Orion nodded, sighing deeply.
"Alright, I'll tell you what I think about you," Orion responded.
Tala loosened her grip on Orion, but her hold remained firm.
"You are a beautiful young woman and also one of the fiercest warriors I know. When I look at you, I don't just see your beauty; I see a flame, a spirit that refuses to be extinguished, even when it's at its ember. Your fire blazes against the Vylkr vines, no matter how they come or how many there are. You always ensure that the fire burning at your fingertips matches the spirit ablaze within you, making you magnificent in every way as a woman and as a warrior," Orion responded.
He shook his head. "Of course, I could go on about how mesmerizing your beauty is, especially how beautiful your eyes look. But saying all that would be useless because it would still be incomplete. An hour or even a day would not be enough for me to express what I think about you," he added.
Upon hearing Orion's words, Tala's grip tightened again around his wrist. "Then if this is all you think about me… why haven't you proposed to me yet?" she asked, staring fiercely at him, her eyes teary as if she were holding back tears streaming down her cheeks.
Orion sat down on the bed and gently held Tala's wrist. He was about to speak, but Tala interjected, saying, "Forget it. I don't want to know your reasons, and I don't care why you made them," as if she were unwilling to hear his response.
Without hesitation, she pulled him toward the bed, shifting to the side to ensure he lay flat with her on top, holding him down and straddling him.
"And if you don't say it yourself, then I will," Tala said fiercely, her eyes locked with Orion's, her heart throbbing with force as though she was afraid of the words she was about to utter and the response she would receive.
Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth and began, "Orion, will--" However, before she could speak, contrary to her expectations, Orion immediately interrupted, "Tala, will you be my partner?"
A brief silence settled within the room.
The only sounds were the tiny tears falling upon Orion's cheeks, sliding onto the bed. Tala was crying, weeping profusely upon hearing Orion's words. She nodded fiercely. "Yes, I'll be your partner," she responded. And before Orion could say anything, Tala leaned forward, sealing his lips with hers.
Orion, however, didn't resist. Instead, he kissed Tala back, their lips melding together. They exchanged saliva, their tongues intertwining, neither wanting to let go.
But suddenly, Tala broke the kiss, pulling her head back. "Haa… Meet me after the festival at my home. I can't wait to have your child," Tala said, breathing heavily.
She knew the rules of the Third Border City, which were the culture of the Prismerion race, and understood that they needed to respect them, so it wouldn't be proper for her and Orion to have Kushi in this location.
"Aren't you coming to the festival?" Orion asked, curious.
Tala shook her head in response. "My parents will be here early tomorrow morning to take me home. They want me to stay at home until the thing that attacked us is discovered. For my safety, there will be daily routine checkups from healers to ensure I am perfectly okay until I am prepared to return to being a warrior. So even if I want to, I won't be present at the festival," she responded.
Orion nodded in understanding, believing Tala's words. If something like this had happened to Grace or his other children, he would have taken similar actions.
But suddenly, Tala broke the kiss, pulling her head back. "Haa… Meet me after the festival at my home. I can't wait to have your child," Tala said, breathing heavily.
She knew the rules of the Third Border City, which were the culture of the Prismerion race, and understood that they needed to respect them, so it wouldn't be proper for her and Orion to have Kushi in this location.
"Aren't you coming to the festival?" Orion asked, curious.
Tala shook her head in response. "My parents will be here early tomorrow morning to take me home. They want me to stay at home until the thing that attacked us is discovered. For my safety, there will be daily routine checkups from healers to ensure I am perfectly okay until I am prepared to return to being a warrior. So even if I want to, I won't be present at the festival," she responded.
Orion nodded in understanding, believing Tala's words. If something like this had happened to Grace or his other children, he would have taken similar actions.
"So promise me you'll come to my place immediately after the festival, okay?" Tala said, her eyes fixed on Orion.
Orion nodded. "I promise. I'll come to your place after the festival," he responded.
"Tala smiled brightly. Without hesitation, she leaned in again to seal her lips with Orion's, but the door was abruptly pulled open just as they were about to touch.
A voice suddenly rang, "I spoke to the healers to see if we can use the backyard to train--" before it immediately halted.
Gorg had just walked into Tala's room to ask her if she could train with him. However, he was immediately stunned as he witnessed the scene before him.
"Orion -- You and Tala are partners?!" Gorg stuttered out, his eyes widening in disbelief at the words that had just escaped his mouth.
…....
Palace Manor
After informing Gorg of his relationship with Tala and redirecting the conversation to avoid further questioning, Orion briefly observed Tala and Gorg's training before making his way to the Palace manor.
At this point, there were still a few more hours before sunset, and since he had already decided to be back home early today, Orion decided to keep his promise.
Orion soon arrived at Queen Selene's room and knocked at the door briefly.
"Come in," Crytalia's voice sounded from inside.
Without hesitation, Orion pulled the door open and entered the room. His eyes fell upon Queen Selene, regally dressed and seated on the bed beside Crystalia, who was gently feeding her fruits.
"You are finally back," Queen Selene said, her eyes fixed on Orion.
Orion nodded. "I had other matters to take care of. How are you feeling now?" he asked.
Queen Selene smiled, but instead of replying, she immediately released her magical energy. A golden aura emerged from her, enveloping her entire body. An immense pressure filled the room, pressing against the shoulders of everyone within the manor until it covered the whole Palace manor with its tremendous pressure.
Despite sensing that her abilities were several hundred times more powerful than before, Queen Selene restrained her magical pressure from spreading further.
She didn't want to harm the inhabitants of the Third Border City or let it extend toward the Second Border City.
Nevertheless, within Queen Selene's room, where the pressure was at its peak, Orion remained unaffected by the immense pressure she had just released.
