The twins managed to complete the leaf crown adorned with Grosh strawberries before Kalia’s arrival.
Of course, they didn’t retrieve the strawberries that the mole had eaten.
Fortunately, Drea appeared just in time like a savior and brought the Grosh strawberries from the Dragon’s Sanctuary.
Although she was a White Dragon, repeatedly traversing the sanctuary with her still immature body was quite exhausting.
Because of that, as soon as Drea returned, she lay down beneath the tree and stretched out.
She hadn’t slept a wink for over seven days in order to come to the Kingdom for Family Day, which took a toll on her.
It couldn’t be helped that Shaik was late in arriving, but if he had come first, Drea wouldn’t have had to endure such hardships.
Seeing Drea defenseless and fast asleep beneath the tree where the twins had been perched moments ago, Shaik sighed softly.
“What a bother for the sake of some strawberries…”
Shaik quietly took a seat beside Drea, resting her head on his lap.
The firm touch of her cheek against his thigh pleased him, causing Drea to smile and nuzzle her cheek.
Finding her adorable, Shaik gently stroked Drea’s cheek with the back of his hand.
As his tender touch caressed her, Drea’s lips curved up slightly before returning to their original position.
Observing the faint shadow of Drea’s fluttering eyelashes, Shaik’s worn-out heart beat like new, enduring far more time than what could be seen.
As he gazed at his slumbering woman, his broad chest swelled with a tight and sturdy rise, the embodiment of masculinity.
Within Shaik’s emerald-green eyes, as pure as an oasis and as beautiful as a gem, an intense possessiveness surged.
“Now she’s too busy and doesn’t even play with me… If I knew it would be like this, we should have gotten married right away instead of being engaged…”
Drea, who had been chasing Shaik around since before she was born, had changed.
Now that she had become the representative of the dragons, she could no longer chase after Shaik indefinitely.
There were too many tasks that required her presence, being called to various places for handling matters.
Although Shaik inwardly felt disappointed by Drea’s frequent absence, he didn’t do something foolish like clinging to her and keeping her by his side.
The time the two of them would spend together in the future was boundless.
In order to be faithful to each other during that long time, any excessive obsession or restraint would only become poison.
‘But I can’t do that. I’ve finally grasped the present…’
Others were unaware of how significant the present happiness shared with Drea was to Shaik.
After countless lives and numerous trials, this precious and valuable moment, this happiness that they had just barely obtained, surpassed any other treasure.
It was the warmth that filled them.
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees.
The fragrance of Drea faintly mingled with the fluttering wind.
It was a warm, lovely, and enchanting scent.
Shaik leaned against the tree trunk and closed his eyes, savoring the tranquility that comes just before a spider descends.
Laughter flowed incessantly from his nature, breaking through the silence.
It was a voice familiar to Shaik.
The tension in his tightly contracted muscles gradually eased from his broad and angular shoulders.
How many minutes had passed like that?Shaik, who lay still leaning against the tree like a statue, suddenly raised one hand.
And at that moment, with a scream from above, Shuri and May floated up into the sky.
Shaik sighed softly and gazed at his two lovely sisters suspended in the air by magic.
“Shuri, Maeve. I hope you weren’t sneaking around trying to play a prank on Drea, who just returned from the sanctuary, right?”
Narrowing his eyes with a touch of suspicion, Shaik looked at his younger siblings, and both Shuri and Maeve shook their heads in unison, as if they were one body.
“No! We were just told by Mama and Papa to bring both of you back…”
“Yeah, yeah! They told us to quickly bring Shaik and Drea!”
Shaik raised a finger towards the two children, who seemed to be raising their voices in protest.
“Shh. I understand, so speak quietly. You’ll wake up Drea.”
“Grandpa and Grandma are here too! We have to go quickly! They said the meal is ready!”
“I said be quiet.”
“Shaik has to untie us first… Hee~!”
“Kyaaa~!”
No matter how much Shaik told them to be quiet, the voices of the twins didn’t diminish.
Helplessly, Shaik gestured with his finger and sent the children in the direction of the castle.
Although the children screamed and flew away in a hurry, instead of getting hurt, they laughed heartily from where they landed and quickly got up to run back to Shaik.
“These mischievous brats…”
Shaik couldn’t stop them, so he raised his head and unfolded a protective barrier to block his younger siblings.
A transparent magic circle formed around the tree, preventing the approaching twins from reaching Shaik like playful puppies chasing a snack.
