She Belongs To The Devil

The royalties of Romania, along with all their guests, had gathered in front of the carriages which were lined up for departure.

Joyce, Nylah, and Ariel were huddled together with teary eyes.

"Come visit us soon, okay?" Nylah sniffled and said while holding Joyce's hand, "Uncle Edwin and Aunty Juniper miss you terribly, and so does everyone else back at home."

Joyce smiled and agreed to Nylah's request. "Okay. As soon as Vlad's workload lessens, we will visit Wyverndale."

Ariel dabbed the tips of her fingers on the corners of her eyes to wipe the tears before they fell. She then hugged Joyce tightly and whispered to her, "I'm going to miss you a lot."

"I will miss you all too," Joyce smiled through her tears and gave a loving kiss on Ariel's forehead. She then did the same to Nylah and, although she wasn't willing to part with her dearest cousins, she led them to their carriage.

After watching Ariel and Nylah settling down in the same carriage, Joyce turned around to see Ramon and Grace who were looking at each other as if they were parting their ways right away. She was about to ask if there was some problem when she heard Kenneth.

"Grace, aren't you getting in?" he asked after peeking his head out from the carriage that stood behind the one in which Ariel and Nylah were currently sitting.

"Give me a minute." Grace looked at Ramon with a sad look on her face, and Ramon also looked back at her with an equally gloomy expression.

Joyce smiled while looking at those two as she now understood their longing gazes. They were being too obvious about how they were feeling. So, she decided to help Ramon out and said to Kenneth, "Your Highness, I think Ramon and Grace still have some unfinished conversation. Why not let them travel together in a separate carriage?"

Both Ramon and Grace's eyes shone when Joyce suggested the very thing that they wanted but were unable to say.

Kenneth, however, didn't seem like he was a fan of the idea.

When Joyce saw the reluctance in Kenneth's demeanor, she went and grabbed Damien–who was about to get inside the carriage with Ariel in it–and then suggested after dragging him towards Kenneth's carriage, "I know it would be rude of me to expect you to travel alone throughout the journey. So, Damien will join you."

Without giving the boys a chance to disagree with her, she pushed Damien inside the carriage and immediately ushered Ramon and Grace to the empty carriage.

Ramon grinned widely and whispered to Joyce while hugging her, "Thank you so much, Joy. I love you a lot."

Joyce looked at him and whispered back, "Say that to the beautiful lady who seems to have stolen your heart, before somebody else tries their luck with her." She winked at her blushing cousin and motioned him to get inside the carriage.

She waved at Ramon and Grace and turned around, only to be viciously attacked by her youngest cousin with a hug.

"Joy, we will miss you. Come visit us with lots of gifts, okay?" Zach looked at her with puppy eyes.

Joyce couldn't help but pinch Zach's cheeks. "Okay, I will. Now, get inside the carriage before they decide to leave you here. Everyone else has already settled down."

Zach, however, pointed at Theodore and said, "Uncle is still talking with your father-in-law."

Joyce looked back just in time to see Theodore coming towards the carriage. "Well, he is also settling in. Now, hurry up."

"Fine!" Zach rolled his eyes and drooped his shoulders. "You want to get rid of me so badly, so I will leave you alone now."

Joyce scoffed and gently slapped Zach's back. "Don't say that, silly! I would love it if you all stayed here for longer. However, since you all are intent on leaving today, it's better to reach Brenalia before it gets too dark."

Zach looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I know. I was just jesting with you. Bye now."

He was about to enter the carriage with Ariel in it, however, he changed his mind when he saw Theodore in the same carriage. Instead, he entered the carriage with Damien and Kenneth in it since he thought it would be fun to sit with them instead of being under the constant Theodore's direct supervision.

When everyone was settled in, the carriages finally began to move forward. Vlad came and stood with his wife as the carriages passed by.

Joyce waved her hands and bid farewell to her family, "Safe travel, everyone. Take care."

"You too, Joyce. Take care." Ariel and Nylah looked out of the window and waved back at Joyce.

Ariel took one last look at the castle they had left behind and finally rested her head on the cushioned headboard.

As the carriage continued making its way out of the city, she looked at the houses and people, feeling a little melancholic. She was wondering if she would ever be able to visit Romania or any other country without constantly fearing someone coming after her life.

After a while, she gave up thinking about it and decided to enjoy the scenery outside. 'I will etch these sceneries in my mind so that I won't feel bad even if I don't ever get a chance to step outside of Wyverndale again.'

---

As the Capital of Brenalia was getting closer and closer, both Ramon and Grace were feeling more and more restless. They were becoming less chatty, unlike how they were when they set on the journey this morning.

Ramon was even more restless than Grace because he kept recalling Joyce's words. 'Will I look too eager if I confess to her now? I think I would…" He let out a quiet sigh and thought again, 'But what if someone else courts her and asks her hand in marriage while I am not here? How will she wait for me if I don't make my intentions clear?'

"Grace–"

"Ramon, I–"

The two of them chuckled when they both tried to speak at the same time.

Grace slightly tilted her head and asked Ramon, "Did you want to say something to me?"

"Um… yes." Ramon gulped and nervously took Grace's hand in his.

That slight gesture from Ramon was enough to make Grace's heart leap inside her chest. Her breathing got faster and faster in anticipation. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

Although extremely nervous, Ramon managed to blurt out in a single breath, "You might think I am moving too fast, but… these past few days that I spent with you are very dear to me. The more I think about parting with you today, the more it's becoming clear to me that I want you close to me."

He saw how Grace's face was brightening up with his each word, and he knew that she also undoubtedly felt the same way about him.

So, without any delay, he confessed his feelings to her. "You have enchanted me with your beautiful smile and your mellow voice. The sound of your laughter is like music to my ears, and our conversations are like an antidote to the illness I never knew I had."

The rims of Grace's eyes became heavy with unshed tears of happiness. She tightened her hold on Ramon's hand and listened to him without interrupting his heartfelt words.

"You make me want to protect and love you with all my heart." Ramon brought her delicate hand close to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He looked into her beautiful eyes and asked ever so lovingly, "Grace, will you be so kind as to give me a chance to earn your love?"

Grace was over the moon because, without realizing it, she had also fallen head over heels for Ramon.

She smiled beautifully and said as a teardrop trickled down her cheeks, "I thought you would never ask." She giggled and gently caressed Ramon's cheek with her free hand. "I was so worried that you would leave without telling me anything. I'm happy you did."

"Me too." Ramon was so ecstatic that he pulled Grace into a tight hug.

The two of them giggled in each other's embrace, and Ramon pulled away so that he could look at Grace's beautiful face. He gently traced her lips with his thumb, thinking whether or not he should kiss her.

To his surprise, Grace wrapped her hand around his nape and pulled him in, capturing his lips with hers.

His heart pounded so fast when he felt her soft lips on his that he thought he would pass out. However, he managed to hold on to his consciousness thinking about how little time he had with her before leaving for Aberdeen. He wanted to make the most out of it.

He deepened the kiss, savoring each valuable second with her.

After a while of racing hearts and tugging of clothes, Grace rested her head on Ramon's chest, and Ramon had his arms around her shoulder, holding her as close to him as he could.

He looked outside, they were already very close to Kenneth's castle by now. He took a deep breath and promised Grace, "I will keep writing letters to you. If I can convince Damien to teleport me here, I will visit you as frequently as I can."

Grace tugged Ramon's shirt and whispered, "I will eagerly wait for you to write or visit me."