Aurelius stood awkwardly in the middle of his send-off party in the Pendragon Castle. Ruby's mother had set a very elaborate and grand celebration for him and he's quite touched by her gesture. Knights from Altria's court surrounded him, conversing with him amicably and asking about his relationship with their lady, Ruby. The prince did his best to answer them and made it clear that he's only her friend but he also implied that he's courting her making the men cheer and clap him on the back wishing him good luck.

The knights seemed to be fond of him however they were very skeptical at first because they thought that he was just some pretty boy who's all posh and no bite but when ten of them challenged him for a spar he easily defeated them earning the respect of Altria's court of knights.

Soon enough he started enjoying their company because they're very welcoming and upfront and not pretentious like the nobilities who usually surround him. He was rather glad that Ruby grew up with these honest and kind people but he was quite disappointed since he hasn't seen her since the party started.

"Regent Altria if I may ask, where is Ruby? I haven't seen her all day. Is she alright? Is she ill? I'm very worried." he asked the woman surrounded by her knights. Altria shared a worried look with Bedivere who shook his head making the noblewoman sigh.

"She's fine physically, but she's still in pain because of Carmilla's demise. She can't really allow herself to celebrate after such a tragedy so please pardon her absence. It seems that my plan failed. I initially sent her with you to distract her mind from her sorrows hoping that you can make her happy but I suppose that not you nor I can take away her grief." Altria said solemnly.

"I'm sorry for failing. I really wanted to cheer her up but it seems like I was just pushing myself on her. Can I please be excused? I would like to have some time to think before I rest for my trip tomorrow."

"Of course. Would you like Bedivere to show you to your room?" offered Altria.

"Thanks but that won't be necessary, my lady. I think I can find my own way."

"Very well. We shall continue our merriment for your honor. May the Sandman provide clarity for your mind and give you good dreams." Altria toasted raising her cup. A smile made its way to the prince's lips in appreciation before bowing and taking his leave.

"That boy... He truly fancies your daughter, doesn't he? I can see it in the sparkle in his eyes and his sincere sadness because of her absence." Gawain commented stirring his ale. Altria only hummed as she assessed Aurelius' character.

"Whatever it may be, he will play the most major part of her fate. Isn't that right, Merlin?"

"Certainly. From here on out he'll be the one to remain by her side forever even if centuries or worlds set them apart. He will be her only protector and her greatest enemy as well." The magus said as he stepped from the darkness and smiled at the prince's fleeting form.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 HTUADP🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Aurelius wandered through the empty hallways of the large Pendragon hold. He walked where his feet carried him while his mind soared in a pool of thoughts.

He soon found himself in the large indoor garden where Ruby had previously taken him during their tour. He remembers how she fondly talked about her favorite flowers that she planted herself so he decided to push through the doors and enter the enclosure.

He admired the sleeping flowers illuminated by the silver moonlight. Some of the plants are actually nocturnal and some are even phosphorescent, glowing brilliantly in the darkness. He looked at the small artificial cascading falls flowing to a small pond making him smile as he remembered Ruby playfully splashing him with water when he called her cute. Apparently, the little lady considers being called 'cute' an insult.

His attention was suddenly captured by the soft sound of weeping emanating from somewhere in the garden. He followed the sound and soon he found Ruby crying on a bench.

"Ru-Ruby? Are you okay?" he said carefully. His heart broke due to how devastated she is. The girl gasped in shock before turning to him with rage.

"What are you doing here?! Isn't it enough that you bothered me for this whole blasted week?! Leave already!!" She screamed before removing the bracelet he had given to her and throwing it at him. Aurelius' heart broke due to the gesture but he caught it nonetheless.

"Ruby I just want to help. Maybe if you tell me what's going on in your heart it will help lessen your pain. Please. I want to help you."

"Can't you see that I don't need your help!!!" Ruby yelled flinging a pot in his direction. Aurelius didn't move but the pot didn't hit him however it collided against the wall and shattered. A rather sharp shard flew to his head leaving a long scratch on his temple yet he didn't scream nor winched in pain as he bled.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" she yelled as she curled herself and wept harder.

"Ruby... Do you really hate me that much? Is my presence incredibly disgusting that it detests you by merely seeing my face?" Aurelius said with pain as his hand tightened into fists while he grits his teeth.

