บท 145: Chapter 145: Marley's Confession

(Note: Here's a slightly longer chapter to make up for the previous chapter, which I didn't even realize was that short.👍🏾)

"Congratulations on the victory, your Highness!" Said Illumia, Idonea, and Marley simultaneously as they approached Elif.

"I appreciate it, but there isn't much to congratulate me on; I was never going to lose against them." Remarked Elif with a prideful smirk as he summoned his scabbard before sheathing Hokori and storing it in his dimension ring.

"So, what do you plan to do with them, your Highness? They appear to be in rough condition; sending them to the medical ward wouldn't be a bad idea." Said Idonea, glancing at the five injured and unconscious bodies sprawled across the island.

"It wouldn't be a terrible idea; however, it is already the middle of the night, and I don't really feel like leaving the island right now. Because of my little experiments, I'm exhausted, covered in sweat, and I'd like to bathe; besides, it's not like they're that injured; they should be fine spending the night here." Stated Elif, his words prompting Marley and Idonea to eye Elif's body glistening with sweat, causing the two of them to blush uncontrollably.

"We'll take care of them, your Highness, while you bathe." Said Illumia as she waved her hand while manipulating her Qi to carry the five unconscious bodies and bring them to her.

"Alright then, and while you are at it, can one of you repair the island? As you can notice, it's received a decent amount of concentrated damage." Said Elif with a nod as he pointed toward the area where he battled while walking toward his residence.

"I'll finish it before they awaken, your Highness." Said Idonea with a blushed face and a slight bow as she began working on the damage the island sustained.

"Y-Your Highness, since you'll be taking a bath, d-do you want me to accompany you? I can feed you lighting cherries and or massage you." Said Marley timidly with a deep blush while eyeing Elif's sweaty body, which accentuated his physique; her words caused Idonea to stop what she was doing and eye her dangerously.

Hearing Marley's words, I stopped walking, turned around, and looked at her while intensely pondering, as it was pretty tempting, though I was surprised that she knew how to massage.

"Hmm, you know how to massage, Marely?" Asked Elif curiously while still pondering her offer.

"Yes, I do, your Highness; roughly two years ago, I had implored Ms. Lynda to teach me to massage, which she eventually agreed to instruct me. Ever since then, whenever I'm given free time, I'll head to her office so she may teach me. Although I'm not nearly as good as a masseuse, compared to Ms. Lynda, I'm decently skilled at it, and I'd like to give you a massage as a show of my appreciation for you, not to mention you could use it after that battle." Replied Marley earnestly with a bow, though while she wasn't lying, that wasn't the only reason why she offered to massage Elif.

'Well, when she puts it like that, it would be a little impolite to deny her that opportunity; also, she is right; I could use a massage after the spar.' Thought Elif while feeling the slightly stiff muscles in his arms from using the incomplete technique twice.

"I'll take you up on that offer then, Marley; however, aid Idonea with repairing the Island before that." Said Elif with a slightly eager smile before he turned around and entered his residence.

___

Hearing that His Highness agreed to my offer, I nearly jumped in joy; however, I stayed calm and kept my composure, as His Highness was still present. Only when he entered his residence did I finally abandon my professional demeanor and display my true feelings.

"Hahaha! Yes, yes, yes, YES!" Exclaimed Marley happily while jumping, though her unfiltered joy didn't last long.

"What are you thinking, Marley!? Have you lost your mind!?" Questioned Idonea angrily as she slapped the back of Marley's head, breaking her out of her joy.

"Hmph, what's your deal, Idonea?" Asked Marley with an annoyed expression while rubbing the back of her head.

"What's my deal? I should be asking you that! You think I can't see through your lies!? His Highness may be oblivious to your true thoughts, but I am not; I know the real reason why you offered to massage him." Declared Idonea as she stared at Marley's blushed face.

"Tch, what reason could that possibly be? I merely wish to display my appreciation for His Highness; what's wrong with that?" Asked Marley with a smirk while eyeing Idonea.

"There is nothing wrong with wishing to show your appreciation for His Highness; however, for you to offer to massage him, you were guided by her lustful desires!" Stated Idonea with a blushed face while angrily pointing at Marley.

"Hehe, while your assumption would be correct in most scenarios, you're wrong. I wasn't guided, nor did lust control me; from the bottom of my heart, I truly wish to show my appreciation for His Highness; besides, you know the true reason I started to learn how to massage was for Sarah, so you can't use that excuse." Declared Marley with a triumphant smirk while eyeing the seething Idonea.

"You know, between the two of us, I'll admit, I'm indeed more lustful. However, the moment I offered to massage His Highness, the first thing that appeared in your mind was a lustful thought; even if it was about me, doesn't this just show how much of a pervert you truly are? You're jealous of me with the anger you've displayed." Added Marley with a deep blush and a slightly horny expression.

"First off, I'm nowhere near as horny as you, you succubus! Secondly, I'm not jealous!" Said Idonea angrily while eyeing Marley with her pupil-less eyes.

"You can tell yourself that all you want, but you and I know the truth; you're jealous that I'll be getting the opportunity to touch His Highness all over his body. I'll get to feel his hard abs, large chest, and broad back, all while you sit down here feeling lonely." Muttered Marley sensually inside Idonea's ear, causing their blushes to deepen.

