Love is in the heir

Vel knew what to say to her in order to really blow her mind and lock it in, but should he say it? If he did, did he mean it? Did he love Rose? He wasn’t sure what exactly it was like to be in love, like the characters in some of the books he had read. He’d never been overly concerned with falling in love. He was a noble, he would not get to marry for love. He knew he loved Adi, but that was different. He’d always loved her, and not just in a romantic way. He loved her in every way, she was his other half. There’d been no romantic moment when he fell for her. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t love her. He also loved Viella, his adorable little sister, but that was also different. She was his little sister, after all. Rose though, how did he feel about Rose? They had been each other’s firsts and had learned lovemaking together. She had played a huge part in him growing more comfortable with and less ashamed of his leg. He definitely loved her for that. She was also gorgeous, and he loved holding her close after they fucked. He also loved fucking her. Making love to her. He thought that what he felt was love, or close enough to it. And saying it would make her happy, and he loved making her happy.

“I love you too.” Her emotions exploded. Her mind seemed quite literally blown. He felt the same, oh gods he felt the same. Wait, how did he know? Vel didn’t actually hear those thoughts, not like he had the realization a moment ago, but he kind of read them in her emotions. “My Lord, how? How did you-“ She was crying, not a lot, but some tears were flowing. Vel interrupted her with a kiss, which she returned passionately. If this woman had loved him a moment ago, she worshipped him by now. That was how it should be, he realized. He should be worshipped.

They broke the kiss, and Rose stared at him in awe, her hand still on his chest. “My Lord, I am not worthy. I am not just a commoner, worse, I am-“ Vel quickly cut her off with another short kiss. “I don’t care, you know I don’t.” She gave him a sad smile that seemed to say that, while he might not care, the world most definitely did. “Don’t misunderstand me, my love-“ He heard a sharp intake of breath as he called her that, and a shudder ran through her whole body. The words also didn’t feel like a lie. My love. He definitely did love her, and she definitely was his. “-I am not saying that we will wed, that can never happen, we both know it. And I am not saying that you will be the only one I love or bed. But I do love you, and I want you by my side, come what may.” Those words seemed only to reinforce her joy. There was no disappointment, Rose knew the realities of her station. “I know, my Lord. I have always known that you would wed some noble lady someday, and that my best hope was that she would not mind you having a mistress. That hasn’t changed, I know that. I just have to hope more than ever.” That sort of broke his heart a little, but again Rose felt no sadness. Just joy. The life she had here was already better than she had ever hoped for, and him loving her back was more than she would even dare to dream of.

He wouldn’t need any further powers to get Rose to accept his relationship with his sisters anymore. This was now a woman who would put up with almost anything if it meant she got to be with him. He did want her to be happy though, and so wanted her to accept it rather than put up with it. Rose was a woman who expected far less than she deserved, and he looked forward to treating her like she really deserved to be treated. As such, he would still tread carefully, and further powers could still come in handy.

He suddenly felt her membrane fall away. Like it had been with Adi though, he knew it was just for him. The inside of her mind, on the other hand, was not like it had been with Adi. He could see her thoughts, but only the ones she was currently thinking. Most of her mind did not lie open to him. It was not like it had been with his twin, where even the deepest reaches of her mind were an open book. That did not surprise him. Uncle Kal was right, their bond was something uniquely special. Unmatched. Rose also didn’t seem to notice him in there, at least not consciously, though she hummed contentedly while he browsed her thoughts about how lucky she was and how much she loved him.

Eventually, she spoke up again. “As much I would love to lay here in your arms all day, my Lor-, my love, I do need to get back to work.” Reluctantly, Vel moved his arms and freed her from his embrace. She put her hand flat on his chest and gently rubbed it while giving him a kiss goodbye, before finally getting herself out of bed. He enjoyed watching her get cleaned up and dressed. As she walked out the door, she looked back and gave him one final smile. Yeah, this was love.