Cedric sighed in relief as Aurelia finally finished her beauty pageant for him.
While she said she wanted him to see 2 more dresses other than her red one, she had decided that 2 actually meant 10.
In the end, she had decided to wear her red fit, as in her own words, she said, 'I want the date to be in the same dress as my dream.'
He did not know what she meant, but it did not matter, as long as the First Star was happy, it was fine.
For a while, she had attempted to get him to not don his armor, but it was utterly unacceptable for infidels to see his face just yet.
Aurelia was afforded such a luxury due to her position, but others were not in such a position; for now, that was.
For the entire day, she had stuck close to him, basically acting like a leech that would not let go no matter what.
Raguel and other advisors handled all her duties, which allowed her to spend the entire day with Cedric.
The time that she was more than willing to use to spend attached to Cedric's arm.
She rubbed her face against his armor, despite such an act would most certainly be uncomfortable, "I love being near you so much!"
Cedric sighed before raising his hand above her head and gently patting Aurelia.
"I do enjoy your presence, too, but you should really act according to your station and role."
"Let me have this! I wanna be myself around you, it is very important for me so that I may fulfill my tasks to the best of my ability!" She pouted.
It made sense to Cedric, conducting one's duty was exhausting work; as such, she required space where she could truly relax.
While he found it strange that she found his presence so comforting, it did not matter in the end.
If her sticking close to him helped her achieve better results when fulfilling God's duties, then so be it.
He turned towards her, "I do not mind."
His words made her squeal in excitement before she buried her face into his arm again.
"Isn't the armor uncomfortable to rub your face into?" Cedric raised his eyebrow, his voice filled with concern.
Aurelia stopped for a moment before looking up, "A little... but I don't mind!"
After a slight smile, she returned to pushing her face against his armored limb.
"Do you want me to remove my armor?"
Aurelia stopped, her face snapping up, "You would do that for me?!"
"Sure, why not? If anyone is worthy of it, it is you. Next time, though." He gently peeled Aurelia away from himself, despite her protest.
"You promise?" She pouted, however, the happiness she felt inside couldn't be described in words alone.
"Yes."
Her lips formed a thin line as she finally managed to get herself under control. "I will await such an opportunity that I can snuggle against you without armor being in the way!"
Cedric blinked in confusion. Why had she suddenly gotten so serious?
Not that he minded it, her seriousness was refreshing considering how she usually behaved around him.
"I think we should get going to the Golden Cup. I wanna see granny Anna too..."
"I do not have issues with it, I was rather curious what a Christian you converted is up to." Cedric nodded.
Aurelia stood up, with a quick swipe of her hand, she adjusted her dress before turning to the exit.
Cedric followed shortly after; he had promised to go with her, and so he would do so.
Aurelia waited for Cedric to approach before she pulled him forward.
Cedric looked over her, while she did look beautiful, much as any Christian would be, maybe even more so, she was the queen now.
Someone of her station shouldn't casually stroll through the city.
"Aurelia, you are the queen now," Cedric stated.
"So?" She tilted her head.
"It wouldn't be good for your subjects to see you just casually walking through the city."
She stopped for a moment, confused about what Cedric was getting to.
"Cover your face, at least until we arrive at the Golden Cup."
She brought her fingers to her face before leaning into them, "But then you won't be able to see me either... I am not sure if it's worth it."
"Just do it." Cedric crossed his arms.
Aurelia let out a defeated sigh, "Sure... just because you told me!"
She let go of Cedric before quickly disappearing into her quarters.
A slight chill ran Cedric's spine, 'I have a bad feeling... something is not right.'
He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he knew his instincts never lied to him.
It was the feeling that was now amplified by God 100-fold.
'This must be an act of Chrunus... I must be vigilant.' He crossed his arms as he thought of possible acts Chrunus could do.
Slowly, he put his helmet back on. If Chrunus dared act once again, he would put a stop to it.
His hour of judgment would come soon enough, but only for today, he would indulge Aurelia and afford himself hours to relax.
It didn't take long for Aurelia to make her way back, but this time, over her dress, she wore a plain brown cloak.
"I still wanted my love to see me..." She grumbled quietly.
"We were together the entire day, Aurelia."
"Not enough! I want more." She shouted.
"You will have a chance, let's go. I have a bad feeling." Cedric gestured for her to go, but instead, she grabbed his arm.
"You lead~ My hero." She teased, which made Cedric sigh in defeat.
With those words, the duo departed towards the Golden Cup.
'This... is the best day in my life!' Aurelia squirmed as she kept herself close to Cedric.
While she certainly didn't make him see her in the way she saw him, it did not matter.
Eventually, she would be his, and her dream would be reality.
If she had to conquer the entire world for it to be so, she would do it in a heartbeat.