Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 54

There was no way she could let him find out that she was not Nexi. That she was a policewoman from a different world. That her soul was stuck in this princess’s body and that she had no idea how to go back home or how to bring Nexi’s soul back. He should not find out. It would just make things complicated, and honestly, things are already getting complicated as is.

“I mean,” she heard him continue, “you are just full of unexpected charms this time around. It is almost like you are a totally different person. ”

“What? What do you-”

“How did you manage to shoot all those bottles in one try, Nexi? You could not even look at a weapon the last time you came here, let alone hold a regular gun. So how…?”

‘Oh shit,’ she gulped nervously, pursing her lips together.

They stood in silence for a minute. Creatures walked past them, wondering why they were standing in the middle of the passageway and just staring at each other. Other’s thought they had a lovers quarrel. Astoria quickly searched for something she could say that would not cause her to seem suspicious or like an imposter. She sighed and stared into his gray eyes.

“Well,” she replied as calmly as possible, “if you must know, I have been attending shooting classes at the academy back home.”

“Shooting classes? Wha-”

“Excuse me,” said a witch, interrupting prince Yashiro as she tried to walk past them.

The passageway was now getting crowded, so Yashiro grabbed Astoria’s hand and gently pulled her into a dark alley. Her back was against the wall, and he was standing in front of her, his gaze fixed on her face. He examined her. She pressed her lower and upper lips together, feeling tense.

“You never liked weapons before. I remember the first time you came here. You almost fainted at the sight of a stave. So how is it possible that you can now hold a weapon such as a shotgun?” he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

“But that was a plastic shotgu-”

“That still counts. Princess Nexi, you used to faint at the sight of a plastic or fake weapon,” Prince Yashiro stated, cutting her off.

‘Wow,’ she thought, ‘That is actually intense. Poor princess.’

He had placed his hands on the wall, on either side of her. There was no way she could escape him. He tilted his head, waiting for her to respond to him. She was now staring at the ground. He always thought that she had been behaving strangely ever since she came here. The way she spoke, walked, and acted was utterly different from how she was before.

“Is that so? Fine,” he heard her speak with a sigh.

She crossed her arms and looked up at him. “I wanted to become stronger.”

He furrowed his brow. “Become stronger?”

She nodded. “As you know, I am quite weak, and so I get bullied at the academy. I cannot use the Silver Ocean yet. My siblings hate me. My father does not care about me, although he pretends to. I get treated like I do not exist, and I am sick and tired of it!”

He froze and stared at her wide-eyed at her outburst.

“The whole fainting when seeing a stave,” she continued, “Of course, I would faint. My mother was stabbed with a stave. She died because of it! Any person would faint if they remembered such a thing and saw a stave.”

“Okay, I understand all that,” he said, sighing, “However, you have been acting strange. The way you talk, walk, act… It’s all so strange and foreign.”

“Well, of course, it would be strange or foreign. I’m trying to be a stronger woman. To be more confident in myself,” she breathed out, “I am tired of being trampled by other people and creatures.”

And she was not lying. Nexi was tired of being treated like she did not exist. The princess was tired of being treated like a dirty rag both at home and the academy. She had wanted to become stronger but was unsure of where to even begin.

“So, I’m changing the woman I was before.”

Astoria herself was also tired of being trampled. She was treated like shit at work and even lost her position in the Major Crimes Unit because of Cosmo X. Both Nexi and Astoria were fed up, so they wanted to change. To become stronger and more confident. To sharpen their existing skills and gain new ones.

“I see,” Prince Yashiro said after a long while, understanding her reasons.

He dropped his hands from her sides and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She let out a gasp at the sudden intimate action and raised her eyebrows. He was so pleased and proud that he would be marrying such a determined woman.

“W-what are y-you doing?” she stammered, placing her arms on his chest, ready to gently push him away.

“Don’t push me away,” she heard him softly utter, “I am just proud of you for overcoming such a trauma. For wanting to become stronger.”

She stared wide-eyed at the fox prince, who suddenly placed his head on her shoulder. Her heart was racing, and her breathing quickened. This kind of intimacy from him really caught her off guard as she was not used to it. She had never dated a man nor slept with one. This was all too much for her to handle.

“Also, seeing you holding a shotgun like that,” he said, “and shooting those bottles so precisely was mesmerizing. I had no idea you were such a badass. It made me fall more in love with you.”

‘Oh good lord,’ she thought, internally facepalming, ‘That was not my intention.’

He pulled his head back and stared down at her. He was a good five centimeters taller than her.

“You are really amazing,” he complimented her, his one hand touching her face.

He affectionately rubbed her cheek and watched as her face began to turn red. Her mouth was slightly parted, and she was in a daze. He traced his thumb along her lips, and she blinked multiple times in shock. She felt overwhelmed and covered her face with her hands.

‘This is all too much for a virgin like me to handle,’ she thought, internally screaming.

He heard her let out a husky laugh and felt his hand grabbing hers.

“Why are you hiding your face?” he asked her playfully.

She just shook her head. ‘You know why.’

He moved her hands away from her face. The long black-haired fox prince leaned forward and kissed her forehead, sending electricity coursing through her body. She shivered as he moved to her neck, lightly kissing it. His arms held her waist in a loose embrace.

She was going crazy. In truth, she had kissed a guy once when she was in middle school when they played a game of Truth Or Dare. That kiss was not as hot as this one, though. He pulled his head away from her neck to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her body was radiating heat.

He winked playfully at her and leaned forward, gently kissing her mouth. She responded to him a few seconds later, although she was initially timid. They kissed for a good minute, and he pulled away. His pupils were dilated with desire. She was in a daze and now unaware of her surroundings. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her again.

This time, the kiss was not gentle as he kissed her hungrily. Her arms snaked their way around his neck, and he pulled her closer to him. His kiss was deep and hot, and she responded to him with raw hunger. The way he kissed her felt like her lips were the oxygen he needed and, without it, he would be unable to breathe.

Finally, prince Yashiro pulled away, resting his forehead against her shoulder with a sigh. He told himself that he had to stop or else he would lose his self-control and do something that was not right to do before marriage. Her shoulders moved up and down as her breathing quickened. She let out a sigh and tried to bring her breathing back to be normal.

‘What the actual f*ck?’ she thought, her chest rising and falling, ‘I thought my whole body was going to explode. That my legs were going to give out at any moment.’

They stayed in that position for a few minutes. Luckily, they were not disturbed by anyone or anything as the alley was dark. The sound of creatures walking past could be heard. For a moment, it felt like it was just the two of them in this world. Like they were the only people alive. She listened to the fox prince’s soft breathing, his forehead still resting on her shoulder.

‘The way he kissed me….It was way too hot,’ she thought, biting her lips.