"Our date? Did you like it?"
The question took Veena by surprise, and her smile faltered for a mont.
It wasn’t that she was upset, rather, the unexpectedness of the question caught her off guard.
Her mind raced through the evening.
She recalled the uncharacteristic things she had done—laughing openly, teasing Adrian, playing with her food while eating, and wandering around without a single care—things she never imagined she would be able to do.
For one night, she had shed the heavy burden of her image, in a place where no one knew her and no one held any expectations.
She felt free, happy, and content—emotions she hadn’t fully experienced in what seed like an eternity due to the curse and restrictions imposed by her family—all because of Adrian, the miracle in her life.
A miracle that, since entering her life, has brought about nothing but happiness.
Since the day she realized her curse didn’t affect him, how different he was from everyone else, and how uniquely he understood her, Veena felt drawn to him.
The more ti she spent with him, the more she fell for him, although her introverted, guarded nature had kept her from fully acknowledging it, let alone expressing it.
But Adrian didn’t need words.
He understood her in ways no one else did, not even her parents.
Every day with him was a new adventure, whether in class or eting in secret like a couple. He listened to her troubles and agreed to her selfish demands of taking her out.
She couldn’t deny the growing bond between them.
But like they say, life is a rollercoaster ride—where there are ups, there are also downs in life. While his presence brought joy, it also brought fear and anxiety about him leaving her.
Fear of being left alone once again, suffering from the curse in solitude, reliving those nightmares, and enduring a life of constant fear and pain—Veena, who had tasted the fruits of happiness and joy, couldn’t bear the thought of reverting to her past self.
The re idea terrified her.
It also made her recall the recent rumors about Adrian and Rosalie and their alleged explicit relationship, which pained Veena’s heart despite her disbelief.
While it was true that Adrian and Rosalie had t alone—Veena was there when Rosalie stopped him—she knew the reason was far from what others speculated.
Even though Adrian didn’t et her for lunch that afternoon, when he saw her at night, there was no change in his deanor, despite the rumors.
He remained the sa Adrian, even telling her that he was angry at Rosalie for threatening him, which caused him to beco so frustrated that he forgot to et Veena.
Nonetheless, Veena was troubled. She knew about Rosalie’s family’s dark history with Adrian, a secret Adrian was unaware of.
Veena had always wanted to reveal the truth to him, but she withheld it to protect him until he was strong enough to face it.
But she knew that, although Adrian might not take any action for now, Rosalie and her Cypra family would not be so benevolent.
This worry only grew because of the tensions between Rosalie, Alex, and Adrian, making her despise Rosalie even more.
Rosalie’s family was responsible for Veena’s curse; her family had killed Adrian’s family for their own selfish reasons, and now Rosalie was trying to destroy the only happiness in Veena’s life.
The more Veena thought about this, the more she hated the Cypra family and Rosalie. However, her hatred was one thing—she couldn’t do anything to them just yet.
That was when Veena decided she would protect Adrian herself.
So what if the Cypras were strong? Her Rathi family was not a weak persimmon, either.
She would do anything to protect him because Adrian had beco irreplaceable to her.
The thought of losing him made her anxious and brought her feelings for him into sharper focus.
It was also one of the reasons she so readily agreed to call their night out a "date." Deep down, she wanted it to be referred to that way.
She wanted him to be hers, to protect him from those won who dared to look at him with lustful eyes, to assert her claim on him, and to show everyone that he belonged to her.
Consequently, she didn’t leave his side for a second and always kept him close during their date, holding his hand and enjoying the best tis of her life.
But the highlight of the night ca at the end, when she took him to the restaurant she had booked a table at for him.
His surprised expressions after looking at the luxurious building made her proud, but it was his next words that caught her off guard and revealed a new side of him to her—not just the mischievous boy she thought he was, but a thoughtful and caring person with his own vulnerabilities.
"Isn’t this place too expensive? You don’t have to go overboard."
"Should we go sowhere else, then?"
"It would be really nice to eat here... but honestly, I’d be satisfied eating anywhere else."
The mont Veena heard those words, only one thought crossed her mind:
’Does he not know that if he marries , he will receive even more precious treatnt in the future?’
