now."

"Yeah, but that jerk is lucky to be at the inn right now, so except for missing his lady wife, he has nothing to complain about. Unlike me. Why didn't we stay at the inn and let Finral out in the pouring sky piss waiting for Asta and your fangirl?"

"Her name is Sol, Yami, Sol Marron. And if I remember correctly, it was you who insisted to come out there, because there was no gamble at the inn and because the innkeeper told you that each room has been booked for the night, especially those with . So, it's on you. And don't you dare to be contradictory! Like Vanessa said, it would make you sound like an old bigot noble lady."

Yami would have loved to reply something, but that would have indeed make him sound like old bigot noble lady, with how contradictory it was. So he keep quiet. He wouldn't admit it though. He still have some pride after all. But with Prickly Queen, it was less difficult to lose a part of it. He loved her too much, after all.

"If it's reassuring you, we finish the rest of this evening and spend the night together," Charlotte said after a while, in a much softer tone. "Although it won't change much, since we're spending practically each night together."

"True. But still, that sounds like a plan. Finally something to look forward to on this shitty day."

"You always look forward to it."

"Don't say you don't, Prickly Queen, that would be a lie."

Charlotte smiled and gosh, she was making him melt again with that smile. How does it made her so much more beautiful than she already was, on the outside AND on the inside? And why was this enough to make every part of his body react immediately, even those that only should react in the bedroom?

Yami look quickly left and right, before putting a small kiss on her lips, to which Charlotte immediately gave in. He might have complain that Sol and Asta were taking their sweet time not even five minutes ago, but right now it was more a blessing than a pain.

This kiss just ended up leading to another one. And another one. And another one.

"Okay, enough for now," Charlotte sighed after breaking their kiss for the fourth or fifth time. "If we continue, we might lose all notion of time and place again, which would lead Sol and Asta to see us. They don't know yet about us and we both know that it's not easy for at least Asta to hold a secret."

"Yeah, that stupid rookie is nice and well-meaning and all, but once others are starting to ask questions, he has a lot of struggle to keep it. And he's an idiot, so it's better to not tell him yet anything."

"He reminds me a bit of you. Not entirely though, he is nicer to everyone than you are."

"Hey, I'm nice!"

"Asta is more open with his kindness than you are."

"Whatever."

He might say that, but Yami was proud of his brat. Asta came a long way, always surpassing his limits and maturing along the way, without losing his positive attitude. He's will continue to need that for his future.

At least Asta had been declared innocent almost immediately after the whole raid in Spade. Those stick-ass nobles haven't really changed his mind about him, but at least it was now official his rookie brat had nothing to do with the whole elf reincarnation drama and that the devil behind said drama wasn't Liebe. Oh there had been some wannabe semi-try to still make the scapegoat out of Asta, but that scale jerk had never listened to any of them to make his second judgment.

As much as Yami hated the guts of this judge with the stupid mole, he had to admit that at least Damnatio never took any bribery and let those cloud his judgement. That ignorance of bribery was something he had to give that scale jerk. And that Damnatio respected Julius more than his own Head of House, that stupid gaudy king.

Yami didn't like to admit respectable things to people he hated, but if he wouldn't do that, he surely wouldn't be better than those close-minded nobles.

Speaking of close-minded nobles…

"Anything new from your bitch aunt?"

"Rosamund? Nothing new to tell, she's still trying to persuade me that Reginald Évantail should be my future husband. While most other members of house Roselei are suggesting more than one candidate at least, it seems that Rosamund wants to make me believe that being lord Reginalds sixth wife is the only marital option for me."

"She's not giving up on that? Geez, what a bitch auntie. Reggie is old enough to be either your old man or your gramps, not to mention he already has a lot of brats just as unsufferable like him."

"Insufferable is the right word. Since the ball is now in barely a week, he started to court me more openly, with Rosamunds support. And no, don't try to kill him, as appealing the thought is for me!"

"I haven't said anything?"

"But you were thinking it, I saw it with how dark your eyes got. I don't need Ki know what you think."