"I told you to--!!" Ruby cut herself off when she turned and saw his bleeding face.

"You're hurt!!" she exclaimed in alarm before going in front of him to cup his face in her hand to inspect the wound. Guilt and regret bubbled in her chest as she saw his blood flowing profusely. However, before her palm even touched his skin, Aurelius had grabbed her hand before pinning her on a nearby column. Ruby yelped as her back collided with the hard stone, looking pitifully at the sad boy in front of her. He placed both of his hands near her head, trapping her with his body.

"Ruby... Why do you hate me so much for you to always push me away? I know I did a lot of bad things. I-I tricked you in the opera and hurt you badly with the truth. I was a puppet of the Abyss but I've changed now. I promise I'll be good. I'll be loyal. But none of that matters because... YOU DON'T FUCKING CARE!" Aurelius suddenly yelled making her wince.

"I was only trying to be there for you but then you would always push me away and spit on my face! Why do you detest me so much, Ruby? WHY?!" he confronted, making the girl cower and feel smaller. Aurelius noticed her terrified face. Regret and guilt replaced his rage because of this. He lowered his head to rest on her shoulder letting his blood stain her pretty white nightgown.

"I'm sorry... I promise I'll be good. I'll never yell at you anymore. I'll--I'll be loyal. I promise I won't step on other people and consider them as equals. I'll even change myself so that I can be the man that you want so, please... Please don't hate me anymore." Tears began to fall from his eyes as he cried on her shoulder.

Ruby was stupefied at first unable to formulate any reply due to the heavy emotions clashing in her chest. Her lips trembled in regret and anguish for hurting such an innocent boy. Even though he may have the appearance of a man now Aurelius is still a boy. And he's a boy who never got to have a childhood because of the consequences of other people's actions. He's still fragile and vulnerable to his emotions and it made her feel terrible to have hurt him this much.

"I don't hate you." Ruby announced softly before tearing the ends of her dress and pressing it against his wound to stop the bleeding.

"Ruby your pretty dress! You didn't have to ruin it for me." Aurelius gasped looking up at her face in alarm.

"It's okay. It's just a dress, but you're my friend." The maiden said smiling a little, astounding the prince.

"Ruby... You actually called me your friend." Aurelius said in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated to the point that I didn't notice that I've been taking my anger out on you. And I know it's wrong but I did it anyway. I'm so stupid and insensitive! You were always there making jokes, trying to make me happy when I wanted to be more miserable I just..." Ruby paused choking a sob as she looked for the proper words.

"I used you as an outlet for my rage and then I made you feel like a failure. Like you're not enough and useless." she whispered in realization, scowling sourly in frustration of herself while tears built up in her eyes. Aurelius kept quiet listening to every word that left her lips.

"I'm so sorry for making you feel that way. I'm sorry for making you feel like you're a mistake when in truth you're just being kind. You're actually... pretty great." Ruby smiled at him sweetly even as tears fell from her beautiful green eyes. Aurelius only replied with a broad smile as he cried as well. He cupped her cheek and placed his forehead against hers connecting their hearts and souls together.

"Will you forgive me?" Ruby asked once he pulled away releasing her from his body.

"Always."

"Come on. Let me treat your wound. I know a decent magic spell that can heal you from scarring as well." Ruby said as she led him to the same bench where she sat.

Aurelius allowed her to wipe his blood with the piece of her dress while staring at her calm face. He can feel her sweet warm breath hitting his cheeks. He observed the gentle rising and falling of her chest as she calmed her breathing. He blushed and averted his eyes when his gaze fell on her cleavage. They were quite close so he had a good view of it.

Ruby summoned a green glow in her hand as she activated a small healing spell. She placed her hand gently against his wound and it instantly vanished without even leaving a single remnant of its existence as if it never happened. There was silence for a while as the two sat with each other, unable to know how to proceed further from here. The atmosphere wasn't awkward but it possesses a certain uncertainty that needs to be addressed.

"Do you want this back? I can take it with me if you don't want it anymore." Aurelius offered, breaking the silence.

