Queen Of Adis

After hours of emotional breakdown and comforting, Haru finally acknowledged her new life. She knew that she had no choice but to charge forward from now on. She was not one to wallow in negative thoughts, to begin with, and she didn't have anyone or anything worthy of bawling in her previous life. If anything, she should be grateful for the second chance in life.

Adis' forbearance made her feel even closer to him than she ever did to anyone on earth. Reason demanded that she should run away from him but her heart was telling her otherwise. She knew that she wouldn't be able to accept things as they were now if not for Adis' consoling. Moreover, she had always used her mind when she was living on earth, painting her existence stiff and dull. In this life, she decided to live freely and follow her heart.

With that thought in mind, she retired for the night and never thought that she would have a peaceful sleep. In her dream, she was enveloped in a cold but gentle embrace, protecting her from the coldness of the night while murmuring something sweet to her ears.

The next day, Haru and Adis came down from the tower as soon as she woke up. When she opened the heavy doors, she squinted her eyes and covered it with the back of her hand from the sudden assault of radiant light. When she finally adjusted her vision, her pupils dilated at the view in front.

With a resolute mind of embracing her new life, she could now clearly see the beauty of things amidst the storm. As the city was rendered with endless snow, subtle colors of crystal-white hills and fields, and light blue and purple shades of shadows add charm against the white background. The tan branches and twigs of the trees created intricate designs of ice glaze. On the horizon, the sun rays fought vibrantly to the unrelenting frozen world, that made up for its precious and serene scene.

For Haru, this pristine winter landscape held the promise of a vibrant morrow, but for many, these glaciers had overstayed for far too long, not only on the frozen terrain but in the citizens' heart.

She looked down on the ground while thinking of the next step she should take in this new world, totally oblivious of the greeneries and flowers gradually blooming beneath her feet and on her trail.

Meanwhile, Adis was busy staring at those blooms on the ground, curious at how a mere mortal like her was able to manifest such spell. Perhaps he should bring her to the Water Palace to consult one of the royal magicians there.

"So... I guess this is the part where we bid farewell, huh?" Haru started as she turned around and faced Adis. "I don't wish to hinder you further from your business, but I just want you to know that I am really thankful for everything last night. I hope our paths will cross again someday." She bowed deeply as she expressed her gratitude.

Her words made Adis scowl as none of it sit well with him. He crossed his arms in front of his c.h.e.s.t, "Did you not listen to my promise last night, Haru? I will not leave you no matter what happens. So... I guess this is the part where you need to start to get used to my presence..." He revised her words as he slowly approached her. He leaned closer to her face and flashed her his captivating grin. "...Because I'll be all over you from now on."

Haru embraced herself and stepped back from another attack of his sly innuendo. "You! Why does it sound so wrong?"

He shrugged as though what he said was the most precise thing in the world. "How can it sound so wrong when it feels so right?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "How conceited! Who says that it feels right?"

Adis raised an eyebrow as he continued teasing her. "Oh, so it's not? Then why does your face show--"

"Waah!" She cut his shameless words with her shout. Her face, neck, and ears were as red as ripe tomatoes. She covered her ears with her palm, "I didn't hear anything. I won't argue with you anymore, you idiot!" She cried out like a child and ran away.

Adis gave out a roar of laughter at her cute reaction, which made her secretly bit her lower lip in exhilaration.

"Hey, don't run or you might step on the cloak and fall--"

He was unable to finish his statement when Haru really stumbled and fell on the ground. Fortunately, the snow was a bit thick so she just ended up burying her face in the snow.

But that didn't stop the devil from barking another series of laughter. "Pfft! Hahaha!"

Haru pulled herself up and sat on the ground while her head and face were covered in snow. She sniffed as the tears welled up in her amber orbs in embarrassing. The fall hurt her pride more than her body. It was like tripping in front of her crush with her b.u.t.t sticking out.

Adis knelt in front of her and gently removed the snow on her head and face. "Now, now, no need to cry. Here, Adis will help fix you up," he coaxed her but the laughter in his eyes and voice were evident.

"Stop laughing, idiot!" Haru accused while pouting.

"How can you be so clumsy and cute at the same time?" he chortled in amus.e.m.e.nt.

