……
Just like a year ago, the castle's evening banquet belonged to the witches.
Yezi had transformed the rear courtyard, several times larger than before, into an open-air camp surrounded by olive trees. Around the roaring bonfire, everyone looked up to see the brilliant stars in the night sky.
Compared to the barbecue party last time with only five witches, this one was much more lively. Not only were all the witches from the Witch Union present, but Maisie, Lucia, Agatha, Speer, White Paper, and Aisha were also new additions. Including the seven from Sleeping Island, the total number reached twenty-five.
Platters of sliced food and sauces were placed on the small tables next to the bonfire, for everyone to take as they pleased – after clearing the rebel nobles' territories, the meat and cloth in the warehouse had also increased considerably. In addition, there was also Evelynn's specially brewed low-alcohol fruit wine, and Agatha's ice cream was also served.
While Lightning was enthusiastically demonstrating to those attending the barbecue for the first time how to roast a chicken leg, Maisie had already stuffed a sizzling rib into her mouth – after spending a year following the little girl through the mountains and jungles, she was adept at any food that could be roasted. Like the former, her pockets were filled with various seasonings.
"I think this is a waste of time," Agatha smeared honey on a cooked beef ball in her hand, "The devils are coming soon, instead of seizing the time to prepare for battle, *munch*... we're enjoying this short-lived victory. When the enemy breaks through the city walls... *gulp*, everything will be over."
"Eat slowly, it's okay," Roland handed her a new skewer of beef balls with soup filling, it was obvious that she liked these balls containing broth, "Combining work and rest is more efficient. Defeating the devils doesn't depend on this one day of leisure, and even if we fail, at least we've enjoyed the beauty of life."
"Heretical nonsense!" Agatha glared at him, took the ball, rolled it in the oil dish, and put it directly into the bonfire – with the blessing of her frost ability, no matter how the fire roasted it, she could maintain the surface of the ball at just the right temperature. It was clear that the cooling and nitrogen production work during this period had improved her control over her magic.
On the other side, Aisha, a new addition from Sleeping Island, had obviously never seen so much meat. Although she kept swallowing her saliva, she hesitated to take any. Fortunately, Wendy noticed her restraint and pulled this newly awakened sister to her side, sharing her roasted food with her and White Paper.
Ashes, Andrea, and Sylvie from Sleeping Island were playing cards while waiting for their food to cook – in just a few months, the three of them had learned all the games that Roland knew. As long as the demon beasts didn't attack the town, Roland could always see them gathered together playing cards in the castle hall.
And the other Sleeping Island witches, such as Candle, Evelynn, and Sylvie, had gotten along very well with the town witches. Seeing them chatting happily with Yezi, Echo, Soroya, and others, it was just like one big family.
Looking at the warm scene before him, Roland felt quite gratified – after working hard for more than a year, the changes in the Western Territory were slowly emerging. Whether it was the people's enthusiastic cheers in the square during the day, or the happy smiles on the witches' faces now, they were all rewards for his efforts.
This kind of reward was so sweet that he couldn't help but indulge in it.
As the bonfire gradually died down, the time also approached midnight. Roland asked Nightingale and Ashes to escort Nana Wawa and Aisha home respectively, while he came to the second floor of the castle, waiting for Anna to appear.
He decided to take the initiative, instead of waiting passively, or dragging things out.
Silvery moonlight shone into the castle from the windows in the corridor. With this light, he saw Anna's blue eyes – this scene was familiar, but the positions of the two had been reversed. The pupils, half-hidden in the darkness, reflected a faint luster, like stars in the night sky, but without the embellishment of the stars, the night sky at this time belonged to her alone.
Roland didn't speak, but stepped forward and took her hand, walking towards the third floor.
Even though it wasn't the first time he had close contact with her, his heart was beating surprisingly fast, and through the palm of his hand, he could also feel Anna's tension. Even so, she didn't hesitate at all, but followed closely behind him.
Back in his bedroom, closing the door, Roland took a deep breath, turned his head, and was hesitating about how to start when Anna had already kissed him.
The soft tip of her tongue gently pried open his teeth, and the sweet breath entered between his lips and teeth, intoxicating him.
A thought suddenly popped into his head: sealing his lips with a kiss.
When you don't know what to say, kiss. When you don't know how to express your feelings, kiss – a kiss is a silent language, a kiss is a burning emotion.
When the two separated again, Anna's cheeks were already flushed.
"I have a gift for you."
Roland took out two red magic stones from his arms – they had been re-polished, inlaid with a gold border, and a thin red rope was hung on the top.
"This is... a sigil?"
"Yes, one is a Pathfinder Stone, and the other is a Locator Stone. When they are solidified together with magic, they become a tracking sigil," Roland put the Pathfinder Stone around Anna's neck, "This way, no matter where I am, you can find me through it."
Anna seemed to realize something, staring at him blankly.
And he gently held her cheeks and asked, word by word, "Will you marry me, Anna?"
A heavy rain instantly stirred the surface of the blue lake, unable to remain calm.
After a long time, Anna nodded and replied, "Yes."
……
Everything that followed was so natural, the long-brewing emotions completely broke through the final obstacle at this moment, intertwined with each other.
Roland picked her up by the waist, placed her on the bed, and kissed her gently from her forehead to her neck, then all the way down, clumsily unbuttoning each button. Anna didn't close her eyes, but watched his every move, as if wanting to deeply remember every aspect of him in her mind.
When the girl's fair and delicate skin was completely exposed, Roland gently hugged her into his arms and covered her with a quilt.
Without the barrier of clothing, he could clearly feel the rhythmic beating of her heart, as if it was about to leap out of her chest.
"This time..." Anna whispered in Roland's ear.
"What?"
"I won't fall asleep again..."
Roland couldn't help but laugh, and this laugh also eased the tension between the two. He pinched Anna's nose, "Even if you fall asleep, I won't let you go tonight."
As their lips came together again, the two finally became one, body and mind merging into a whole.
……(。)