After Sophia stepped out of the room, Ronan walked toward the trembling, sobbing girl and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. The moment Ronan settled onto the mattress, Liora threw her arms around him, burying her face directly into his chest as heavy, racking sobs escaped her throat. Ronan wrapped his arms tightly around her, his large hand gently stroking Liora's back to offer comfort.
"Don't cry, my love. Tell me why you're crying, hmm?" Ronan murmured softly, pressing a gentle kiss onto the crown of Liora's head.
"I-I'm so sorry, Rony." Liora choked out, her voice muffled against Ronan's chest. "Y-You love me so much... and I completely underestimated your feelings when you placed me above everything else. I failed to appreciate your love, Rony. I don't deserve it... I'm so sorry."
"No, baby. You're not at fault at all." Ronan whispered, letting out a soft, trembling sigh as tears brimmed in his own eyes. He gently ran his fingers through Liora's soft blonde hair as the girl listened in silence. "I need to apologize to you, too. In fact, I owe an apology to you and the entire Mo Kingdom. Everything Sophia said was true, I felt like I had no other choice. But I'm still so sorry... because of my decision, the Mo Kingdom was nearly destroyed. Part of me wishes I had never been forced to make that call."
Ronan gently pulled Liora back slightly, grabbed her shoulders, and looked into her face.
"Look at me, love. You did nothing wrong. You were thinking about everyone else, you're an angel. My sweet bunny angel." Ronan said, a soft smile gracing his features as he kissed Liora's forehead. "I was being completely selfish while you were trying to protect everyone. So I'm the one who should be apologizing here, love, not you. Do you understand? Please, no more tears."
A quiet, watery laugh escaped Liora's lips as she wiped her cheeks.
Before she could react, Ronan suddenly scooped her up, shifting Liora directly onto his lap so they were sitting face-to-face. Ronan wrapped his arms firmly around the girl's waist, resting his forehead against Liora's.
"You punished me for two whole weeks for what I did, love." Ronan whispered, his deep, velvet voice brushing against Liora's lips, sending a sudden shiver straight down the girl's spine. "Don't you think that was a little too harsh? I almost went crazy without you... without these lips."
"S-Sorry, Rony." Liora murmured, her cheeks flushing.
Ronan let out a low chuckle. "Don't apologize. It was a good lesson for me, too."
"You weren't being selfish, Rony." Liora said softly, looking into his eyes. "You really had no other choice in that moment."
Ronan laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, baby, I am selfish, but only when it comes to you. I don't want to share you with anyone. I'm completely addicted to you, and I love you beyond words. If I were forced to choose the single most precious thing in this universe, I would choose you every single time. Nothing in this world holds more value to me than you do. Even if Darkan forced me to choose between the Mo Kingdom and you all over again, I would still choose you, my love. Only you. Even if the world could be beautiful without you, even if it were safe from Darkan, my world would be pitch-black without you in it."
Ronan reached up, tenderly tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind Liora's ear. Tears of overwhelming happiness welled in Liora's eyes as she stared back at her lover.
"I... I don't even know what to say, Rony." Liora whispered, tears spilling over her lashes. "I can't ask you not to love me this much... but I would give my entire life for the love you give me. I promise to give you my absolute best, Rony. I have nothing more precious to give."
Liora leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Ronan's neck and resting her chin on his broad chest, letting tears of pure joy fall.
"That's more than enough for me, baby. Your love is all I will ever need." Ronan smiled, his heart bursting with warmth.
"I love you, Rony."
"I love you more, my love."
Separating slightly, they met in a deep, passionate kiss, their lips moving together seamlessly, pouring weeks of longing into the embrace. When they finally pulled back, gasping for air, Ronan gently guided Liora down onto the bed. Turning the girl onto his side, Ronan curled up behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist to soak in the warmth he had been starved of for two long weeks.
Ronan closed his eyes, holding Liora close, while Liora smiled softly, placing her hand over Ronan's veiny forearm.
"Ron~"
"Hmm?" Ronan hummed sleepily, his eyes still closed.
"Why do you call me 'Bunny Angel'?" Liora asked, curiosity lacing her tone.
Ronan let out a soft laugh against the nape of her neck. "Well... when we first met, everyone kept saying how strikingly beautiful you were, like an angel. Miss Scott said it, Lily said it too. But whenever I looked at you, all I saw was a cute little rabbit."
Liora playfully swatted Ronan's hand, prompting a deeper laugh from the elder.
"So, I started calling you Bunny Angel because you look like an angel to the rest of the world, but to me, you're my cute bunny. But over time, I realized you truly are a genuine angel at heart. You're the angel I spent my whole life searching for. My Bunny Angel." Ronan whispered, gently nuzzling his nose against the back of Liora's neck.
