Gardenia of Blooming Desire

Ramuja walked from one floor to another until he could sense Aster's presence in one room. He jumped in front of the door, he was going to bust up the door until he heard a voice from the inside.

"You look horrendous now! Ahahahaha!" Merry laughed hysterically. She sounded very happy. However, her happiness was fleeting, because she felt dissatisfied the next minute. Her face scrunched and she slapped Aster's bleeding face, "WHY DON'T YOU SCREAM?"

Aster bit his lips until it bled, but he didn't scream at all. He didn't even whimper even after his face got scratched up badly. He glared at Merry and then replied, "You said that you would stop if I admit that I am a bitch and I only love Ramuja for his power, right?"

"You already scratched my face badly, and you may scratch more if you want to. But I am the Grand Duke of Stormhill, a noble born and golden blood. And I have loved Ramuja ever since my first meeting with him! I love him because he is a gentle and kind man! I will always love him even if he is still a slave, I will protect him myself!"

"SCRATCH ME MORE, HERE!" Aster offered the part of his face that was yet to bleed. Merry clenched her fist, her nails dug on her palm, but she only felt more and more desperate.

She already scratched Aster's face many times, but Aster didn't want to admit the truth. She just wanted him to admit that he is a bitch and he never loves Ramuja, then Ramuja will naturally return back to her. Besides, looking at Aster's horrendous face would definitely make Ramuja vomit out of disgust.

But this bitch was so resilient, he didn't even scream when his face got scratched badly.

"YOU ARE FAKING IT! YOU ARE A BITCH, YOU SHOULD JUST ADMIT IT!" Merry yelled. But Aster didn't react and only clenched his fist, waiting for the next scratch on his face, because Merry's scratches were really painful.

He said in a low tone this time, "Even if Ramuja left me after he sees my current appearance, I will still love him. I love him not because of my golden circle curse. I truly love him because he touched my steel heart."

"YOU LYING BITCH!"

Before Merry could scratch Aster's face again, Ramuja broke the door. The blood scarlet aura around his body thickened immediately when he saw the scratches on Aster's face.

Merry instinctively took a few steps back, because she felt that this guy was not the Ramuja that she knew. The blood scarlet aura around Ramuja's hand disappeared immediately when he kneeled in front of his master and then touched his chin gently, "Aster… Ramuja has… Ramuja has failed to protect you."

Ramuja's whole body trembled, tears suddenly welled on his face and streamed down on his cheek, "Ramuja has failed."

However, Aster only smiled at Ramuja and said, "I am fine, the scratches don't hurt at all. You are covered in blood, Ramuja. Are you alright?"

"Ramuja knows it hurts. Ramuja can feel your pain," Ramuja said. He glanced at Merry who shrieked to the wall.

Merry felt that she was being stared at by something unknown, she tried to accuse Aster first, "Ramuja! That bitch Aster hurt me first, he… he hurt us! Don't you see? He is a bitch, you are just confused and seduced by his looks! That's why I ruined his face, now you will see that I'm more beautiful!"

"…."

Merry yelled, "I am far more deserving than him! I am beautiful, I can sing well, and we've known each other for so long! Oh, one more thing, I have something that a bitch like him doesn't have, I am a woman! I can bear your child! Will you let yourself marry a guy for the rest of your life?! You will die childless! You are a Crown Prince from a wealthy kingdom, you need a better queen!"

"…"

"S—Say something!"

"Who are you?" Ramuja asked curtly.

"Ha…" Merry's jaw dropped, she knew that this was not the same Ramuja she knew, but if he remembered Aster, then he must have remembered about her too!

Merry gritted her teeth, "I am Merry! I am your first love and your only spouse! What you said is not funny!"

"I don't know you. My first love is Aster. He is my sun and the only one in my heart. Don't put yourself in his position, you are not worthy," Ramuja said, his gaze darkened and he flashed in front of Merry and then gripped her wrist.

"W—What are you going to do!? Ramuja, I am a noblewoman! I am a beautiful maiden, you should protect me instead!" Merry yelled as she struggled, but it felt that her wrist had been stuck inside a boulder.

Ramuja observed her hands for a moment and then said, "Your nails hurt my wife."

Ramuja pulled Merry's right middle finger gently and it was ripped instantly, "AAAHH!" Merry screamed, "Ramuja! It hurt, it hurt!"

Ramuja didn't seem to hear Merry at all. He pulled Merry's fingers one by one, he ignored Merry's scream and plea, until all his fingers had been ripped off, he stared at Merry's pale face. Merry already fainted due to shock and pain.

"Your face… your face is filled with hatred… ugly…" Ramuja said. He covered Merry's beautiful face with his palm and then pinched it gently.

CRUSH! SPURT!

With that, Merry's head exploded and blood splattered everywhere. Ramuja dropped the lifeless corpse of someone he didn't recognize, then he walked towards Aster again. Aster was still chained up, thus, Ramuja pinched the chain and the chain broke immediately.

Ramuja kneeled in front of Aster, he rested his chest on Aster's knee and then said, "Wife… Ramuja has failed, Ramuja deserves to die."

Aster held on the throbbing wound on his face and then said, "You did a good job."

