Chapter 401 - [Bonus chapter]Side Story (Dimitri)(7)(unedited)

The smell of burning flesh was in the air. When the wound had closed, Angel ran to get some water from the river and pour it on the burned flesh.

Dimitri was still conscious after all the pain that he just been through. He was breathing heavily and when his consciousness cleared, he tasted some blood on his lips. He was startled and looked at Angel who was tending to him.​​

"W-What did you do?!" Dimitri saw the bite mark on Angel's arm.

"I was not able to find anything you can bite on and just gave you my arm." Angel said with an embarrassed look. She was expecting to be scolded and lectured by Dimitri, since she should know the steps to take in first aid.

"Hah…" Dimitri sighed. "Please care for your body more. You are a woman and I would not want you to have so many scars in your body. What would your future husband say when he sees you have a bitemark for a scar? I am afraid I would have to marry you to make up for this."

"M-Marry me?" Angel was surprised with Dimitri's words. "You are kidding me, right my lord?"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that when we are alone?" Dimitri said while looked at the fl.u.s.tered face of Angel and he thought that it was cute. "And I am not joking around, except you will not want me as your husband?"

"B-But…" Angel was fl.u.s.tered with Dimitri's sudden proposal.

"I am not that dense to not see how your eyes have been looking at me." Dimitri replied and Angel blushed a deep red.

"T-Then you knew…?" Angel asked. "… you knew my feelings for you?"

"Yes." Dimitri nodded. "At first, I did not put too much mind into it, thinking that you might be just looking at me as some hero that rescued you and it would be just a simple crush of a teenager that will fade away once you get older. But you stayed by my side and even chose to come with me, even though there was a good promotion that was given to you."

Angel listened to Dimitri's every word, not yet believing that this was really happening.

"You were not the first Atlantian that I saved from the streets, but I had the urge to look after you. I thought maybe I just thought of you as a little sister, as a family." Dimitri said. "But when you started to grow up and became a woman, my mind and heart become conflicted with each other. I became busy with the war and I had no time to think my feelings thru. But when the war ended and peace had come, his majesty asked me to settle down and start a family. I told him I do not have any woman I fancy but, in my mind, you were the one I imagined. I was still conflicted, even now I still am."

"T-Then, what made you change your mind?" Angel asked.

"When Philip told me that you planned to stop the landslide until the people had ran to safety, my mind was in turmoil." Dimitri confessed. "As the grand duke, I must put my people's safety first, and you as a captain is only doing your job. But my heart is telling me to go to you and see that you are safe. After I have led the people to safety, I ran to where you were in haste. And when I saw that tree was going to hit you, my mind and heart had aligned for the first time. I want you, to be by myside always, as my wife. If you accept me."

Angel was in a daze, still not believing that all of what is happening right now is true. Dimitri interpreted this as a rejection.

"Maybe you are thinking that I am just telling this on a whim." Dimitri scratched his head feeling shy. "I have never tried to express my feelings before, and this is all new to me. But if you give me a chance, I will surely do my best to show you that my feelings are true. I will do my beast to win your…hmm." Before Dimitri was about to finish his sentence, Angel had closed his lips with a kiss.

"I accept." Angel replied instantly.

"B-But I thought I still need to show my sincere feeling to you?" Dimitri looked at Angel with a curious expression.

"You can do that for the rest of our lives. And just for the record, I want to say this…" Angel replied with a grin. "Dimitri, I love you. I love you since the first day I met you. And until the day I die, I am sure that my heart will only love you." Dimitri chuckled.

"Is this the confession you have been meaning to tell me?" Dimitri asked.

"H-How did you know I am going to confess?" Angel asked.

"Sorry, I did not mean to eavesdrop on you and Philip earlier." Dimitri said and Angel blushed in embarrassment.

"Y-You hear all of it?" Angel asked feeling shy.

"Do not worry, I did not hear all of it." Dimitri said with a sorry look but had an amusing smile on his face. "I left just in the middle of your conversation, thinking that it was quite rude of me to eavesdrop."

"B-But how far did you hear?" Angel asked.

"Just until you were reminiscing out first encounter with dreamy eyes." Dimitri teased.

"Ahh, how embarrassing." Angel turned around and covered her face with her hands.

"Why are you feeling embarrassed now? You just confessed to me." Dimitri teased.

"I know, but still…" Angel replied. "You so my silly look."

"I do not think you are silly." Dimitri pulled Angel around so that she will be facing him again and pulled out the hands that was covering her face. He saw Angel's face that was as red as a tomato. He brushed her cheeks with his thumb. "I think it was rather cute. Can I reply to your confession now?"

Angel nodded shyly.

"I love you too." Dimitri said with a radiant smile. "And I would like to take you as my wife. Will you give me this honour?"

"Yes… yes, yes, yes!" Angel smiled happily and hugged Dimitri.

"Ugh, careful." Dimitri g.r.o.a.n.e.d in pain.

"Oh, sorry… sorry." Angel was surprised that she forgot Dimitri's injury.

"It's alright." Dimitri replied. He held Angel's face again. "May I kiss you?" Angel shyly nodded.

Dimitri pulled her closely and they share a sweet kiss which deepened into more of an intimate kiss.

When they arrived at South Atlantia, a wedding was hastily in the works. When the wedding day came, Dimitri found out that Angel was pregnant, and he would become a father.

The couple had twins, one boy named Deimos and one girl named Aliyah. The couple had their own family that gave them happiness and ruled South Atlantia together in harmony.