Right after stepping out of Lord Lucas's office, Alexander wasted no time finding his sweetheart. He had kept her with her father for a while now and knew Julia would be pissed off.
He succeeded in convincing her to avoid communicating with him through their shared connection. The premise was simple: she would be happier when they reunited after time apart. Naturally, the Knight princess had her reservations, but she would listen to her man.
Having done her part for the Knight family, Julia resorted to observing the new environment. She would occasionally step out of the budding castle to explore the surroundings, taking her sweet time to appreciate nature's beauty from the ground instead of the sky.
Julia stood atop one of the many rooftops facing the forest and mountains in the distance. The gentle breeze blew past her, causing her silvery-white hair to flair around her in mesmerising detail. From time to time, she would brush a lock of hair away from her pretty face.
Her expression was as serene as it was contemplative, seemingly lost in thought about something. But the gentle smile on her face told a different story to the workers who would occasionally steal a glance at her. Julia was out of their league and the girlfriend of Alexander himself.
They stood no chance, but no one said anything about not appreciating her beauty. The Knight princess, keenly aware of the attention she was getting, paid no mind. So much had changed in such little time that they had not paused to take a look.
'Alexander was right…' She thought cheerfully, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. 'Sometimes a moment to oneself does wonders. Despite the current trend, things have never been so quiet.'
The Knight princess was at peace with herself — she had all she ever wanted. While reality was not out of the water yet, their universe was on the path of change. Moreover, their training to reach peak power was not over.
After the birth of Alexander's nephew, they had agreed to put their training on hold. Training in a temporal accelerated space had its advantages, but nothing beat the normal flow of time.
There were fewer than two major realms left to reach the peak, and Alexander had expressed his desire for something other than reaching the typical level of a god recognised by their universe.
'I wonder what he means by that…?' Julia directed her gaze upwards, staring at the high clouds. 'He's been hiding a lot of things lately.'
She trusted Alexander with all her heart, no doubt. But sometimes, she wished he would confide in her more. Perhaps, she would be of no help, but she wanted to share everything with him.
'And he's gotten really good at hiding his emotions. I can't sense a damn thing from him.' Julia bitterly complained in her heart, putting a scowl on her pretty face.
While she could feel the immense love Alexander had for her, that was not all she wanted to feel from him. Alexander had access to all her emotions: her love, her jealousy, her joy, her fears… everything. In her mind, there should be no obstacles in the way of their connection.
"What could possibly bother my lovely girlfriend?" The voice Julia wanted to hear more than anything else sounded from behind her.
"Alexander!"
Julia swiftly turned around, her expression lighting up as she closed in on Alexander like a bullet. She moved so fast that her stomp created cracks in the roof, threatening to bring down the whole thing.
Fortunately for her, Alexander was ever attentive to his surroundings. With a bright smile on his face, he opened his arms for Julia to jump into. The two cherished the moment, Julia closing her eyes to inhale Alexander's scent.
"You jerk!"
After a moment of bliss, Julia suddenly pulled back and looked directly into Alexander's eyes. The Knight princess was furious at her boyfriend for locking her out for months.
"Why didn't you come to visit more often?!" Alexander could only smile wryly as Julia glared daggers at him. "Tsk, that annoying smile on your face is not doing you any favours, mister."
"I'm really sorry about this arrangement, Julia." Alexander placed his hands on Julia's shoulders, trying to placate her. "But you have to admit, you miss me very much."
"Hmph! Who missed you?"
Julia shook Alexander's hands away, turning her face away while she crossed her arms over her chest. Alexander could not help but find her pouting expression cute.
"So you don't want to go for the date I planned, huh?" Alexander playfully furrowed his brows, a hand on his chin as he baited Julia into reacting. A knowing smile tugged at his lips when he noticed Julia's ears perk up and her gaze shifting.
"D-date?" Julia muttered curiously, side-eyeing Alex carefully, waiting for him to confirm his words.
"Mmhmm," Alex played along, nodding his head as if he were reconsidering his plans. "I was thinking of taking you on a camping date on one of the resort planets, a place where we can enjoy nature's wonder and spend lost time together."
