(City of Lunarian- Inner District)
(Old John's Hotel- Private Room)
Night had fallen and the only source of light in the room was the candle on the table that flickered slightly.
Its flame casted dark shadows on the walls. Claire sat down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion.
Her longsword had been placed in the corner of the room and after almost thirty minutes of cleaning, she finally managed to get rid of the bloodstains.
A soft pair of hands pressed against Claire's back and began to knead her gently. Elisa hummed a melodic song as she pressed kisses against her girlfriend's neck.
"Do you think that I made the right choice today?" Claire broke the silence in the room with a sudden question.
Seeing the tears running down the sides of Marie's cheeks earlier made Claire feel a bit soft-hearted towards the girl tasked with such a heavy burden.
She did not want to rejoin the church or become a part of its rebuilding process but decided to help in what way that she could.
Claire offered her services to Marie to deal with the… more rebellious members of the church who had escaped the purge.
Still, it was an agreement that she had made without consulting Elisa's opinion so Claire wanted to see what her girlfriend thought about it.
"No… at first, I… I was a bit unhappy that you agreed to help Marie occasionally but then I considered the long-term view," Elisa closed her eyes and replied.
"If the corruption in the church is not removed and the organization is not reformed then another Pope Emmanuel will come into power."
"Don't worry… it should only take around a decade for Marie to clean up the unsavory elements with my help," Claire assured her quietly.
"I will spend the rest of my life with you. I promise that after this is over… let's live in the outer regions together."
Elisa laughed gently as she touched the sides of Claire's cheeks and stared at her with a look in her eyes that bordered on obsession.
My sweet knight… the only source of light that led me out of the darkness…
The dark elf princess leaned forward and captured Claire's lips in a sweet kiss that left the female knight breathless.
The kiss that was shared between the pair was both soft and lingering. Claire broke away first and blushed as she saw the thin thread of saliva connecting them.
"Don't tease me… I… can't hold back…" Claire hoarsely whispered as she tightly gripped the bedsheets on the mattress.
Despite the pair sharing many intimate moments, they had yet to take the final step of their relationship.
"I know… thank you… for being patient," Elisa sweetly whispered as she nibbled on Claire's delicate ears.
For dark elven royalty there was a long-standing tradition of sleeping for the first time with your lifetime companion on the night of your wedding.
To resist the urge of carnal desires showed that your love went beyond the mere desires of the flesh.
Of course, Elisa was willing to break this tradition if Claire did not want to follow it, but her girlfriend wanted her to know just how much she cared for her.
"Marie won't need my assistance for the next couple of months since she plans to stay in the capitol… should we travel to the outer regions and hold the ceremony?" Claire questioned softly.
"Is that your proposal? No flowers? No gifts?" Elisa teased mischievously as she ran her fingers through Claire's short blonde hair.
Claire smiled as she got up from the bed and headed for a brown bag that was carefully tucked away in the corner of the room.
The female knight opened the bag carefully and pulled out a small wooden box with delicate golden carvings engraved on its surface.
Claire slowly approached the beautiful dark elf on the mattress and knelt down on one knee.
It was a ritual that was not present on the continent, but Sui Li wanted to propose using the custom of her own world.
"Elisa… I… I didn't expect to meet someone like you… in fact when I first… first…" Claire's voice suddenly cut off.
Claire tried to continue her speech but discovered that she could not reveal her origins as an agent of the Space Time Administration.
Claire froze for a moment but quickly changed the words of her planned speech to continue her confession,
"When… I was first assigned to be your personal guard… I could never have guessed that you would eventually become the most important person to me."
"I wanted to have a private engagement because truthfully all I have to say is… I love you."
"No words can truly convey just how much you mean to me, and I hope that my actions can prove that I will only love you for a lifetime."
Claire opened the wooden box and took out the delicate golden ring that was hidden inside.
A gorgeous ruby sat in the middle of the ring that complemented Elisa's crimson eyes.
Usually, one would have diamonds on an engagement ring, but Claire thought that only a ruby would suit her fiery girlfriend.
She reached for Elisa's left hand and slipped the ring on her fourth finger. Claire bowed her head and kissed the ring lovingly.
She looked up and saw Elisa staring directly into her gaze with stars in her eyes.
"You… you… you…" Elisa stammered uncontrollably before rushing forward and diving into Claire's waiting arms.
The dark elf princess shuddered in Claire's embrace and tears ran down the sides of her cheeks.
Claire could feel her shirt getting wet, but she patiently stroked Elisa's back and comforted her gently.
"You are mine… remember you asked me first!" Elisa suddenly spoke as she bit on Claire's shoulder fiercely.
"Don't you dare leave me!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Claire softly spoke in a solemn tone. This was a promise that she intended to keep.
It was impossible to know what would happen when she eventually died but the memories that she shared with Elisa would always remain with her.
The pair embraced in the darkness as two hearts slowly became one.
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