Julius’s mind turned completely chaotic as he stared at her soft lips. He felt a strong urge to kiss her deeply, just like she used to do back in their mansion.

Those lips looked like they were begging to be kissed. If he had every right to kiss her and even go further but still held back,

people would probably call him crazy. After all, what kind of man could resist such beauty? At least he couldn’t.

So he leaned in, puckering his lips, ready to press them against hers. But just as he was about to make contact, he froze.

’I just woke up...’ The sudden thought hit him hard. ’What if my breath smells bad?’ He stopped right there.

It might disgust her. When you first wake up, that smell is always there if you haven’t cleaned your teeth yet. He did not want to turn her off or ruin his chances of going even further. So he quickly pulled back.

’Should I go freshen up first?’ he wondered. But his eyes showed the inner struggle.

’What if she wakes up while I’m gone?’ He was sure she would not refuse him. She might even start things herself. Still, he wanted to kiss her while she slept peacefully.

He felt a bit reluctant to leave the cake when it was right there, warm and ready to be eaten. But he could not just kiss her mouth to mouth right after waking up, right?

With a heavy heart, he made his decision. He slowly unlocked her arms that were clutching him tightly.

As he did, a small frown appeared on her brows. Julius froze immediately. He did not dare move an inch. He held his breath and reached for the body pillow nearby. Very gently, he pulled it closer and slipped it into his place.

Rosalina grabbed the pillow and hugged it tight, so tight that a little drool slipped from the corner of her mouth. Just seconds ago, that had been him.

Julius felt a spark of jealousy. Getting squeezed like that by his beautiful, pretty, alluring Rose felt like his skin was burning with envy.

But he had no choice. He quickly stood up in his excited state and headed toward the bathroom.

Bam!

His head smacked straight into the wall, stopping him cold. ’What the hell?’ he thought, trying not to make any sound.

There should have been the door to his bathroom right there. But instead, it was just a solid wall. He opened his eyes wide and looked around clearly.

This room was beyond lavish. The word "lavish" was not even enough to describe it.

It was big and mostly empty of furniture, with only a large bed decorated with soft curtains. That part felt like his old mansion.

But the walls were a creamy color, and everywhere he looked, he saw paintings of himself with his mom and dad.

That was when the memories finally rushed back and everything clicked.

"I’m in Auranel?" he blurted out.

This was his room in the continent of Auranel, right inside the Hayes clan’s grand estate. Because he had woken up after that long, tiring battle, Julius had not even realized where he was at first.

And honestly, who could blame him? When someone like Rosalina was pressing her soft, warm melons right against your face, thinking straight was basically impossible.

So it had taken him a minute, but now it all clicked, this was clearly his room. Or to be more precise, it was the room of the previous Julius.

"They brought me to Auranel," Julius muttered quietly as everything finally fell into place.

After he lost consciousness in the fight, they must have carried him all the way here. It made sense now.

But then a sharp thought cut through his mind. ’What about that bitch?’ The image of Miasma flashed in his head, and a sudden burst of anger twisted across his face.

"Um... Juli..." Rosalina’s slow, sleepy murmur floated through the air and broke his thoughts completely.

Julius slapped both hands over his mouth in a panic, refusing to make even the tiniest sound.

’Fuck Miasma!’ he thought.

’My chance would be lost forever if I let anything else distract me right now!’ He quickly scanned the room.

On the opposite side, he spotted the door to his bathroom. He tiptoed carefully past the bed where Rosalina was still sleeping peacefully, then slipped inside as fast as he could without making noise.

Without wasting a second, he cast a quick spell to block all sound from leaking out. Then he jumped into the bath and cleaned himself thoroughly.

When he stepped back out, his long blonde hair was still damp and a few drops of water rolled down his bare upper body.

’Hehe, now it’s my turn,’ he muttered with a wide grin spreading across his face. My sweet, sweaty, caky baby.

He crouched down beside the bed, letting a few fresh water droplets fall onto the sheets.

’It’s about time to eat my first caky... Hahahahaha!’ He laughed like a maniac inside his head, looking totally ecstatic. ’I’m the lion and you’re the deer, my dear. Let me start with those lips first.’

He slowly crawled onto the bed and gently replaced the body pillow with his own body.

The moment he settled in, the familiar warm scent of the woman of his life wrapped around him like a soft cloud.

It was her natural perfume, sweet and inviting, the same one that used to drive him crazy back in the mansion.

She had slept holding him like this every single night, and her smell would always make his head spin. Back then he could still control himself because of his shyness.

But now, with his body fully grown, that same scent felt like a clear invitation instead. ’It’s time I finally conquer my land of glory!’

He stared at those perfect lips and felt his heart flip. ’That’s my sweety’s lips... oh my god, such beautiful rosy ones.’

He reached out slowly with his left hand and pressed his thumb gently on her lower lip, pulling it down just a little.

The soft pink skin parted, giving him a clear view of her bottom teeth, white and neat.

Her cheeks carried a faint, warm blush, and those long eyelashes rested peacefully against her skin, making it almost impossible for him to hold back.

He puckered his lips again, leaning in closer, ready to finally taste what he had been dreaming about. But then a sudden voice popped up inside his head.

’Is this really what you should be doing? You aren’t even married yet. Having physical stuff before marriage... that’s not right!’

Julius rolled his eyes at himself. ’Fuck off! She is mine. What does marriage matter anyway?’

He shook the annoying thought away and reached out once more. But this time, someone else had clearly run out of patience.

Rosalina’s eyes snapped open. Her long eyelashes did not even flutter once.

Her gaze landed straight on Julius, sharp and full of something he could not quite read, but it was definitely hard to stand under.

Julius’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly tried to pull back, but her hand shot up fast.

She grabbed a fistful of his long blonde hair and dragged his face right back toward hers. The very thing he had been waiting for finally appeared.

’This is heavenly...’