Since Valentina was always casual with her dress and appearance, Damien 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.
Valentina 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 towards him developed at an abnormal speed, and it increased even more, especially after seeing him coming back and saving her from getting sold off.
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.
Damien kissed her 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, hehe."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Valentina's eyes sparkled, hearing that Damien wanted to give her a gift. She happily nodded and quickly took a seat and looked at Damien in anticipation of what he was going to give her.
She turned her head when the delectable aroma of the food Damien prepared wafted through her nose.
After smelling it, she recognized that it was small pieces of grilled and skewered wolf meat that looked extremely appealing in her eyes, especially with the marinara and roasted red pepper sauce spread over it lightly.
She 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.
Damien sat opposite her and asked with a charming smile, "It seems like you love what I have done with the place."
Valentina 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. I never thought Big Brother Damien would decide to have dinner here."
Damien chuckled, "Well, I guess nothing could beat the feeling we get by dining in our home. Let's start."
The two happily ate their food while lovingly gazing at each other's eyes, while at times they would look at the scenic view outside and enjoy it.
However, Valentina couldn't stop wondering what Damien was going to give her, especially her first gift from him.
Damien finished his meal, and after drinking some wine, he asked her, "Valentina, how long do you think we will live?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Valentina was surprised why Damien was asking such a question but answered straightforwardly, "Doesn't it depend on our cultivation?"
Damien nodded, "Yes, but don't you think one day we will become old and die?"
Valentina's expression suddenly became pensive as she never thought about such things since. In her perspective, she and Damien had so much time before themselves that such a thought didn't matter to her in the present.
She thought about her life with Damien and said while chewing on her lip, "But I don't want both of us to grow old and die. I want to stay and love you forever. Otherwise...I…"
Damien chuckled and held her hand gently as he said in a warm tone, "You don't have to worry about getting old nor me. Love does not depend on the lifespan of a person but the feeling we share, which will remain even after we grow old and die. Our souls would be bound together eternally...do you believe it?"
Valentina's expression relaxed as she heard his words and nodded, "Mn. I believe it. Does that mean even after we die, we will meet and love again?"
Damien nodded slowly with a soft smile, "Yes. True love is everlasting and unbreakable. We might have problems, but still, our love would stay strong, and even if we face problems between us, we mend and fix it."
Damien stood up as he gestured towards Valentina to take his hand. Valentina slowly got up and placed her hand onto his palm while maintaining her gaze with his eyes.
Damien pulled her towards the balustrade while facing towards 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 Valentina, "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 at her eyes, "And I want us to make this promise by marrying each other."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})An exquisite ring with two pear-shaped diamonds placed on either side of a brilliant cushion-cut ruby floated from above and hovered before Valentina's eyes against the backdrop of the full moon.
Seeing the artful and glimmering ring which gave off a subtle red 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 Damien with an overwhelmed expression and mumbled as her eyes became moist with happiness, "Big Brother wants to marry me?"
Damien shook his head slowly, which made Valentina's eyes lose their glow, but his next words spirited up her eyes again, "Not Big Brother...but Damien. You are already my woman, and you have every right to call me by my name just like you do in public. I, Damien Godwin, ask Valentina if she would be willing to marry me," Damien asked with a dazzling smile.
Valentina's lips arched into a beatific smile, her eyes turned misty as she nodded fervidly, "Yes!"
She didn't mind calling Damien 'Big Brother,' but she did feel that calling him 'Damien' made her feel closer to him as his woman.
She didn't want to remain as his sister in name any longer but instead become his wife.
However, she didn't expect that Damien 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 Damien 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.
Damien saw her keenly looking at the ring and chuckled as he took it from her fingers, "Others in this world might not follow this tradition, but I want to put this ring on your finger so that it symbolizes the eternity and dedication to being lifetime partners."
Damien 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, to protect and cherish each other even if only the embers of our soul are left."
Feeling the cold and elegant ring decorated proudly around her finger, Valentina 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," Damien said softly.
Valentina'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 which I made myself for you. Do you like it?" He asked with a dashing smile.
Valentina'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...Damien."