"It's because your cloak is too big that I suddenly felt like a midget," she complained and sprinkled his face with some snow. "How can you be so huge?" She innocently added without realizing the pun in her words.

However, a certain merciless devil used it to tease her even further. His smile became an evil grin as his eyes glinted with mischief. "Oh, I know I am, my fair maiden. I never thought that we became so intimate in just a night that you even stole a glimpse of my... massiveness."

Haru furrowed at his nonsense, then her eyes widened and her face flushed at the realization of their word-play. She covered her eyes as she showered him with expletives. "You shameless idiot demon!"

Adis already forgot when was the last time he genuinely smiled or laughed. He was not even sure if he ever did so in the past. But today, he lost count of how many times he smiled and laughed because of Haru. His cold heart was overwhelming with warmth and joy as though it would melt at any moment just by staring at her beautiful eyes or watching her embarrassed face. For the very first time, he finally felt... alive.

'Ah, so this is what you felt at that time, Ilyas.' He thought to himself at the sudden remembrance of his good friend.

He stood up and extended his hand to Haru like a true gentleman, in which the lady gladly accepted. He pulled her up and shook off the remaining snow on her cloak. "I think we need to buy you new clothes before we do something else. I know a good shop nearby. Let's go," he said and dragged her to follow him, refusing to let go of her soft hand.

"B-buy?" Haru stammered. "B-but I don't have any money to buy anything. I don't think I can even sell my cheap watch. Oh, I know!" Her eyes sparkled when her mind thought of a brilliant idea. "Perhaps you can recommend me to some manual labor. I'm good at cleaning or washing the dishes."

Adis stopped walking and intently looked at her entire body. She squirmed when an invisible fire bursting out from his fiery eyes became too much for her. "I-if you think I will sell myself just for a piece of cloth, then think again!" She faltered but still held her chin high and acted like a brave soldier.

"Who says about selling you to anyone? If that happens, I will definitely buy you for myself." He nonchalantly exclaimed while seriously thinking hard, ignoring another bad-mouthing from Haru. "I am just thinking of a color that would suit you. Hmm, let's see... I think white will complement you better as you would make a fine bride. What do you think?"

Haru rolled her eyes. She realized that Adis' mischievous grin grew even wider whenever she cried out from his teasing so she chose to ignore his shamelessness. "Hey, we are not looking for a wedding dress but an attire that would not make me stick out like a sore thumb. More importantly, how much is the cheapest outfit in this world? What currency do you use? Dollars, Yen, Euro or British pound? Do they accept installments?"

Adis slightly frowned, totally amazed at how she easily gets worried about trivial things. "Why are you worrying about the money? The purpose of having a man as a maiden's companion is to have him provide for her, is it not?"

Haru looked aghast at his old-fashioned declaration. "That only applies to a lover or spouse."

Adis tilted his head as though she didn't make any sense again. "But isn't that what we will become, eventually?"

She instantly stiffened and gawk at him like a fool. She was truly naive to even think of ignoring his shameless demeanor as it still came biting her in the end. Now, she didn't even know how to retort as she felt her mind short-circuited. 'Did he just propose to me?'

Before she could react to his outrageous question, she suddenly felt that her small frame was gently lifted and threw over the brute's broad shoulder. "Kyaa! What the hell? Put me down, you pervert, otherwise, I will scream!"

"I realized that it will take a while to reach the clothing store if we move at your own pace, especially when you are in a daze most of the time." Adis started as he walked effortlessly as though there was no unruly baggage on his shoulder. "After buying clothes and food, I'll take you to an acquaintance of mine. I wish to know why you can grow plants just by a mere touch."

She eventually stopped her half-baked struggles and decided to enjoy the unsolicited ride, but not after some punches on his back. When she got tired, she lazily placed her elbow against his shoulder and her palm beneath her chin. She thought that she really hit a jackpot of finding such an eye-candy for a companion to spice up her journey in this new world.

A short distance from the rowdy couple, two striking men were intently watching while hiding in the shadows.

"Hm? Am I seeing things? An insignificant maiden was standing beside the Demon King and beguiling him with her cheeky act. How unsightly," exclaimed the man that was casually sitting on the thick branch of a tree while playfully swaying his legs in the air.

The other man was leaning on the tree trunk and did not comment. He just closed his fan and started walking away.