Chapter 93 – The Oath of Eternity
Their breaths mingled, heated and erratic, as if the universe itself had bent around this moment—this reunion.
Aetheria felt the press of Leonhardt's forehead against hers, their lips parted only by the shallow breaths they shared. Her pulse pounded beneath her skin, a rhythm that matched the fire burning in his eyes.
"Mine," he murmured, his voice rough, filled with something dark and possessive.
Aetheria's lips curled. "I already told the world that, didn't I?"
Leonhardt growled.
His hand cupped her cheek, fingers trailing over her jaw, her throat—memorizing every inch of her, as if he feared she might vanish again.
"You declared it to the world," he said lowly, "but say it again."
Aetheria's violet eyes glowed, silver specks flickering like stars in the night sky. "You doubt me?"
"No," he said immediately, his grip tightening around her waist. "But I want to hear it again. Just for me."
Aetheria exhaled, her fingers threading through his ashen-black hair, pulling slightly. His eyes darkened at the sensation, his breath hitching.
She leaned in, lips ghosting over his ear. "You belong to me, Leonhardt Valerian Everhart."
Leonhardt shuddered.
His arms wrapped around her, caging her in completely, his entire being trembling under the weight of those words.
His fingers curled against the fabric of her dress, gripping as if she was his tether to reality.
"You have no idea what you do to me, Aetheria," he admitted, his voice a whisper of reverence.
Aetheria pulled back slightly, just enough to meet his gaze. "Then show me."
His fiery red eyes flickered.
And then—
He kissed her.
Not the desperate, consuming kisses they had shared before.
Not the raw hunger of their reunion.
But something slower.
Something deeper.
Something unbreakable.
Aetheria's eyes fluttered shut as she let herself sink into him—into the warmth of his touch, the steady strength of his arms, the absolute certainty in his embrace.
Leonhardt kissed her with the kind of devotion that could only belong to a man who had waited lifetimes for this moment.
Aetheria felt worshipped.
Cherished.
Loved.
And she hated how much she needed it.
Her hands slipped beneath his cloak, pressing against the bare skin of his back, feeling the tension coiled beneath his muscles.
Leonhardt's breath hitched, but he didn't stop her.
Didn't stop this.
Instead, he only held her tighter.
As if letting go was no longer an option.
—
Minutes passed. Or perhaps hours.
Time had no meaning in their embrace.
Aetheria's lips were red and slightly swollen when they finally parted, her breath shallow.
Leonhardt's thumb brushed over the curve of her lower lip, his eyes smoldering with something dangerous.
Something eternal.
"Say it again," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Aetheria smirked, but this time, it was softer.
She rested her palm against his chest, feeling the steady, unyielding rhythm of his heartbeat.
And then, with absolute certainty—
"You are mine, Leonhardt."
Leonhardt exhaled, eyes fluttering shut for just a second. When they opened, they were burning.
"As you are mine," he vowed.
His fingers intertwined with hers, pressing their joined hands against his heart.
"Aetheria Nyx Lunaris Solis," he murmured, voice rich with power. "In this life and the next, in every existence beyond time itself—I belong to you."
Aetheria's throat tightened.
She had always known his devotion ran deep.
But hearing it—feeling it—
It did something to her.
Something dangerous.
Something irrevocable.
Her fingers curled against his, her grip tightening. "Swear it."
Leonhardt smirked, sharp and unyielding.
"I swear it," he said, his voice carrying the weight of an oath that could never be broken.
Aetheria felt the power in his words.
Felt the truth.
Her fingers trailed up his chest, over the steady thrum of his heart, stopping just at the base of his throat.
And then—
She tilted his chin up.
"Good," she murmured, her lips curling. "Because I do not take what is mine lightly, Leonhardt."
Leonhardt chuckled darkly.
His grip around her waist tightened, pulling her flush against him.
"Neither do I, my queen."
Aetheria's breath hitched.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Because for the first time, she allowed herself to believe it.
This wasn't just a reunion.
This was the beginning.
Of something far greater than power, or kingdoms, or gods.
This was theirs.
And no force in existence could ever take it away.