Her breath hitched as she softly called his name.
“A-Aether…”
“Hmm?” Aether slowly turned his head toward her and was met with the sight of Helena’s beet-red face. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him, her eyes downcast, her fingers trembling in her lap.
“I-I-I said no k-kisses… right?” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” Aether replied, though he smirked inwardly, amused by her nervousness.
“W-Well…” Helena bit her lip, struggling to form her thoughts, “Y-You know… I-I just feel like… I… I… am… ready…?” Her voice shook as tears welled up in her eyes, torn between her shame and desire.
It felt sinful, yet a part of her longed for it.
Aether glanced at her trembling shoulders and leaned down, moving closer. He could hear her breath quicken, her chest rising and falling as her anticipation grew. Helena squeezed her eyes shut, lips quivering in expectation.
But instead of what she expected, Aether whispered gently into her ear, “You’re not ready yet,” and lifted himself away.
Helena blinked in surprise, sitting up quickly, “I-I am ready, Aether!” she protested, trying to convince herself as much as him.
Aether shook his head, his gaze steady, “No, Helena. You’re not,” he said firmly, noticing how her shoulders still trembled with doubt. He knew she was trying to offer something out of a sense of repayment, not genuine readiness, and that wasn’t what he wanted from her.
Helena bit her lip again, her emotions swirling. She was about to argue when Aether reached for the white dress she had worn earlier, “You said this is your favourite, right?” he asked.
“Y-Yes…” Helena nodded, her previous thoughts slowly fading.
“Then wear this, and we’ll continue our date,” Aether said, pointing to the places they still hadn’t explored. He began to stand up when Helena suddenly grabbed his hand, her brows furrowed in confusion. “But… didn’t you say you like these clothes?” she asked, gesturing to the black outfit she was wearing.
“I do. I love them,” Aether said with a soft smile.
“Then why?” she questioned, glancing at the white dress he held.
Aether’s smile widened, his voice gentle. “Because you love them,” he replied simply.
Helena blinked, still not quite understanding.
“You see,” Aether explained, “you wore these black clothes for me, right?” He gestured toward her current outfit.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“And now,” he continued, “I want you to wear the white dress for you. Because you love it. That’s all.”
Helena stared at the white dress in his hands, her emotions swirling in confusion. She had worn the black clothes for him, to please him, but now…
Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, her voice trembling, “I-I still have a long way to understand you, Aether…”
Aether chuckled softly, “You’ll get there. Don’t worry~” he said with a wink.
Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Helena suddenly pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. Overcome with warmth, she leaned in and—
“~Hmm~”
—kissed him!
Aether’s eyes widened in surprise, but a smile soon spread across his face.
Helena pulled back gently, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and longing, no longer clouded by the feelings of repayment or shame.
She was certain of her emotions now.
“I-I’m sorry… I… I didn’t mean to—” she began, but before she could finish, Aether leaned forward and sealed her lips with his own, silencing her with another kiss.
Helena’s eyes widened in shock before she smiled warmly into the kiss. It was simple—nothing passionate or rushed, just a gentle peck on the lips—but it was enough to set her heart racing, her body warming as she realized how much she enjoyed it.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
Both of them startled and turned their heads, eyes widening at the sight of a brilliant firework exploding in the night sky, casting colourful lights across the dark canvas.
‘Fireworks? They have fireworks here?’ Aether thought, momentarily surprised by the display.
Helena’s eyes sparkled with wonder as she grasped Aether’s hand, her voice filled with awe. “It’s beautiful…”
Aether chuckled softly, squeezing her hand. “You know what’s more beautiful?”
Helena grinned, already guessing his answer, “My eyes?”
Aether laughed. “Yes, your eyes are stunning. But right now…” He leaned closer, pulling her gently by the waist. His gaze dropped to her lips, his voice a low whisper, “…it’s your lips.”
Before Helena could respond, he kissed her again, this time deeper, more lingering. And though she didn’t know much about kissing, one thing was certain—she liked it!
“~hmm~”
Slurp~
Aether gently bit down on her lower lip, then moved to the upper, sucking softly as he deepened the kiss. Helena, trying to mirror his movements, fumbled a little, but her efforts made Aether smile. As the kiss grew more passionate, Aether’s hand wandered lower, gently pinching her hips.
