[Music Recommendation: Full Moon ~ Seori]

Oriana had already shed all shyness when it came to Adric. This wasn’t the first time their bodies had been this close, and this time was even more important because Adric needed her the most. He had risked his life to protect her, and the least she could do was keep him warm.

Looking back now, Oriana felt like her body was only meant for Adric. He was the first man to see her naked more than twice, and he didn’t make any attempt to use it against her or even mock her. He still respected their boundaries. Though he’d teased her, he never crossed the line. The first time she arrived at the palace and was almost caught by Queen Gwen, Adric was there to protect her. He also carried her naked body into the room without looking at her once or taking advantage of her.

Why hadn’t she realized all this while that Adric had only ever protected her? Why was she so slow in understanding that? All these thoughts ran through Oriana’s head. He had all the opportunities to force himself on her, but he didn’t. Oriana’s eyes looked down at Adric’s peaceful face, deep in sleep, his curly hair resting on his face.

Oriana used her fingers to move his wine-red hair to the side, a color that matched his eyes, which scared people every time he grinned. Oriana’s eyes moved down to look at his eyelashes that were long like a woman’s, long and arranged, and his small lips. Oriana leaned closer to see his lips, then her fingers traced his sharp jawline.

The calmness on Adric’s face was something she wasn’t used to; he was always smiling like someone with no weaknesses. Seeing him now in this state and knowing it was her fault broke Oriana’s heart.

"Please wake up," she muttered. Bringing her face close, she planted a small kiss on Adric’s lips, then on his forehead. She was about to move back when Adric’s hand moved around her waist, holding her in place. Oriana held her breath; she wanted him to wake up, but she didn’t know what he would think if he saw both of them naked in bed. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Oriana tried to forcefully move back. His body was now getting warm; she didn’t need to cuddle him anymore. But when she tried to move back, Adric opened his eyes, staring right back at Oriana unblinkingly.

"Your... highness... don’t misunderstand... I was..." Oriana stammered, trying to explain their current position.

Adric blinked, his fingers moving up to touch Oriana’s face. He touched her cheeks and smiled. It was a smile filled with longing.

Oriana blinked; her heart was beating very fast, feeling Adric’s fingers on her face. It felt so good that she had to close her eyes, her whole body alert with the touch, trying to control her breathing.

"Mother," Oriana’s eyes flew open when she heard this. She looked at Adric, who was still looking at her with his eyes wide open. Did he just call her mother? As in his mother? Was he trying to tease her right now? Oriana looked at Adric’s face. He didn’t have his usual playful grin. He still looked very calm and relaxed.

Adric raised his hand to touch her face, tucking the hair strands that were out of place behind Oriana’s ear. "Mother," he called again. "Why do you look so thin?"

Oriana understood what was happening. Adric was hallucinating, and right now, he thought she was the former queen. She stayed quiet and allowed him to think whatever he wanted.

"Why did you leave?" Adric continued in a calm voice, looking at Oriana. "You left without saying goodbye. I only went out to get you the wild berries you loved so much, and you left. Do you not like wild berries anymore?"

Oriana’s heart ached so much hearing this. It was always the way the people they loved the most left their lives without a proper goodbye. She remembered her grandmother and her last words.

’See you tomorrow,’ but they never got to see each other again after that night. Even Oriana was not allowed by her family to say a proper goodbye during the funeral. She understood just how devastating the feeling was, and she knew Adric must have felt the same way the day he thought he had lost his father. The empty feeling of being all alone in a world filled with evil and betrayal.

"Are you happy there? Without us?" Adric asked, moving his hand down to hold Oriana’s hand. "Why are you so small now, Mother?" he muttered, his eyes moving away from Oriana to look at the candle stand. Then he sighed.

"I know you are angry with Father for getting married to someone else, but he was just coping with the pain of losing you. I tried to cope with the pain too, but it still hurts so much. I hated Father all these years, but he needs us right now. We should forgive him," Adric said, looking at the flickering light of the candle. Then he moved his eyes away from it and settled them on Oriana with a smile. "Mother, I feel so sleepy. We can talk about your long journey when I wake up." He sighed deeply. Closing his eyes, he drifted back to sleep.

Oriana sat on the bed, looking at Adric. The prince looked like someone with no worries, but deep down, his mother’s death had really affected him, and maybe he was yet to heal from that loss. She sighed, touching his face. All these years, he had to bear the pain alone while trying to keep the crown from leaving his family. The troubles of the kingdom weighed on him as he tried to stay alive, but he didn’t try to put the pressure on anyone. He slept all night with all these worries and still missed his own mother.

"Why do you hurt so much?" Oriana muttered. She felt her heart ache so much for Adric. She touched his face, wiping off the tear that slipped down his face even with his eyes closed. "I’m never going to leave your side. I promise."

At that moment, Oriana thought about her grandmother, the one person who was always there for her and ready to listen to her. The sad part was that she couldn’t remember all those beautiful memories clearly anymore. All she had was this tiny necklace which her grandmother had given her.

"It hurts here too, Nana," Oriana touched her chest. Bringing her body closer, she wrapped her hands around Adric’s waist with her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Oriana listened to his rhythmic heartbeat as his broad chest moved up and down. She wanted to stay in this moment for a long time.