The atmosphere between them was heavy—dense with emotions that had been locked away for eons. Eterna, the divine consciousness of the icy omniverse, had finally allowed herself to break down in Arfrotian’s embrace. Her tears soaked into his chest as she poured out every ounce of sorrow, guilt, and regret she had kept bottled up inside her for so long.

  “I couldn’t do anything… I watched as the omniverse I was meant to protect turned into this frozen wasteland… and all I could do was watch!” Eterna’s voice trembled as her fingers clutched at Arfrotian’s coat. “I was supposed to be the protector of this existence, but… my real self being imprisoned in this omniverse, and all that’s left of me is this mere fragment bound to the Eternal Frostheart. That’s why…. That’s why I said the backlash came from the Eternal Frostheart, and not from me…”

  She gasped between sobs, her words coming out in a desperate whisper, “More than half of this omniverse… reduced to frozen ruins… millions, no, uncountable lives lost… buried beneath an eternity of ice. And all I could do was watch.”

  The weight of her grief pressed down on them both, and Arfrotian could feel the deep, raw pain behind every word. It wasn’t just guilt—this was the suffering of someone who had been forced to witness an unthinkable catastrophe while being utterly powerless to stop it.

  Then, through her tears, she muttered in a trembling voice, “It wasn’t just the Ice Phoenix’s fault that all this happened… In reality, it was mine to begin with….”

  Arfrotian’s mind flickered back to the time he had comforted the Ice Phoenix in the exact same way—holding her in his arms, feeling her grief, understanding her pain. His lips curved into a small, knowing smirk.

  “I kind of know how tragic the situation was, but really... why do I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again?”

  He chuckled slightly at the irony, but his heart remained firm. Caressing Eterna’s hair, he spoke softly, his voice both comforting and firm.

  “Yeah… I understand how tragic this is. And I won’t pretend to know the depth of the pain you carry. To be the one meant to protect this omniverse, to be its queen, and yet to be helplessly imprisoned—forced to watch as your people suffered, frozen in an endless, lifeless tundra. You had to endure all of this alone… and that pain must have been unbearable.”

  Eterna’s tears slowly began to lessen as she listened to his words, but the grief still lingered in her glowing blue eyes.

  Then, Arfrotian’s voice turned sharper, resolute.

  “Eterna, listen to me. None of this was your fault. You never had control over this disaster. If you were at fault for anything, it wasn’t for failing to save them… it was for allowing yourself to be imprisoned in the first place.”

  Eterna’s breath hitched as those words cut through her.

  “Your mistake wasn’t the devastation that happened here—that was never in your hands. Your real mistake was being locked away, being trapped, being sealed somewhere within this Omniverse and only a fragment being sealed in Eternal Frostheart…”

  Eterna’s sobbing quieted as she processed his words. He wasn’t condemning her—he was making her face the truth. And she knew… deep down, he was right.

  “…You’re right,” she whispered, her voice hollow. “My fault wasn’t failing them… my fault was being imprisoned in the first place. And because of that… everything turned into this…”

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  Her hands trembled, her emotions threatening to overflow once more.

  Before she could fall further into despair, Arfrotian made his move.

  “If that is the case?” he murmured, his voice suddenly shifting into something deeper—something unshakable. “Then look at me.”

  Eterna, still teary-eyed, slowly lifted her head from his chest to meet his gaze.

  And at that moment—her lips were captured by his.

  Eterna’s eyes widened in shock as warmth spread through her entire being. She barely had time to react before realizing it—Arfrotian was kissing her.

  It was deep, firm, and undeniably real.

  Her body tensed at first, instinctively wanting to pull away, but her will to resist crumbled almost instantly. The emotions, the connection, the warmth—it overwhelmed her.

  Her fingers, once clutching his coat in sorrow, now tightened for an entirely different reason. She couldn’t deny it. She was melting into the kiss.

  The moment seemed to stretch on forever as Arfrotian held her in his embrace, sealing his words with undeniable action.

  When they finally broke apart, both of them were left breathless, their faces flushed with heat.

  Arfrotian smirked, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

  “…Yeah, I know. That was out of nowhere,” he admitted, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and sincerity. “But I couldn’t let my wife sit here crying over past regrets, now could I?”

  Eterna, still half-dazed from the kiss, stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Her lips parted slightly as she tried to find words, but all she could manage was,

  “……That was just so sudden……”

  She huffed slightly, her breath still uneven. Then, as if just realizing something, her face turned a deep shade of red.

  “…Also, that was my first kiss.”

  Arfrotian chuckled at her adorable reaction. “Oh yeah? Then I guess I was lucky.” He tilted his head playfully. “But honestly, what did you expect?”

  Before she could respond, he lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his gaze once more.

  “Weren’t we a couple? You agreed with me, right? So isn’t it normal for a husband to kiss his wife?” His voice dropped into something teasing. “Do tell me, am I wrong anywhere in my logic?”

  Eterna’s mind practically short-circuited.

  That close proximity. That intense gaze. That damn smirk.

  Her lips quivered as she muttered, “You’re so… dominating and unfair.”

  Arfrotian pulled her closer, their bodies pressing against each other once more. “At the very least, I was able to calm you down,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

  His voice turned serious again. “This is still the dream world forged from the Eternal Frostheart’s backlash and my Pandora. We don’t know what could happen next. Losing yourself to emotions in this place could, though I don’t exactly know, could trigger something unpredictable… so I had to make sure you were grounded, because it’s better safe than sorry right?”

  Hearing this, Eterna understood. His actions weren’t just random—there was a logic behind them. Losing control in this world could lead to unknown dangers. Still…

  Eterna suddenly frowned.

  If that was his reasoning… then didn’t that mean her first kiss was just some calculated move!?

  A deep sense of unfairness filled her. Her expression turned sour.

  Arfrotian immediately noticed. And then—he smirked.

  “Oh, Honey, don’t worry,” he murmured, leaning in again. “That was only one way to put it.”

  His voice turned lower, softer. He moved even closer, his lips brushing near her ear.

  “And even though I said that I should more so keep secrets from my wife, to not make her aware of unnecessary thing to make her heart ache, even so…” He paused, letting the tension build, then whispered,

  “…This was even my first kiss.”

  Eterna’s entire body froze.

  His voice turned teasing. “Do you really think I’d waste my first kiss on pure logic… without any true feelings for you?”

  Eterna felt her entire face turn as red as a damn tomato.

  “IT’S… IT’S NOT FAIR!!” she cried, her embarrassment reaching its peak. “YOU ALWAYS HAVE ME CORNERED IN THESE EMBARRASSING SITUATIONS!! FIRST TEASING ME ABOUT BABIES… NOW EVEN THIS… IT’S JUST NOT FAIR!!!!”

  Arfrotian laughed. He savored every bit of her reaction.

  Eterna, flustered beyond belief, turned away, her heart pounding. But deep down…

  She whispered, “You… are naughty, Darling… but I like it…”