She paused briefly.
“Of course, we still have to hear Dylan’s thoughts as well. Right now, he isn’t thinking clearly enough to make such an important decision. Once his heat period has passed and he’s back to his normal self, we’ll ask him how he truly feels.”
A soft chuckle escaped the Empress.
“If both of you truly accept each other…”She paused deliberately before finishing her sentence.
“…then we’ll begin discussing the arrangements for your marriage.”
“I…” Rose parted her lips, but no words came out.
Her mind had gone completely blank.
“Dylan is already done studying at the academy. He can only come back here as a volunteer teacher if he wants to. The only reason he came to the academy tonight is because of you, so just let him stay. Besides, the two of you are already married through the Matching organization anyway. All that’s left now is the official wedding ceremony,” Empress Drakon continued.
“Take good care of yourself, darling. I’ll talk to the two of you again tomorrow.”
With that, the Empress ended the call before Rose could even protest.
The line went dead.
Rose slowly lowered the phone from her ear, her lips twitching in disbelief.
“What the actual fuck?!” she muttered under her breath, staring blankly at the phone.
“She didn’t even give me a chance to say anything. Damn! Does that mean the entire royal family actually agrees that the prince and I should be together?”
She dragged a hand down her face in frustration.
“Damn… this is so messed up.”
Creak…
A loud scraping sound, as though something heavy made of wood was being dragged across the floor, immediately caught Rose’s attention.
She quickly turned toward the source of the noise.
Her eyes widened.
Dylan was dragging the other bed….the one belonging to Rose’s roommate across the room toward her own bed by the window.
“If you want to sleep, then just sleep. Why are you dragging the beds around?”
Dylan didn’t stop what he was doing.
“The bed is too small,” he replied casually with a playful smirk.
“So tell me… would you rather sleep on top of me because there’s no space, or should I push the two beds together so we can both sleep comfortably?”
Rose instantly choked on her own breath.
“T….There’s no need to push the beds together,” she answered seriously, trying her best to remain composed.
“You can have my bed if you want. I’ll sleep on the other one.”
“I want to sleep beside you,” Dylan replied almost immediately.
With one final push…the two beds slid perfectly into place.
“There,” he said proudly.
“Problem solved. I want you right beside me.”
Seeing Rose’s expression stiffen, he smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you.”
“I never said you were going to do anything to me,” Rose mumbled under her breath, her cheeks warming slightly.
She glanced at the newly joined beds before looking back at him.
“But… sleeping right beside you…”
Even if we don’t intend to do anything…if our bodies accidentally touch…how are we supposed to control ourselves?
I don’t want what happened at the Matching Organization to happen again.
The one that happened before could be considered a one-night stand.
You wanted it and I do too and neither of us regretted it but this time…This feels completely different.
Rose bit her lower lip.
Well…I can trust him…
And even if he suddenly tries anything…I can always break his balls.
The thought made her inwardly nod with determination.
“Please, Rose…” Dylan called softly.
His voice immediately pulled her out of her whirlpool of thoughts.
When she looked up, she nearly burst into laughter.
Dylan was standing on the other side of the bed, clutching a pillow tightly against his chest like a little boy hugging his favorite teddy bear.
His red eyes still glowed faintly, yet they looked incredibly gentle.
There was something unusually innocent about the way he stared at her…..like a loyal puppy silently begging its owner not to leave it alone.
“Aww…” Rose whispered under her breath before she could stop herself.
Her heart softened instantly.
Poor thing…
Without realizing it, she found herself staring at him longer than she intended.
“Fine,” she finally sighed in defeat.
“You can leave the beds joined together.”
The moment those words left her mouth…a bright, excited smile spread across Dylan’s face while his eyes sparkled with happiness.
Without wasting another second, he happily jumped onto the newly joined bed, quickly pulling the duvet over himself until only his head remained visible.