"Ugh! Fine, you want to be like that, then go on ahead toward His Highness; I'll repair the island by myself. If I stay in your presence for a moment longer, I'll lose my mind!" Exclaimed Idonea angrily as she backed away and approached the damaged area of the island before continuing to repair it.

"Thanks, Idonea; I appreciate the help. Now I'll get to spend more time with His Highness as I massage his heavenly body." Said Marley with a friendly yet naughty expression as she waved toward Idonea, who promptly ignored her before heading toward Elif's residence.

___

Once I arrived just before the entrance toward His Highness's door, I knocked on it a few times to announce myself; however, after waiting a few seconds with no response, I slowly opened the door and entered.

'His Highness must still be in the bath, which makes sense as it's only been a few minutes since then. I suppose I'll just wait then.' Thought Marley as she began preparing the room.

Roughly half an hour later, His Highness exited the bath while still wet and wearing only pants as he entered the room, which caused my heart to beat unsteadily, though it wasn't enough to make me lose my composure.

"Hmm, you're already here? Did you and Idonea repair the island that quickly?" Asked Elif curiously while eyeing Marley, who was sitting in the corner wearing an entirely different attire, which she chose to accentuate her figure.

"No, Idonea is still working on it; however, she insisted that I attend to you instead of wasting time on an Island." Replied Marley with a beautiful smile as she stood up and approached Elif.

His Highness merely nodded at my words as he neared the massage table, which was situated in the middle of the room, and without any hesitation, he laid down on his stomach, giving me a perfect view of his wet yet broad back and alluring neck.

"I don't have to do anything, right?" Questioned Elif calmly while making himself comfortable.

"Not at all, your Highness; all you must do is lay there while looking heavenly as usual." Said Marley with a slight blush as she waved her hand, using her Qi to instantly dry Elif's body before summoning a bottle from her dimension ring.

"So, nothing then." Remarked Elif with a slight chuckle.

Grabbing the bottle, I had just summoned, I uncorked it and began pouring the contents onto His Highness's back before I started rubbing the oil all over his body with my hands that were filled with Qi, which resulted in His Highness releasing a satisfied sigh, one that brought me a great deal of joy.

"What's that oil you're using?" Asked Elif lightly while enjoying the peacefulness.

"It's a special massaging oil Ms. Lynda gave me; I don't know what it's exactly comprised of, but she told me that it'll relax one's muscles while greatly helping wash away fatigue. Do you like it, your Highness?" Replied Marley softly before her voice turned sensual toward the end while massaging Elif's back and arms.

"Yes, it's quite soothing."

While I was massaging His Highness, I subtly tried many times to spur his arousal, such as talking seductively, attempting to rub his groin, and even wearing skimpy clothes, which nearly exposed both of my breasts; however, in the end, much to my frustration, nothing worked.

'Haa, I figured this would happen, but still, not even an ounce of arousal.' Thought Marley sadly as she finally decided to give up on seducing Elif and wholeheartedly massage him.

Once I started focusing on massaging His Highness, the speed at which I did it increased, and by the time I was nearing the end of the session, I finally said what I'd meant to say for the past four years.

"Your Highness?" Said Marley softly as she looked at his face while rubbing his abdomen.

"Hmm, what is it? It's not another attempt at seducing me, is it?" Remarked Elif calmly, his words shocking Marley so much that she momentarily stopped rubbing Elif's body.

"Y-You knew!?" Exclaimed Marley in embarrassment and shame as she continued massaging Elif, though you could tell she was much more hesitant than before.

"Of course, I knew; I would have to be a fool if I didn't notice that you were previously trying to seduce me, and I must add, you're quite bad at too." Said Elif as he glanced at Marley before closing his eyes.

"You're not angry with me or anything, your Highness?"

"No, not really; I'm not one to complain if a beautiful woman tries to seduce." Stated Elif with a smirk, his words greatly easing Marley's nerves.

"That's a lie, your Highness; you and I both know that." Remarked Marley quietly.

"Not necessarily; I detest when women try to approach me with ulterior motives, and that just happens to be nearly every woman I encounter. Though you don't have any ulterior motives, so I don't mind your attempts, so long as you don't go overboard, that is." Said Elif while releasing a soft sigh from Marley's massaging skills.

"Speaking of ulterior motives, your Highness, I know what I'm about to say isn't really like me, but; T-Thank you for everything." Said Marley quietly with moist eyes.

"B-Because of you, you've given me a home, along with a purpose after I failed my old one; without you, I'd be either dead or someone's plaything, not to mention that even if I survived that encounter four years ago, I was mentally broken, I-I probably would've killed myself not too long later. W-What I'm trying to say is, I-I just can't express how thankful and fortunate I am to have you as my Prince, your Highness." Added Marley softly as she stopped massaging Elif, continuously wiping her tears that threatened to fall on his body.

___

Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/bCfBVPXS (Note: this link only lasts for one week)

___

Elven Legacy (Chapter 160: Triple Punishment, The Cauldron Burning) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 40: Alexander's Crush) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 64: Dock At Centaurea) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]