Quite Sorry

If only I had a little flower in my hand right now.

Aina thought silently to herself.

That way, she could leave the decision of whether to apologize or not up to plucking the petals.

There was a Dragon Blood Flower in her ring that Xia Lun had given her before... but Aina didn't want to pluck its petals to count.

Well, that was because Dragon Blood Flowers were poisonous, and Aina couldn't be bothered to deal with the toxicity. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was a gift from Xia Lun.

Meanwhile, Xia Lun was also pondering that it would be great if he had a flower on hand to give to Aina. She might be happy and forgive him. He heard that girls all liked flowers... Aina hadn't refused when he gave her the Dragon Blood Flower before.

Unfortunately, Xia Lun's hands were completely empty right now; he had no flowers.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Lun stood up anyway.

Some things had to be faced sooner or later. Blindly running away wouldn't solve the problem.

Xia Lun walked up to Aina. She looked up at the man standing before her. There was no expression on her pretty, fair face, but her lips were slightly pursed, making her seem a bit nervous.

Compared to Aina, Xia Lun's face was much more expressive. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze was deep, and his expression was heavy and solemn... And it wasn't just his expression; there was also a red, slightly swollen handprint on his right cheek.

The two looked at each other for a while, neither speaking first.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry..."

The two of them spoke in unison.

"Why are you apologizing?"

They asked at the exact same time again, their words completely identical.

Xia Lun saw the confusion in Aina's eyes, and Aina saw the surprise in Xia Lun's.

However, Aina's attention was mostly drawn to the handprint on Xia Lun's face, and she felt incredibly guilty... Without a doubt, this was a highly humiliating mark. Aina thought to herself that if someone dared to do this to her, she would certainly tear them into a thousand pieces in a fit of rage.

"You go first."

Xia Lun tentatively sat down next to Aina, and she didn't pull away.

"I was just too panicked earlier, so I hit you subconsciously. After all, I've never had anyone do that to me before, and I didn't know what to do," Aina said softly. Although her face remained cold and stern, her voice trembled slightly. Even Xia Lun beside her could sense her nervousness. "So... I hope you can forgive me. I want to stay in the party."

Xia Lun sat beside Aina without saying a word.

Aina couldn't help but look up at the man beside her. Meeting his star-like eyes made her zone out for a brief moment.

Xia Lun slowly spoke, "Is that really what you were thinking, Aina?"

Aina nodded gently.

"Rest assured, there is no way I'd ever kick you out of the party. You will always be the mage of the Wings of Dawn... Even if we break up for some reason in the future, you will still be our teammate and can continue to stay here. I have no right to drive you away," Xia Lun said softly.

Aina frowned; she didn't like the analogy Xia Lun had just made.

Suddenly, Aina asked again, "Then why were you apologizing to me?"

"That is, of course, because I accidentally touched your..." Xia Lun looked a bit embarrassed. His gaze shifted downward slightly before immediately snapping back up. "I am truly so sorry."

"We are a couple, so I don't mind." Aina's voice was completely flat, betraying no emotion. "It was just an accident earlier, and I shouldn't have blamed you... Moreover, I failed to control my emotions and hit you. That was my fault."

"No, it's my fault, Aina. You had every right to hit me," Xia Lun shook his head repeatedly. "I was too presumptuous."

Aina said indifferently, "Then let's call it even on this matter."

"Thank you..." Xia Lun breathed a sigh of relief.

Up until now, his relationship with Aina had only progressed to the point of holding hands, with no further physical contact. Ever since that kiss when he gave her the Dragon Blood Flower, she hadn't shown any further indications... To be honest, Xia Lun was a bit surprised that Aina had forgiven him just like that.

"Um, did you just say that you don't mind?" Xia Lun swallowed hard and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"Do you have a death wish?" Aina immediately assumed a defensive posture. It was one thing to let the Hero take advantage of her earlier due to circumstances beyond her control, but he actually wanted to do it again?

Just what kind of person did he take her for? In the Hero's eyes, was she some sort of loose, shameless woman?

"I am so sorry, I was wrong!" Xia Lun immediately apologized with a solemn expression. "I won't ask such a stupid question again."

Xia Lun's decisive apology left Aina slightly stunned.

Looking at Xia Lun's serious yet nervous expression, Aina suddenly felt the urge to laugh, though she didn't know why.

"Xia Lun..."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't move." Aina's command was cold and domineering. "Close your eyes."

"Alright." Although he didn't know what Aina planned to do, Xia Lun obediently complied.

Aina leaned in. Xia Lun could feel her gentle breath brushing across his cheek, causing a slight tickle.

A moment later, slightly moist and icy lips pressed against Xia Lun's face. It was like drinking a cup of sweet, cold spring water on a summer day, so refreshing that every pore on his body opened up in delight.

A moment later, the lips pulled away from Xia Lun's cheek.

Naturally assuming it was over, Xia Lun opened his eyes.

Aina leaned in for another kiss, but this time, her target was no longer his cheek, but Xia Lun's lips.

The instant he opened his eyes, he met Aina's crimson gaze.

Aina's pupils visibly contracted, clearly startled by Xia Lun suddenly opening his eyes.

Almost subconsciously, Aina tried to pull away, but Xia Lun actually anticipated her movement and held the back of her head in advance.

It's so hot...

Xia Lun could feel the body temperature of Aina in his arms rising rapidly.

It was Aina's first time experiencing such a feeling. Her mind grew dizzy, and she felt as if her body was about to melt into liquid. A numb, tingling sensation spread all over her... She wanted time to stop completely in this very moment.

It wasn't until they were both somewhat breathless that their lips slowly parted.

The second kiss... was unimaginably better than the first.

However, Aina's gaze quickly cooled down, and her body temperature swiftly returned to normal.

Xia Lun felt a wave of astonishment at the sudden temperature change of the person in his arms.

"The constitution of a vampire... is just like this," Aina explained calmly, before suddenly remembering something. "You opened your eyes halfway through."

"I'm sorry," Xia Lun said in shame. "I thought it was already over."

"Xia Lun, your apologies are really cheap," Aina raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly wanting to mock the Hero. "This is already the third time you've apologized to me today."

"Is... is that so?" Xia Lun scratched his head. He hadn't noticed that at all.

Suddenly, as if possessed by some strange impulse, Xia Lun leaned forward and planted a heavy kiss on Aina's cheek. Aina was startled and almost slapped Xia Lun again.

"What are you doing?" Aina asked, rubbing the spot on her cheek where Xia Lun had kissed her with a hint of disgust.

"Because you are just so incredibly cute, Aina, I couldn't help myself... I am really... so very sorry!" Xia Lun bowed deeply.

Aina: ...