“Yes, I didn’t want to admit it because I was afraid that if I gave you my heart, I would end up hurt, but it’s useless to keep denying what I feel for you. I love you, Alessandro.”
Abril’s words were like daggers piercing Alessandro’s heart, making him feel happy and also miserable for everything he had done to her up to that moment. For having thought of her the same way King Venobich had, for not taking care of her and loving her as she deserved, he set aside the tray that was between them, took her face in his arms, kissed her, and then apologized.
“You are too good and kind; I’m not worthy of your love; I don’t deserve it.”
“Of course you are, and I’m happy that it is you. I’m happy to be your wife.” Abril asked him timidly, “Aren’t you happy that I love you?”
Alessandro pressed his forehead against Abril’s and, looking directly into her eyes, replied, “Of course I am. I’d be an i***t if I weren’t.”
Abril lifted her face, kissed him, and said, “Our marriage was something we were forced into, but it’s up to us how we live it, whether we’re happy or not. I’ve decided to give you my heart, I’ve decided to love you. What about you? Will you accept my feelings?”
Abril waited anxiously for Alessandro’s response. He kissed her and whispered between kisses.
“Yes, I choose to be with you, to love you, and to be happy by your side.”
Abril smiled, her smile was beautiful and full of happiness. Alessandro had never been in love, but he was sure that what he felt at that moment must be it. The happiness he felt seeing her smile, being by her side. She was beautiful, not only on the outside but also on the inside. With her light, she had broken down his walls and entered his heart. It was useless to keep denying what was so obvious. He was in love with her, which is why he had been so afraid of losing her, because he loved her.
“I’ll take care of you, I’ll make you happy.”
“I want to make you happy too, and may our future be filled with happiness.”
“And there will be. I’ll make sure that we are very happy.”
Alessandro tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “I promise to love you, protect you, dream of you, live for you, do anything for you.”
He sealed his promise by kissing the marriage mark on her left hand and then her lips, doing what he hadn’t done on their wedding day, accepting the mark that united them for a lifetime.
Despite having been sleeping for three days, Abril still felt drowsy. She gave a big yawn, and
Alessandro asked her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just feel a bit drowsy.”
Alessandro looked worried, and Abril told him.
“This time it’s just sleeping, my magic isn’t escaping.”
“Really?”
“Yes, now I can feel my magic, although I don’t know how to control it, but the earrings help me with that.”
“How could your mother give you those earrings?”
“I don’t know, she put them on me in my dream, and when I woke up, I already had them.”
“Your mother must have been a very powerful witch.”
“I don’t know, they never talked to me about her. I really don’t know anything about her. I would have liked to have known her, to spend time with her. Maybe my life would have been very different if she hadn’t died.”
Abril yawned again. Alessandro didn’t want her to fall asleep again, fearing that this time she wouldn’t wake up. But she looked tired, fighting sleep to stay awake, and it was selfish of him not to let her sleep. Alessandro took off his shoes, got on the bed, wrapped his arms around her, and said.
“If you’re sleepy, go to sleep. I’ll be by your side when you wake up.”
Abril settled on his chest and said, “this time I will wake up, I just need to sleep a little.”
Alessandro gently stroked her hair, kissed her forehead, and said, “Good night, my sleeping beauty. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Abril closed her tired eyes, and it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. Alessandro was also tired. He had been taking care of Abril day and night for three days without sleeping a single minute, worry and fear preventing him. But at that moment, knowing that Abril was okay, all the tension in his body disappeared, and the fatigue hit him suddenly. In the end, he also ended up falling asleep while holding his wife’s warm body in his arms. His beloved.
When Abril woke up again, the sun had already begun to set, an orange light flooded the room. She was still in Alessandro’s arms, and she looked at him. For the first time in her life, she felt true happiness and thanked God for having met him. She gently caressed his sleeping face. There were very few times she had seen him sleep; it was always the other way around. To her, his sleeping face seemed beautiful. Her fingers traced his features and stopped at his lips, soft and warm.
