Chapter 175: Titania, Will You Become My Wife?

I internally praised whatever gods might be responsible for that the old method of letting someone rant to their heart’s content.

It had somehow worked again.

Titania had softened toward me—noticeably and quite dramatically—after hours of uninterrupted talking.

Imagine me touching this drama Queen’s hair some Chapters ago... She’d kill me.

But I still didn’t have the perfect words to make her happy, or even calmer. Nothing felt big enough for this kind of pain.

Ah... when you don’t know the true depth of someone’s suffering and you want to console them anyway, the safest path is "future optimism"—ab-lib something that gently nudges them to look forward without sounding like you’re just trying to rush them past the grief.

GULP.

Here it goes...

"Titania..." I began softly, letting my hands slide along her hair in long, comforting strokes from crown to ends. "I’ve heard everything you said, with every single detail too, and it was beautiful to hear.

"Truly beautiful. I’m so glad you kidnapped me, even if the only reason was so I could sit here and listen to this story from beginning to end..."

Ara?

What was I even saying now?

The words felt clumsy the moment they left my mouth, but I kept going anyway.

"Namadris came to you," I continued, keeping my voice low and steady, "and he showed you a kind of love you never expected to find. You both had so much fun together—he introduced you to novel things, took you on adventures, made you laugh in ways no one else ever had. I can see that just from the way your eyes light up when you say his name."

I paused for a breath, feeling her grip on my shirt tighten.

"I personally think he wouldn’t have died a natural death, considering how powerful he was," I said. "His passing... it was because he tried to completely stop Lucifer and his followers. He gave everything in that final stand. But the sad truth remains that he died. And he never returned. And he may never return."

Titania’s fingers dug harder into my chest.

I could feel her crying intensify; her breathing turning uneven, ragged little gasps against my skin.

Her tears were soaking through my shirt now (I had taken off the hot leprechaun jacket hours ago, so it was just thin fabric between us).

Ah, wait! I’m making her cry more?!

Seriously, why am I saying what I’m saying?

Why didn’t I just go with the easy lie—"Don’t worry, he’ll definitely show up one day and be with you again!"—like any normal comforter would?

But my guts... They were leading now, and my guts were being brutally honest and really rude about things!

I lifted both hands to cup her face gently and tried to turn her head toward me.

She resisted for a second—stubborn even in tears—then later allowed it.

Her doll face lifted, with her tear-streaked, violet eyes red-rimmed and wide with raw vulnerability.

I leaned down and placed a quick, firm kiss on her lips:

Nothing lingering, just enough to shock her out of the spiral for a heartbeat, then pulled back to look directly into her eyes.

"Titania," I said, using my thumbs to wipe the fresh tears sliding down her cheeks, "Namadris is gone. He has been for millions of years now..."

Her breath hitched.

"But look at the future," I continued, keeping my voice steady even as my own heart hammered. "Look at what’s right in front of you—me. I’m here right now. And I will never leave you for eternity."

"Eh...? Wh... What are you saying all of a sudde—"

"I’m saying I want us to be together!" I interrupted her shy, startled retort before she could back away from it. "Be my lover, Titania! I’m not asking to replace your departed husband—I would never presume to take his place in your heart. I’m asking for permission to beautify your current life, to stand beside you from this day forward and make damn sure you remain happy forever.

"Because I truly believe you deserve to be happy... after all those years of being forced into the role of the antagonist, after all those millennia of loneliness and tears and carrying grief no one else could possibly understand."

I was going purely by guts now, letting everything spill out without much filter.

Might get beheaded for this, or I might even get thrown into a dungeon, but I couldn’t stop the words once they started.

"I can bring you happiness," I said, the words coming out firmer than I expected, almost like a vow I hadn’t planned to make. "No... I WILL bring you happiness. Fairy Queen Titania, what do you say? Will you become my... Wife?!"

Eh...?

Ahhhh!!!

I said wife by mistake, a complete accident, instead of girlfriend!

Ah, no... wait.

I actually meant to say something implying more than just girlfriend... something deeper, more permanent.

But wife? Was there nothing below wife?

Something in between? Concubine?

No, that just makes it sound like I’m her mistress. Yes, me. The mistress. Ridiculous, I know.

But I see.

Wife best fits what I wanted to explain.

The commitment, the forever part, the "I’m not going anywhere" weight behind it.

Fine. Wife then.

...AHHHH!!

I forgot...

I was supposed to propose to Sara first before any other woman.

I promised her that one time, clear as day, in one of those late-night talks when everything felt possible.

She’d laughed and called me dramatic, but I’d meant it. First Sara. Always first Sara.

Ugh, I miss that brown girl so much.

Titania was blushing hard now, her cheeks flushed that deep rose color, but she also looked a bit miffed and shocked at the same time.

Her eyes were wide, her lips were parted, like she wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or outraged by the sudden leap.

Great.

I’ve gone too far on the offensive. Way too fast.

Let me just use this opportunity to backpedal, smoothly downgrade to lover or girlfriend again.

I can propose properly later, after some time, after I’ve sorted out the Sara situa—

"Sure..."

Hm?

Titania murmured something so soft I almost missed it, barely a breath.

"I’ll do it, Benjamin Mark..." She continued, her small hands squeezing the bed sheets tightly in her fists, her knuckles whitening. "I’ll become your wife! But remember this; you promised to bring me happiness forever and never die on me! If you die, I’ll kill you!"

She’s unreasonable.

Then she squeezed me into another deep, warm hug—arms wrapping around my neck with surprising strength for someone so small, face burying against my shoulder, body pressing close like she was afraid I’d vanish if she let go even a little.

But still...

Sara... I have offended you greatly.

I only hope you can find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me for this sin.

Ah, but there’s still a chance!

I could delay the wedding.

Just... postpone it until I’ve officially married Sara first and made her my first wife.

Then I’ll quickly marry Titania as the second?

Something to keep the hierarchy clear, respect the promise, and make it work somehow.

Yep.

...Argh!!

Th-then what would Elara and Lotus think?

Not to mention Sakura and the others... how do I even explain this without it turning into a full-blown diplomatic incident?

What do I do?!

Ugh, okay... at least I should talk to Sara first, so we’ll figure out how to solve this.

I should just delay the wedding and buy some ti--

"So we are getting married as soon as possible, no?"

"...Titania, wanna have sex...?"

"..."

"..."