173: Newly weds

Newly weds

Music Recommendation: Always - Peder B0

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Out of all her grandchildren, the Mother Queen knew this particular one needed to fix herself before she became irreparable. "I suspect that's the only thing you have done, and Anastasia has never received a sincere apology from you," she added, causing the princess's eyes to widen at the precarious position she found herself in. She turned to look at the newly wed couple. 

Anastasia placed her hands on her cheeks when she saw Dante looking at her questioningly. She whispered, "My cheeks are aching from all the smiling." The thought of them being husband and wife filled Anastasia's mind with a delightful sense of giddiness. 

A small frown appeared on Dante's face, and he said, "Don't smile that much." But his words only made her smile even wider. 

Anastasia leaned closer to Dante and responded, "I cannot help it." 

Dante then slipped his hand into hers and proposed, "Let us leave this place."

"Now?" Anastasia asked. She noticed Dante smile before they left the corridor, accompanied by four other individuals. When they reached the stairs, she said, "Wait."

It was because Anastasia found it challenging to climb the stairs due to her wedding gown preventing her from placing her feet properly on the steps. As she prepared to lift the front of her dress, Dante said, "I think I have a better idea."

Upon hearing those words, Anastasia felt herself being lifted by Dante's strong arms, and she quickly wrapped her hands around his neck for support. She reminded him, "There are still guests around us, Dante."

"I don't see them. All I see is you," Dante replied, causing her smile to widen even further. 

When Anastasia caught sight of some of the guests, who quietly grinned at them, a blush crept onto her cheeks and throat. She couldn't resist the urge to bury her face in his chest. 

"I don't think I have ever smiled this much before as I have today," Anastasia confessed, feeling herself sway gently as they reached the floor above. Dante didn't set her down and continued to carry her. 

"It is rewarding and concerning at the same time," Dante hummed as he gazed down at her. He kicked the door open as soon as they got to their room.

He stepped inside and shut the door with his leg, making Anastasia grin and chuckle before she was finally allowed to place her feet on the floor. Unlike the previous kings, Dante chose not to occupy the king's chamber. He had remodelled his old room to accommodate her belongings, which had already been relocated. 

Anastasia noticed that the room looked a little different than before. And while her gaze wandered, Dante took off his coat and placed it to the side before coming to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tightly embracing her and resting his chin on her shoulder. 

"This is our room, and should you wish to change or add anything, feel free to do so," she heard Dante say. 

"Thank you," Anastasia replied, feeling content and comfortable in the cocooned space. "Would it be odd if I said I am glad you didn't change rooms?" 

"Not at all," Dante responded to her question with a hum. He said, "This room holds many memories of time we spent together, and I don't want to share them with anyone else but you."

There was also another reason. Dante didn't want to use what his father had left behind, particularly the room where countless women had been bedded and the location where his brother Maxwell had tragically passed away. 

Turning around in Dante's arms, Anastasia placed her hands on his shoulders, allowing them to gently slide down to settle on his chest. She expressed, "I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together. To create more memories with each other. I promise to always love you, be there for you, and to stand by you no matter what."

"You are the only woman I have ever loved, and the only one I ever will… and I will only share your love with our children that are yet to come," Dante stated, lovingly caressing her cheek. 

At last, they were finally alone and away from others, undisturbed.

She gazed deeply into his crimson eyes and stood on the tips of her toes before gently pressing her lips on his, and he returned it with the same fervour and love she had for him, possibly even surpassing it. She felt him playfully tease her lips with his tongue, and she willingly parted them to allow him to conquer her once more. 

Dante's hands, resting on her waist, pulled her closer to him. He sensed her emotions flowing into him, and he welcomed every one of them, ensuring that he would cherish them all. 

"Anastasia," Dante whispered her name, his breath igniting the desire she had been suppressing all these days after their return to the palace. 

Anastasia shuddered at his hushed words, and as her eyes met his, their shared emotions mirrored—their deep love for one another and their longing to draw nearer. She lifted her hand to his face and delicately traced his features, her eyes following the lines of his cheekbones and jawline. 

Her fingers descended to the buttons of his shirt, and she proceeded to undo one after another. When she pushed the fabric aside, she murmured, 

"They are all gone now." 

Once upon a time, Dante's body was covered in scars that bore evidence of more suffering than the calluses she carried on her hands. She heard him say, "You healed me." 

Even so, Anastasia was the one who cast the curse on him in the first place. To have him endure a life of pain so that he could regain what he lost when he was an earthling. She said, "You healed me, I healed you."

With time, they had grown to rely on one another and built a stronger foundation for their relationship as a result. Soon enough, Anastasia's wedding gown and the rest of her flimsy undergarments fell off her body, until she was completely bare to Dante's eyes. 

Dante cradled one side of her neck with his hand before he began to kiss her lips and cheeks, tracing his lips down her throat with a trail of warm kisses. 

"...!"

A soft gasp escaped from Anastasia's delicate lips when Dante lifted her into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he walked them towards the bed.

Upon reaching the bed, Anastasia was dropped on her back, causing her body to bounce slightly off the mattress. In a second, as though his veil of gentleness had fallen off along with all her bridal articles of clothing, Dante moved above her in an instant. 

The sound of his hoarse breath made Anastasia's heart race, knowing she wasn't the only one anticipating this night. Aside from the kisses they had shared since their return to Versailles, they had refrained from further intimacy, only intensifying their yearning for each other's touch. 

A shudder escaped Anastasia's lips when Dante's fingers glided down her throat, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin as they gazed at each other. With a fierce possessiveness, he leaned in to capture her lips with his while letting his hands delightfully explore her as if it were their first time. 

Anastasia felt her body arch at the blissful pleasure Dante brought her, stealing most of her breath in the process. His hand had reached for her breast, where her heart pounded wildly beneath it. 

His lips parted just enough to reveal his tongue, and his head lowered to the swell of her chest before he firmly captured the hardened bud in his mouth. 

"A-ah...!" a loud moan escaped from Anastasia.

She let out another moan when Dante bit the tip of her breast. Her hands, resting on his shoulders, landed on the back of his neck, and her fingers weaved through his hair.

"The more you cry, the more I want to hear it," Dante whispered against the wet bud, blowing air on it, sending shivers down her spine. 

Blood rushed up her neck, her heart skipping a couple of beats now and then. Letting go of his hair, her fingertips traced the contours and ridges of his firmly toned muscles. 

When Dante sat up, Anastasia unwound her legs from around his waist and let them rest on the surface of the bed, while watching him as he began to unfasten his trousers. 

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