Alessandro woke up to her caresses. When he opened his eyes, she apologized.
“I’m sorry, I woke you up.”
Alessandro pulled her hand before she withdrew it, kissed the palm of her hand, and said, “Don’t apologize, I’m fine.”
Alessandro saw that the sun was beginning to set outside and said, “it seems we’ve slept all day.”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to stretch your legs a bit?”
“Actually, yes. I’ve been lying in this bed for three days, my body feels a bit heavy.”
Alessandro got out of bed, put on his shoes, and found Abril’s shoes and a robe for her since she was only wearing a light white silk nightgown.
Alessandro helped her sit up in bed slowly so she wouldn’t get dizzy, then put on her shoes and robe, and helped her stand up. Abril felt her legs weak, like a newborn fawn. Alessandro held her by the waist and helped her walk until they reached the balcony. There they sat on a bench, from where they could see the mountains, the sun slowly descending, hiding behind the mountains. Abril leaned on Alessandro’s arm and said, “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I really liked the sunset on the beach, but this is also beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Do you know what I like most about this?”
“What?”
“Although the landscape is beautiful, what I like most about this is being by your side. Your company makes everything even more beautiful.”
Alessandro kissed her and said, “Yes, everything is better by your side.”
***
Cassian went out to train because he felt suffocated from being cooped up all day with nothing to do. While training, Cassian felt lighter, as he hadn’t in a long time; his leg injury had healed, there was no more pain and no difficulty walking, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like his old self again. He ran several laps around the mansion, eager to do everything his injury had previously kept him from doing. As the sun began to set, during his last lap around the mansion, he glanced up at Abril’s balcony, wondering how she was doing since Sirius had asked him to leave and not disturb them, as they needed time alone.
Cassian saw Alessandro and Abril coming out onto the balcony, and he stopped and watched them. His brother helped Abril sit on a bench on the balcony, the two of them sitting side by side, Abril with her head resting on his brother’s shoulder. It was painful for Cassian, though not as much as he had imagined. Seeing his brother constantly by Abril’s side, never leaving her for a moment, he wished for Abril to wake up soon and for his brother to return to his old self. It broke his heart to see him so shattered and hurt.
After seeing his brother kiss Abril, Cassian resumed running, wishing that one day he too would find someone to love as deeply as his brother did.
****
Three days later, with Abril fully recovered, Sirius decided to return to his tower, as he had nothing more to do there. Alessandro had barely had time to discuss the current events in the kingdom with Sirius, so he went to see him before he left.
“I will leave in a while.”
“I know, Cassian told me. We will also continue our journey; there are still many places I need to visit.”
“Taren informed me of the situation; the kingdom is rife with traitors.”
“Yes, I need to purge the traitors before the war begins; otherwise, we’ll collapse from within. King Venobich had begun to make his moves. Did you reinforce the barriers as I requested?”
“Yes, I’ve sent the wizards to strengthen all the barriers, and I personally reinforced those of the palace. We will be fine for some time.”
“I hope it’s enough to hold until we’re prepared. This time the war will not end with a treaty; it will have to end with the spilled blood of one of the two, and I hope it’s King Venobich’s blood and not mine.”
Alessandro and Abril were taking a walk in the garden when they saw Cassian running by. When he saw them, he stopped and came over to say hello. Alessandro said to him,
“I haven’t seen you run so energetically in a long time.”
“I suppose I owe that to Aby; thanks to her magic, my leg injury has healed, and now I can run.”
“I’m glad to have been of help.”
Alessandro noticed that Cassian called Abril by the name Aby several times, so he asked,
“Aby?”
“It’s her nickname. Don’t you think it’s nice?”
“Yes, it is.”
Alessandro replied while looking at Abril. Seeing that those two were flirting in front of him, Cassian decided it was best to leave them alone.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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