She really didn't. Damn woman, she had such a grip on him.

"What does he try to court you?"

"Oh, the usual things. Flowers, chocolates, promises he doesn't intend to keep… Also some gaudy jewellery that isn't my style at all. But those I can give it to my mother, she uses it to pay the ball clothes she offers some of your squad members."

"Probs to Blue Rose Mama, thanks to her those jewellery is getting a good use. I can't believe she managed to bring Grey to the dressmaker and to have her made a whole new model of gown! Not even Vanessa has managed to get Grey to buy some new or fancy clothes before. Your mom is a genius, Prickly Queen."

"Thank you, Yami. Is Grey happy with her new ball dress?"

"It was difficult to tell with how shy and embarrassed she was about the whole ordeal, but yeah. She's happy about it. And it made Gauche speechless when she tried it on for my other brats to see it. Ya know, I'm not that interested about that fashion crap, but Blue Rose Mama did hit the jackpot for Grey with this silver dress."

"I'm glad to hear it… Speaking of ball clothes, hasn't she took the decision to make you dress properly for the ball."

Yami flinched. Ah yes, there was something. Something that was a pain and a future Yami problem he sadly had to deal with in the present. Too bad that he was practically becoming more or less a child again in front of his future mother-in-law. But Orchidea had such punching arguments…

His reaction made Charlotte smirk in amusement. Damn, it was irritating when she was like this with him and even worse, it made him so terribly hot for her again. How was Charlotte able to become so hot and sensual with just a superior smirk? Should he ask Owen about that, just in case it wasn't normal?

But this would also mean he would be forced to tell old Owen about his relationship with Charlotte and that was a future Yami problem that should STAY a future Yami problem. So, the answer was actually no, he was able to deal with Charlottes hot and sensual superior smirk alone.

"Yeah, Blue Rose Mama haven't left me any other choice. Honestly, I have thought it would have just been easier to just wear my nicest undershirt and a Black Bull that might be not too much ripped, but-"

"Yami, I know that you don't want to clean up for the nobles and that your squad wouldn't mind at all. But… honestly, I would like to see you wearing elegant clothes for once. Just for this occasion, so that this ball wouldn't be only a bother for us. So, for me…"

For her… Blue Rose Mama had come up with this argument as well and despite his doubts, it was the only reason why Yami even accepted to wear a suit or whatever was elegant enough for a ball. But having Charlotte confirming what her mother already mentioned, for some reason it made Yamis resolve even stronger.

Damn Prickly Queen. There was no other woman like her.

But just as he was about to reply, a loud voice he knew way too well had to interrupt them, plopping their bubble under the umbrella.

"Captain Yami, captain Charlotte, we're here!"

"I can see that, you little moron, you don't need to destroy my poor delicate eardrums with your yell."

"Sorry!"

"Asta, what did I just said!"

That kid was going to be the death of him, Yami knew that. Okay, Asta was more a man than a kid right now, but still.

"Sol, did everything went fine?" Charlotte asked her fangirl while fighting the urge to roll her eyes, at least from what he could tell from her Ki.

"We got a letter that the leader of the thieves probably sent, sister!"

"How many times already did I told you, Sol? Call me captain."

"You got it, sister!"

Was something wrong with Giant Girl's ears? She certainly heard clearly what Prickly Queen told her right now! Either that or she actually heard very well and just didn't care. No, that was impossible too, Giant Girl respected Prickly Queen to a pedestal level. He thought that his brats were complicated, but it seems that the Blue Roses had their very own quirks and weirdness as well.

Yami was surprised that he didn't mind it at all. He actually liked that the squad of his Prickly Queen had its own weirdness as well. Or rather, Yami liked as long as he was just a mere observer, not when he was thrown in this kind of bullshit.

In the meantime, Charlotte opened the strange letter Asta gave her to read it. She immediately her frowned while reading and Yami got an uneasy, really uneasy feeling as he himself read her Ki.

Something was of and he didn't like it at all.

"Is something the matter, Prickly Queen?"

