Chapter 194: A Kiss to Remember

Ignis bounced on her heels, her draconic features brightening with enthusiasm. "Don’t worry! When we find the Lich again, we’ll kill it for real this time! Adam’s super strong now, and I’m even stronger than before! That old skeleton won’t know what hit it!"

Adam’s lips quirked. "We’ll have to find it first. But yeah. When we do, it’s done."

Elise straightened, some of her old dignity returning despite the tear tracks still drying on her cheeks. "You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself now. The Lich is gone—or as good as gone. Whatever’s left isn’t strong enough to reach me anymore."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? You always seem to find trouble, though. Kind of hard not to worry when trouble has a habit of finding you."

Ignis nodded vigorously, her flames flickering with agreement. "Yeah! Elise always falls into problems! Remember the—"

"That’s because of the situation!" Elise’s face flushed, her hands waving in protest. "It’s not like I go looking for trouble! I don’t wake up in the morning thinking, ’Oh, I hope something terrible happens today!’ It just... happens!"

Adam’s smirk widened. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Ignis tilted her head, her expression caught between confusion and amusement. "But it happens a lot."

"Because of circumstances!" Elise’s voice rose, her composure crumbling further. "Completely out of my control circumstances!"

Adam crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe with the patience of someone who had all the time in the world. "So you’re saying trouble just... follows you around. For no reason."

"Yes! No—I mean—" Elise sputtered, her face now a shade of red that clashed dramatically with her white hair. "It’s not my fault! You can’t blame me for things that happen to me!"

Seraphina, still propped against her pillows, watched the exchange with something that might have been the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.

Adam glanced at her, catching her expression. His own smirk softened, just slightly.

"See what I have to deal with?" he said, jerking his thumb at Elise. "Always falling into trouble. Never her fault."

Elise threw her hands up. "I’m right here! I can hear you!"

Ignis giggled, the sound bright and genuine. "Elise’s face is all red! Like a tomato!"

"It is not!" Elise’s hands flew to her cheeks, which were, in fact, very red. "I am perfectly composed!"

Adam snorted. "Could’ve fooled me."

Seraphina’s weak laugh drew their attention. She was smiling and said. "You’re all... impossible."

Adam’s expression softened. He pushed off from the doorframe, moving to stand beside the bed. His voice lost some of its teasing edge.

"We’ll wait until the Melium delegation arrives. Make sure everything’s settled. Then we go."

Elise’s hands dropped from her cheeks. Her voice was quieter now. "You don’t have to. I told you—I can handle things now."

Adam met her gaze. "I know. But I want to."

The words hung in the air for a moment.

Ignis beamed. "See? Adam’s not so bad when he’s not being grumpy!"

"I’m not grumpy," Adam said flatly.

"You’re always grumpy."

"I am not."

Elise’s hand closed around Adam’s wrist before he could follow Ignis’s retreating form. Her grip was firm, her expression determined despite the faint flush still coloring her cheeks.

"Don’t leave yet, Adam. I want to talk to you for a moment."

Adam blinked, caught off guard. A slow, teasing smile spread across his features. "Eh? What’s this? Afraid you’ll miss me already?"

"That’s not—" Elise’s flush deepened, her composure cracking. "Just—come with me. Please."

She tugged at his arm, pulling him toward the door. Ignis made to follow, her flames flickering with curiosity, but Adam waved her off with a quick glance.

"Give us a minute."

Ignis pouted but settled back beside Seraphina’s bed, her wings folding against her back. "Fiiine."

The corridor outside was quiet, the morning light filtering through tall windows in pale golden shafts. Elise led him to a small alcove near the end of the hall, where two stone benches faced the window. She released his arm and settled onto one of them, her white hair catching the breeze that drifted through the open archway.

Adam sat across from her, one leg stretched out, his expression curious.

"So. What’s this about? You’re being weird."

Elise’s hands folded in her lap. The wind played with her hair, lifting the white strands like threads of silk. Her voice, when it came, was softer than before.

"Nothing. I just wanted to spend a little time with you. Is that not allowed?"

Adam’s eyebrows rose slightly. "No, it’s fine. Just... surprised, that’s all."

Elise was quiet for a moment. Then, without looking at him, she asked, "Will you really visit me? When your business is finished?"

