Chapter 26

Ophelia had dressed into a red attire that were accustomed to the eastern empire's tradition. Her hair had been pinned to the back and was freely loose. Looking in the mirror, the little girl was no longer there.

(Knock, knock)

The door opened and an enticing Icarus had invited himself in. Ophelia blushed and looked unto the mirror again, she hadn't finish tying her dress from the back.

"Let me help you with that..." He slowly steps in. Ophelia's heart pounded wildly as he saw his reflection who had stared back at her, their eyes met. Gazing at their reflection, Ophelia couldn't help but roam her eyes from his reflection. Icarus had indeed changed and not just his looks but his demeanor as well. Right now, he was a stranger to her.

His long fingers slowly held the ribbon and reached out for Ophelia's slender waist. His scent flooded Ophelia's mind as he slowly wrapped his arms around her delicately. His warmth emanating from his chest had touched Ophelia's dainty back, making her heart beat louder.

He tied the ribbon slowly, their breaths echoed gently in the midst of the silence. And when Ophelia thought he was done, his fingers brushed against her bare shoulders. Her body trembled at the sudden contact. The gorgeous young lord had turned into a tantalizing man that made her heart pound in trouble.

He stopped at his tracks as he held her delicate shoulders with both of his hands, making Ophelia breathe out, intoxicated from his touch. Icarus lifted his eyes from her back and met Ophelia's reflection on the mirror. She returned his gaze as if she had been longing for a moment like this. Alone with him.

Icarus, unable to keep looking at her, had sneaked a kiss on her neck.

More like he grazed his lips stupidly...

'Damn, I should have pressed them more firmly'

Disappointed in his actions, he tried to step back but Ophelia had stopped him in his tracks. Startled by her straight forward actions, he decided to keep their distance as close as possible. He could feel her warmth on his chest. There was indeed something unspoken going on between them.

"What's wrong?"

He asks her in his deep voice, it came out to be more of an invitation than he had thought. Ophelia looked down, not meeting his reflection, and as if she were blushing. She slowly confessed what she had been thinking about.

"We are...what am I supposed to do?" She replies in a low voice.

"Stay. Stay together. I think it's a great idea to be with each other." He began. But his voice had sounded calm when he was telling Ophelia this.

"The dark bead had fully infested your being, and with this ring, as I am the light mage now. It is required that we stick together. To keep the balance." Icarus wouldn't let Ophelia go now, She had been struggling to break free from his arms and he had kept explaining it to her so her doubts and guilt would just all disappear into nothingness.

Ophelia struggled in embarrassment in Icarus arms. She couldn't dare to look at him, his statement earlier would have meant to be a marriage proposal. But if it was not, then the fact that she had thought of it this way made her even more embarrassed.

"But all I did was hurt everyone , I –unknowingly was the black mage all this time…there is no telling when I would lose my mind just like the duchess, please...L-let me go!" she yelled. But it had been the wrong move for her.

(Plop) the two fell on the carpeted floor. Icarus who fell on his back tumbled gracefully as if he had meant it. Ophelia was now in an awkward position with her on top of Icarus. She sat on his pelvis and had felt his muscled abdomen beneath his shirt with her inner thighs.

She felt sexily aghast at her fallen posture as she had fallen comfortably on top of him. Icarus laid still and grinned in admiration on the beauty who had pinned him down.

"How long are you going to stay this way?" He teased

"What, I, ah, sorry"

But before she could adjust her position, Icarus gripped her wrist that had supported her from crashing down on him. Gently, he tucked her in his arms, embracing her fully as she laid on top of him. Her body was stiff from his embrace but she showed no signs of struggling. Icarus could feel her breath slowing down as if she had calmed down from his earlier approach.

Just then, the door had opened and revealed a frustrated Damen.

"Damn you guys, can you come back to this later. We have more important things to discuss and I also need to return to my homeland tomorrow… Please let's finish this first."