"No. It's your heartfelt gift for me. It's more symbolic than any other diamonds and gems I have so I'm going to keep it. Mind putting it on me?" Ruby said lending out her right arm. The prince wrapped the accessory on her wrist before clicking the lock together.

"I'm really sorry for all the horrible things I did and say to you this past week. I'm really ashamed of myself for letting my emotions get the best of me. It was too late for me to notice that you've swept me off my feet and took me on a whirlwind tour of my homeland. It's just what I needed for a little distraction. Thank you."

"You're welcome but I really enjoyed it as well. So, if I may ask, why are you crying here in the first place?" he inquired threading carefully in thin ice. This question could really get them back on square one or move them further into opening up with each other.

Ruby wiped the tear stains on her cheeks before sniffing and releasing a sigh to compose herself.

"Today is the anniversary of the first day we met in this exact location. Mom had a visitor and I was told to stay here for a while so I played alone in this garden until... I saw her. Carmilla was reading a romance book on this same bench and when I first saw her I thought that she was the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my entire life and when I went to talk to her she told me that I was the nosiest girl she had ever met." Ruby chuckled as she recounted the memory of her first love.

"But she later added that I'm also the prettiest girl she has ever seen. After that, we played and we read. We braided each other's hair and told funny stories we made up in our secret garden. This secret garden." Aurelius listened attentively even though she's talking about her love that is not him.

"We became best friends and then without even realizing, we fell in love with each other and soon enough we learned that we were betrothed. We shared our first kiss in this garden and our first time as well."

"But I guess that I'm not really the one for her because in truth, I will forever be just her friend, and he is her true love." Ruby finally broke after this, as tears poured once more from her eyes while Aurelius rubbed circles on her back to console her.

"It hurts. It really hurt a lot when I found out about Cecilion but I learned to live with it and allowed them to be happy. I don't want to be selfish even if it means that I'll be the one hurting so I allowed them to see each other and kept a pretty smile for her father to see that there's nothing wrong."

"Because of the incident in the opera, Earl convinced my mother to move up our engagement and when I told Carmilla, she broke and begged me to do something however I couldn't do anything. I felt powerless to protect her because we're slaves to our families' desires. She tried to run away with Cecilion but Earl caught wind of their plan and captured her when she arrived at the Opera." Ruby paused taking a bit of time to compose her next thoughts. Her heart is breaking once more as she relieved the devastating details of her life but she pressed further, wanting to let it all out and lift a bit of her burden. Aurelius kept quite wrapping his arms around her to provide a little bit of comfort but it did little to alleviate her sorrow.

"He had Cecilion beaten and trapped Carmilla in a fucking tower like any other fucking helpless fairytale princess that she so fucking despised." Ruby released a bitter pained laugh lifting her face from her hand and wiped her tears with the handkerchief Aurelius offered.

"She was imprisoned in isolation with only a narrow barred window in a cold lifeless cell. I was there. I stayed in the castle with her in her room, crying uselessly for being cheated upon like a sore loser bitch. I didn't do anything to help her, I didn't do anything to take away her pain because I felt powerless and deep down... I wanted to punish her for cheating. I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid, you're just hurt. It's okay to feel angry sometimes." Aurelius reasoned patting her back.

"Then they moved up the wedding day again and then I wanted to run away for a while and go back home so when the wedding dresses arrived I went to Carmilla's room and told her everything. I gave her the fucking bloody gown and told her I was leaving and that her boyfriend is being banished then gave her his farewell letter. What a good friend am I to tell her that I'm leaving in her most miserable time. When I left, that's probably the time she took a fucking letter opener and slit her own wrist. I basically did nothing to prevent this and did everything to make it happen! I... I Killed Carmilla." Ruby said with anguish, breaking a thousand times over and over again.

"I did it. I deserve to die! I--I!!" Ruby said half-crazed in misery but Aurelius quickly took her in his arms and reasoned with her exhausted mind.

"No, Ruby you didn't do anything wrong! You're just a human and you're still a child. You didn't know what was going to happen. You're not responsible for her choice! You didn't kill Carmilla! The situation did. It's not your fault. If anything, it's Earl's fault for pressuring her too much that she broke. You didn't do anything wrong. You're a good person. You don't deserve to be hurt like this. You don't." Aurelius reasoned hugging her tighter in his chest and stroking her golden hair.

