Chapter 26 Can I kiss you now?
Camilla and Danieru were currently in their room, having arrived at their mansion a few hours ago. The air was still chilly, which was understandable, given the rain that had been falling steadily since earlier.
Danieru stroked Camilla's hair; they were now sharing a blanket, keeping each other warm. For some reason, Danieru didn't think this was a big deal, and he felt comfortable with the way they interacted.
"Kitty, can I ask you a question?" Danieru asked.
Camilla, now nestled in Danieru's arms, lifted her head and met his gaze.
"What do you want to ask me?" Camilla asked. She hugged Danieru's waist and then closed her eyes again.
"Were you scared when I kissed you in church?" Danieru asked.
Camilla was quite surprised to hear Danieru's question. Did Danieru notice that? What was he thinking? Camilla was so curious that she didn't answer some of his questions.
Danieru, sensing Camilla's hesitation or surprise at the question, hugged her a little tighter. He controlled his heartbeat and the way he exhaled.
Camilla, sensing this, felt quite comfortable. The way Danieru treated her was clearly warm, and she remembered his promise to her father. Camilla tried to savor every moment with him, reminding herself dozens of times of one thing.
Don't fall in love, don't destroy their fine relationship. Everything could change if she got caught in that quagmire.
"Why are you so quiet?"
Camilla quickly snapped out of her thoughts, trying to find a good and correct answer. Was she afraid?
"Kitty," Danieru reprimanded.
"No, at that moment, I felt like everything was fine. Maybe it was because Dad was around me," Camilla replied.
Danieru understood now that Camilla trusted only Mr. Alistair, and because he was near her, she didn't feel threatened.
"What about when it's just the two of us like this?" Danieru asked.
Camilla was silent, but when Danieru kissed her forehead again, she felt incredibly calm.
“Kitty, why are you so quiet?” Danieru asked.
“I feel calm, but sometimes I feel scared.” Camilla shifted her position, turning her back to Danieru, and letting him hug her from behind.
Danieru immediately reached for Camilla's hand, clasped it, and rested his head on her back.
Calm, comfortable, he even forgot how much he once hated women except for his mother. Initially, he hadn't expected to be this close to Camilla; he only thought their relationship would be cold and selfish.
But the more he got to know Camilla, the more he felt she wasn't dangerous. Camilla was incredibly different from most women.
Ordinary women would always do anything to attract his attention. But Camilla never did that; she simply attracted him. No... it wasn't Camilla who attracted him, but he who kept trying to keep up with her.
Other women would strive to be perfect, always mindful of their language and acting gracefully. But Camilla often acted foolishly, even hitting, pinching, and doing other unexpected things.
Danieru knew only one thing: Camilla had the same qualities as his mother. She was strong, and not one to mince words. Camilla preferred things to be straightforward, and that was what he remembered most from the first time they met.
At that time, Camilla didn't hesitate to express her hatred and dislike for her mother-in-law. He could clearly see that Camilla was truly strong, a woman who was too arrogant, but in the right way.
Danieru could only think of one thing at that moment. The woman before him was a woman who could distinguish between right and wrong. Even though she was his biological mother, she wouldn't bow her head. Once wrong, it would always be that way.
"Can we always be like this?" Danieru asked.
Camilla stared at their wedding photo, which had been in the room for who knows how long. She could see Danieru's face and the light smile she gave him in it. They seemed to belong together at that moment, but who would have thought that the marriage was fake?
"Doggie, are you starting to fall in love with me?" Camilla asked.
"No, I just feel comfortable with my friend. Is it wrong for a friend to be close to their friend, and to feel like they're always close to them?" Danieru asked.
"There's nothing wrong. I just want you to stay close. Remember our agreement. I'm here to repay that damn woman's debt. And as for you, you chose me because I'm the woman who can help you."
Camilla slapped Danieru hard, reminding him of the foundation of their marriage.
Danieru smiled upon hearing that. Camilla was a determined woman, and she had even strengthened her defenses just for something like this.
