Free and Unfettered 85 Unspoken Promises And Commitmen

"It's fine!" Nocturne blurted out. Then, he wanted to kill himself. Ah, he was seriously so uncool in front of Nine.

Nine's lips couldn't help but quirk at the cute reaction.

"Alright then, Crown Princess Nox," Nine said, feeling indulgent. "Do you still like me?" she asked, wanting to give him an out one last time. Though he probably threw himself into marriage with her thinking he knew everything that was bound to come together, she wanted to hear it from himself.

"I –"

Nine placed a finger on his lips to stop his reflexive reply. "Wait. Listen to me. Do you really like me? Aren't you just attracted to how I look? You threw yourself into a marriage with another man just because of that?" Nine said, her presence growing unintentionally. Nocturne couldn't take his eyes off his husband. "You better think about it carefully. If you leave now, you can still escape. If not, then I'll chain you to me for all eternity."

Nocturne looked at Nine with dazed eyes. Was this really happening? Why did he feel like the entire day was just one huge dream?

"I'll give you a week to think about it," Nine said, standing up. She was about to walk to the door when Nocturne pulled the back of her coat.

"Wait!" Nocturne cried. His hand shot out reflexively to stop Nine from leaving.

Nine waited patiently, eyes hiding her expectation. She could have avoided Nocturne's hand had she wanted to, but… somehow, she just didn't feel like doing that. Strange.

"I don't need time to think about it. I don't just like you," Nocturne said, eyes boring into Nine's. "I love you. Nine, I love you."

Nine didn't make a sound, waiting for Nocturne to continue. She could see that he was struggling to make his feelings for her known, and she wanted to listen without pressuring him. All this time, she had known that he loved her, but to what extent? Why? She didn't think that she did anything that would have made him fall so hard, and to this extent?

"Do you remember, when you stole me away from Alixia Lacroix's castle? When you said, 'let's call him Black', I was so annoyed over that nickname that I felt like if I ever woke up, I would hack you into a million pieces."

Nine looked at him, baffled. What was so bad about the nickname she gave him??

"But the more you called me that, the more it kind of grew on me," Nocturne said, face red. "Then, you started doing little things like patting my head when it was just us alone and doing things like apologising each time you had to do something without acquiring my consent," Nocturne said, rambling.

Nocturne made a noise of frustration. "There's just so many little things that all add up together, and the more time I spend with you, the deeper in I fall. The time I spent away from you in my homeland was the hardest I've ever had it. I never thought about how hard not seeing someone could really be, but each day felt like it was crawling by. It was only after a year that I admitted to myself that I really was deep in, and that there was already no way out."

Nine's heart couldn't help but soften. She sat back down on the bed and pulled Nocturne into her arms. "So cute," she whispered into his ears, feeling his cheeks warm under her hands.

Nine tilted his chin upwards and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. Nocturne stopped breathing entirely, frozen. Slowly, he melted into her embrace, boldly hugging back. He didn't dare to harbour any thoughts in his head.

"I love you," Nine said, her voice low.

The sound of Nocturne's heartbeat slowly crescendoed in his ears, drowning everything out. Remarkably, his previous anxiety and insecurities slowly melted away. Perhaps it was because of the promise unspoken in Nine's voice.

The way Nine said 'I love you' was not 'I'm in love with you' like the way he said it, but somehow Nocturne felt that the promise Nine was making saying those three words were real and genuine.

It was like Nine was saying 'I love you', 'I'll be here', 'Nothing will part us'. Those three words were spoken like a promise that they would uphold no matter what. Nocturne felt his heart warm, but at the same time also felt like he somewhat lost out in conveying what he wanted to say. He used so many words to say it, but Nine's three words could silence him so easily.

The heavy promise inside those words made him feel wide-eyed. He felt like he was melting. When Nine looked at him like this, with those deep blue eyes that were usually chilly, so softly, he felt like he believed every word coming out of his husband's mouth.

Nine watched Nocturne, wondering if he knew about the commitment she was promising in those words. She wasn't in love with him yet, but she knew that she would eventually get there. She would support him in the things he wanted to do, be by his side without a word should he ever want it. She would support him in his growth and accept his support whilst she grew. To spend eternity together until they returned back to the earth. She would respect his wishes and expect that he respected hers in return.

Nine would give everything to him, and everything of Nocturne's would be hers as well.

Should Nocturne ever betray her, she thought that she would be the one who would cut him down. Should she ever harbour thoughts of betraying him, she thought that she would gladly accept the cut of his blade as life bled out of her eyes.

So, she wondered. Did he know of the unspoken words and promises? When she saw the shine in Nocturne's eyes, somehow just so much clearer and more anchored, much more than they had ever been, she knew that he understood.

And when he whispered, "I promise" so softly that she almost didn't hear it, she knew that he did. The swell of affection took her by surprise. She brushed back his hair and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, smiling.

She never thought that after Yashiro, she would be willing to try again, but Nocturne made her feel like it would be alright. He would be the last. When her feelings of affection would swell into something more, something deeper, she didn't know, but she knew with certainty that one day, she would be there.

Maybe it would be some random day when she woke up, seeing his sleeping face, and realize she had been in love all along, that it had silently crept up on her, day by day.

The husband and wife pressed together gently, forehead on forehead, looking each other in the eyes. The feelings in the air were so soft and so gentle, that neither of them felt like breaking it. Silently, they basked in the warm atmosphere for time to come.

Let the days come as the pleased. Nocturne and Nine would face them together as one.

Chapter end