Emboldened by the kiss, she finally found the courage. "You said I was a brave girl today!"

"Mhm," Frederick replied distractedly, trying to calm his racing heart and the "thing" about to explode.

"Verbal praise isn't enough." She licked her lips and giggled, then quickly turned serious. "I... I want a reward! You know, like yesterday..." She was too shy to say it directly, but she gestured urgently.

Frederick froze. His throat and heart tightened. The sensation surged through his body like an electric shock to the brain. "A reward?"

Arabella nodded repeatedly, her bright eyes wet. "Yes, Daddy...", she was too embarrassed to say "come eat me p*ssy" directly, making hurried gestures with her hands instead.

She is not a good child. She is a very, very naughty brat.

He stood up calmly, hands tucked into his coat pockets, looking down from above at the girl soaking in the bathtub.

The scene was somewhat surreal. The girl was completely naked, her smooth, slender legs stretched out in the water like soft reeds swaying in the shimmering light. The man was the total opposite, impeccably dressed and fully covered from head to toe—even his feet were encased in grey wool socks. He looked elegant, yet strictly ascetic.

"Do you want it that badly?" Frederick asked in a low voice.

He blocked the light from the ceiling, casting his face into deep shadow, while his ash-blonde hair remained strikingly bright.

"Yes, yes, I really do," Arabella replied in a muffled tone. She couldn't understand why Frederick had suddenly stood up; her neck was growing sore from looking up at him. He looked like a towering, handsome sculpture meant to be worshipped, rather than a man bowing down between a woman's thighs.

Frederick gave a slight smile. "My little bird was especially good tonight. A reward this small isn't enough."

"Wow... there's an even bigger reward?" Arabella's eyes widened.

"Do you want it?" Frederick asked, still smiling, like a devil tempting a mortal soul.

"Yes." Arabella held her breath. 

A flush spread across her face, deep and intoxicating. The thought of whatever reward awaited her left her dizzy with anticipation.

Fredericku watched her carefully.

Something inside him snapped. Without another word, he stripped away the rest of his clothing and stepped into the water. His long, powerful legs disturbed the still surface of the bath as he crossed toward her.

The water rippled around them. He stopped in front of her and gently took hold of both her ankles, drawing her closer.

A moment later, she found herself seated against his chest, surrounded by the heat of his body.

Frederick inhaled sharply.

The muscles in his arms tightened as he wrapped them around her waist. His embrace was broad and protective, almost winglike. One hand slid up to cradle the back of her neck as he held her close in a gesture that felt utterly possessive.

Then he lowered his head beside her ear.

"Let's get married."

His voice was low and steady.

"Aerona... marry me."

Arabella's numb brain exploded. What was Frederick saying? Marriage? They were going to get married...

"I'm marrying you?" Arabella pointed at herself.

Frederick gripped her finger, brought it to his lips, and gave it a small bite. "Yes. Bella, will you say yes?"

She felt the blood rush to her head, making half her body go numb. Her cheeks were flushed an unnatural shade of crimson. "I... I... I—" She couldn't catch her breath.

"Breathe, baby."

Arabella took a deep breath, exhaled, and finally recovered from the massive surge of joy. She threw her arms wide, hooked them around Frederick's neck, and hugged him tight. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm willing! Frederick, I love you! Daddy! Daddy! We're getting married! We're getting married!"

"Then we shall marry." With that, Frederick tilted his head up to kiss her.

They would marry, making a covenant before God. She would become his bride, wearing a white veil and clutching holy lilies of the valley.

Frederick's mind was in disarray, and he let his other soul emerge with reckless abandon, kissing Arabella without restraint. His kisses fell upon her brow, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her lips, and eventually traveled down to her jaw.

The different textures of their skin pressed tightly together, creating an intimate sensation. Arabella felt like ice cream being constantly stirred in a machine, her pale cherry blossom hue being ground down bit by bit into a deep cherry red, creating the edible illusion.

Frederick felt with clear eyes the process of his own descent. From the first day he met her until tonight, after the clock struck midnight, it was the sixteenth day.

They had known each other for only sixteen days, yet he had decided to be with her for a lifetime. It seemed absurd, even comical. He had waited nearly thirty years, yet it took only sixteen days to make his decision once he met her.

In the Parable of the Drowning Man, a pious priest refuses a wooden boat, a speedboat, and a helicopter, believing firmly that God will save him. The stubborn priest eventually drowns and asks God in heaven, "Almighty Lord, why didn't you save me?" God simply replies, "I sent you help three times."

He believed without a doubt that Aerona, his Little Bird, was the Noah's Ark sent by God to save him.

If not, why had he felt the difference the very first moment he saw her?

"Love at first sight" is often an excuse to cover for lust, but he knew he wasn't that shallow. He had seen countless beauties of every nationality, race, and style—men and women, some considered the world's top beauties. They had tried to move, entice, and pursue him, but he had never felt like this. To him, they were all the same; diverse forms of beauty were all equally tedious.

Only Aerona was different.

"I want you," Frederick whispered hoarsely between ragged breaths, biting her lip. "Good girl, may I?"