Chapter 592: Bonus - 60: Gold god and Pink Girl: A Pink and Golden Date

Vaelora was still blushing intensely. The color had returned even deeper than before, a crimson tide that seemed to have no end.

She gazed at him from her place against his chest as if this were the first time she had ever looked at him properly—eyes wide, gold still faintly glowing, lips parted on an unfinished breath.

"Oh... The real..." Her voice trailed off.

Benjamin’s hand rose and rested lightly against her upper back. "Is everything really alright?"

"Yes." She drew a small breath, then another. "I’ve missed you so much, it almost seems like we’re meeting for the first time. Ahaha."

Her next laugh was light, and almost brittle, an attempt to smooth the moment over. "You see, my work back in Fairylynch is truly tedious, and I have exhausted myself. I wanted to unwind with you... Was that uncalled for?"

"Of course not." Benjamin’s hand moved, the backs of his fingers brushing slowly against the smooth line of her lips, tracing the shape of them once before falling away. "I understand the work you do. And I know that short stack of a queen won’t help at all. So guess what? This evening is officially for you. Let’s go out on a date first. Then..." His smile turned just a little sharper, playful and direct. "I’ll pump you full of semen. What do you say?"

"Ehhh? Wh... What a vulgar way to say it, master."Vaelora looked away immediately, the gold of her eyes hidden behind a sudden tilt of her head.

"Ahaha!" Benjamin’s laugh was bright and unrestrained. "It seems you get even more innocent and pure when you’re exhausted!"

He took her hand, fingers closing firmly around her smaller ones, and drew her upright with him as he stood. "Allow me to spoil you today."

The air around them shifted. The quiet room with its moderate bed, furry rug, and fading orange light warped in a single smooth fold of space.

When the world settled again they stood somewhere entirely different—somewhere with more people and voices.

Benjamin kept her hand in his and began to walk.

He took Vaelora around Thaad’s hotspots without hurry.

First, they passed the open-air stages where dramatic plays unfolded under hanging lanterns, actors in bright costumes delivering lines that rose and fell with exaggerated emotion while small crowds leaned in to watch.

Then he led her farther, toward a place an earthling would call "An Aquarium In the Sky" —a park-like expanse where a great piece of aquatic nature had been magically held aloft in the air.

Water, living coral, and slow-turning fish drifted inside an invisible boundary high above the pathways, casting shifting blue-green light down onto the people who walked beneath it.

They visited the food stalls first.

The evening air of Thaad had the mixed scents of fried dough, roasted nuts, spiced meat skewers, and something sweet that drifted from farther down the lantern-lit street.

It was the kind of air that made the stomach ache with want even when it was already full, the kind of air that promised warmth and comfort and the simple pleasure of eating something made by hands that cared.

Benjamin kept Vaelora’s hand in his as they moved from one stall to the next, their fingers laced together, her smaller hand resting comfortably within his.

He bought her a sugared treat, and a small wooden bowl of warm fruit compote, then a skewer of glazed meat that left her fingers sticky.

She ate each offering with delicate, precise bites, the gold of her eyes reflecting the stall lanterns every time she looked up at him, the light dancing in her gaze like captured stars.

After the snacks they found some riding pens, where handlers offered short circuits on the backs of tamed beasts and magically controlled monsters.

Vaelora’s wings fluttered once in open delight when Benjamin lifted her onto the saddle of a broad-shouldered creature whose hide shimmered like polished stone.

The ride was gentle, the path looping through low arches of hanging lights that cast soft colors across their faces.

Her eyes glistened and shone more brightly with every new turn, every small wonder the city offered, every moment that reminded her she was somewhere new and beautiful and far from the ledgers that waited on her desk.

And Benjamin watched the light in them, feeling a quiet, private pleasure settle in his chest.

Of course a highborn, noble-looking fairy was a sight for sore eyes in Thaad.

People turned, some stared openly, their heads following her as she passed, and their eyes tracing the translucent pink wings, the long curly hair, and the fine near-transparent gown that seemed to belong to another world entirely.

Others glanced once, then again, as if confirming that what they were seeing was real, as if their eyes might be playing tricks on them.

Vaelora understood this perfectly well, so she neither hid nor performed. She simply continued walking at Benjamin’s side with her eyes calm.

They entered a small but luxurious shop whose windows shone with soft white light.

Inside, the air smelled of butter, vanilla, and something darker and richer.

The cakes on display were absolute artworks—layered, sculpted, dusted with edible gold leaf or crowned with crystallized flowers so delicate they looked as if a single breath might collapse them.

Vaelora moved from case to case with quiet focus, her golden eyes moving over each creation with careful attention.

It was like she was someone who had learned to appreciate small pleasures because large ones were so rare: and rarer still for a high-born individual to be so understanding of that.

She selected several, and the attendant brought them to a narrow table near the window. She ate with unhurried elegance, sampling each variety and form, the gold of her eyes brightening further with every new sweetness.

Beside the cakes the shop served an exquisite dark liquid in transparent cup-shaped crystals. She lifted one, studied it, and took a slow sip.

"This drink..." she said, still looking at the crystal.

"Ah, yes," Benjamin answered, turning his own cup slowly between his fingers. "I found out recently. It is one of the many ’inventions’ of that opportunistic god-touched, Kurosawa Ren—both the drink and the cup. He’s a thief, just so you know."

Vaelora giggled, the sound soft and genuine, and took another elegant sip.

"That only holds true in our world. Over here, Sir Ren is the inventor we know and love. He was once so vigorous that King Renard had to forbid him from making anything else, as it would attract the attention of demons."

Benjamin rolled the crystal cup, watching the dark liquid move.

"Demons, huh... I haven’t seen one before."