Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

The river which flowed beside the eastern walls offered clean, drinkable water and protected the people. The builders created a huge underground storage to hold much of the river. In times of great need, people used this emergency water.

However, to Asura, this place only reminded him of foul memories.

A past where he gave everything to improve the lacking sewage systems and agriculture. Only for him to be tossed aside in the end after he finished.

*****

'Well, it's a long journey, but what shocked me is that Princess Vela is joining us...' Asura thought as he watched the last ship of the convoy depart the capital.

This was a small army on its way towards Bhalgrim. Many of these young soldiers came from high-ranking families but were forced to march so far to Drakkur just because of Asura and the princess.

"Vela, is the carriage comfortable for you?" Asura asked with a smile, noticing her peeking at him several times.

"..." Princess Vela.

Vela didn't answer, just ignored his words. Rather, she seemed a little embarrassed when Asura watched her clearly as she was using a hood to hide her face.

"Oh, well," Asura said and looked around. He then sat beside her, leaning against her slightly. "I think this should be nice."

"..." Princess Vela.

Vela was not extremely talkative, to begin with, but hearing Asura speak with her so casually made her a little uneasy. Yet she didn't stop him either. The two were technically engaged, and she was the one who said she would make him fall for her.

'We suddenly find ourselves alone, and this little princess feels overwhelmed.' Asura smiled as he leaned further towards her, making Vela feel uncomfortable. 'I wouldn't tease her if she was not so cute.'

"Did you know we will pass a small farm soon, a little farm filled with cute animals?"

Asura knew Vela liked the animals because of their practice. Once she got ready, a book on the strange Drakkur Sheep was in her bag; the sheep were cute and round.

"I know; I've been to Drakkar before. You can ignore me." She finally spoke back.

Asura grinned. "Why would I? Your words are always nice to hear."

"Eh... really?" Her soft voice almost cracked as she looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Yes." Asura nodded. "The ride is not boring with you here."

Vela hid her face, but Asura noticed a blush. "You..."

"Ah, I see you've taken out the book. Mind if I join you?"

Today's book was about the wildlife in the southern kingdom: many foxes, wolves and strange monsters that are rabbits with large horns.

Vela smiled and nodded, allowing Asura to sit beside her and read the book together.

Yet what followed was a long day of travel; as the soldiers marched, Asura and Vela rode in the same carriage, reading books while speaking occasionally. It might have differed from each of the other women around him, but when she found something interesting...

"Asura, look! It's the King Windhorn rabbit. These guys are cute and fluffy but grow over two metres tall!"

She would start a lecture about the creatures, sharing everything she knew about them.

It was late when they made camp and rested for the night, but Asura didn't return to his tent. The pair of them continued to speak, and it was strange he felt a sense of nostalgia when speaking to Vela, like speaking to his old self as she took more and more books from her little bag that seemed to be a magic item.

Finally, when they were both tired, Vela yawned as she drifted to sleep.

Asura slowly kissed her forehead and carried her to the private tent, protected with Stage Six magic to avoid any issues or accidents. "Sleep well."

With that, he was going to leave... but her hand grasped his cuff, and her face turned bright red. "I have more books... let's read a little more?"

In the background, the soldiers from the Fenix family began to jeer and make jokes, but everyone knew about their relationship and even the valkyries sent to protect Vela didn't interrupt them.

'This is nice,' Asura thought as he turned around and entered the tent again, sitting beside the princess, who looked away in embarrassment. 'It's quite different from the others, but it is not bad either...'

Inside smelt like flowers and jasmine, with purple sheets and pillows thrown all over, not to mention the small teddies of the king rabbit and Drakkur sheep littered on her bed.

"What story do you want to read first?" He asked her after laying her down on the bed.

"That one..." She pointed towards a book titled 'Caves and Creatures.'

"Aha... this one is scary, isn't it?"

The cover showed a picture of a goblin with a fierce face carrying a club.

"Well... I need you to keep me safe then, hehe." She said in a small voice while grasping his sleeve once more.

"Alright," Asura nodded. 'Though this tent is like a remote fortress, no monsters or soldiers could attack here.'

Laying on the soft bed, Asura sat beside Princess Vela and hugged her as she rested her head on his shoulder, grasping his arm like a big stuffed animal.

"Let's start with the Braltri orc caves, shall we?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"Mm." Vela nodded.

So the tale started.