"But it hurts!! It hurts so much!! It's so fucking miserable and suffocating!! Please... Please take this pain away. Take this pain and make me forget... even for tonight." Aurelius was perplexed by her words until Ruby lifted her head and kissed his lips passionately completely taking him off guard. His head spun as her luscious lips danced with his own, completely overwhelming him and taking him to the depths of heaven and confusion.

Ruby soon pulled away with a pained expression like a little cat desperately seeking for help.

"Please make love to me and make me forget everything for a little while." Her words completely astounded him but he wrapped his arms tightly around her body and kissed her affectionately.

🌹

"Ruby, are you sure about this? I don't want you to make choices that you will later regret." Aurelius confirmed as he hovered over her body laying on a bed in the nearest bedroom they could find.

"I'm certain. I want to do it with you." Ruby answered smiling at him gently.

"Okay, but–" his words were suddenly interrupted when the maiden crashed her lips against his in a long and hungry kiss. Her hand went down to the bulge in his pants and pushed her way inside to hold his erected rod. His cock hardened when it made contact with her palm and twitched when she started stroking it.

Aurelius broke the kiss to release a soft moan of pleasure as Ruby massaged his head with the pad of her thumb while her hand twists against him. He hunched over her body to lick her neck and ears to respond to her pleasure before grabbing her strap and lowering the upper part of her dress to expose her young yet ample breast. He squeezed her soft mounds and played with her nipples making them all perky and erect. He started sucking and massaging her beautiful bosom making the maiden throw her head back and release a loud pleasured moan as she played with his cock.

Ruby rubbed her thighs together to create friction between her legs as she felt herself start to lubricant due to their debauchery. She gritted her teeth while Aurelius bit her neck leaving bite marks. His hands continued to massage her breasts squeezing her mounds and pinching and twisting her cute pink tits making her whimper.

Aurelius lowered his face to kiss her soft delicious lips while softly caressing her curves. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth and wrestled it with hers. He explored her sweet orifice while Ruby started undressing him. She removed his elaborate white and blue coat before pulling his tie to deepen their kiss.

They soon parted to regain their breaths after such a long and passionate kiss. Aurelius started chuckling in excitement before ravishing her neck and leaving vibrant red marks.

"Don't mark me. The others will see." Ruby protested pushing his chest and rising a little.

"Sorry. I got a little bit carried away." Aurelius apologized as he stared at her with a lovestruck look. "What is it?" he inquired when he noticed her distress.

"I want to try giving you a blowjob. Can I do that?" Ruby asked averting her gaze in embarrassment.

"Of course." Aurelius smiled before kicking his expensive boots off and laying his back on the bed, giving the maiden access to his body.

Ruby pulled his pants down as well as his boxers before holding his cock in her hand and stroking it in wonder. She placed a soft kiss on his head before taking him inside her mouth and bobbing to move him inside. Aurelius balled his fist and gritted his teeth due to the pleasure of her wet mouth. He stared at her face and admired as her lips sucked on his rod making his heart beat more rapidly in his chest.

Ruby massaged his head with the tips of her fingers while her tongue trailed the length of his shaft repeatedly. She made sure to lick every inch of his skin while applying varying amounts of pressure as she squeezed his head. She spat on his tip before biting his balls, sucking his testicles. Her hand increased their pace as she jacked his long cock making him groan.

"Y-You're pretty good at this." Aurelius commented as his body spasmed in pleasure.

"I've only *slurp* read about it in books but, *suck suck* it'sh nicshh to put my knowwedge in good ush." Ruby answered while sucking his cock making Aurelius chuckle.

"You're so cute Ruby." he cooed patting her head.

"How does it taste?"

"It's shhalty and it tashhtesh erotic but I like playing with it with my mouth. Are you going to cum? You're twitching too much and I can taste a bit of your shhemen."

"Yeah, can I do it in your mouth?"

"Shhure."

"Here it comes! I'm--! I'm cumming! I'm cumming! Ruby!! Ruby!!" he moaned as he orgasmed and overloaded inside her mouth. Ruby moaned as her mouth became flooded by his cum. She was able to drink some of his semen before spitting them on her breast due to their displeasing taste. 

