Chapter 549 - What Should We Do? (1/2)

”You're the only woman I love in this world,” he said, and from her eyes and her deep longing, he knew he was also the only man she had ever loved in this world. Both had endured such painful separation and now they would never want to be apart anymore.

They kissed passionately in the alley connecting the hall to the west wing, not caring for anyone anymore. The servants who passed by pretended not to notice and immediately rushed off, not wanting to ruin the two's moment. And when the two lovebirds were done, they kissed again.

The married couple who had been separated for so long, finally, intimately held hands as they went to Aleksis' room, like lovers who had just fallen in love for the first time. Their gazes were only on each other, and anyone who saw them could feel how great the love between the two was.

Earlier, they had to refrain from showing their love and longing for each other. Their reunion was too sudden, so they had to care for the feelings of Aleksis's family, who knew nothing about Alaric and even came to Grosseto to attend her wedding to Nicolae.

They also had to think about Nicolae's feelings. The man must have felt heartbroken because the woman he loved and was going to marry turned out to have been married to his own brother, and Alaric, whom everyone thought had died, was still alive.

Now that their family members had returned to their hotels or went to the east wing, Aleksis and Alaric could freely hold hands and kiss whenever they wanted to. The servants were also understanding enough to give them privacy.

”Welcome. Sorry, my room is a mess...” Aleksis opened the door to her spacious room and invited Alaric to enter. ”The children sometimes come to sleep with me, so a lot of their belongings are scattered here.”

Alaric nodded with a smile. His own house was very neat and tidy, but he wouldn't mind if it were to become messy because of the presence of the two children. Instead, he couldn't wait to see his house become messed up and filled with Altair and Vega's laughter and tears as they both live and grow up with him.

Aleksis cleaned up the scattered toys and books and arranged them in the cabinet. She then sat on a sofa and patted the side, inviting Alaric to sit.

”When did you arrive in Grosseto?” she asked when Alaric sat next to her, ”I didn't know you've met Altair before.”

”Hmm... This afternoon. I arrived early and went sightseeing around here. I met him when he was chasing butterflies.” Alaric smiled as he recalled his first meeting with Altair, when the child tickled him to speak so Altair could see lavender. ”Uhm... He said my voice looks like lavender...”

Touched, Aleksis tilted her head and smiled, ”Aww... really? Lavender is my favorite flower.”

Alaric nodded slowly. Soon, his face turned gloomy, ”I didn't know your favorite flower. There are so many things that I don't know about you, like your birthday, your favorite food... what makes you sad and what makes you happy... ”

”Shh... Don't say that. None of that matters. We have a lifetime to know about each other's little things. I'm a very simple person...” Aleksis framed Alaric's face with both hands and lovingly gazed at her husband, ”I'm sad when you're not present, and I'm happy when you are. Very simple, isn't it?”

Alaric was stunned. He recalled the events from ten years ago when he had just met Aleksis and was touched by how much she loved him so deeply and unconditionally.

He had never felt so loved by anyone. In the end, the defenses he had built for decades to not open his heart to any woman collapsed, and he had let himself fall in love with Aleksis.

He didn't even think twice when Aleksis asked him to get married. For the very first time in his lonely life, he found someone who understood and accepted himself the way he was.

And now, that person had returned to his life after being gone for ten years.

They stared at each other for a long time, satisfying each other's longing for their beloved's face. Aleksis affectionately stroked Alaric's cheeks, her face showing a look of awe.

”You're so… handsome. I never expected you to be this handsome...” she whispered. ”I thought you were an old man with a disfigured face.”

Alaric closed his eyes to enjoy Aleksis's caress on his face. He let her trace every line and curve of his smooth and handsome face.

”Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for not caring about how I look... I'm the luckiest man in the world,” he whispered. He then opened his eyes and looked at Aleksis with an apologetic look. ”If I could turn back time, I'd like to be honest with you from the start, so that we don't hide from each other and misunderstand, so all the complications never occur...”

”So do I... I'm really sorry. If I had known from the start that you were Uncle Rory's son... He would definitely be happy, and we could've immediately gotten his blessings...” Aleksis uttered in an apologetic tone. ”Now that everything has passed, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you're here with me, and we won't ever part again.”

Alaric nodded and pulled Aleksis to his chest. ”I won't let that happen.”

He was elated when he felt Aleksis's heartbeat resonate with his own. Aleksis' breath slowly began to become irregular, and Alaric realized that his wife felt a deep emotion because she had received zero intimacy from him for a very long time.

He loosened his hands and gently lifted Aleksis's chin, and kissed her lips. Aleksis closed her eyes and enjoyed Alaric's lips on hers for the umpteenth time that day, which somehow didn't feel enough.

She emotionally returned her husband's kiss as tears ran down her cheek. She really missed his body holding her tight, she really missed his lips kissing her, and she really missed Alaric's nice scent and the pleasant touch of his skin.