Page 268 of The White King's Favorite

“Not exactly.”

She frowned at his answer. Then, to her surprise, Ashen gently pulled her toward the calm waves. Cessilia followed his lead, until they were both in the water up to their knees.

“What are we doing?” she chuckled.

“Don’t you love swimming the most?” He smiled. “I thought you’d like it here...”

“But the water’s cold.”

“Not for you.”

To her surprise, he suddenly took off his cloak, tossing it onto the beach, and walked deeper into the water. Perhaps because it was a bit cold, his abs seemed tighter than usual, and more than satisfying to the eye. Soon enough, he turned around, water up to his bare waist, and gave her a devilish smile, running his hand through his now short white hair. The sight of the seawater running down his body, the sun behind him, was one vision Cessilia never, ever wanted to forget.

Cessilia stepped further into the water, a smile on her lips, dying to join him. The waves gently grazed her thighs, and higher up her legs as she slowly walked up to her man. Ashen was standing there, handsome as ever and calmly waiting for her. In fact, he seemed more serene and handsome as always, his dark eyes riveted on her with a faint smile on his lips. He was stunning with the sunlight coming from behind him, sending gorgeous shimmers throughout his shiny white hair. Cessilia was happy to join him in this peaceful setting. The water reached up to her waist when she finally took his hand. He pulled her against him, with a playful expression, his naked, wet torso against her. Cessilia smiled, putting a hand around his nape. He was even more handsome up close... Without the two of them exchanging a word, she slowly brought her fingers, a bit of seawater dripping from them, to caress the lines of his torso. His skin and muscles reacted to her cool touch, but he didn’t try to move away from it. Cessilia smiled. That skin was marbled with countless scars, but there was a complex beauty in those imperfections. She loved the touch of the irregular skin under her fingers... She was almost sure that even blind, she would have recognized that pattern by heart.

Ashen gently grabbed her hand, pulling her fingers away from his skin. Cessilia chuckled. Was he getting a bit ticklish? His ears were slightly red...

“This reminds me of when we were younger,” he whispered. “We would always sneak out, away from your siblings and parents, to just be the two of us.”

“It was hard to be alone,” she nodded. “...We barely ever got any time to ourselves during the day.”

“But when night fell...”

He stepped even closer, bringing Cessilia’s eyes up to his face, where a nostalgic smile appeared.

“It was easier to spend time together.”

“Under the moonlight,” she whispered. “We’d sneak out to the roof and watch the stars. Or to the forest, and listen to the noises the animals made in the evening...”

Ashen nodded slowly.

“...It still feels almost unreal to be out in the daylight with you like this.”

He gently brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it, closing his eyes as if enjoying this given grace deeply. Cessilia blushed, feeling his lips pressed against her skin, his large hands gently holding hers. Ashen had always treated her so gently, carefully, as if she was the most precious and fragile thing in the world, despite knowing all too well she was much stronger than he was. It was his way of truly showing his affection for her.

Cessilia smiled as he raised her hand, making the jewelry shine when the sunlight hit it.

“...I really love it,” she whispered.

“I’m glad. I can’t promise I’ll give you presents often, but I will do what I can so you don’t miss out on anything.”

“Of course,” she chuckled.

In truth, there was nothing much that Cessilia was wanting more than this. She loved the spontaneity of this gift, she didn’t want Ashen to feel pressure to constantly give her more. She got on her toes and kissed his lips quickly.

“We have a castle to rebuild first,” she said, “and a Kingdom to get back in working order. A bridge to rebuild, and... a new city to plan too.”

He sighed.

“Sounds like we won’t have much time for our escapades.”

“We can always make time,” she chuckled. “We have Cece, and no matter how busy the day will be, the moonlight will still come, every night, to pull the lovers back together...”

“I’d sure love that.”

Ashen pulled her in to kiss again. Their kiss tasted like morning sunshine, seawater, and dried fruits. She caressed his nape and the bushy tip of his hair, unable to get enough of his new haircut. It was so satisfyingly short under her fingers, she couldn’t stop brushing her fingertips against it. While she had her arms around Ashen’s nape, he suddenly put his arms under her butt and lifted her up, carrying Cessilia effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around his torso.

“How am I supposed to swim like this?” she laughed.

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