CHAPTER 137: ECSTASY

After the game ended, the two of them made their way to the counter, their laughter still carrying between them as though they were the only ones in the lively pub. Lucas ordered more mugs of ale, his tone casual and confident, while Nyx leaned lightly against the polished wood of the counter, her cheeks flushed from both the drink and the thrill of the evening. The server placed two frothy mugs before them, and Lucas gathered them up with ease before nodding toward a quieter corner at the far side of the room.

They slipped away from the noise of the central hall, weaving through groups of villagers who were too engrossed in their own merriment to pay much attention to the disguised princess and the young alchemist. The corner they chose now was dimly lit by a single lantern that hung slightly askew on the wall, casting a warm golden glow over the small table. Lucas set the mugs down, and Nyx slid into her seat opposite him, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she tried to compose herself.

Lucas leaned back casually, one arm resting on the table as he lifted his mug with the other, his expression relaxed and amused. "Not bad at darts for someone who claims she’s never touched one before," he remarked with a grin, taking a long pull from his drink.

Nyx raised her mug as well, though she only took a small sip this time, her eyes narrowing in mock offense. "Are you suggesting I cheated? That would be beneath me, Xavier....i didn’t use any cultivation technique...that was natural."

Lucas chuckled softly, his gaze flicking over her with a mixture of amusement and something more subtle, something he didn’t care to put into words. "I didn’t say you cheated. I’m saying you surprised me. I didn’t think a princess who spends her days in lecture halls and royal chambers could throw with such precision.... without cultivation."

She lifted her chin a little, feigning pride, though her lips curved into a smile that betrayed her act. "Perhaps there are things you don’t know about me. I’m not nearly as fragile as you like to believe."

"Fragile?" Lucas laughed under his breath and shook his head, lifting his mug again. "No. That word doesn’t suit you. Stubborn, perhaps. Proud, definitely. But fragile? Not in the slightest."

For a moment, silence settled between them, but it was not an uncomfortable one. Nyx studied him from across the table, watching the way the lantern light played across his features, sharpening the lines of his jaw and catching in his eyes. Her heart gave a faint flutter, though she quickly hid it behind another slow sip of ale.

Lucas set his mug down, leaning forward slightly so that his voice carried only to her. "You know... this is the first time I’ve seen you like this. Not as the princess, but as yourself. It suits you."

Nyx lowered her gaze briefly, her fingers tracing the rim of her mug, before she met his eyes again. "As I said before, this is the first time I’ve seen you laugh so freely. You’ve always been so serious, so composed. Tonight, you’re... different. More alive."

Lucas smirked faintly, resting his chin against his hand. "Maybe it’s the ale. Or maybe it’s just good company."

Her lips curved into a small smile at his words, and she found herself lingering on the thought longer than she expected.

The noise of the pub still rolled around them, laughter, songs, the clatter of mugs, the creak of chairs on old wooden floors, but for Nyx, all of it seemed to fade into the background as she sat at the counter, her fresh mug of ale in hand. Lucas still sat across her, tilting his own drink back with the ease of someone who had long grown used to it. The light caught the sharp lines of his jaw, the curve of his lips as he smiled faintly at something one of the men nearby had said, and the steady calmness of his eyes when he turned toward her.

Princess Nyx found herself staring, caught between the ale’s warmth in her blood and the disarming presence of the young man at her side. She had always known Xavier as diligent, measured, a little too serious when it came to cultivation or duty. But this version of him, laughing freely, drinking without restraint, dragging her through stalls and alleys, urging her into mischief, this version was dangerously captivating.

She tried to look away, tried to sip her ale to distract herself, but her eyes kept wandering back to him. His fingers drummed lightly against his mug, and she thought of those same hands when he had massaged her in her chambers, the care in his touch, the way he had read her unspoken tension and soothed it away. The memory sent a rush through her chest, sharper than the bite of ale.

Lucas noticed her quiet and tilted his head. "You’re staring again, Princess. Did the ale already get to you?"

Nyx blinked quickly, her cheeks warming. "I’m not staring. I was just... thinking."

"Thinking?" He grinned, amused. "About what? How you lost at darts?"

She rolled her eyes, trying to mask her fluster. "You barely won. Don’t act so proud."

Lucas chuckled and raised his mug. "Then next time, we’ll settle it again. Though I warn you, I don’t go easy on anyone."

Nyx’s lips curved faintly, but her heart was pounding harder now. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from him, and the more she tried to fight it, the stronger it seemed to grow. Before she could stop herself, the words slipped past her lips, unplanned, unpolished, but raw and unshakably real.

"Kiss me, Xavier."

The moment the words hung in the air, Nyx’s eyes widened, but she didn’t take them back.

Lucas, on the other hand, nearly choked on his ale. He coughed, setting the mug down hurriedly, his brows shooting up in disbelief. "W–What did you just say?"

Nyx’s face was warm with drink, yet her eyes held a stubborn boldness. "You heard me."

For a long moment, Lucas just stared at her, stunned. He had been teasing her, yes, charming her with little gestures and playful words, but he didn’t expect this soon, certainly not so bluntly.

"Nyx..." he said slowly, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "You do realize what you just asked me, don’t you?"

She rested her chin on her hand, the faintest smile curving her lips. "Of course I do."

Lucas leaned back slightly, still processing. He could tell from the way her cheeks flushed and her boldness surged that the ale was doing more of the talking than she realized. Still, that didn’t change the fact that the princess...the princess...had just asked him to kiss her.

Inside, Lucas felt a twist of both surprise and something else entirely. But outwardly, he hid it with a small, crooked smile. "You really are drunk, Princess..."

"Kiss me, Xavier," she said again, her voice quieter this time, yet filled with a gentleness that carried far more weight than before. Her expression no longer bore the boldness of drunken bravado but the sincerity of someone who had let her guard fall. Her eyes glistened with a yearning that even she did not fully understand, a longing that she could not disguise no matter how hard she tried.

Lucas stared at her, and for the briefest moment he considered whether it was the ale speaking for her, whether her request was nothing more than a fleeting impulse that she would regret when the sun rose the next day. But as he looked closer, he realized there was no deception in her face, no drunken blur in her gaze. There was only honesty and an unspoken desire that reached him more deeply than words ever could.

The careful restraint he so often carried with him wavered then, not because he had intended to charm her or because of the playful games they had been wrapped up in that evening, but because he understood that this was not the princess demanding something from him. This was Nyx, the woman beneath the title, yearning for something real, even if just for this moment.

Without another word, Lucas leaned in slowly, giving her the space to move away if she so wished. But she did not. Her breath caught softly, and her lips parted just slightly in anticipation. His lips pressed against hers, not rushed, not demanding, but soft and deliberate, as though he was afraid the fragile magic of the moment would break if he pushed too far.

Nyx’s eyes fluttered shut as the gentle kiss deepened, his lips moving against hers with an unhurried patience, tasting and savoring her in a way that made her chest tighten with delight. The softness of his lips, the warmth of his breath, and the careful tenderness in his touch sent a sweet sensation coursing through her body. It was unlike anything she had ever known, a feeling that filled her with bliss.

She tilted her head slightly, following his lead, surrendering to the gentle rhythm as though her heart had been waiting for this very moment. A quiet hum of pleasure escaped her, unbidden, and Lucas, though inwardly surprised, allowed the kiss to linger just a heartbeat longer before drawing back only slightly, his forehead resting against hers.

Nyx’s lips still tingled, her heart racing wildly as though she had run a great distance, yet she had never felt more at ease. There was no manipulation of Yin or Yang energies. It was simply two people, lost in a fleeting but perfect moment of pure ecstasy.