"Are you serious?"
Polyxia looked up and asked Derick.
She didn't believe Derick could do such a thing; her mind was solely focused on the sacrifice Derick was willingly making for her sister.
He... is he really willing to pay such a great price?
Polyxia knew Derick wasn't like her sister, who had experienced millennia of life and had, in a way, seen through the nature of existence. He was only in his teens, with a vast and beautiful life ahead of him.
Is he going to cast aside such a life now?
"Of course. What reason would I have to joke with you about this? I'm doing what I must for myself," Derick replied to Polyxia, shrugging, his tone firm and without a hint of hesitation.
Polyxia lowered her head, her eyes feeling a little strained.
He truly loves my sister; he's willing to endure anything for her.
Polyxia thought silently.
Finally, she lifted her head, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.
"Alright, brother-in-law."
That's what she called Derick.
"This..." Although Derick had his fair share of thoughts about his little sister-in-law, Polyxia, hearing her address him like this in person, an embarrassed expression instantly appeared on his face. His ears turned red all the way to the roots, and Derick couldn't help but reach up to touch them.
The smile on Polyxia's face was unstoppable.
After laughing for a moment, Polyxia said to Derick, "Alright, go find my sister. Although I don't know how you managed to put her to sleep, she should be waking up after all this time. If you don't go over, she'll find her way here when she wakes."
"Mm."
Derick nodded affirmatively.
He then walked towards Castorice.
Looking up at Derick, Polyxia murmured to herself.
"I'm sorry, Derick. I'm still being selfish, wanting my sister to have her freedom. Unfortunately, after I give you my Coreflame, I will disappear."
"If there's a chance, I truly hope I can compensate you somehow."
She had ultimately chosen to agree to Derick's request, driven by a selfish consideration for her sister. For such a choice, even though Derick had proposed it, a deep sense of guilt remained in Polyxia's heart.
It's just that I have no way to compensate...
Polyxia thought.
Wheeling her chair, she moved towards Derick and Castorice.
...
Castorice woke up and saw Derick still 'resting' with his eyes closed, a doting smile at the corners of her lips. She reached out her palm, gently caressing his cheek.
This sleeping face is truly adorable.
I really want to spend more time with him.
However...
"What's wrong? Sister Castorice?" Derick felt Castorice's hand on his face become a little heavy and 'woke up' at that moment.
"No, was my hand too heavy just now?" Castorice quickly withdrew her hand and whispered to Derick.
"Not at all, it just felt very comfortable," Derick said, shaking his head. He then took Castorice's hand and said, "Actually, Sister Castorice, your hand could be a little heavier."
Taking Castorice's hand, Derick placed it back on his cheek for her to caress.
After a moment of caressing, Castorice reached out, pinched Derick's cheek, and their lips met. This wasn't the first time, but Castorice's initiative still surprised Derick. And this time, it wasn't just a fleeting touch.
Castorice believed she was going to stay in the Underworld forever, so her actions had become much bolder.
After a long while, Derick sensed Polyxia's wheelchair approaching, and only then did Castorice and Derick separate.
Polyxia wheeled herself over, and seeing Derick and Castorice's disheveled appearance, she looked completely at a loss.
"Um, I..."
She quickly turned her wheelchair around, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Castorice was very composed. Since she had made up her mind to spend her long life in the Underworld, there were some things she would do without hesitation. Covering Derick's leg with her beautiful white silk stocking, she said to Polyxia, "This scenery is truly beautiful."
Is the scenery beautiful, or are the people beautiful? Polyxia wondered. But on the surface, she said nothing, merely smiling at Castorice. "There are many other different sights in this garden. You and Derick can explore thoroughly these next few days."
The sea of flowers here was all of one kind, but for aesthetic appeal, Polyxia had planted the flowers in different patterns over the millennia. Wandering through them would offer many interesting experiences.
From her wheelchair, Polyxia smiled at Castorice and said, "I'll rest here; I won't disturb you." These few days, let them spend time together. If regrets can be avoided, it's best to avoid them.
Castorice looked at Polyxia and nodded slightly.
"Let's go, Derick, let's go see over there," Castorice said to Derick.
"Alright."
Derick and Castorice got up and walked towards another sea of flowers.
Watching them leave, Polyxia tilted her head and slowly closed her eyes to rest.
...
Judging by the rhythm of his pulse, Derick felt that three days had passed. In these three days, he and Castorice had explored almost the entirety of the garden.
Looking at the distant sea of flowers, Castorice asked Derick, "Well? Derick, after looking at so many of the same flowers for this long, do you feel bored?"
"Not at all," Derick shook his head. He glanced sideways at Castorice. "Because I was mainly looking at you. I've almost forgotten about the scenery."
Castorice's face turned crimson, and she then lifted her arm and pinched Derick's cheek.
"Why does everyone have this hobby?" Derick complained helplessly.
"Because your cheek feels incredibly nice to touch," Castorice said with a faint smile. At the same time, she pinched Derick a few more times. I might have to part with him, so before that, I should do a little more. After pinching him firmly a few times, Castorice then pulled Derick to sit down.
"I've seen most of the place; it's time for my next step," Castorice thought. She reached out and pointed to the broken moon.
Castorice said to Derick, "Derick, look at this moon, and then look at this sea of flowers. What do you say we have our wedding here?"
"We-wedding?" Derick was rubbing his cheek, which Castorice had pinched red. Hearing her words, his entire face turned crimson. The hand rubbing his cheek also felt scorching hot.
"Yes, a wedding." Castorice nodded affirmatively, looking up at Derick. "You... haven't you thought about marrying me?"