Aurelius panted as he recovered from his climax before sitting up and kissing the maiden's lips. 

"You did great, Ruby. Now it's your turn." Ruby suddenly yelped as he brought her to lie on the bed before going between her legs. He grabbed the chest part of her dress and tore it apart to fully undress her before removing his pants and shirt as well. 

Aurelius spread her legs open and pulled her panties off. He was suddenly surprised to find a very lewd underwear only made of transparent black lace and strings, decorated by a pink ribbon. He sniffed the fabric before carefully placing it on the side table for whatever plans he has for its future. 

He held her legs and lowered his face to kiss both of her thighs and trailed his way to her core with his tongue. He licked the length of her slit and slurped her juices before trailing butterfly kisses up her stomach, between the valley of her breasts, and soon kissing her lips. 

"Aurelius, remember, no strings attached. You're just making me forget everything for now. So, please... Even with this, let's just stay friends for a while, okay? " Ruby said after they broke away from the kiss. 

"I'll be whatever you need as long as you let me remain by your side. For now, I'll be your one-night lover. Shall I continue?" 

"Go on." 

The prince positioned himself in her entrance and met her in the eye to deepen their intimacy. Ruby's heart hammered in her chest as warmth invaded her whole body. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she waited for him to take her and be one with him. 

Aurelius grabbed his cock and used it to spread her juices to stimulate her clit before slowly pushing his way inside her. Ruby bit her lips as he slipped inside her vulva, spreading and stretching her untainted sex that no other man has ever dared to reach.

The prince groaned due to her tightness. Ruby's walls are so warm and soft it's so fucking good like heaven in human form. He paused when he reached the back of her pussy while an inch of himself is still outside. He listened to her whimper and started to move when he felt that she's quite adjusted to his size and thickness.

"You're so... big. It feels weird to have you inside but... It also feels good. The way your shaft stimulates my walls is so fucking good. Please keep going!" Ruby moaned and Aurelius took this encouragement to increase his pace.

"Why don't we keep that dirty mouth of yours occupied?" Aurelius teased before kissing her lips hungrily. 

This is the moment he's been waiting for all this time, and although he originally planned on doing it on the night of their wedding to make it special, now is as good as later since she wanted this to happen as well. Plus special is too overrated.

Their kiss ended when Ruby pulled away to release a loud pleasured moan. It seems that he hit something that feels really good so he did his best to look for it and probe it to send pleasure to his mistress. Ruby dug her red painted nails on his muscled back, leaving long scratches on his pale skin that bled. Aurelius endured the pain however it made him more happy than annoyed because it meant that she's leaving her mark on his skin.

Ruby took a deep breath as Aurelius trusted more forcefully, stirring her insides and creating a twister of erotic feelings in her heart. His pounding was making her body move with every thrust but she didn't mind it too much because it helped distract her from her sorrow. She laid still while enjoying his ministration, feeling him invade her deepest untouched places and stimulate the pleasurable nerves of her walls. Her mind was lost in the pleasure and excitement of their copulation and she removed all her restraints to give him everything she's got. 

Ruby sighed out blissfully as he probed her cervix with his long fat dick, attacking one of her greatest weaknesses. Aurelius also seems to be aware of this since he kept pistoning his dick in that place as if wanting to penetrate inside her womb, almost making the maiden scream in euphoria but she kept it in fear that someone might discover their forbidden activity.

Aurelius almost lost his mind due to her tightness. His dick seems to be a perfect fit for her young unadulterated cunt that sends immense jolts of pleasure through his length in irregular intervals. He pinned her hands beside her head and their identical bracelets clinked together in harmony. The prince started sucking her nipples to keep his mouth occupied. He gazed up at her pleasured face and he fucked both her g-spot and cervix consecutively. 

Ruby is a moaning mess. Every thrust feels like a bolt of lightning coursing through her body, sending fire into her heart, and drowning her mind in ecstasy. This sinful pleasure that took advantage of a man that greatly admires her, allowed her to forget about everything that made her cry and focus only on Aurelius and how good he's making her feel. 

Soon enough the prince is thrusting in her more rapidly and the familiar knotting in her stomach dawned on the maiden as she buckled her hips and throw her head back in euphoria.