Asura recalled this book being popular when he was younger. The stories were about goblins, orcs and other creatures, including dragons. These tales were famous because they were not as 'nice' as most. Many children would not sleep after reading them.

Yet Vela seemed excited after hearing these stories, clinging tighter to Asura's body whenever something scary happened. Her lovely eyes seemed to become more vibrant as they read the various stories, her hands slipping around his body as she relaxed. No longer being quiet, she would shout profanity at the goblins who won.

"Hah!" Vela panted softly, leaning further towards Asura, almost holding him against her chest. "I like this story about the underground kingdom."

Asura glanced at her.

"Me too. I used to swear I would find it to my dad when I couldn't use magic." He laughed and gently petted her head as she looked at him in shock, her eyes curious.

"Why not anymore?"

Asura thought for a moment. "Well, there are more important things than stories, things we can gain or lose just by going in search of them."

"What could be more important than discovering a legendary kingdom?"

"Spending the night here with you."

"!?" Vela didn't expect Asura's words and blushed deeply, staring at him in disbelief. "Y-you... don't lie."

Asura smirked. "Of course, I'm not lying."

"Then... prove it."

"Prove what?"

"Kiss me."

Vela didn't dare to look him in the eyes, but she still made the request. Her expression was determined and unwavering as she looked at Asura.

'Interesting.' Asura smiled as he cradled her chin and drew closer, almost kissing her lips. "Why don't you kiss me first?"

"Eh?" Vela was unprepared for his words and appeared startled. Yet she still pushed him onto the bed, her cheeks bright red and her heart hammering.

Vela said nothing, only leaned forward and kissed his cheek, a light peck, with a soft smack, causing her to squeak before scurrying under the quilt and covering her head with it.

"Pfft... is that enough?" Asura chuckled as he felt Vela shake her head from below the quilt. "You're not satisfied?"

Again, she shook her head.

"You want a better one?" He asked, his hand moving along the quilt on her back.

This time, she nodded.

"Alright, turn around," Asura commanded, his hand poking her quilt-covered head.

Vela hesitated but slowly peeked out from under the quilt. She turned towards Asura, who grasped her hands and pulled her on top of him, their eyes meeting as their lips finally touched.

He could feel the warmth of her lips spreading through his, the soft, squishy feeling as she moved and his tongue brushed against hers. She froze for a moment before wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself closer, her plump chest pressing against him.

His tongue explored her mouth as they kissed, her tiny tongue twitching when he touched it, causing Vela to squirm in embarrassment. Finally, Asura broke the kiss with a soft smack and gently petted her head. "Does this satisfy you?"

"Mm..." Vela nodded, but her face was bright red. "More..."

"Hm?" Asura blinked and looked at her in confusion. "You want more?"

"..." She didn't answer this time.

"Then why don't you ask for more directly?"

"Idiot!" Her small hands tapped his chest before she reached for another book pouting with a loud snort, laying her head on Asura's chest and opening it, pretending not to care for the man who embraced and teased her.

"Shall we continue reading, then?" He smiled and began reading a new tale for her.

"Shh." She quietened him, burying her face into his chest and closing her eyes, wanting to calm her racing heart.

Asura kept reading anyway.

With no one else in the tent and magic blocking the surrounding sounds, only the two of them existed for the night, each comforting the other. They eventually fell asleep; comfort sensed that Asura rarely felt in this world, the same for Vela, as she slept on his chest while he lay on her dozens of teddies.

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When the morning arrived, the pair left their tent together with embarrassed faces, yet their hands intertwined. The soldiers had already prepared breakfast; it was simple food and could not compare to the academy, but no one complained as the cooks worked hard to create something for everyone.

Despite the two looking slightly shy, the troops' morale rose to an all-time high. Their lord and the future queen were so close that it meant that the Phoenix Glade would soon rise once again.

And, of course, everyone noticed the reddened lips on both of them.

'Ah, this is embarrassing.' Asura sighed softly, listening to their jokes and gossip about them, and smiled as Vela blushed and used her hood to cover her face again. 'Well, if we are happy, what else should matter?'

"Princess, Lord Asura." A servant approached them and bowed. "Breakfast is ready."

Vela nodded, her hand squeezing Asura's. Even if she were ashamed, her hand would no longer let go of his for minor reasons.

"It seems we have another four days to reach Bhalgrim, Vela. Do you have enough books?"

"Mm! I have many. Do you still want to read?"

Asura nodded, but first, he tapped her lips, wiping some of the butter smeared from them. "Should we not practise combat first, though?"