Chapter 577: Under The Shade Of The Old Tree

Seraphina remained seated beside Amon, her golden eyes fixed on his.

A gentle breeze passed between them, stirring the leaves overhead and causing strands of her golden-blonde hair to brush softly against her cheeks.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

"I... You are... I..." Seraphina struggled to form a coherent sentence.

Her heart was pounding so hard that she was afraid Amon might hear it.

Amon leaned slightly closer.

The distance between them gradually disappeared until she could feel his warm breath against her skin.

He was nervous too, but the gentle smile on his face never disappeared. He simply waited for her answer, giving her the time she needed.

Seraphina nervously licked her lips before lowering her gaze.

Her hands tightened into small fists on her lap.

"I... don’t know."

She took a small breath.

"You’re my friend... That’s what I think."

"Really?" He asked, knowing she was just saying anything that came to her mouth.

Seraphina nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Amon studied her expression.

He wasn’t convinced. He raised his right hand and gently placed it beneath her chin, lifting her face until their eyes met again.

"Now, now~" he said with a playful smile. "Look at you, trying to lie to me."

"Wh-What lie?" Seraphina stammered. "I didn’t lie to you."

Amon continued watching her carefully.

Her flushed cheeks, nervous eyes, and trembling voice told him far more than her words did.

"It’s alright," he said softly. "You don’t have to figure everything out right now. Take your time."

His expression became more serious.

"But I want to be honest with you, Seraphina."

She swallowed nervously.

"I’ve been thinking about this for a while... about my own feelings."

He paused.

"For a long time, I either suppressed them or refused to acknowledge them. I’m a commoner, and then I ended up falling in love with someone. Because of that, I never really allowed myself to think too deeply about what I might feel toward someone else."

Seraphina’s eyes widened slightly.

Amon continued.

"But now... I think I should stop running away from my own feelings and be honest with myself."

His voice softened.

"If you don’t like what I’m about to do, you can push me away."

A faint, teasing smile returned to his face.

"Your reaction speed is pretty good, after all."

Seraphina’s heart skipped a beat.

"What...?"

She barely managed to whisper the word. Before she could process what he meant, Amon leaned toward her.

He slowly and carefully came closer to her. Their faces drew closer until she could see the slight nervousness hidden behind his confident expression.

Seraphina’s breathing became shallow. She knew what he was about to do. Yet she didn’t move.

She could have pushed him away. She was strong enough to do it effortlessly. But she didn’t want to.

Amon closed the remaining distance.

Chu~

Something soft gently touched her lips.

Seraphina’s golden eyes widened. For a moment, everything seemed to stop.

The sound of the wind, the rustling leaves, even the thoughts racing through her mind seemed to disappear. Everything seemed to fade away in background.

There was only Amon. His eyes were closed, and despite his outward confidence, she could feel how nervous he actually was.

Seraphina slowly closed her own eyes.

’So this was what it felt like...’ She thought.

The question she had secretly wondered about for so long finally had an answer.

’So this is... kissing Amon.’

Her heart pounded wildly inside her chest.

Yet instead of pulling away, she remained completely still, allowing herself to experience the unfamiliar warmth of the moment.

The wind grew stronger, sweeping through the garden and sending her long golden hair flowing behind her.

They remained seated side by side beneath the tree, their lips gently pressed together.

Amon could feel the softness of her lips against his.

His own heart was racing. He had acted on instinct, but now that it was actually happening, nervousness began to overwhelm him.

’What am I doing...?’ He wondered.

For once, he didn’t have some ridiculous joke or flirtatious remark to hide behind. This was real.

He opened his eyes slightly.

Seraphina’s face was flushed crimson, her expression a mixture of embarrassment, uncertainty, and something else he couldn’t quite identify.

She wasn’t pushing him away.

If anything she seemed to be quietly accepting the moment. That realization gave Amon the courage to remain there a little longer.

Seraphina’s fingers trembled slightly against her lap. She had imagined this moment before.

But imagination could never have prepared her for how different it felt when it actually happened.

Her mind was still confused. Her feelings were still tangled. Yet one thing had become painfully clear.

She didn’t want him to stop. This was far more addictive than she had expected. The feeling of kissing Amon was too pleasant.