"I--I'm cumming!! Aurelius, I'm--!!" Ruby exclaimed as her fingers intertwined themselves with his. 

"I know, me too." Aurelius groaned as he pistoned himself more vigorously inside her. They climaxed together screaming loudly, never-minding if anyone heard them or found their lovemaking. 

Aurelius unloaded his cum in her pussy and Ruby enjoyed as his warm semen filled her womb completely full. It seems that he's been waiting all his life just to cum inside her due to the excessive amount he left swimming in her womb. 

Aurelius pulled away with a small pop, allowing his cum to flood from her stretched pussy and down to the sheets. He relished the sight of the result of their union and watched as her body spasmed due to the occasional jolts of pleasure emanating from her womb. Ruby panted in exhaustion while riding the euphoria of their post-sex. 

Satisfied with his work, the Prince collapsed on top of her, using her breast as his pillow to rest. Ruby placed her hand on his head, stroking his golden hair while their sweat and erotic scents mixed together. 

"So tired. I may have gotten a little carried away because it's our first. I can sleep all day after this." Ruby chuckled at his adorable face. 

"You can sleep now. I think I'm quite satisfied and I can rest peacefully for this night. See you tomorrow for your send-off?" Ruby said as she stood up, pulling a blanket to cover her body. However, before she can even stray farther from the bed, the prince grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. 

"Don't leave yet. Aren't you curious about how good cowgirl feels like? I bet it hits all the right places." Aurelius suggested giving her his cute puppy eyes. 

"Are you still horny enough to let me ride you? Besides you need your strength for your travel tomorrow."

"My cock just got erected by hearing you talk dirty. We can do this all night long." Aurelius smirked rolling on the bed, showing Ruby his long cock that's once again erected. 

"Your potency is incredible so I suppose that we can do it just one last time before I go to bed." Ruby replied as she mounted him, positioning her dripping vulva on top of him. She placed her hands on his well-toned stomach to support her body and he held her waist to keep her balanced. Ruby lowered her body and allowed gravity to do the rest. 

Contrary to what she said their mating didn't end there. Her arousal and his desire resulted in multiple sexual activities that night in different places in the room. Aurelius had mated with her like how the wolves procreate on the rug by the fireplace, he made her sit on the marbled table as he made his way with her sex while her nails dug on his shoulders, he had lifted her against the wall and kissed her neck as she climaxed for the nth time. 

Even with all their intimacy, Ruby still desired for them to take things slowly rather than move to the next level and Aurelius respected her wishes. 

"I didn't even get a wink of sleep. I asked you to make me forget, now I can't forget about everything we did last night." Ruby complained as she leaned against his chest while caressing his abs. The light of the new day shined on them through the glass of the balcony doors.

Aurelius laughed awkwardly as he stroked her hair. "Sorry, I tried restraining myself but little Aurelius is much more powerful. Should I arrange for our engagement in case you get pregnant? I want to take responsibility for whatever may come."

"No need. Today is a safe day so you can rest assured that our union will bear no fruit. However, we need to get dressed since your send-off will be in the next hour. Let's take a bath and act like nothing happened." Ruby instructed as she stood up and rummaged through the closet and found a simple dress that's two sizes wider for her body. Aurelius did the same and picked up his clothing from the ground and dressed himself. 

"Of course. Here, take this." he said lending out his hand to offer a small folded piece of paper. 

"What is it?" Ruby inquired in curiosity. 

"It's a direct line on my telephone just in case you have something in mind; you have a problem you want to talk about or if you're in need of my help. I want to always be accessible for you when you need me and we can always keep in touch regardless of how much money it will cost me." Aurelius smiled as Ruby accepted the paper and slipped it in her pocket before surprising him with a warm and innocent hug. 

"Thank you for being there for me all this time. I really needed it and perhaps we can tour the empire together once I'm in a better mood." Ruby pulled away holding both of his hands in her smaller ones, while she smiled at him serenely. 

"For now, I'll just find my footing and get back up. Hopefully, I'll be able to hunt monsters once more in the Igraine woods after this week. Pharsa had said that monsters have been stirring lately, as well as the long been slumbering ones. I'll have to investigate the root of that so I doubt that I'll have much time to communicate with you."