“I won’t cross the line, but can we not hate each other? Can we share? Even though this is just a contractual marriage, I want to enjoy it. I also don’t want to ruin our good relationship.”
Camilla shifted her position again, her gaze locked on Danieru.
“What’s wrong?” Danieru asked.
“Doggie, we are friends. I also want to stay close to you like this. I don’t like dramatic things. Our lives aren’t the stuff of romance novels, or the dramas often shown on television. We can have a good relationship, mutually beneficial and complementary.”
Danieru understood Camilla’s words completely. She emphasized that they could be fine, living normally without having to add spice to things.
“Yes, I understand. We can act like a real husband and wife without having to keep our distance. Am I right?” Danieru asked.
“You’re right. We can live our roles now, and that will be better.”
“Okay, my wife, can I act however I want when I’m with you?” Danieru smiled.
“As long as you don’t fall in love with me,” Camilla replied.
“I know my limits, so you don’t have to worry.”
Camilla grinned. “My beloved husband, I have your word.”
“Can I kiss you now?” Danieru asked.
“Your kiss is terrible,” Camilla said.
“Are you daring me?” Danieru stroked Camilla’s lips with his thumb, stunned when the soft, moist substance appeared. It was tempting and made her impatient for Camilla’s answer.
Camilla tried to win herself over. Right… she had to play the part of Danieru’s wife well. She then closed her eyes, waiting for Danieru to kiss her lips. Camilla was nervous, especially as his breath grew closer to her.
“Look, her lips are bleeding. I bit them in a fit of rage.”
“Hahahaha… what a miserable fate.”
The image returned, making her a little uneasy.
“Let go! No, sob... let go!'
Camilla wanted to open her eyes, but at that moment, Danieru's lips were already kissing hers. She tried to fight her fear, she tried to escape the image, she tried to remember Danieru.
She slowly calmed down, especially when someone gripped her hand tightly. The image of the old men who had tortured her, even forcibly devoured her lips, was now gone. The darkness that had previously bound her hands and feet was gone, now only the bright light of her eyes remained.
'Don't fall in love, don't be lulled... this is just a formality,' Camilla told herself. She had to be able to control her own feelings. Because she didn't want to lose Danieru, and she didn't want this moment to end.
A knock on the door stopped them both. Danieru released his grip on Camilla's lips and looked at her.
"Do you trust me?" Danieru asked.
Camilla nodded.
"Can you answer me with your voice?"
"I trust you," Camilla said.
Danieru pressed his lips against hers again. His eyes closed, not caring who was out there. He hugged Camilla tighter, though she hadn't responded yet, but he would still make her trust him completely. In their current relationship, trust was a good thing.
Camilla had been hurt, and so had Danieru. He was doing this for another reason: he wanted to uncover Camilla's past and free her from the prison of that past.
Camilla, who had been silent until then, finally reacted. Feeling complete trust in Danieru, she began to kiss him back. The woman closed her eyes quietly and hugged him back.
She didn't know why she could trust Danieru so quickly. Was it because he shared her father's attitude? He understood her, and he had managed to break down the walls she'd built.
Once again, she would trust someone other than her father, and even if Danieru broke her trust, it wouldn't hurt her, because now they were both committed.
The voice rang out once more, making them both stop. Danieru immediately released his lips, and Camilla could only stare at him deeply.
"Who's this crazy person who loves to ruin the atmosphere?" Danieru looked very irritated, and he quickly released his embrace from Camilla.
"You can go see him. I want to rest for a while." Camilla smiled as Danieru ruffled his own hair, looking irritated.
Camilla smiled reassuringly. "Why are you so quiet? What if it's something important?"
"Okay, Mrs. Malaike, I'll go and open the door." Danieru immediately walked towards the outer room of his room, then opened the door with a lazy expression.
Camilla, having just heard Danieru's words, simply shook her head. That man... sometimes annoying, making her feel warm, sometimes cold, and also stupid.