"Well, whoever is behind those thefts, that person must be very organized. The letters don't make any sense, he or she must use some kind of code. We have to bring this to the Magic Knights Headquarters, there's a department that also is active for any kind of decoding. If we know what is truly written in this letter, we're going to be able to finally know what is really behind all those thievery."

"Why even stealing in the first place and taking such precautions to hide, letting others do the dirty work?" Asta asked, clearly angry. Those thievery acts in the Common Realm were very upsetting for someone as fair as him.

"There can be many reasons, Asta," Charlotte replied calmly. All those visits with the Black Bulls had teached her how to act with each and every one of them, sometimes even better than Yami would ever on certain topics. "So many that we shouldn't assume anything before we have more concrete ideas about what is exactly going on behind those thievery acts. Now, we have to join Finral and go back to the royal capital."

"You two brats will go home with Finral once we're back at the capital, in which it will hopefully not pour like here. Prickly Queen and will bring that shitty piece of paper to Headquarters ourselves. This is some serious business, it's our duty."

Yami could feel Charlottes glance on him. She wasn't stupid, of course she immediately saw through the excuse. They didn't need to bring that letter to the Magic Knights Headquarters themselves, especially not because they were captains. A letter owl would have been more than enough.

But she didn't say anything. She was able to hide better than him, but Charlotte also just couldn't wait to be alone with him again.

Thankfully, Sol and Asta believed it immediately, so they didn't protested. Finral might have some suspicions, but hopefully he was missing his beloved Finesse too much to even point it out.

Which was actually the case when they came back to the inn and told Finral anything. His poor wheels looked like so grateful to finally being able to go home, especially when Yami told him he would go home by his own.

Oh, Yami had no doubt Finral will have some suspicions after he was rested and got his daily dose of Finesse. But well, that was future Yamis problem and Finral was thankfully too nice to use threats to get the truth out of his beloved captain.

Once back at the royal capital, everything went quick. Finral opened a portal to the Blue Rose base for Sol, another to the Black Bulls hideout for Asta and a third to his own house for himself, while Charlotte and Yami dropped the compromising letter at the right department within Headquarters before flying back to the Blue Rose base secretly.

And under the rain. Why was it more or less always raining when he had decided to not use Finral as chauffeur to get somewhere? Yami really hoped it wasn't some divine punishment for having used Finral as wheels for so long.

Once back in Charlottes room, Yami finally felt relaxed and ready to rest. He sighed deeply as he let himself fall on the canopy bed, making the mattress have a strange sound for some reason.

Damn, he loved that bed.

"I hope you're not destroying my bed by jumping on it," Charlotte teased him from her private bathroom.

"Nah, you're noble ass bed is sturdy enough, Prickly Queen."

"Noble ass? I thought you liked my bed!"

"Only when you're in there with me, your thorny majesty, so would you please stop making me wait? You don't need to change clothes, ya know. Ya going to lose them anyway, so why bother."

"Since you actually said please, I'll do that."

Not even ten seconds later, she was in his arms and they were heavily making out. Now he finally didn't felt pissed of anymore.

Yami knew that they still needed to talk a bit. About that shitty ball, her bitch aunt and Reggie trying to woo her, that new letter they just found and probably more things he haven't thought about before.

But with how thirsty he was for her, Yami knew that he won't be able to have concentration for other things for a while. Damn his thirst for Charlotte, but thank goodness it made him so happy and less lazy afterwards.

So, they both got naked, caressing each other, only knowing their bodies and becoming one. This was what Yami wanted for the rest of his life and right with the Black Bulls, he would fight to get that life together with Charlotte.

Nozel sighed more or less with relief as he closed the door behind him. It was fine. His siblings were away from here. Solid was on a mission and his sisters were with Mimosa and Océane for some kind of sleepover back at the Vermillion Palace.

They weren't here. It would be fine. Nebra, Solid and Noelle wouldn't be forced to the all-men soirée that Lac Silva was having right now, with some elite members of royalty and nobility. Or rather, nobles and royals that were blind to his schemes.