"Will you be okay to do that on your own? I can lend out my hand to help you to lessen your work." Aurelius offered, enjoying her gentleness. 

"Thanks, but I want to do it on my own. But I'll surely contact you once I don't think I can manage. For now, I should be going. Bedivere will be in my room soon enough with my breakfast since the grand hall will be out of commission after your party. See you on you're send-off." Ruby kissed his cheek before leaving through the door. 

When the lock clicked into place, Aurelius melted and landed on the chair with a lovestruck look as he relished the lingering feeling of her body with his. He thought that his dreams were out of reach but with the long miles they crossed last night, suddenly everything seems possible. He can't wait for the next chapters of their life to unfold in either romance or tragedy and he prayed more for the former. This incident has boosted his confidence to go all his way for her and he will spare no effort in making her fall in love with him. It's only a matter of time before that happens. 

🌹

It was a beautiful morning in Cadmure with no rains or snow as Altria's court of knights and servants gathered outside the yard in neat straight lines as they bid their farewell for the Moniyan Prince. 

"May the gods bless your journey and keep you safe from all harm." prayed Altria as she bid him farewell. 

"Thank you for your generosity and hospitality. I certainly enjoyed my stay in your wonderful territory as well as the great company." he smiled, directing Ruby with a mischievous side glance making the maiden snort. 

"You'll always be welcome to come back here. Especially since you made our princess happy." Merlin said clapping his back and making Ruby blush. 

"My lady and my best friend," Aurelius said turning to the maiden and asking for her hand. Ruby awkwardly gave it because of the hundreds of people witnessing their exchange. 

"I will certainly miss you." he kissed her hand making a few knights cheer and hoot for their relationship to prosper. 

Ruby didn't say anything as the prince climbed up his carriage waving them all goodbye with a sincere smile of enjoyment. Soon, the door closed shut and the prince along with his entourage began traveling away back to their homeland. The knights and the servant whom the prince hand charmed and befriended waved enthusiastically and wished him well with cheers and acclamations. 

"Here, this is for you." Merlin said as he handed her a small vial with a clear blue liquid swirling inside. 

"What's this for? Heartbreak? I'm quite fine now so I won't be needing it anymore. I mean, my heart is still grieving but I think I can manage without the help of magic." 

"It's not for that. It's a contraceptive just in case you know... You don't get pregnant." The magus whispered with conspiracy making the maiden blush and violently take the vial from his hand. 

"How did you know? Did you spy on us while we were doing it!!?" questioned the maiden furiously in a hushed voice. 

"How can I now know? You were screaming so loud I didn't even get a second of rest because of you but it was certainly a feast for the imagination." laughed the magus in amusement. 

"So everyone knew about what we did?!" Ruby exclaimed in alarm, her world almost falling apart in realization. 

"Not really. Although you were very loud, at least you didn't yell each other's names or else you'll really be in trouble with our mother. As far as I know, everyone thought that it was just Gawain or someone else doing a maid so you can rest assured for now." Merlin reassured making the maiden sigh in relief. 

"By the way, a visitor came last night and left something in your window sill. Their presence was quite interesting so I went to check it out and I found this." The magus handed her a letter and a single crimson rose. 

Ruby accepted the objects in curiosity, perplexed of who their sender is. She flipped the letter to look for any clue of the sender but she only found her name written in a very familiar penmanship. Her eyes widen because of this and she hastily opened the envelope to read the letter. 

Her emotions couldn't be anything else but incredulous and amazed as she carefully read every word and every sentence as tears of happiness built up in her eyes. Relief and absolute happiness washed over her weary and exhausted heart due to the unbelievable information the letter is revealing to her. She choked a sob before placing a hand on her mouth to stifle the cry wanting to escape her lips. 

She read and re-read the last passage which was ever so dear to her heart. 

'I may no longer be with you, my dear and we may no longer meet again, but remember that you are the sun and I am your moon. You may not be able to see me in the light of your days but I will always be there to be your best friend. And rest assured that I tressure your efforts to save me that night and I bear no hatred for you because of my fate. Know that I am happy now with my true love because of your kindness and I hope that you find yours soon because love is one of the best things to have in this world.

Your dearest friend, 

Carmilla'