Amon held her cheek with his palm while kissing then slowly suck on her lips by his.

"Hmm~"

A soft, involuntary sound escaped Seraphina. For a little while longer, neither of them moved, remained in same state.

Then, slowly, Amon pulled away. Their lips parted, and he opened his eyes to look at her.

Seraphina, however, remained completely still.

Her eyes were still closed, her cheeks and even the tips of her ears flushed a deep crimson. Her breathing had become slightly heavier, and her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm her racing heart.

After a few seconds, she finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Amon staring at her.

He smiled gently while looking at her.

"So... how was it, Sera?"

"Huh?"

She blinked multiple times. Then the meaning of his words finally registered.

Her eyes widened. The memories of what had just happened came rushing back all at once.

"AHH?!"

Seraphina immediately covered her face with both hands.

"What did I just do?! I-I-I kissed Amon!"

She shook her head from side to side, completely flustered.

Amon opened his mouth to correct her.

’Technically, I was the one who kissed you... but did I do the right thing? Was I too fast?’

But after seeing her reaction, ’No... I did the right thing.’

She looked far too adorable.

"Hehe~"

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seraphina stopped shaking and peeked at him through the gaps between her fingers.

"Y-You..." Her voice was barely audible. "How could you kiss me?"

Amon smiled. Instead of answering, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her gently into his embrace.

"Eek!"

Seraphina let out a small yelp, completely caught off guard.

"Oh, my Sera~" Amon teased softly. "If you keep acting this cute, how am I supposed to control myself?"

"A-Amon!"

She became even more embarrassed.

"You’re hugging me!"

"Yes." He tightened his arms slightly. "So you can calm down, dear~" He could smell scent of sunflowers from her.

"This isn’t calming me down at all!"

Despite her complaint, she didn’t try to escape his embrace. Amon noticed. A small smile appeared on his face.

He gently placed one hand on top of her head and began stroking her golden hair.

"There, there~ Just relax."

His touch was gentle and reassuring.

Seraphina stiffened at start, felt ashamed, but not for long.

Slowly, the tension in Seraphina’s body began to disappear.

The warmth of his embrace, combined with the slow movement of his hand through her hair, gradually soothed her racing heart.

She lowered her hands from her face. Her cheeks were still burning, but she no longer felt like she needed to run away.

Then, without warning, Amon leaned backward.

"Eh?"

Seraphina barely had time to react before he fell onto the soft grass beneath the tree, gently pulling her down with him.

She landed beside him, and Amon shifted until her cheek rested against his chest. One of his arms remained wrapped securely around her back.

Seraphina froze. She looked up at him for a moment. Normally, she would have protested.

But this time she didn’t. Instead, she quietly settled against him.

Her hand rested lightly over his stomach as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Ba-dump... Ba-dump...

The sound was strangely comforting.

Amon slowly ran his fingers through her hair again.

The cool breeze passed through the branches above them, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers from the nearby gardens.

"Yawn~"

Amon suddenly yawned.

"I’m feeling sleepy."

Seraphina glanced at him.

"Then sleep."

Her voice was quiet. She slowly closed her own eyes and relaxed against his chest.

"Are you going to stay like this?"

"Mhm."

Amon smiled.

"It’s comfortable."

Seraphina’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

"You’re strange today... too much."

"I know."

Neither of them spoke after that.

The wind continued to rustle through the leaves above them, while the warmth of their bodies protected them from the cool afternoon breeze.

Amon soon felt his eyelids growing heavier.

Seraphina remained nestled against him, her embarrassment gradually giving way to a strange sense of peace.

She still couldn’t completely comprehend what had happened. She had kissed Amon.

No—he had kissed her.

And yet she hadn’t stopped him. Even now, she was lying in his arms without wanting to move away.

A quiet happiness slowly settled inside her chest. For Amon, the moment brought an entirely different kind of satisfaction.

For once, he wasn’t joking, teasing, or flirting simply for entertainment.

He had acted on feelings he had been struggling to understand. And somehow, it had worked.

Under the shade of the old tree, surrounded by the gentle breeze and the peaceful sounds of nature, the two eventually drifted into sleep.

They remained there together, wrapped in each other’s warmth, while the world around them continued on without disturbing their quiet moment.