An all-men event that may be was, but Lac would always made an exception for his daughters. Or rather, his female chess pieces. To show them off, to plan his future strategy within never ending game with them.

It had already been like this when they were children. Lac having all-men soirées at the Silva Palace for the rare times he had been there in the first place, and trying to make Nozel and his siblings attend to a soirée like this. One time he had succeeded. Solid had just been born a few days ago, Acier still resting from the difficult birth. So, Lac had no hurdles to make Nozel and Nebra attend a soirée like this. An event Nozel always hated to remember, especially when some nobles started to talk about Nebras mist magic and how it wasn't really appropriate for battles. It had made Nebra started to cry and Nozel had to sneak away during the discussion about future weddings to bring her back into her room. He had with her until she calmed down and fell asleep.

Nozel sometimes wondered if Nebra decided to become a Magic Knight in the end only to prove nobles wrong about her mist magic.

But it had been the only time and today as well, none of his siblings were at the palace. They were safe. Now, all Nozel needed to do was to avoid his fathers' chambers and salons – never had Nozel been so grateful that Lacs rooms were on the other of the castle – as well as hoping that his father wouldn't come over and knocking at his door.

He had thought to do something similar like his siblings and spending the evening, as well as the whole night outside of the Silva Palace. Maybe he could have gone visit Vanessa at the Black Bulls hideout in secret and for once, they could have spent the night together in her room instead of his.

But Nozel knew better than leaving the castle alone with Niccolo inside.

He had written a short letter to Vanessa, asking her if she could come over. His siblings out of the Silva Palace was their salvation for tonight, but at the same time, him alone in this old castle…

He felt so terribly lonely.

The Silva palace always had felt kinda empty and lonely, given how many Silvas died young or in celibacy before, leaving only four members left. But with his mother, there had always been still joy and laughter, filling the rooms, the hallways, the balconies…

It had still felt like home.

But after Acier died… It hadn't been his home anymore, only the place he lived. It was even more empty, lonelier than probably in the past, when his grandmother, his mother and his aunt happened to be the only Silvas left, with him in his mother's womb.

Nozel sighed in frustration? Why hasn't he done anything before against the loneliness in the Silva Palace?

He really did so many mistakes.

Sighing, he looked over at his room, how bare it was for a royal. Even Noelles bedchamber had more in it, even though she mostly lived with the Black Bulls today.

In a way, the Silva Palace hadn't been his home anymore after his mother died. Just the place he happened to live most of the time.

It only started to feel like home again with Vanessa…

It felt like home again when he was with her and when she was away, that feeling was missing. As if she became his home in a way.

Hadn't someone said one day that home wasn't automatically a place, it could be people as well?

Nozel saw that it was raining outside, even pouring. Has it been selfish to ask Vanessa to come at the palace in this weather? But he really wanted to see her, to be with her, to feel safe again, to listen to her rants, her worries and her joy. In that case, should he have flown at her place instead?

Well, what's done is done. Nozel decided to have a warm bath ready for her, like always when she came to visit him while it was raining.

Nozel smiled as he searched for her soap. Vanessa hadn't really moved in, but it still looked a bit like it. There was a lot of potions, potion ingredients and utensils in his bathroom and his walk-in closet, as well as some of her clothes – she told him once that her closet at home was too tiny for all of her clothes – towels and products like her shampoo, her rose water and her rose soap.

It was almost like they had some domestic life together already. All Nozel hope that they could have this fully in the future.

Would Vanessa feel at home at the Silva Palace?

Was it too early to ask this question?

When the bath was ready, Nozel heard his balcony window open. Vanessa was here.

"Gosh, what a weather. I love rain, but it's not a piece of cake when you have to fly while it's pouring."

Nozel grabbed a towel – one of his own, he noticed – and left the bathroom to greet Vanessa. She immediately jumped in his arms before he could even say anything.

"Hi there, honey. Is something happening with your… with Lac?"

