Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 313 : First kiss (1)

"My ancestor won. He handed Fiore his ass," Alex said in a proud tone.

If a member of the Imperial family were here to hear what he said, Alex would probably be executed after being whipped a thousand times, but he didn't care because he knew he was telling the truth.

Freya, on the other hand, had to double-check the box they were inside to ensure that there was effectively no one else there to hear Alex. It was only after confirming this that she relaxed and focused back on him.

"Your ancestor defeated Fiore, and he was also the one that established the first human settlement," Freya began thoughtfully, "then how come the Eswald family is only a ducal family?"

"Cough, cough, cough," Alex, who was about to boast about another feat of his ancestor with a proud smile, coughed violently as Freya brought up the one glaring inconsistency even his father couldn't explain.

"Well, I don't know about that. There are no recorded accounts of what happened or why we ended up as just a ducal family instead of the imperial one. But what I said previously was true—my ancestor was indeed the first to establish a human settlement and effectively handed Fiore his ass," Alex declared with a righteous tone, though a hint of embarrassment lingered at the unexplainable gap in his family's history.

Freya looked at him for a long while, wondering if she should trust him on this point, but judging that there was really no reason for him to lie, she nodded her head in acceptance.

"There's one thing they got right in this play about my ancestor though," Alex suddenly said as he watched the actor playing Osmond grin wildly while cutting through the enemies' ranks. "He effectively had a wild temperament and liked the thrill of danger. That's actually thanks to that trait that he was stronger than the majority of humans of his time."

"How so?" Freya raised an eyebrow in wonder. She knew that during that time, dangers were everywhere, and more often than not, those dangers were far beyond what humans could handle. In such an environment, having a personality like Osmond's wasn't exactly an advantage, as one could easily be killed at any moment due to recklessness.

"Well, there weren't only dangers at that time," Alex clarified.

From what his father told him, even at that time, dungeons existed, and their ancestor had once stepped inside a dungeon, which was the cause of his strength.

At that point in time, the mana level on the continent wasn't as abundant as it is now. Even though dungeons existed, they were relatively low-level ones, and even their grades were low. They were dungeons that even mundane people, granted they had the courage to defy them, could clear on their own. That was exactly what Osmond did, and thanks to the dungeon's reward, when he came out, he was not only stronger but had also left behind his mundane state and stepped into the Level 1 Realm.

Because Alex had practically skipped through the levels until Level 4, he was unaware—well, he was aware, but he didn't experience the difference in strength between each level from Level 1 to Level 4. At least, he didn't have an intimate feel of those differences.

Only those who spent several years before leveling from one level to another were intimately aware of the difference between the lower levels. These weren't as obvious as the difference in strength from higher levels, but even the difference from Level 1 to Level 2 was a huge one.

With Osmond being at Level 1 while most people at that time were practically what people now refer to as "mundane," he was able to bridge the gap between him and the other races, who, unlike humans, could rely on their racial advantages to assert their supremacy.

It wasn't because he went from a mundane man to Level 1 that Osmond was able to bring an idea such as establishing the first human settlement to fruition, though. What allowed him to truly become powerful was the ability he unlocked inside the dungeon.

Even in the current time, what allowed humans to truly be able to stand toe-to-toe with other races wasn't their high levels. In fact, most races were so supremely talented compared to humans that they, in general, had more people with high levels compared to humans. What set humans apart was the vast versatility of their abilities.

Unlike some races, like the ogres that most often than not awakened an ability tied with their physical strength, humans could awaken a vast variety of abilities, and some of those abilities were broken ones that allowed humans to completely tip the balance.

One such ability was Amelia's Residual Blast ability. Just imagine the kind of damage Amelia could do, for example, in a war if she had less moral restraint and she used that ability. The destruction would be massive and indiscriminate, devastating entire battlefields in a single stroke.

Osmond's ability wasn't documented among their archives, but from what his father told him, their ancestor had one of those broken abilities that made him fearsome, even to other races—let alone humans. 

"And that was why my ancestor..." Alex's words trailed off as he noticed that Freya was no longer listening to him.

She was still intently focusing on him, but Alex could clearly sense that she was no longer hearing what he was saying. Yet, her whole attention seemed to be set on his lips.

A light blush adorned her face, her breathing was slightly haggard, and Alex noticed that she was very discreetly nibbling at her lips.

When he understood what was going on, Alex was stumped. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

"To hell with patience. I'm done waiting," Alex said aloud, his voice breaking the heavy silence and snapping Freya out of her reverie.

Before she could ask what he meant, Alex abandoned all pretense of restraint.

In one swift movement, his arm circled her waist, pulling her closer until the space between them all but disappeared. Freya found herself so close to Alex that the warmth of his breath mingled with hers, his erratic breathing mirroring her own.

His left hand rose to cradle her face, his fingers grazing her cheek in a feather-light touch. Her skin felt like silk beneath his fingertips, and he savored the moment before speaking in a low, husky murmur. "I've been fighting the urge to kiss you since the moment I first saw you, but seeing you struggle as much as I am… I guess waiting was never the right choice."

He had just finished speaking when Alex leaned in and sealed Freya's lips with his own. At that moment, it was like an explosion went off inside his mind. All his repressed emotions surged forth, and Alex pressed further, his lips squishing Freya's even more in a passionate and electrifying kiss.

Freya's eyes widened in surprise, her body frozen for a fleeting moment as the shock of what was happening sank in. She had imagined this exact moment only seconds earlier, and yet, now that it was real, it overwhelmed her.

But the hesitation didn't last long.

As Alex's lips moved against hers, a torrent of emotions erupted within her, both familiar and utterly foreign. They coiled around her like a tempest, urging her to respond. And respond she did.

Her hands reached out, one clutching the fabric of his shirt while the other slid around his neck. Freya leaned into him, giving herself over to the kiss, her lips moving in sync with his. Every ounce of hesitation dissolved into an intoxicating blend of love and passion.

If Alex was in the right mind, he would maybe be grinning mentally, but right now, his entire focus was consumed by the sweet, plump red lips pressed against his, indulging himself to his heart's content. Freya's lips carried a faint taste of strawberries, no doubt the result of her lip balm or gloss. Not that Alex minded—if anything, it added an irresistible flavor that only spurred him to taste her more fervently.

Their mouths moved in a rhythm that felt almost instinctive, lips rubbing, sucking, and melding together as they explored one another. Every time their lips parted and reconnected, soft, wet sounds echoed in their immediate vicinity.

Both of them felt an overwhelming happiness and relief that they couldn't put into words wash over them as the intimate moment they shared got more passionate by the second.

The more they indulged in the moment, the more intense the desire and love they felt for the other increased at an alarming rate.

Despite the fact that her lips were some of the softest, juiciest, and sweetest Alex had ever tasted in his long life, he could very clearly feel her clumsiness. Given her earlier story about how she and her deceased husband didn't like each other, Alex wouldn't be surprised if it was actually her first kiss.

However, Freya being inexperienced didn't mean Alex wasn't enjoying the kiss. Quite the contrary, he was loving every single instant their lips remained locked against one another. The thought that this may be Freya's first kiss was even a big turn-on for him, and it only made him want to make her enjoy it even more!

Remembering the goddess of lust and her mention that he could make his women enjoy their sexual intimacy more when using lust energy, Alex called forth the lust energy and concentrated it around his mouth, allowing it to subtly flow between them.

The reaction was instantaneous.

A shudder ran through both their bodies as an indescribable wave of pleasure coursed through them. The kiss that had already been intoxicating now turning into something even more.