Eugene closed her barely opened eyes, enraptured by the pleasure. Her sensations seemed to have heightened with even greater intensity than usual as the shudder that passed through her body in the wake of her climax lingered on with no sign of subsiding. She perched dizzily on the boundary between ecstasy and pain while gasping for breath.


    “Hmmp…”


    An involuntary moan then escaped between her lips. The way he pulled himself out from her was almost vivid to her senses. Her body trembled further at the feeling of him slipping out.


    Eugene had no doubt that he woulde back to her right away. As much as the time he takes almost excessively in caressing her body, he hardly lets her go until he has driven her to the verge of her limit, once he makes into her body.


    However, in contrast to her expectation, Kasser merely showered kisses on her face while supporting his body weight with his arms so that he wouldn’t crush her fragile body. Instead of the usual kiss where their tongues entwine with fervor, his kiss was surprisingly gentle, leaving the warmth of his lips on her skin.


    The lightened atmosphere around them hinted that the kiss wouldn’t likely lead to another heated activity.


    Although Eugene couldn’t help but to be doubtful that he would truly stop as it is, her body has eased gradually. The strain from lovemaking finally gauging her to rest. But before long, she barely managed to open her eyes just in time to see herself being lifted in the air, the instant the pressure of his weight was gone above her.


    “There is not enough space in here.”


    Eugene shut her eyes close this time. She would need her strength for the next few minutes toe.Gazing down her lovely forehead, now covered with a few strands of her hair sticking onto it, Kasser was torn as to whether he should resist or give in to his strong urge to kiss her. He chose not to, but hurried his steps as if there wasn’t a moment to be lost.


    ***


    It seemed like Kasser was not jesting when he asserted his rights to spend time with her for the whole day. Though Eugene had somehow braced herself for it, it wasn’t long before she realized that she wasn’t nearly prepared for what’s toe. She literally never got to leave her bed, not even once for the entire day.


    The king was the first thing that came into her sight when she opened her eyes the next morning. He hardly left her side while they had ate breakfast or even during the teatime after their meal. After that, they adjourned to the balcony where they can have a good view of the garden of their manor.


    The servants were then bid to bring in a sofa to the balcony which was wide enough for them to rest their feet. Stretched out on the long sofa close to each other, Kasser and Eugene soon engaged in conversations while the room hummed with their affectionate whispers.


    “Does that mean your name will be Jin from now on?”


    “I don’t know. I’ve always thought I wouldn’t miss the life I lived as Eugene. But it’s not as easy as I thought to throw away the identity of myst twenty years overnight.”


    “I like Eugene,” said Kasser readily. “That name suits you better I think.”


    Shepared the difference in how she had felt when she was called Jin and now as Eugene by Kasser. Surely, the difference was obvious as her heart seemed more drawn to the name ‘Eugene’ as well.


    Even so, she couldn’t possibly ask her mother to call her by that name. Especially when Dana had waited so long for her daughter ‘Jin’ toe back. Besides, the feelings she had when called ‘Jin’ by her mother’s soft voice, differed much from Kasser’s anyway.


    “Perhaps I should keep them both.”


    “As you wish.”


    “But then, it would be like stealing her name,” said Eugene with augh.


    “Does it really matter? She literally stole your whole life from you.”


    Eugene couldn’t help but to giggle, burying her face on his chest. Before today, she would most likely feel both thankful and sorry out of guilt, whenever he took her side. But now, she could finally be pleased wholeheartedly by his such remarks.


    They both stayed silent for a while, feeling the pleasant breeze blowing across them from the balcony. Despite being inside one of the biggest manors located in the middle of the Holy City, it almost felt like they were alone in a secluded forest. Everything seemed so peaceful around them.


    Even the silence felt pleasant now that he was around. And as much as he was enjoying having her alone, she was also jovial to have the busy king all to herself for the first time in a long while.


    “How I wish I had inherited my mother’s mystical powers from her as well.”


    “You wish for too many things. You’re already Anika. There’s no way you can be more special than you are right now.”


    “But it’s human nature to be desirous of the things you don’t possess.”


    As they discussed Dana’s powers, Eugene went on to tell him further about the things she hadn’t told him about her mother’s family. Promptly, Kasser asked back with a tone of surprise in his voice.


    “Your mother is from the Muen Family?”


    “Yes, she is.”


    “…That’s astonishing.”