CHAPTER 28

Xavier took something out of his robes and he gave it to her. She looked at him and then at what was placed in her hand and she was confused. Xavier had placed two white jadeite rings in her hands. They represented marriage, a union between a man and a woman. If she put them on then that meant she was agreeing to a marriage proposal.
“I know this is sudden but I don’t think I can ever wait. I want to spend every second of the day with you. I want the whole world to know that you are mine and I’m yours. I don’t want anyone to persecute you. I just want to spend the rest of my life proving my love to you. Can you be my wife?” he asked her.
She was shocked and excited at the same time. It’s been days since they confirmed their feelings for each other and yet now he was proposing for marriage. She wanted this so much but she knew the great sacrifices that would come with it.
Should she tell him what was going on or not? It was better left unsaid. She was going to follow in her mother footsteps and follow her heart. He might leave her one day but she was going to grab this chance of happiness and live in the moment. Whatever was going to happen next would come after that.
She looked at his face and then back to the rings in her hand. They weren’t that expensive but they really meant a lot to her.
“Are you not going to put them on me?” she asked him with a smile.
Xavier didn’t hesitate for a second. He put the rings on her finger and he embraced her in a tight hug. She could feel his warmth, his blood racing all over his body and mostly his heart thumping so loud and for her.
“Thank you for giving me the greatest gift of life,” he said to her as he looked into her eyes.
She didn’t know what to do. She was filled with so much happiness that she felt tears stinging her eyes. Xavier noticed that, he didn’t scold her but he gently kissed her tears away. Valery closed her eyes and let this moment linger for a while.
Xavier kissed both of her eyes before lowering down to kiss the tip of her nose. She was feeling like a child, she remembered how her father used to kiss her before he died. She felt his warmth in Xavier; it was as if her father had woken up in Xavier.
He kissed the corner of her mouth before capturing her mouth with his in a kiss so deep and warm that she felt lie drowning in ecstasy. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him as they both shared an intimate kiss.
She hooked her arms around his neck and fell deep and deep into the kiss. She wasn’t caring for anything else except for that moment in time. It was just her and him and no one else was going to take that from her.
After a while Xavier broke the kiss and wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks.
“You don’t have to cry anymore. I will always be here by your side every day and never leaving you,” he told her.
“I won’t cry anymore again. I will always protect you like I have always done so make sure you keep your promise and stay by my side,” she said.
“I will never break my promise,” he told her and hugged her again.
“I’m so happy,” she told him the truth.
“I am happier. There is something I wanted to tell you,” he said suddenly and she pulled a bit away from his embrace.
“What is it?”
“I told my parents about my intentions towards you and they agreed. They are sending marriage gifts and they would be arriving pretty soon,” he said and she looked at him.
“That’s very nice of you. I’m happy to see that you take this serious,” she said.
“I can never toy with you Valery,” he said.
“So, when is the wedding ceremony?” she asked.
“Let’s have it in a fortnight, everything will be prepared by then. I have to make our wedding robes,” he said kissing her on the cheek.
“Okay, you do what you are best at and I will do my thing,” she told him with stars in her eyes.
“I love that look. I will make sure you become the most beautiful bride our state had ever seen. It will be a wedding people will talk about in history,” he promised her.
“I hope so because I am not an ordinary woman,” she said.
“Indeed, you aren’t. You are special and I will make sure that it remains that way,” he told her.
She was very happy but she was also scared at the same time. Something was wrong she could see it but she needed to get rid of Xavier first.
“It’s getting late. How about you go and check up on Nora and Daren and see how they are faring? I need to take another walk,” she said and he looked at her with that questioning look.
“Okay, I will see you later. I will send a few guards over,” he said.
“Sure, I will be just fine. Now go,” she urged him to leave.
After a while Xavier finally bulged and left. She took it upon herself to walk to the holy pond where she stared at the golden lotus for a long time.
She could always feel it when there was an attempt on her life. So many people had tried to kill her and they used all kinds of despicable methods to do so and someone she had taken care of, loved and gave everything to, was trying to commit such a sin. Why would she try to kill her twice?
She forgave her the first time but now she was about to do it again. She was going to see what was in store for her this time. She wasn’t going to utter any word to Xavier.
She knew his temper; it will cause a lot of strife and that was something she was going to avoid but first she couldn’t wait for the gifts to arrive.