A wave of love washed over Nozels heart. It was not only amazing that Vanessa immediately knew what was wrong before he even said anything, but also that she started to not call Lac his father.

"He organized an all-men soirée… here at the palace."

"Excuse me? He's not the Head of house Silva, does he have even the right to do that without at least your approval? Why is he acting like the Big Boss or something?"

"He got a special allowance for such things from the two other royal heads, after my mother died."

"Without your consent?"

"It was one voice against two others, so… And since I was only fifteen, neither my father nor Achilles Vermillion and king Augustus' father considered my opinion rather childish and by that, not really mattering."

"And at the same time, they expected of you to do all your duties as a royal house head perfectly from the start, being a full grown ass adult already. Why are those stupid royals always so contradictory?"

That was a very good question, honestly. But despite being a royal himself, he had himself no answer to that.

"I have a bath ready for you," Nozel said while Vanessa tried to dry her hair a bit with the towel.

"Will you join me in my bath?"

Now this made Nozel blush, making his girlfriend giggle. Vanessa was clearly teasing him, he lost count about how many times she asked him this kind of question already.

"Come on, we haven't done that yet and there's nothing you haven't seen already, handsome eagle. Besides, you asked me to come so you wouldn't be alone while your father is having a fancy party to glorify himself."

"I… I had a shower already. But… if you want, I'll sit beside you while you're taking your bath."

"That's a start. After all babies need to crawl first before they're able to walk."

What was that supposed to mean?

Nozel frowned, but didn't replied, following Vanessa into his private bathroom instead.

She was right, there was nothing he haven't seen already. But sometimes, he still blushed around her and it wasn't helping with her kind teasing. Nozel didn't care, though. He was happy with her, even while he was blushing. It just felt so right.

Vanessa quickly get rid of her clothes and entered the bath, a content sigh escaping her lips. Nozel took a chair and sit down right next to his tub.

"Gosh, I LOVE your bathtub, honey. It's so relaxing! We have two common baths back at the hideout, one for the boys, the other for us girls and I love taking a bath with Noelle, Nero, Grey and Charmy. But a bath alone is such a nice luxury."

A cheeky smirk appeared on her lips and she started to let a finger glide up and down his nose. "But you know what would be even better than a relaxing bath alone or a fun one with my friends? A romantic bath with my handsome boyfriend."

Nozel blushed again. "I'm… I promise you, one day I'll… join you."

"I won't force you, so take all the time you need. And tell me if I tease too much."

Her teasing was never too much. In fact, Vanessa was the only person in the world he could accept the teasing from without feeling frustrated or terribly embarrassed immediately. She made him blush, yes, in a way that was just kind.

"Where are your siblings tonight?" Vanessa asked after a while.

"Solid is on a mission. Nebra and Noelle are at the Vermillion Palace, having some kind of sleepover with Mimosa and aunt Océane."

"Oh, a royal sleepover? That must be some fancy fun, especially when your auntie is a part of it."

Nozel couldn't help but smile. It made him so happy that his aunt and his girlfriend were getting along so wonderfully. The moment they met and they were already talking like old friends.

The tea with Océane, Noelle and Vanessa had been more than nice. It had been the first time Nozel was meeting others alongside Vanessa, a new experience and it that instance, he had cherished it. His aunt has accepted his girlfriend immediately, asking questions about her interests and such, even already giving her some tiny lessons about how royalty works. Noelle had still looked surprised about the whole situation, but was also happy and for Nozel, it became one of his best memories with his family and his beloved altogether.

And somehow, it strengthen even more his resolve to protect those he cared about.

"It's good that they aren't at the palace tonight. My father would have forced them to attend his soirée. To show his chess pieces of for any strategy in his game."

Nozel didn't like how bitter he sounded, but at the same time, he couldn't help it. It was the truth about his father. And that specific truth was always bitter.

"But… that also means that you're all alone dealing with this jerk."