As soon as Veena realized what she was thinking, her face flushed red, and she shook her head.
’No, no, what are you thinking, Veena?!’
She forcefully cald herself down, softened her expression, and teased him to avoid letting him see her flustered state.
"Why are you acting as if it’s your wife’s money?"
"That’s not what I’m saying!"
As expected, he beca flustered.
"Then co in and stop acting like my husband."
Veena was obsessed with these fresh expressions on his face, so she drew him inside the restaurant, where the waiters served them and gave them special treatnt.
Receiving such treatnt for the first ti, Adrian held her hand tightly without letting go, and his face was filled with astonishnt. She looked at him as he looked around at the sparkling interior.
To her, he had always been confident and calm, as if everything was under his control. But now, as he beca flustered over little things like the price of the steaks, she realized he too was human, not much different from her.
The warmth that radiated not just from his touch but from his very being was another proof of his humanity. There was a purity and innocence in his eyes that disard her defenses.
And now, looking at how, despite her insistence on ordering whatever he liked, Adrian still opted for the relatively more affordable option, choosing the second-cheapest dish on the nu, Veena burst into laughter. He was so cute.
"Pfft~Hahaha! You’re always so excited to order all the expensive als at the academy. Why are you ordering only this here?"
"Hey! That’s free money, but... here you have to pay. I feel bad for making you pay. Plus, it’s all the sa. Why would you pay so much more for a little more fat in the at?"
"Hahaha... Why did I never know you had such a side to you... Adrian, oh Adrian... Hahaha."
Veena continued to laugh as Adrian burned with embarrassnt by her side. Seeing him so flustered only refreshed her, making her laugh even more freely.
Though she had never been on a date before, she had heard from others that most n not only expected but demanded expensive and luxurious treatnt. However, Veena had never heard of anyone who questioned the necessity of it like Adrian did.
This made Veena realize once more how different he was from others. Not only was he strong, good-natured, and handso, he was also grounded and considerate. His antics, his genuine concern for her, and his modest choices only highlighted how he was the best husband material she could ever dream of.
Nevertheless, in the end, despite his modest choice, Veena still ordered the most expensive steak and the finest wine. She did it not out of necessity but out of playful defiance.
It was also at this ti that he asked the question that made her think about all of this.
"Our date? Are you enjoying it?"
Date. It was a word so foreign to her that she thought she would never be able to experience it because of her curse. But she did, and she enjoyed it too.
Of course, being a woman, she was a little embarrassed to directly accept it.
"You’re asking even though you know?" Veena made a face as if asking if she really had to say it out loud, but then she admitted it.
"It was nice…"
"Eh? I can’t hear you."
"It was nice! It was really nice. Happy now?"
She grumbled, her face turning red, as if she had just confessed.
"What? Can you say it a little louder? I didn’t hear it in all this noise."
But the shaless Adrian, hell-bent on getting back at her for laughing at him, pretended he didn’t hear her, causing Veena to have tick marks on her forehead.
Fortunately for Veena, before she could be embarrassed further, the waiter brought the wine, which she hurriedly poured into the glass and pushed toward Adrian, changing the topic.
"Cheers."
"Cheers…"
A pleasant clinking sound followed, and they took a sip.
"Drink it slowly."
"Okay."
After taking a sip of wine and chatting away, the steaks and salad arrived. They enjoyed a happy al and finally got up to leave as Veena paid the bill.
However, as they left the restaurant and headed for their taxi, they failed to notice a pair of eyes of unfathomable depth, looking down at them from the first floor of the restaurant in surprise.
Her hair reached down to her shoulders, seemingly grown from obsidian, and every line on her face was as perfect as a sculpture. She had a smirk on her face as she murmured.
"Interesting."
"What’s interesting, Isabella?"
"Oh, it’s nothing, Jannet. But tell , how did you end up being deployed here?"
"Well, I probably shouldn’t be saying this since it’s confidential, but we recently got information about the smuggling of a large number of Monster Cores in this area. We’re investigating it. But it’s probably those Chaos organizations. It seems like they are planning sothing big this ti."
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