"But… Aster's face is wounded… Ramuja cannot redeem himself…"

Aster smiled and rubbed Ramuja's head. In this position, Ramuja was looking up to him, his bloodlust aura disappeared instantly, somehow, Aster could feel the warm orange aura around Ramuja's body. He looked up at Aster like an obedient dog with his pure eyes.

"Ramuja, it's alright. Even if you don't like me after my face got ruined… it's alright," Aster assured Ramuja. He also assured himself, because after Merry forced him to say that he didn't love Ramuja at all, his heart denied it immediately. He would rather get his face ruined than lying to himself. He did love Ramuja, he loved this guy a lot.

'Even if your love is superficial, as long as you are happy, then I'm happy too, Ramuja. You deserve someone better anyway.'

'Because I just realized how much I love you, more than my pride. My pride has hurt you a lot, so I don't want to trap you with me if you are disgusted in me."

Ramuja tilted his head slightly and then said, "Ramuja loves Aster's face. Ramuja loves Aster's skin, Aster's heart, Aster's smile, Aster's eyes, Aster's everything. Ramuja loves everything about Aster."

"But my face… it's not beautiful anymore…" Aster said dispiritedly.

Ramuja wanted to touch Aster's cheek, but realized that he was covered in blood. Thus, he hid his hand, afraid that his wife might find him scary, "Aster is always beautiful. Aster is perfect."

Aster chuckled, "You are good at coaxing me, but it's alright, I don't want you to lie."

Ramuja seemed to be annoyed with Aster's words. He held Aster's hand gently and placed it on his chest, "Ramuja is true to his heart. Ramuja never tell lies."

Aster frowned, "Who are you, really?"

Ramuja blinked innocently and said, "I am Ramuja, I am Sun King, I am my wife Aster Di Arlingdon's husband, servant, protector. My Sun is Aster. Aster, please believe Ramuja, Ramuja's heart will explode if he tells lie!."

"The Sun King can't lie?"

Ramuja nodded vigorously, "Sun King cannot lie!"

Aster concluded that the Sun King was Ramuja's true nature. All that he said right now was the truth inside his heart.

"You… don't see me as ugly?"

"No," Ramuja replied shortly. Then, in a matter of a minute, Ramuja's eyes became watery again and he cried. He drowned his face on Aster's thigh, sobbing. He said, "Aster, please don't leave Ramuja. Ramuja is very scared."

"Scared? Why are you scared? I will not leave you…"

"Aster said divorce. Ramuja feels that my world is crumbling. Ramuja wants to cry, but Ramuja doesn't want Aster to see me as weak…"

"Aster, Ramuja loves you a lot. Aster is the only one in my heart, my sun. Ramuja doesn't want to be separated from you…"

"Ramuja… did my words hurt you a lot?" Aster asked gently. His heart was also hurting when he heard this coming from Ramuja's true heart.

"Yes," Ramuja sobbed harder, "Ramuja… is scared… Ramuja only has Aster in his heart. If Aster leaves, then Ramuja can only die."

"I… I said that because I was angry, I didn't really mean it… I'm sorry," Aster said. He had regretted everything, he didn't know that his words would make Ramuja's heart suffer like this.

"Ramuja will never marry anybody else. Ramuja will never love anybody else. Ramuja doesn't need a child, Ramuja only needs Aster. Ramuja will do anything for Aster. Aster can say anything, Ramuja will always believe you. Aster can say that Ramuja should die now, Ramuja will kill himself immediately."

"Don't!" Aster's eyes widened, "Don't say something like that!"

Ramuja raised his face and stared deeply at Aster, "Ramuja doesn't care if Aster only wants Ramuja's power. Even if Aster take advantage of Ramuja's power, as long as Aster is happy, Ramuja will do anything."

Aster bit his lips. He didn't realize that Ramuja felt this way. Ramuja thought that he was using him for the power of the Sun Kingdom, yet, Ramuja said nothing at all.

Aster wiped Ramuja's tears gently and then gave him reassurance, "Ramuja, even if you are still a servant and have nothing, I will still love you. I love you since our first meeting, and when you become old and weak, I will protect you instead. You might be my servant Ramuja or Crown Prince Rama of Sun Kingdom, but to me, you are still my adorable Ramuja nonetheless. I will always love you either way, my hero."

Aster smiled sweetly and then lowered his head and kissed Ramuja's lips softly. Both of them closed their eyes, Aster could feel that his body was surrounded by Ramuja's warm aura. Soon, he felt that his strength got replenished immediately and he felt something tingling on his face.

Aster's wound closed one by one, leaving a perfectly smooth skin. After the long gentle kiss had ended, Aster was stunned as he touched his face, "Ramuja… you…"

Ramuja giggled happily and then said, "Ramuja sensed Aster's heart. Aster's heart is true… Ramuja is truly happy…"

With that, Ramuja had a peaceful smile on his face and he closed his eyes. He fainted on Aster's thighs.

Aster checked Ramuja's heartbeat immediately and found him alive, just fainting out of exhaustion. Aster caressed Ramuja's dark short hair and said, "My hero, you saved me again. You saved me many times, I will forever be indebted with you. Your heart whispered that you want me to be indebted, so I will never leave you."

"I will pay my debt, I willingly stay with you forever… husband."