Ancient Pasts - Tbate

Proposal

Cathan Leywin Pov

I kneeled nervously in front of Claire, my hand holding the ring box open and my heart beating wildly. The preparation for this moment made me more nervous than when I met the strongest asuras.

"C-Cathan..." Claire stuttered, her voice barely audible against the beating of my heart.

Through the time I've known Claire, I've become a far better man. In the past, I was no different than Grey. A man who spent decades becoming the strongest, but for what? I never had a goal to keep fighting and training except for spending time with Grey. My parents, Ellie, and Claire, all showed me how to be a better human being. They showed me how to be happy. I don't want that happiness to end, and I will treasure it for my entire life.

"I... I accept, Cathan." Claire muttered, and those few words left my heart fluttering with joy.

Looking up, I could see Claire's face was as red as her hair, her eyes wide while staring at the golden ring. Slowly, my hand moved to the ring, picked it up, and moved it to her outstretched hand. Taking a deep breath to calm down, I slid the ring on her hand.

I stood up and leaned forward, gently capturing Claire's lips into a kiss that she returned. A few moments passed, and the two of us were making out above the clouds.

"I love you, Claire." I placed my hand on her cheek, my eyes filled with happy tears.

"I love you too." Claire brought our lips into another kiss.

"Thank you, Claire, for making me into a better human being," I whispered.

"And thank you for making me happy," Claire whispered back.

After years and years of training as a way to spend time with the people I love, I finally understood how it felt to take a break from training and spend time with my family and friends.

"I can't believe you said that you don't have a plan," Claire remarked.

"Well, I needed a way to make you not suspect a thing and to spend time with you, so I made this plan with Ellie's help," I replied with a chuckle.

"Ellie helped you with this?" Claire looked up at me and echoed.

"A little before the announcement regarding the retainers, I asked Ellie to help me plan this. The only people I could ask for help were my parents and Tess. If I asked Tess for help, then she would've told you." I scratched the back of my head.

"So you planned this from back then?" Claire asked.

"Yes. Although, I did get help from Ellie, Arthur, and your uncle..." I admitted.

"You told him?!" Claire took a step back and quickly asked.

"Yeah, did I do something wrong?" I started to panic slightly.

"No. I just wanted to surprise my uncle." Claire sighed.

"Sorry about that," I chuckled, pulling her into a hug.

"I forgive you." She mumbled, her face buried in my chest.

I couldn't help but feel happy. My life was getting better by the moment. First, becoming the king of the Djinn, then the defeat of two retainers, and now, I'm engaged to the one person I love.

With that, I am more determined than ever to make my family happy and protect them. I will do whatever it takes to live the life I've always wanted. A life with my family with no politics or wars. A life where they will always be safe.

"Hey, Claire," I called out.

"What is it?" Claire's voice came out muffled from my chest.

"Do you want to come with me to explore the school?" I stroked her head.