The dating life of Michael and Alice wasn't as exhilarating as they'd expected. Both thought the period between getting to know each other romantically and starting to date would be different. Neither anticipated Alice would be pulled into a large-scale war in the Origin Expanse.
Alice was always prepared for war but didn't expect a war near her borders to break out so suddenly. She had been on her third date with Michael when she sensed something was wrong with her territory. Thousands of Links of Loyalty tensed up suddenly, informing Alice Zenovia that something was wrong.
Alice had to leave. She jumped from the chair and leaned forward to press her lips against his cheek before disappearing for a month. Michael was a bit stunned, but he didn't hold her accountable for disappearing all of a sudden. He would have done the same if his territory was in danger. As long as Alice was fine, Michael would be alright as well.
He chose to enter the Origin Expanse as well because he was also busy. His territory was not that easy to manage after all. He returned to check if his Mother or Alice had returned. Two months passed in the Origin Expanse—one month outside—before Alice returned.
She wasn't injured, but Michael could tell that Alice was exhausted. Alice Zenovia was dead tired after fighting almost every day for the two months she'd spent in the Origin Expanse.
The first thing Alice did was to drop Michael a message. Following that, she collapsed on her bed. Alice didn't wake up until two days later. She was still tired from using Frozen Kingdom way too often, to an extent her mind and soul could barely handle. However, that had been necessary to emerge victorious against her enemies.
Michael and Alice met not long after for their fourth date. Unfortunately, their situation changed a little bit. They were not yet together, but both showed romantic feelings toward each other. Nonetheless, spending two months in the Origin Expanse was a lot of time, and the time they didn't see each other affected their emotions.
It was not like they didn't like each other anymore, but the awkwardness from the first date had returned. It was almost like their dating progress reset straight to zero.
Fortunately, both knew that they liked each other romantically. That understanding made reaching the old level in the getting-to-know phase much more straightforward.
Meeting up with Michael after being tensed up and forced to fight dozens of bloody battles was relieving. Alice Zenovia didn't expect that she could relax this quickly after witnessing the death of millions, but meeting up with Michael once was enough to disperse the tension that had taken root inside her body.
On the second date after she returned from the Origin Expanse, Alice could talk to Michael openly about all kinds of things. Most of her stories were related to the large-scale war that had interrupted their date, but Alice Zenovia also talked about stuff she had never mentioned to others.
It wasn't as uncomfortable as she'd expected, either. Revealing her deepest secrets to Michael felt good. It was almost as if she was supposed to tell Michael everything that weighed hard on her heart and mind.
Michael was a good listener. He listened intently to everything Alice had to share before carefully considering her words. Only after Michael digested 100% of the things she'd mentioned would he provide her with useful suggestions. That was also something Michael only did if he sensed that she needed advice or after making sure what she wanted.
Sometimes, it was difficult to tell what others wanted, but Michael was pretty good at picking up the clues. He was usually dense and rather oblivious to clues about women. However, that changed with Alice. She was nothing like the other women he'd gotten to know since he manifested his War Rune. She was special to him.
Alice liked Michael's suggestions. They were on point and helped her understand things that were unclear before. That was surprising.
Alice expected to be the more mature person in Michael's relationship. Although she was several years older than Michael, Alice couldn't help but feel that Michael was far more experienced than she was.
She was unsure where Michael learned so much in the short period he'd been a Lord, but it was amazing. Michael was amazing. How could a man appreciate Michael exist?
Alice didn't seem to realize that Michael possessed the experience of thousands of Awakened. Every Memory Orb he'd consumed provided him with their experiences and knowledge. Of course, the Memory Orbs provided mere snippets of the Awakened's lives, but Michael had consumed thousands of Memory Orbs so far. The Orbs from the Regional War were already enough to fill an entire room. Michael spent a long time consuming the thousands of Memory Orbs he'd procured from it.
Alice was also not aware that Michael had similar emotions toward her. She might not have realized it at first, but Alice Zenovia opened up to Michael after some time. She was no longer the Frozen Duchess in front of Michael. Instead, the Frozen Duchess transformed into Alice, a warm and kind person underneath a thick, icy surface.
The warmth hidden deep inside her began to shine brighter than ever after they went on several dates. Michael was genuinely happy observing the changes in Alice Zenovia's body language and how she acted differently in front of him than anyone else. It made him feel special. As if he meant the world to her.
The changes Michael witnessed hit him fiercely in the stomach. They made him feel things he didn't know he could feel. It was amazing.
Michael decided it was time to take the next step during one of their latest dates. His heart beat wildly as he approached Alice. At this point, Michael couldn't hear anything. His heart beat too loudly, and blood rushed into his ears.
He appeared before her, smiling vibrantly, and his right hands reached out. Michael pulled Alice closer to him at her waist with his left hand while cupping her head gently with his right. He pressed his lips gently against her lips before pulling back.
Alice tensed up for a moment, but a smile blossomed on her face. Her arms coiled around his neck, and she pulled him closer.
Their lips collided once again.
However, this time, they didn't share a short peck. Michael and Alice didn't separate for a while. Their brains shut off, and they allowed their instincts to take over.
It was not until more than ten seconds passed before their lips separated once again.
Michael stared at Alice, who chuckled through embarrassment, her ears burning fiercely.
Neither knew what to say at this moment. The pair could only stare at each other, embarrassment flushing through them.
However, it did not feel too bad. They were embarrassed together.
It felt good. Unique.
**