Liora didn't speak. A breathtaking smile bloomed across her face as she took a deep, contented breath.
"Rony?"
"Hmm?"
"Should we move to our main bedroom?"
"Oh, I can't get up right now... I'm feeling far too lazy~" Ronan whined playfully like a child, throwing his leg over Liora's hip and tightening his embrace.
"Watch this~" Liora giggled.
With a sudden flash of bright blue light, Liora used her magic to teleport both of them straight to their primary bedroom, landing on their bed in the exact same cozy posture.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The following morning, when Liora opened her eyes, she found Ronan with his face buried snugly into her chest. Liora quickly realized Ronan wasn't actually asleep, the elder kept tightening his arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer.
"R-Rony... I can't breathe. Let me up~" Liora wheezed out playfully, but Ronan ignored the plea entirely, rubbing his face back and forth against Liora's chest and holding her tight.
"I'm comfortable right here." came Ronan's muffled voice, barely audible against Liora's skin.
"Okay, fine, five more minutes. Then I have to get ready for university." Liora negotiated. Getting no response, she closed her eyes with a soft smile, threading her fingers through Ronan's messy hair and gently stroking his head.
After a few minutes, Liora felt the grip around her waist loosen. Checking his head, she realized Ronan had drifted off to sleep. Snickering softly, Liora kissed the top of Ronan's head and carefully slipped out from his hold.
Replacing herself with a large body pillow, Liora watched as Ronan immediately curled tightly around the plush fabric, fully believing it was still his girlfriend. Chuckling under her breath, Liora rubbed her aching lower back and headed into the bathroom to freshen up.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
By nine in the morning, Liora was down in the kitchen, humming as she prepared a delicious breakfast for the two of them. Suddenly, a panicked, loud shout echoed from the top of the stairs, startling her.
"Liora?!! Liora?!"
Frightened by the sheer panic in Ronan's voice, Liora instantly shut off the gas stove and turned to run upstairs, but heavy, hurried footsteps were already racing down the hall. A second later, Ronan burst through the kitchen doorway, shirtless, hair wild, and visibly trembling.
"Oh my god... you didn't leave for university." Ronan breathed out in a ragged whisper, rushing forward to gather Liora into a tight hug.
Liora wrapped her arms around him, completely baffled. "What's wrong, Rony?"
"I woke up thinking you had already left for lectures! But I ended up falling asleep like an idiot before I could tell you." Ronan said frantically.
Liora pulled back slightly, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Ronan backed away, a sudden smirk breaking through his previous panic. "Finish up here and come up to the room, okay? I'll explain everything then."
He offered a playful wink and vanished from the kitchen, leaving Liora standing there, even more bewildered than before.
While still trying to process what had just happened, Liora nearly jumped out of her skin as Ronan suddenly popped back through the kitchen door again.
"Oh my god, Rony!" Liora gasped, placing a hand over her hammering heart.
"Don't forget to come to the room, okay?" Ronan said with a mischievous grin before disappearing once more.
"What is wrong with him today?" Liora muttered to herself, shaking her head with a fond smile as she returned to cooking.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Once breakfast was ready, Liora headed upstairs to call Ronan down to eat, deciding not to use her teleportation magic since it drained too much of her physical stamina.
Stepping into their bedroom, she froze as Ronan walked out of the ensuite bathroom wearing nothing but a low-slung towel wrapped around his waist.
Usually, Liora was the one who trimmed Ronan's beard, but because Liora had been avoiding him for the past two weeks, Ronan hadn't felt like styling or cutting it at all. As a result, his beard had grown slightly longer.
Taking in the sight of Ronan's toned, bare chest and effortlessly attractive appearance, Liora swallowed hard, letting out a soft groan.
"Mmm... d-daddy~" Liora blurted out, biting her lower lip the moment the word escaped her mouth.
The word instantly triggered something in Ronan.
"F*ck," Ronan growled out, moving with lightning speed to pin Liora firmly against the wall.
"What did you just call me, hmm?"
"S-Sorry... Mmmph~"
Ronan cut her off by capturing his lips in a fierce, demanding kiss, sucking and nipping at Liora's lower lip with intense passion.
Ronan tried his absolute best to control his surging desires, but Liora's soft, breathless moans were making it impossible. With great restraint, he pulled back from the kiss, resting his forehead against Liora's.
"I know I look good... but you just pushed me over the edge, love." Ronan panted, his dark eyes searching Liora's. "Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't let you out of this bed right now. But I have a special surprise for you, so I'll give you a pass for now. Just know... you have a massive punishment waiting for you tonight."
