This was like a blissful moment for the duo as they had never been like this before since they usually met in a park or a restaurant.
They stayed in each other's hug, and hearing one another's heartbeat calmed their mind. Feeling the hot breath brushing passed their skin it tickled the duo's delicate heart.
They had forgotten the rest of the world even existed as they were drowned in a euphoria that made the love birds feel like being in seventh heaven.
An hour passed...
"Rio...I'll be going back today," Layla said in a quiet voice.
"When?" He asked as a hint of disappointment flickered in his voice.
"After I teach you how to cook." She said with a smile.
"Will you come back on the weekends?" He questioned with an expectant tone as Rio was wishing to see her soon.
"Since I had taken leave recently from the registered shelter, grandpa might doubt my continuous absence so I'll stay at the land of asura and train for this week. Next weekend I'll surely come." She responded in a gentle voice and patted his head that was placed on her firm bosom.
"When I get my AI watch, we can even meet in the land of Asura." He said with a bright smile.
"Yes...after we become stronger we will claim a shelter far from humanity and live there happily ever after. We don't have to worry about our status and all." Layla said with hopeful eyes as she Dreamt about the future with her lovely boy.
"Aren't you breaking a severe law by revealing the classified information to me before I turned sixteen?" He asked with puzzlement.
"I can't hide things from my Rio...You are greater than those laws humans made." Layla said while pushing him aside from her body and kissing his cheeks.
She climbed out of bed and looked at the crimson-haired boy who still was enamored in the feeling of her lips contact with his cheek.
Layla said while crossing her arms, "I'm going to give you lessons on how to cook properly. So you don't buy food from outside. Come with me, Rio."
She grabbed his hands and dragged him out of the bed.
They went to the kitchen and Layla gave him introductions to the tools and utensils that were around.
They had bought these crucial things for cooking when he newly rented the apartment as Layla and the boy decorated the new house together but Rio didn't use them since he didn't know how to cook.
When the boy lived with his grandpa, the Oldman always cooked for little Rio. He wasn't at the age of learning cooking and his grandpa didn't want to burden the little guy with the house chore.
At school dormitories, they had a canteen where students could eat so Rio was never required to learn cooking before he decided to live on his own.
After giving Rio a demo of cooking, Layla said "I haven't made this dish for anyone before."
The boy peeked from behind her and sniffed the food she made.
"This smell so good," Rio said with a pleasant face as the delicious food scent invaded his nostril.
Layla filled a spoon with the scrumptious veggies and rice she cooked and hovered it in front of her sweet boy.
"Come tell me if this taste good. Say Aaa" She said with a smile as the black-haired beauty had a mysterious glint in her eyes and her face was filled with tranquility.
Rio moved closer to the spoon that was in her hand as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth a little for Layla to feed.
*Aaa!*
She gazed at his adorable face lovingly that were waiting for the food to land in his mouth.
'If I could have asked God for a wish I would've asked them to give you all happiness of the world in exchange for mine.'
Layla didn't know but her wishes were heard by heaven and they were going to grant them. When she wished the First time the poor girl got sick after she asked and the second one was going to be even worse.
Rio had his eyes closed and waited for the food to come.
Soon, he felt soft lips pressing on his warm ones as the girl kissed him.
His eyes widened instantly to discover Layla's eyes were closed while their lips were sealed.
She separated herself with a coyish face as It was the first blissful kiss for both of the love birds.
"Thanks for being in my life.", Layla's eyes became crescent shape as she expressed her gratitude.
She looked at the crimson-haired boy who was dazed by the kiss he just received.
The bashful girl asked him, "How was the dish?"
"It was the best thing in the world..." Rio blurted out instinctively, making the young maiden more bashful.
He came back to his present time in the wonderous forest where the boy was giving a trial against a beautiful Monarch beast.
"Even if I want to refuse it because of bitterness in my heart, she is the only one who came into my life without any motive. She loved me despite being from an influential family.
In order to look after me she got sick as well when Layla had the option to admit me to the hospital. She didn't even eat while taking care of me.
Even if Layla didn't come to find me it was after all to guarantee my safety from her demonic grandfather. Yet I'm blaming that girl for her selfless love. Layla begged that old man to spare my life. She was in more pain seeing me injured.
Her only reason to get close to me was that we shared the same past of being orphans. She loved me because our wounds were the same. We were each other's little world, one another's everything.
Layla was like my guardian angel yet I still thought of her as wrong. There is no doubt she unconditionally loved me." He spoke inwardly with a mix of gratitude and love towards the black-haired beauty.
Rio had decided the answer that took him a while. He tapped the space where the white petal of Layla's name was present without any regret or hesitation.
The white petal flew towards the right pan and landed on it.
The right yellow pan started to decline and kept going down.
What was in front of him was a sight to see.
Layla's petals weighed more than his parents'.
This showed that her unconditional love even made his parents' affection pale in comparison.
Rio clenched his fist and kneeled on the ground, a pained expression drowned his face as the boy's heart cried for the first love of his life.
In beginning, he didn't even think about picking the white petal with this girl's name as the boy had sour feelings in his heart about how Layla never came to find him but after carefully thinking he realized Layla's love was so pure and selfless that even his own parents' affection got overshadowed by it.
His parents were the only ones obligated to love him but from the rest of the world, he had to earn it.
But Layla came into his life Like an angel, he didn't have to earn it.
She accepted Rio the way parents accept children - with gratitude and love because a child is a blessing and parents don't have any expectations or desires in return.
A couple's love is rarely unconditional because there is a hidden condition behind it that disqualifies them from unconditional love. One feels responsible to love another for returning their affection and making them happy.
However, Layla loved him unconditionally without any desire or love in return. She even made a wish to give all her happiness to Rio, which was granted by heaven.
Layla never desired Rio to change or become stronger. She loved him the way he was.
Her unconditional love was hard to compete with even his parents were left behind by it.
Seeing him kneeling on the ground with a pained expression, Eve thought inwardly, "This boy surely thought she doesn't love him enough to go against her grandfather because she never came to find him. However, he doesn't know that Layla's wish was granted by Goddess for exchanging her own happiness to give him heaven.
That poor girl would've to handle all the sadness of his share and her own all alone for a little while until their fate let them meet again. I feel bad for her as she still cries to sleep every night for this foolish boy."
For the Trial, Eve had prepared from long ago when Rio was chosen as the Goddess's Heir and had studied all important people around the boy. She had the abilities that allowed her to keep an eye on other people's life.
A few miles away in the corrupted lands, a black-haired beauty and the sharp sword in her hand were both covered in crimson blood. Despite in this condition, the tranquility on the girl's face wasn't lost.
====////====
[SnowNote]
I know that most of you like Lia and Layla's story might overshadow her which you guys may not like but it's their character that's designed that way.
She will enter very late in the story. There will be only a few scenes until then.
Layla's background is the most mysterious in the whole series. You would understand when it gets revealed more. The dots will make sense in the future as they will all connect backward.
Please vote with power stones and Golden ticket to support this book. The more, the better.
I'll add the important character images on:
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