"As long as I not cross his way while he's here, I don't have to deal with him. Hopefully… And I don't feel like I can leave the castle as well while Lac is present as well. He never said anything about it, but… his attitude tells a lot. It's like he firmly believes that he should have been in charge of house Silva. And it's not an attitude he has since I became Head of House. It was also like that when my mother was alive and in charge. So… maybe I'm worried about nothing, but I don't trust Lac to do nothing while neither me nor my siblings are here."

"Sounds like you always done that in such a situation."

"I can't deny that fact."

"But… after you have made sure that your siblings were out of danger to cross Lacs path, what did you usually do."

"I… hid somewhere. Sometimes until dawn…"

Another reason for his loneliness over the years.

There was no judgement in Vanessas eyes, only understanding and compassion. Nozel sighed quietly. He always had thought that compassion would have made everything more painful, a proof of his weakness all those years.

How wrong he had been…

"Oh, honey… you must have felt so lonely."

"I know. I thought it's what I deserved, that I can handle it. But… I can tell you that. I really can't live like this anymore."

"Of course you can't. You've been strong alone for over a decade and a half."

Vanessa cupped his face and pulled him softly towards her to put her lips on his. Nozel just closed his eyes, savouring the touch. He really needed that.

"And no wonder you felt lonely, that castle is so huge alone for four people, let alone only one…"

"I know…"

"Oh, honey, I haven't meant it as an insult. It's still a nice palace, at least from what I saw. I fricking love your private bathroom and even though it's rather bare, I love your bedroom as well. Oh, and the flower garden is amazing, I could spend hours in it!"

"I'm happy to hear it. It was her favourite place in the castle and one of her favourite places in general. I miss her…"

"No surprises here, honey."

"It's just… After she died… the palace didn't felt like home for me anymore, just the place I live. But with you… it felt like home again. It's strange."

"Maybe… but at the same time, it's not that strange. Being with people can feel like home too. Look at the Black Bulls, they became my family and by that, they're also my home. The same applies to you, Nozel. I feel like home with you, in your arms, just being at your side. And I would love to help you as well to make this palace feel like home again. It was like that with your mother, I'm sure that old building can become a home again, if it's not one again already."

For our future children.

Of course Vanessa didn't say that, but this thought crossed Nozels mind immediately. Still way too early to think about, but… for one second, he saw silver and rosewood haired little children ran across the hallways of the Silva Palace.

No, stop! They had other things to be worried about right now.

"Thank you," was all Nozel could managed to say. But given the bright smile that Vanessa gave him, it seemed more than enough for her.

She soon finished her bath afterwards, dried herself with one of his towels again – should he start to use her towels in return? – and put on his bathrobe, which looked so much better on her than it ever did on him.

"I have to say," Vanessa suddenly chuckled, "With what is falling from heaven outside right now, your room really feels like a nice umbrella."

"I… I have no idea why you got that thought, but it is indeed pouring heavily outside."

"Oh, I wasn't really talking about the rain, more everything that was happening right now. The ball, the jerk that dares to be your father… Honestly, there's quite a lot going on. I feel like your bedroom is quite like a sanctuary or a shelter against all of this. And what are umbrellas when not some kind of shelter against rain or too much sunlight?"

Nozel couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. "And you pretended one time that you're not that good with words?"

Vanessa just shrugged, before laughing and pulling him in her arms, kissing him passionately. Of course Nozel gave in immediately, holding her firmly and closer to him, his arms around her waist.

He barely noticed the heavy sound of the rain against his windows. In fact, it had quite a soothing to it.

He also barely noticed how they moved, reaching the bed and slowly getting rid of whatever they were still wearing.

Nozel only came back to reality for a moment when he was he was lying on his bed, with Vanessa lying on top of him, smiling in a sensual way.

"Still feeling lonely, handsome eagle?"

"Never with you."

Their lips met again, softly but still full of passion.

His father might be somewhere in the Silva Palace at his all-men soirée, plotting his schemes and sweettalking to some stupid noble lords who were blind to his true nature.

But Nozel had the most wonderful woman in his arms, forgetting all his worries like he never did for years.

With Vanessa, he was the true winner.