After that incident, Casimir just got worse! Whenever it concerned Adira or even when her name is simply mentioned, he refuses to trust anything and asks Adira instead.

Adira felt it was gradually becoming annoying but she cannot do anything about it at this point. She caused it herself, anyway, so she's got no one to blame but herself!

"Caseeey~" she stretched his name as she melted on his sofa with Heise in her arms, slowly taking up all the little space she has in her flimsy little arms.

Casimir invited her to his room under the pretense of taking care of the annoying animal who always asks for his mother. But really, he just wanted her where he could see her.

"Mm?" He raised his head from the urgent papers Roman sent to him, something about it was due that day.

"Can I please go to the falls with Heise?"

"No."

"Why~~? Heise will be with me!"

"I can't go."

"So? I know very well you can't go with you buried in those urgent papers. Please! Let us go, okay?"

Casimir finally let go of the papers and sighed. He was having a headache because of this woman. How was he supposed to make her understand that he wants her to always be close to him or vice versa?

"Just play with Heise here."

"But Caseeeey~ I wanna go out! It's stuffy here and humid! Heise's scales won't be pretty under these conditions! He needs to cool down by the falls! And it's boring!"

I bet that's the real reason.

"Fine." He sighed in consent and turned back to the papers. He only needed to go over two more and he'll be done.

Adira, after hearing Casimir's green light to her request, beamed and shot up from the sofa like a spring—suddenly brimming with life and energy again.

"Really? Did you hear that Heise? Casey's agreed! We can go play outside!" Adira excitedly raised Heise up and reiterated their agenda, already ignoring Casimir.

".. After I finish these two documents." Casimir finally added, after briefly looking up and admiring her excited face, and doused cold water on their happy parade.

Adira grumbled but didn't argue anymore. She was afraid that the more she argued then chances of them taking their own little field trip to the falls would plummet.

So she had no choice but to play with Heise while they waited for Casimir to finish.

...

"Heise! Look! Isn't it beautiful?" Adira exclaimed and let Heise fly to let his wings get some exercise out in the wild.

It wasn't healthy to keep him cooped up in a room when he's supposed to be ruling the skies with his mightiness.

"Casey! Hurry up!"

Casimir, who insisted on going with them, followed behind and checked the place. He also placed necessary barriers while they were there.

To avoid Heise from being spotted, avoid potential threats from getting near and also to avoid intruders on ruining their little family trip.

"Seriously, we're going back tomorrow to that stuffy capital and I haven't had my fill of the nature because you kept restricting me from going near the forest again!" She grumbled.

Casimir just patted her head and placed a chocolate on her mouth, a bribe to sway her mood, when she was about to start another string of complaints again.

"Mm. This is sweet. Where'd you get this?" Adira asked and savored the irresistible sweetness melting in her tongue.

"I made it." Was Casimir's simple reply and fed her more.

Heise, who just got back from a short round of flight practice, dove for the sweet Casimir was feeding Adira and gave his father the displeased look.

Almost as if saying, how dare you take an inch when I just went and flew one round?

"Oh baby, you also want chocolates?" Adira asked as she looked at Heise angrily munching—which she is blind to—on the sweet from Casimir.

"He got it from his mother." Casimir commented and turned his gaze on Adira's vibrant and cheeky expression. She was genuinely happy to have come here.

I should've taken her here a whole lot more. She wouldn't have thought of those nonsense if I gave her more attention.

"Casey? What's wrong?"

Noticing the slight sadness and guilt in his platinum orbs, Adira asked him. After her little show of grievance, Casimir's been pulling this look a lot more often.

He didn't reply and just shook his head softly and fed her more chocolates instead. When Heise kept stealing the chocolates he fed Adira, he just resolved to giving Adira the pouch to eat it herself.

Else, the little, yet not so little anymore, dragon will keep eating it.

"Are you.. still bothered about what I said before?" Adira carefully asked.

Casimir just got sadder and guiltier when he heard Adira ask. Almost like a heart-wrenching reminder to his blunder and how he personally hurt his beloved fiancee.

She felt so bad looking at Casimir's new expression that although she did achieve something—and that is his complete trust on her and her alone—it was also at the cost of his conscience and this sadness.

Adira walked closer to Casimir and held his hand. He looked up to her clement ash-grey smiling eyes and she fed him one of the sweets he made for her.

"Yummy, right? Casey's been so good to me so I don't see a reason for him to be bothered so much by those words. You trust me, right? Then that's enough for me."

She looked divinely beautiful as she said those words that Casimir could feel the loud pit-a-pat in his chest.

There were not enough words to describe how arresting she was then that he could only hope to show what he felt through his actions as he pulled her in his arms.

All his life, there was only one woman who had his unconditional trust and devotion and that was her—his Lady Adira Remeria Eir Sylveris.

He never gave this much of his heart to anyone, even his family. Nothing ever moved him till the rime accumulated over time and he couldn't feel for anything or anyone anymore. He only moved according to orders, just like a puppet.

Until he met her.

From the moment he met her, to when he proposed to his father to be engaged to her, to when he purposely hid his status to get closer to her, to when he willingly and happily took on the role of being Heise's father, everything was to tie her fate to him.

He never thought that he would find someone he will love this much that it sends him both to heaven and hell. But, it was all worth it. Everything was worth for just a glimpse of her happy smile.

"You have all of my trust." He answered after a while after being pulled out of his thoughts by Heise physically pulling on wherever he could pull—his arms, his legs, or even his suit.

Adira beamed happily and Casimir felt blissful for all these moments he gets to spend with her—and now with the addition of their son, Heise.

"So I want to see little Casey's casanova smile again, okay?" Adira said and Casimir obliged without further ado and smiled his happiest, softest and warmest smile. A smile that simply showed his deep adoration for the lady in front of him.

"And while we're at it, I have a question." She changed issues after being healed and satisfied with that smile and her look turned serious.

"Casimir Athanasius Rozen Versaillus, will you trust me with your life?"

Notes:
Hi! This is a brief light moment for healing and happiness in their little family!

Also, thanks to Movvai for the flood comments! I had a lot of fun reading them, my dear! Thank you!

Hope you all have fun!