Xia pushed through the doors of their bedroom. He wasn't sure what Osiris wanted to talk about, but his heart was racing. He glanced over at the bed, shaking his head and blushing when scandalous thoughts started to surface. He knew Osiris wanted to talk about more than that. It was silly for him to travel there right away.
Osiris chuckled when he caught Xia looking at the bed. "Afterward, Xia. We need to discuss something before we do anything else."
His words only made Xia blush more. Of course, Osiris was able to read his mind when it came to that. Xia went out to the balcony to escape the embarrassment. He did long for Osiris' touch, though. It had been a while since the last time they spent an intimate night together. Ever since Xia recovered, Osiris treated him like a delicate flower. Tonight, Xia wouldn't let Osiris get away with that. He wanted the sultan to ravish him. After they spoke with one another, of course.
The sultan joined Xia outside. He wrapped his arms around Xia's waist and brought him close. It felt nice to be in his arms as Xia leaned his body against his. He would have missed this if he had never come back to save him. He was happy he came back, even if it took a little bit of pushing to get him to return to Rasea.
"Osiris . . . now what's going to happen? Your curse is gone and you can finally rule your kingdom without having to be afraid. And I . . . I'm assuming you're going to let me stay this time," Xia shyly added. Now that the curse was gone, there was no reason for Osiris to make Xia leave. They could stay together and not worry about Xia getting hurt.
He hugged him tighter. "I'll never let you leave me ever again. Well, besides when the witch forces you to be with her."
Xia rolled his eyes. "What do you think she wants with me? After all these years, I doubt she plans on acting like a mother now."
"I doubt that as well. Whatever she wants, it's only for a week every month. I don't think she has any intentions to harm you." If she did, Osiris would make sure to end the witch for good. No one was allowed to hurt Xia. "Anyway, let's not talk about her. Xia, I want you to close your eyes."
Xia did as he was told. He heard Osiris walk away from him and back into their room, but he wasn't gone for long. Xia wanted to peek, but he kept his eyes closed and waited for Osiris to tell him it was okay to look again. He was getting impatient as he waited for Osiris' next move. He wanted to see what surprise the sultan had in store for him.
"Okay, Xia, you can open your eyes now," Osiris said.
When Xia opened them, he saw Osiris kneeling in front of him on one knee. The sultan smiled up at him, and Xia's heart began to race. Osiris held two objects in his hands. One was the ruby tiara, and one was a ring to match. Xia wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't this.
"I actually had this prepared for a while, but the whole mess with my curse ruined things. I tracked down the tiara after you told me its whereabouts. You certainly didn't make things simple for me when I went to look for this. That merchant didn't want to give this up easily, but I convinced him." Osiris gave him a slight smirk. Xia had a feeling Osiris used force to get what he wanted. Osiris continued, "Anyway. You're the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. You might have stolen this tiara first, but eventually, you stole my heart. You mean so much to me."
Xia had a feeling he was smiling like an idiot, but he couldn't help himself. It was hard for him to contain how joyful he was feeling at that moment. He chuckled to himself. "Your words are so cheesy, Osiris. But . . . I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way."
Osiris laughed as well. "I'm glad. Even if this sounds a little silly, I mean it. When you came to the palace, I didn't give you much of a choice when it came to marriage, but I want to do things properly right now. I love you, Xia. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
There was no hesitation as Xia answered, "Yes, I want to marry you. I love you so much, Osiris."
Upon hearing his approval, Osiris was quick to get back on his feet and embrace Xia. He pulled away slightly to lean down and kiss his thief on the lips. Xia returned the kiss, happier than he had ever been in his entire life. When Osiris finally slid the ring on his finger, it felt official. There would be a lot of preparations that needed to be made, but Xia was ready to marry this man.
Whatever obstacles came their way, they would face them together. Xia might have started this journey with the intention of tricking the sultan, but instead, he ended up falling in love. He couldn't ask for a better outcome.
He was in love with the sultan of Rasea, and he was ready to spend the rest of his life with him.
The End
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Thank you to everyone who stuck around to witness the conclusion of this story! I started writing this in March of this year, so I'm surprised with myself for not taking years to finish this story. I know I have a bad track record when it comes to finishing my books ಥ_ಥ
This story was pretty fun to write, though. Overall, I had a good time writing each chapter. Xia was a fun character to play around with. I will not lie, I contemplated keeping him dead, but I didn't feel right not giving him a happy ending. I also didn't want you guys to hate me if I did that lmao ( /)w(\✿)
Anyway, thank you for joining me, and I hope to see you on the next adventure!
Word count: 94,249!
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Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)
Fantasy[Completed in 2024] Xia is a thief, and a damn good one. But when his luck starts to run out, his only option is to steal from the highest-ranking person in all of Rasea; the sultan himself. To gain access to the palace, Xia attends the next select...