“HIIKK!!” Helena gasped, her eyes widening in surprise as she finally broke away, drawing a deep breath.
Aether chuckled at her reaction, “Even if the kiss feels good, you still need to breathe, my lady,” he teased, winking at her playfully.
Helena pouted, her lips still tingling from the kiss. “Hmph! You bit my lip! That’s cheating—”
“HELENA?!!”
The sudden shout startled both of them. They flinched, whipping their heads around to see…. someone running toward them through the dark.
Though the dim light made it hard to see clearly, they recognized the voice—it was Finnian. He was closing in fast, panting heavily as he ran.
Aether’s lips twitched in annoyance, “How in the world did he find us?” he mumbled under his breath. Without wasting a moment, he quickly packed their things and grabbed Helena’s hand. “Let’s go!” he whispered before pulling her along, vanishing into the shadows with swift, quiet steps.
Meanwhile, Finnian gritted his teeth in frustration, scanning the area, “Huff… Huff… I definitely heard her voice… They must be close!” His expression darkened as he swore under his breath, “Once I find them, they’ll definitely pay for this!”
Elsewhere…
“Haha!” Helena giggled breathlessly, struggling to keep up with Aether as he led her through the winding streets, both of them moving quickly to avoid Finnian.
After running a fair distance, Aether finally stopped, catching his breath. “Why are we running instead of just knocking him out? He’s following us like some creepy stalker,” Aether muttered, sounding half-serious.
Helena chuckled and shook her head. “We can’t do that!” she said, her tone light but firm. “If he finds out what we were doing, I’ll be in deep trouble!”
Aether nodded knowingly, his smirk playful. “Yeah, you’ll be in deep trouble for kissing a servant, huh?” He raised an eyebrow, teasing her.
Helena’s cheeks flushed bright red. Flustered, she quickly averted her eyes and pointed toward something to avoid his gaze. “I-I want that!” she blurted, suddenly moving away, trying to distract herself.
Aether smiled at her reaction, shaking his head in amusement as he followed her, ready to continue their adventure.
…
….
Soon enough, they walked hand in hand, heading back toward the castle. The night had grown late, and Helena’s grip on Aether’s hand tightened as she looked up at him curiously.
“Is something on my face?” Aether asked, noticing her lingering stare.
Helena shook her head, her voice soft as she spoke, “W-Well… is the date over?” There was a hint of sadness in her tone as if she wasn’t ready for it to end.
“We could always have another date,” Aether replied gently, “There’s no need to worry about it. We’ve got time.”
Helena nodded, though her expression remained a bit gloomy, “B-But is this date really over?” she asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Aether blinked, slightly confused. “Is there something else you had in mind?”
Helena hesitated, biting her lip as if she was trying to remember something. “Well, you said after a date… people either go to one of their homes and… love more… or book a hotel and… love even more,” she explained, her face turning red as she recalled the stories he’d told her…. more like corrupted her, “Something like that, right?” she innocently tilted her head.
“Oh…” Aether’s eyes widened as he realized what she was referring to. He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, “Well, for that… you’re not ready ye—”
Helena pouted, cutting him off. “Aether, I want to love
more
!” she said firmly, crossing her arms with a strict expression.
She wasn’t asking anymore; she was declaring it!
The date had been so fascinating to her, and she didn’t want it to end without experiencing the next part he’d hinted at.
Aether sighed, nudging his forehead with his hand, “Helena, you’re really not—”
“Shh!” Helena suddenly pressed her hand over his mouth, her eyes wide as she pointed toward the base of the mountain where the castle stood. “It’s Fin!!” she whispered urgently.
There, standing at the foot of the mountain, was Finnian, looking frustrated as he scoured the area.
Aether let out a long sigh, his patience thinning. ‘He’s really starting to piss me off,’ he thought, glaring at Finnian from the shadows.
Helena turned back to Aether, her expression serious. “Let’s finish our date!” she said firmly, determination written across her face.
Aether sighed again, though a smile tugged at his lips. “Well, you asked for it,” he muttered under his breath, already resigning himself to the situation, ‘Looks like tonight I’ll definitely be blue-balled…’ he thought with a pained smirk.