Thump, thump! Thump, thump!
-Shaik, open this for us. Quickly!
-Throw us one more time! It’s so fun!
-Shaiiiiik!
They were truly unstoppable.
Smirking, Shaik increased the density of the barrier, blocking out the voices of the children as well.
Although they were soon going to vacate their spots and head to the dinner table, Shaik didn’t want to disturb Drea, who was peacefully asleep.
“Hmm… What’s up, Shaik?”
…Seems like she’s already awake.
Using a gentle touch, Shaik wiped the corner of Drea’s mouth and spoke.
“Did you wake up?”
“Yeah. Hooahh! When did you come? Why didn’t you wake me up right away?”
Drea, who stretched her limbs and yawned while lying on Shaik’s lap, laughed brightly and raised up, humming contentedly.
“I guess I haven’t fully woken up yet. This feels like a dream.”
With a bashful smile, Shaik couldn’t help but laugh along with Drea.
Observing Shaik for a moment, Drea blinked her eyes.
Against the backdrop of the gradually reddening sky, Shaik’s tender smile was truly incredibly beautiful.Even after seeing it every day for decades, she still couldn’t fully adapt to his beauty.
In fact, after not seeing him for a while, she felt dizzy and her eyes became watery, as if her immunity to Shaik’s handsomeness had weakened.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because it’s enchanting. Wow, how can a person look like this? Oh, no, it’s because of the mix of elf and fairy blood… Anyway, how can you have such enchanting beauty? It’s amazing every time I see it, really.”
“Do you really like my face that much?”
“Yeah. I really, really do. I love every strand of your hair. I even love the drool you let out when you sneeze. I love everything about you, just everything.”
Unable to contain himself from Drea’s absurd words, Shaik burst into laughter and suddenly lifted Drea’s cheeks with both hands and kissed her.
“…!”
Their bodily fluids mingled, as their warm and intimate tongues delicately danced between them.
Drea, who flinched at the sudden kiss, quickly responded by wrapping her hands around Shaik’s neck.
Kisses with her beloved fiance were always sweet, and even more so when they hadn’t seen each other in a while due to their respective circumstances.
As the kiss deepened, Drea’s back touched the ground.
Despite having the strongest physique as a dragon, Shaik, as if fearing that Drea might hurt herself while kissing and rolling on the ground, protected her by placing his hand behind her head.
Shaik’s affection, which had become so natural and familiar, enveloped Drea.
Her breath became short, and her voice, as if suffering, came out with a scratchy tone.
Shaik pressed on, embracing Drea tightly until she, with her flushed face, finally pushed his shoulder away, and he slowly withdrew.
“Do I even have to sneeze? Like that…”
With an mischievous smile, Shaik lightly bit Drea’s slightly parted lower lip while whispering.
“Right now, you can have me… as much as you want.”
“…Insane.”
Without realizing it, Drea blurted out those rough words and quickly wrapped her arms around Shaik’s neck, changing their positions.
Now, Drea straddled Shaik, her eyes sparkling as she triumphantly declared:
“I really love it.”
“…Drea, such sweet words.”
“Oh, whatever! Uncle Agnes said this when he was really happy!”
Drea proudly shouted, but noticing Shaik’s slightly raised eyebrow, she quickly corrected herself with a sheepish smile.
“Alright, alright. I really, really love it. I love it so much! Really, really!”
And then, as if unable to contain herself any longer, she kissed Shaik’s lips fiercely.
It was a passionate exchange, pouring out like a fierce strike. Shaik, who accepted it with a smile, seemed to enjoy even that.
The kiss deepened once again. The sky, gradually changing colors, was now completely red.
At that moment, when the thick shadows cast by the dense foliage of the tree were trying to hide the couple, who were passionately kissing while sharing their breath, the kiss suddenly came to a halt.
Simultaneously, they swiftly rolled away from the spot they were in, as if something had exploded.
And in that very spot where Drea and Shaik had just been lying, the mischievous twins, Shuri and Maeve, burst forth, exclaiming:
“Mama told you to come quickly!”
“We’ve all been waiting!”
The mischievous twins, with Tierra the mole leading the way, were full of energy.
Shaik, looking at his siblings covered in dirt, couldn’t help but hold his forehead, bewildered.
Drea, who had been nestled in Shaik’s arms, chuckled as she watched the energetic twins with a smile.
“We should go quickly, Shaik. We might be late.”
Their family was waiting for them.