Ronan leaned in, lightly teasing Liora's earlobe with his tongue. Liora bit her lip hard, trying desperately to hold back another moan.
"W-What's the surprise, Rony?" Liora asked, her voice trembling slightly as Ronan stepped back.
"Give me five minutes in the bathroom to calm this down." Ronan said, gesturing downward toward his waist before turning back toward the bathroom.
Liora's eyes involuntarily darted down to the obvious ridge straining against the towel, and she bit her lip nervously.
"I... I can help you with that." Liora offered softly.
Ronan turned, a devilish smirk playing on his lips. "No way. If you step in there, things will only get worse."
He slipped into the bathroom, leaving Liora to sit down on the bed with a pouting frown.
About ten minutes later, Ronan stepped back out, casually trimming the beard on his jaw. Seeing him, Liora crossed her arms and glared playfully.
"Why are you shaving by yourself? That's my job!" Liora huffed, grabbing a fresh towel from the rack and heading toward the walk-in closet.
"If you start doing it now, you definitely won't make it to university today!" Ronan called out loudly from the room, causing Liora's face to flush bright red inside the closet.
"Pervert." Liora muttered under his breath, blushing furiously.
Moments later, Ronan emerged from the closet dressed in a casual tee and shorts, walking toward his adjoining home office.
"What's the surprise you mentioned?!" Liora called out, slightly annoyed that Ronan was walking away without answering. But there was no reply.
Sighing, Liora stood up to follow him, but stopped in her tracks as Ronan walked back out of the office holding a thick brown envelope. Seeing the smile on Ronan's face, Liora's irritation instantly melted away, replaced by a wide, bunny-toothed grin.
"What's that, Ron? Is that my gift?" Liora asked excitedly.
Ronan smiled and nodded, walking over to sit beside her on the bed. "Go ahead, open it." Ronan urged gently, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Liora tear open the envelope with intense curiosity.
Unfolding the formal document inside, Liora's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as her gaze caught the official title at the top of the page.
"T-This..." Liora gasped, her mouth agape as she turned to look at Ronan in shock.
"Yes, baby. You've officially been skipped straight into your final year." Ronan confirmed with a proud smile. "Read the rest."
Liora scanned the document from top to bottom, her mind reeling. "S-Starting tomorrow?!"
"Yeah. The final year started two months ago, so you'll have to study hard to catch up on the missed material. I've already forwarded all the lecture notes and syllabus details to your email. Your final graduation exams are in ten months. Congratulations, my love!" Ronan beamed, leaning in to press a loving kiss onto Liora's forehead.
"H-How is this possible? I... I've never heard of anyone skipping an entire academic year like this." Liora stammered, still unable to wrap her head around the news.
Ronan puffed out his chest with a proud smirk. "Well... I made a formal request to your Dean, Professor Paul."
Liora's eyes widened even further. "B-But Rony... isn't that unfair to the other students?"
Ronan let out a soft sigh, shaking his head fondly. "Ah! Stop always worrying about other people, my Angel. Have you forgotten how poorly some of them treated you?"
Liora lowered her head slightly. "No, it's not that, it's just-"
"Listen to me," Ronan interrupted gently, lifting Liora's chin. "I only submitted the request. Your professor reviewed your academic record and approved the rest. You earned this because of your exceptional talent and hard work, baby. It's not your fault that others haven't reached your level. This opportunity is something you truly deserve."
A radiant, beautiful smile broke across Liora's face. Overcome with joy, she threw herself onto Ronan, knocking the elder backward onto the mattress as she showered Ronan's entire face with frantic, happy kisses.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-!"
"Whoa, hold on!" Ronan laughed out loud, easily flipping their positions so he was hovering over Liora with a warm, affectionate look.
"No need to thank me, my love. Didn't I promise you that I would pave the way for your future, hmm? This is just a tiny stepping stone." Ronan whispered, gently tucking a strand of golden hair behind Liora's ear.
"This isn't tiny, Rony... it's huge. You have no idea how happy I am right now." Liora said, her dark eyes shimmering with joyful tears.
"That means you have a very intense ten months ahead of you. You'll need to work extremely hard, but I'll be right beside you, helping you every step of the way, hmm?" Ronan leaned down, winking playfully. "And whenever you get too stressed... I'll be more than happy to help you relax and give you some pleasure."
Liora blushed instantly, giving Ronan a light punch to his chest. "You absolute pervert!!"
Ronan's deep laugh echoed through the room as he pressed their lips together once more. "Love you too, baby."