Lifting his brows, he saw Julia looking back at him, seemingly considering his words. She would occasionally glance at Alexander and then shift her gaze away. After what felt like an eternity but was rather four short seconds, she folded.
"Fine… But it better be an unforgettable date." The Knight princess folded, but she was still not happy with Alexander.
"Hehe. Of course, of course." Alexander chuckled, pulling Julia by the waist into his embrace. "I promise you, Julia. This date will be a date to remember."
The Knight princess nodded with a satisfied expression on her face, her eyes closed to enjoy Alex's caresses. They stayed like this for several moments, the attention of the workers glued to them.
Unfortunately for them, Alexander had muted his conversation with Julia, leaving the workers clueless and guessing.
"When are we leaving?" Julia asked.
"We can leave right now, sweetheart. The location has already been decided." Alexander replied. "Though I'd have to seal most of your powers. Sometimes being too powerful takes the joy out of everything."
"Yeah…"
Julia agreed, having no issues whatsoever. Her earlier displeasure was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a perpetual satisfied smile. If left to her devices, she would like to stay like this forever.
"Come on." Alexander pulled away, turning with Julia to face the portal that was opening beside them. The two exchanged a meaningful look and then walked towards the portal, swiftly disappearing from sight.
***
Located in the Fraystar system of the Milky Way galaxy, planet Terrason was one of many resort planets in the vicinity spanning a few tens of light years. This planet in particular was reserved for vacation purposes given the weather conditions.
The planet was divided into two seasons all year round — sunny and snowy. The landmass of the planet to the sea was in a 1 to 4 ratio. The sunny part had vast sandy beaches, wild fields and rivers, while the snowy side had vast coniferous forests, frozen lakes and mountains.
Spanning both sides of the landmasses were vacation homes, hotels and resorts. The entire planet was a giant party world. Only the workers and protectors of the world lived there all year round.
Alexander had made arrangements with one of the resort owners, renting a small cottage in the snowy coniferous forest where he and Julia would have their privacy. While small, it had all the essentials one would need to live comfortably without worry.
The cottage was located in an open field surrounded by coniferous trees slightly covered in snow. The place was cold, but it was no problem for awakened individuals.
The sun was setting on the snowy side of the world when Alexander and Julia walked out of the portal. The Knight princess's expression brightened when her eyes fell on the small cottage and the setting sun in the distance.
"A camping date, huh. I like it."
Julia turned to Alexander, clinging to his left arm while her head rested on his shoulder. She noticed her senses had been suppressed to barely a few meters around her body, and her strength was equally suppressed.
"Yep." Alexander brought his arm over her shoulder, drawing Julia closer. "This will be the full experience. We will have to do everything the normal way, and no one will be bothering us."
"Hehe, I like the sound of that." Julia chuckled sweetly, liking the 'no bothering us' part. After a moment of silence, Julia proposed. "How about we watch the sun set?"
Alexander hummed his approval as the two stayed in each other's embrace, peacefully watching the sunset. The Knight princess had not noticed, but Alexander had changed their outfits to fit the environment — winter jackets with fluffy hoodies.
"Let's go inside. I plan on making something special for you." Alexander said after the sun disappeared from sight.
"Fufufu, I can't wait to eat what you make." Julia giggled mischievously, grinning from ear to ear. The Knight princess was over the moon with bliss.
Following her man's lead, Julia continued to cling to Alexander as he showed her around the warm-lighted cottage. The cottage came with one bedroom with a washroom, and an open kitchen connected to the living space.
"Have a seat while I get ready." Alexander proposed, gesturing for Julia to take a seat by the kitchen countertop.
Fortunately for him, Julia listened and moved to take a seat, supporting her cheeks with her hands as she watched Alexander get to work.
Alexander took off his winter jacket, rolled the sleeves of his shirt and moved to grab an apron. The Knight princess did not miss a single beat of his movement, as she ogled her man without restraint.
'Hehehe, he's so handsome…'