Aldrian and Baek Jimin had already removed their disguises, revealing their true faces by the ti they arrived. They were in the southern part of the Thorny Flower Garden territory, where a wide valley stretched out with breathtaking scenery.
The hills were covered in many kinds of flowers and other vegetation, turning the valley floor into a green expanse filled with a fragrant scent.
At the base of the valley, a beautiful, clear river flowed toward the horizon, with flowers blooming along both banks.
Aldrian and Baek Jimin were standing at the top of one of the hills, which was the highest point in the valley. From there, they could see the scenery spread out before them, far and wide.
Aldrian really enjoyed this kind of scenery. Who wouldn’t appreciate sothing so beautiful? He was soone who cherished the beauty of nature, especially when it ca with a peaceful atmosphere like this. Monts like this were the tis when he could finally set down the weight on his shoulders and allow himself to relax.
"This region is called the Valley of the Promise. It’s a well-known place within the Thorny Flower Garden," Baek Jimin said with a smile. "It’s said that in ancient tis, this valley was where two powerful cultivators—a man and a woman—made a promise to reach the peak of cultivation together as lovers. People say their vow was blessed by the heavens themselves, and ever since then, this place has held a special aning."
"From that mont, this valley beca famous, and it grew into a place where people would declare their promises to each other. Many say that the promises declared here are bound to be fulfilled in the end," Baek Jimin said, turning her body to look at Aldrian.
"This is the place where my father and mother said they made their promise to each other before they married — a promise that united them despite the many challenges they faced at the ti." Her voice softened as she reminisced about the story her mother had told her when she was a child.
"Father was just a wandering cultivator, a genius with the great talent and have a fateful encounter that allowed him to unlock his full potential."
"Mother was the successor of the Thorny Flower Garden, so their statuses were worlds apart. They faced many rejections from the sect, and many saw my father as weak — like a toad trying to eat the at of a swan. But my mother and father never gave up. In the end, my father proved himself and married my mother."
Aldrian finally understood the significance of this place and couldn’t help but feel touched by her parents’ story. More or less, her parents’ challenges were similar to his own. Though her parents faced a difference in status, his parents had to contend with families that were opposed to each other.
He then saw her walking toward him slowly. Her snowy white hair fluttered in the wind, adding to her beauty, which srized Aldrian. Her red eyes kept locking with his blue ones.
"I’ve been confused by my feelings for a long ti, at first, I thought my feelings were simply an interest in you because of your unique being’s essence, sothing that stands apart from others, sothing even I don’t fully understand or know how to interpret."
"However, as ti passed, I began to feel confused and started to think that my feelings were no longer limited to just an interest in your being’s essence. Along our journey, I kept thinking about what I truly felt every ti I t with you. When I saw your interactions with Sylphia, I felt sothing inside my heart that I had never felt before."
"When I thought about it over and over again, I finally realized that my feelings for you weren’t just limited to admiration for you as a person or my interest in your being’s essence. It’s much more than that, and deeper."
"Without realizing it, I had already slowly sunk into a feeling I never knew would co to so soon." Baek Jimin was now standing right in front of Aldrian, her gaze still locked with his.
"Until recent weeks, I finally realized what kind of feeling I had already sunk into. That was the mont I accepted it — that I had already sunk quite deep. That’s why, when Sylphia gave her subtle hint about her stance on and you, I didn’t waste the opportunity and instantly seized the chance to get closer to you, to make you understand how I feel. And at this mont—"
Her eyes beca more determined, with no doubt in them, and Aldrian could see it clearly.
"I can confidently say that I have truly fallen in love with you, Aldrian."
Although Aldrian already knew what she wanted to say, his heart still skipped a beat hearing it directly from Baek Jimin. He felt that, at this mont, her face was more beautiful than ever. Since the ti he learned that Baek Jimin was romantically interested in him, he had prepared himself to handle the situation carefully. He didn’t want to ruin their relationship because of his failure to properly take care of Baek Jimin’s feelings.
Thankfully, Sylphia was supporting him, which made everything easier. After thinking that there would be no problem if he took the safer route — the harem route — he began to learn how to love Baek Jimin, too. He started to open his heart to her and tried to appreciate everything she did, even the smallest things, like walking or simply enjoying her presence.
Though he couldn’t develop his love for Baek Jimin overnight, at least a small spark had already ignited in his heart for her. His heart had already placed her in a special spot, and although it was still small, he knew that it would grow as ti passed.
Aldrian’s eyes softened as he gazed into her red eyes.
"Jimin—"
"I know that your feelings for , beyond our friendship, are still not strong, and I understand that. But I can wait. I can wait until you can say those three words to . I will make sure your heart opens wider and wider for , and that I secure a big place in your heart." Baek Jimin said with full confidence, though her face turned slightly red, as if holding back the embarrassnt of saying sothing so bold.
Aldrian smiled as he watched Baek Jimin act like that.
"You’ll make open my heart wider, huh? What will you do to make that happen, hm?" Aldrian asked in a teasing tone, intending to joke with her. But he was shocked when, suddenly, Baek Jimin "attacked" him.
She pressed her lips against his for a second before pulling away.
"With this," she said, her expression shy.
Aldrian truly couldn’t react, as he could only blink a few tis, staring at Baek Jimin’s face. He hadn’t expected her to boldly kiss him—he had only ant to tease her, nothing more. He could still feel the sensation of the kiss and the fragrance of her face, which had been so close to his.
As if she realized what she had done, Baek Jimin lowered her head and turned her body away. She wanted to hide, but at the sa ti, she felt the need to hold on and not run away. She would need to be shaless to lt Aldrian’s heart as quickly as possible. After a few monts of silence, she looked at Aldrian again.
Although her face was still slightly red with embarrassnt, she held his gaze.
"In the future, I want us to co back here and make our promise, when you truly say those three words to with the most sincerity, I want you to say it here and make a promise with ."
Aldrian finally smiled again after the shock he had just experienced. This woman was truly bold and confident when it ca to her romantic approach, but perhaps her character was like this by nature? He had almost forgotten that she was still a demon cultivator. She could be more forceful and direct in her approach than any other cultivator. Once she fell in love sincerely, she could beco more "brutal" and open with her feelings. He made a ntal note of it for the future.
"As you wish, milady," Aldrian said.
Baek Jimin’s face grew even redder, but she pushed through her embarrassnt. She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hill.
"Let’s go sowhere else. There are many places I want to enjoy with you. I will make sure this day is engraved in your mory," she said, and Aldrian let her pull him along.
After that, they enjoyed many places within the Thorny Flower Garden territory. Aldrian and Sylphia used their disguises again, but for Aldrian, he finally chose a different face to hide his more well-known disguise that had beco famous across the continent. He didn’t mind using another disguise; he didn’t want to be disturbed while he was with Baek Jimin, enjoying their ti together.
This was why they were able to enjoy their mont without any interruptions. The Thorny Flower Garden territory was vast, offering many places to visit and explore.
Without realizing how much ti had passed, they noticed that the sun was nearly setting in the western horizon. Aldrian and Baek Jimin were on the top floor of a restaurant in one of the cities, enjoying the sunset.
As they savored the view, Baek Jimin suddenly blurted out,
"I miss my mother."
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