Another Life, Another Me

67. The Invitation

A few weeks after that, Ace began to recover.

He could now freely switch between being a dragon or a human without the need to drink human blood, for some strange reason.

After being trapped up in a cage for so long, he didn't enjoy staying indoors and preferred to fly and wander outdoors instead, which was fine with me since I had claustrophobia anyway.

I would follow him on his walks and we'd run outside in the lovely wind, forgetting our painful memories and replacing them with happier ones.

Life was so peaceful that the time flew by quickly.

Four months, perhaps, went by as we spent the time relaxing.

It was such a lazy life that it almost felt...wrong.

As a kid, I always wanted to grow up to be a couch potato...but now the thought of doing nothing all day long just felt almost...scandalous?

"Is there any work that needs to be done?" I asked Florence who was drowning behind a sea of papers.

Florence raised his eyebrow at my statement.

"Yes...but you don't need to worry about that," he said as he continued scribbling down in neat cursive on all the papers he had to do.

His hair shimmered from the light of the afternoon sun coming through the window behind him.

He had a pair of glasses which, even though I hated to admit it, made his charming appeal even greater than it usually was.

His green eyes, emphasized by his reading glasses, darted across papers and other papers and more papers...

Why was he always so busy...?

I don't think I've ever seen him take a proper break ever since I came back a few months ago.

"I'm technically the future crown princess, so there has to be some sort of work or duty I have to carry out. Don't tell me that all a crown princess does is sleep and play all day," I said stubbornly.

Florence glanced up quietly from his papers and smirked.

"Well, you're only job right now is to rest and recover...unless...you want to get a head start on your duties?" he asked with a strange humorous look on his face.

"Of course. I'd do anything at this point. I've taken a million walks and a million naps. Just give me something to do," I nodded my head furiously.

He stood up from his seat and beckoned for me to sit in his desk.

I did as he implied, but the moment I walked in a foot radius from him, he scooped me up and laid me down on top of his desk instead.

"...Excuse me. What?" I asked blankly.

"Don't you know...the greatest duty of a royal's wife...is to birth an heir?" he chuckled as he gently grazed my stomach with his fingers.

He supported my back gently with his other arm and brought my face close to his so that I could tell he was looking at no one else but me.

"Oh, heck no," I said sharply as I pushed Florence off me easily.

I patted down my rumpled dress down and glared at him.

"You try that again and I'm going to break your hands," I said threateningly.

He laughed a bit at what he considered a very funny situation.

"Haha...Of course, Lia. I won't lay a single hand on you...at least...until we marry," Florence winked with a snicker.

I shook my head with a sigh.