The minutes flew by in an instant.
Julius broke the kiss, gently pushing Mio’s head away.
The woman pouted, her face an absolute mess.
“...Why did you pull away?”
He laughed. “I had a feeling that you wouldn’t stop until you fainted. Humans need air to breathe, remember?”
Julius wiped her soft cheeks, pulling a few strands of her brown hair out of her mouth.
Mio inhaled. “There, oxygen replenished. Can we continue now?”
Her needy expression was so close to making him lose control.
“How greedy. Have you even noticed that we’ve fallen?”
“I've been falling for you ever since we met.”
“...You're adorable, but I'm talking about the ground beneath us."
With an amused smile, he shifted her face to the gray pavement right next to him.
Her blurry eyes slowly regained clarity, until the realization and horror seemed to hit her all at once.
Mio quickly got up. “I-I’m sorry! Is your head okay?!”
Julius inwardly sighed as her body left his, kneeling next to him worriedly.
Maybe he should’ve postponed the revelation a bit more.
When he didn’t immediately answer her, she gasped. “Did you lose your memories?! Please tell me this is not the tragic, amnesiac route!”
As always, her words made no sense to him.
“I mean…the last thing I remember is kissing my cute wife, unless something changed after I hit my head?”
Mio exploded into a blushing mess. She always had the best reactions to his teasing.
“...N-No,” she whispered, hiding her face behind her hands. “That’s me…your c-cute wife…”
Julius blinked. He then covered his eyes with his forearm.
“...This is bad. You’re really making it hard for me to hold back.”
The flustered woman peeked between her fingers, staring at him.
“...Why…are you…holding back?”
A part of him pulsed. It was as though something was banging on a door, demanding to be let out.
But Julius exhaled.
This was not the time.
Especially not after what he saw in the extracted memories.
The man slowly sat up, smiling at his wife.
“...Do you really want your first time to happen here?”
Mio froze.
She finally took in her surroundings, noticing the open space all around them.
Not even the night could save her, as the moonlight pierced through the darkness, and bright lamps illuminated their spot.
“...O-On second thought, please hold back.”
“Desperately.”
Julius then rose, extending a hand to the woman.
Mio stared at his hand for a second before accepting his gesture.
Her delicate fingers almost made him forget how fierce she could be.
Even after she stood up, none of them seemed intent on letting go of each other’s hands.
The brown-haired woman gazed longingly into his eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, words stuck in her mouth.
Julius really wanted to kiss her again, but he knew it was too dangerous.
“So, uh…” He broke the long silence.
Any longer would result in one of them being pinned to the ground.
At this point, it was unclear who would be at the top.
“Do you want to com—live with me?”
He should probably steer clear of any suggestive words for now.
Mio blinked.
“...What?”
Julius scratched his head embarrassedly. “Actually, I don’t have a home now that my mansion is probably buried under some ruins in Rome.”
“I’m currently staying in one of my wives' room. But since I’m searching for my other wives, I will probably end up travelling all around the world and staying in local accommodations.”
The woman hung her jaw open, but no words came out.
“Naturally, you don’t have to worry about the money. It would be humiliating if I wasn’t wealthy when I’ve lived for so long.”
Technically, it was Althea’s money, safely kept by Bea to be used when he woke up.
But she didn’t need to know that just yet.
Mio still hadn’t answered.
“...I understand if you don’t—”
“I’m in!!”
She suddenly enveloped his hand with both of hers, jumping in excitement.
“I get to stay with you and visit other countries for free? I’d have to be insane to refuse!”
Mio enthusiastically shook his hand, her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Oh, I have to pack! Clothes, toiletries, maybe some snacks…”
She gasped. “My novels! Should I—no, I have to bring them. And my Switch too!”
“Wait! I almost forgot my charger! And my precious merch collection! Which ones should I bring?!”
In a panic, she grabbed him by the robe and shook him.
“Julius! Which ones should I bring?!”
His blonde hair swayed around from the motion.
“Uh…all of them?”
She stopped.
“I don’t know what a “merch” is, but you can just bring all of your belongings.”
Mio frowned. “But I don’t have a bag that big…”
Julius smiled, then snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the darkness gathered beside him, materializing into a physical object.
The woman gasped. “Is that a hand?!”
The shadows indeed shaped a hand, waving at her.
Julius chuckled. “You can use this to store your things. Just think about what you want to bring, and the shadows will store it for you.”
“Oh, right.”
While Mio was still gawking at the darkness, Julius kissed her cheek.
Her head snapped towards him, blushing.
“...There. I’ve given you a temporary mark. You can now command the shadows to do your bidding.”
She narrowed her eyes, covering her cheek. “Did you really have to do it like that?”
“...You can also ask it to transport you anywhere you like, as long as you can picture it in your mind. It can also protect you if necessary.”
“Even if that’s absolutely amazing, you still haven’t answered my question.”
Mio pouted, puffing her cheeks.
“So you didn’t like it?”
“...I never said that. In fact, if you kiss me properly, I might forgive you.”
She teasingly smiled, puffing her modest chest with her hands on her waist.
Apparently, her fangs were becoming sharper each second.
“That’s a shame,” he exaggeratedly sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to live on without your forgiveness then.”
Too bad she was playing his game.
Mio growled cutely, clearly displeased that she didn’t get what she wanted.
“You’re a big meanieee!!” She turned around and ran, her words trailing out into the night.
Behind her, shadows moved like streams of water, following her movement.
Julius fully laughed. It was never boring with her around.
“She’s adorable…”
His eyes flicked to the side.
“Don’t you think so too, Bea?”