Adam paused. He turned his gaze to the window, to the distant towers of the castle, to the sky beyond where he and Ignis would soon fly.

"Yeah." His voice was quieter now. "I’ll visit you. If you’re not comfortable with it, I can just pass through. See you from a distance. Make sure you’re okay." He glanced back at her. "I worry, you know. That you’ll end up in trouble again without anyone to pull you out. If something happens, I can just... burn whoever’s causing problems. Quick and easy."

Elise laughed—a soft, genuine sound that seemed to catch in her throat. She pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes bright with something that might have been tears or might have been laughter.

"That’s very like you." Her voice wavered, just slightly. "Brutal. Simple. Absolutely terrifying to anyone who doesn’t know you." She lowered her hand, meeting his gaze directly. "I’ll hold you to that promise. Don’t think you can just say these things and disappear."

Adam’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

The sunlight filtering through the alcove’s archway caught in Elise’s white hair, turning it almost silver. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, her eyes fixed on the distant towers, her voice soft.

"Adam... our journey was truly wonderful." She glanced at him, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "I was able to reach this place because of you. So... thank you."

Adam leaned back against the stone bench, his arms crossed, his expression thoughtful. For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his features—warmer than his usual smirk.

"Yeah. Me too. Thank you, Elise." He paused, something flickering in his crimson eyes. "It was fun."

Elise’s smile widened, her cheeks flushing slightly. But before she could respond, Adam straightened, his gaze sharpening as he studied her.

"But before we say goodbye..." He rose from his bench, closing the distance between them in two easy strides. "Let me fix your hair."

Elise blinked, her hand instinctively rising to touch the white strands. "Eh? What do you mean?"

Adam didn’t answer with words. His hands came up, cupping her face gently, his palms warm against her cheeks. Elise’s breath caught, her face flooding with color as his fingers brushed against her skin.

"Hold still," he murmured.

The Crown pulsed on his brow with focused. A soft glow emanated from his palms, seeping into Elise’s skin, reaching deep where the Lich’s corruption still lingered in faint, fading threads. The remnants of the Deathless King’s influence, clinging to her like shadows at dawn.

And then, like shadows burned away by sunlight, they dissolved.

The change was gradual at first—a warmth spreading through her scalp, a lightness in her chest. Then, in a cascade of gold, her white hair began to darken at the roots, the color flowing downward like honey, like sunlight, like the first breath of spring after an endless winter.

When Adam finally pulled back, Elise’s hair was no longer white. It was blonde—rich and warm, the color of wheat fields in harvest, of candlelight in a cozy room, of the princess he had first met in Elden Hollow.

Adam studied her, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

"There." His voice was soft. "Much better. You look better with golden hair."

Elise’s hand flew to her hair, her fingers threading through the familiar strands.

Her heart was pounding.

She stared at Adam—at his crimson eyes, at the gentle curve of his smile, at the way the morning light caught in his hair. He was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite name, and it made her chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with the Lich or curses or any of the horrors she had endured.

"Idiot..." The word escaped her lips before she could stop it, soft and breathless. "If you do things like that... it makes it harder to let you go..."

Adam’s brow furrowed. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

Elise didn’t answer.

Her hand shot out, fingers curling into the collar of his tunic, and she pulled.

Their lips met.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was fierce and desperate and tasted of salt and sunlight and everything she had been holding back for weeks of running, of fighting, of watching him risk his life for her again and again. Her fingers twisted in his shirt, anchoring herself to him as if she might drown if she let go.

For a heartbeat, Adam was frozen—surprise stiffening his frame, his hands hovering uncertainly at his sides.

Then, slowly, he softened.

His arms came up, wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer. His lips moved against hers, tentative at first, then surer, as if he was finally allowing himself to feel what he had been holding back just as long as she had.

The world narrowed to this—the warmth of his hands on her back, the soft press of his mouth, the way her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird desperate for freedom.

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard.

Elise’s cheeks were crimson, her eyes bright with tears she refused to shed. But she was smiling.

"My first kiss." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it held no regret. "I gave it to you, Adam. So..." She swallowed, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Don’t forget me, okay?"

For a long moment, Adam simply looked at her. His expression was ambiguous, caught between surprise and something deeper, something he didn’t seem to know what to do with.

Then his hand came up, his fingers brushing against her cheek, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear. His touch was gentle, almost reverent.

"Okay."