"This..." Derick realized he truly hadn't, but he had thought a lot about what to do after getting married.
Seeing his flustered appearance, Castorice smiled. "Alright, I was teasing you. It's normal that you hadn't thought of it. It's enough that I have."
As Castorice spoke, she took off her shoes. Her milky-white, translucent ankles rested on the purple flowers. She shifted slightly so she could lean into Derick's embrace. Derick's build wasn't large, nor did he have hard, firm chest muscles, but it was just right for Castorice to lean against, very comfortable.
"In your hometown, are there any wedding customs?" Castorice asked Derick.
"That, I'm not sure. It was a small village, lacking in supplies. Where would there be any grand ceremonies?" Derick didn't mention the wedding customs of his homeland. Eight-bearer sedan chairs, a ten-li red dowry, the three letters and six rites, the couple bowing to each other... This wasn't the civilization a village could possess. If Derick mentioned it, others would surely guess his origins. So he concealed it. But most importantly, he didn't want to think of this as another eternal farewell with Castorice, so he remained cautious.
"Is that so..." Castorice found Derick's explanation plausible, then her face also showed a troubled expression. "I don't have any memories of this sort either." With her curse, she naturally wouldn't have any memories of attending weddings. She had never thought she would have a wedding day, so she wouldn't have paid attention to such things.
"If only I had paid a little more attention to such ceremonies when writing novels," the renowned author of unfinished stories, Miss Butterfly, thought with slight annoyance.
As she was thinking this, Castorice felt Derick's embrace. Her arm was held tightly by his, and she heard him continue, "Being overly concerned with formality is meaningless. As long as we both agree, we can have a wedding anytime."
"Mm..." Castorice nodded, then looked at her own leg. "If, while you were speaking, your hand hadn't been sliding down my calf and grabbing my foot, I believe your words would have been more convincing."
Derick gave a sheepish laugh. His body had grown a lot, so his advances had become much bolder. And with Castorice in his arms, if he didn't make a move, Derick would feel he wasn't much of a man.
Derick wanted to let go, but Castorice pressed his arm down. A shy blush spread across her face, but her actions were firm. "Derick, you... you can continue," she said in a tiny voice.
"Castorice, what did you say?" Castorice turned to cup Derick's neck, her voice gentle. "Derick, Derry, although wedding ceremonies come in all forms and there's no need to delve too deeply into them, there is one kind that never changes."
Castorice pushed Derick down onto the flowers. Her gaze traveled from his head to his toes, studying him intently. "Derick, the scenery here is truly beautiful, and I want to leave even more beautiful memories." Since I'm to stay here, then before Derick leaves, I want to give myself to him completely.
Looking at Derick, Castorice sought his thoughts. "Is it okay?"
Derick swallowed hard, his heart pounding fiercely. "O-of course... it's okay..." he said with great determination.
Hearing Derick's words, Castorice revealed a happy smile. She reached out, and the white silk stockings on her legs slowly slid off.
Derick watched Castorice's movements, wanting to say "don't take off the stockings," but seeing her shy expression, he couldn't utter a word.
The white silk stockings landed on the nearby flowers. Subsequently, Derick's clothes landed on the other side, and after his clothes landed, Castorice's clothes pressed on top of them. A wind, from whence it came unknown, blew through the Underworld, causing their clothes to tremble violently. And after a gust, Derick's clothes flipped Castorice's clothes over, ending up on top. The Underworld's wind blew stronger, and the clothes trembled even more fiercely.
...
The wind blew for a long time before it finally stopped.
"Derick, does your back still hurt?" Castorice asked quietly, nestled in Derick's embrace.
"I'm undying, how could anything be wrong?" Derick said with a laugh. "What about you? Are you still in pain?"
Before today, Derick only had experience from games. He was a character with overpowered stats but no operational skill. Castorice was the same, so their initial experience wasn't that pleasant.
Fortunately, Derick was a talented player. After the initial awkwardness, his technique rapidly improved. Drawing on his experience from previous game recordings, he quickly mastered the skills to play the game well.
"Still a bit," Castorice nodded slightly. She touched her stomach; it was still a little sore. "But, I'm very happy with this experience."
She said this to Derick with a gentle smile, a blissful expression on her face.
Finally, I've done it all. Even if I stay here in the Underworld from now on, I won't have any regrets.
"Derick, hold me."
"Alright."
Derick held Castorice, and she fell asleep in his arms.
This memory is so wonderful. I'll sleep a little longer, and when I wake up, I... Castorice thought.
Derick watched the sleeping Castorice in his arms, dressed her, and laid her gently on the flowers, retracting the hand that had been channeling the Titan of Reason's energy. He knew what Castorice was thinking, so he had put her to sleep first.
A patch of flowers on the ground was stained blood-red. Derick bent down and gathered these flowers. He wanted to weave them into a bracelet or a pendant, but he found he didn't have the skill for it.
"Then I'll just keep them for Butterfly," Derick tore a piece of his own clothing to wrap the flowers and then placed them beside Castorice.
Finally, he reluctantly touched the white stockings on Castorice's legs. "I'll let you off this time, but next time, I'll definitely tear you apart," he said to the white stockings on her legs.
After saying this, he walked towards the distance.
Derick found Polyxia.
When Derick approached her, Polyxia was looking up at the moon. Seeing Derick arrive, Polyxia lowered her head. "Are you... done saying goodbye to my sister?" Polyxia's tone was somewhat melancholic.
"Yes, I've said goodbye to her," Derick nodded seriously. "We can now begin the transfer of the Titan of Death's Coreflame and duties anytime."
"Mm, I understand." Polyxia nodded, then prepared to begin the Coreflame transfer.
_____
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