Arfrotian felt the warmth of Eterna’s delicate hands holding up his head, her soft yet firm touch grounding him in the surreal reality of this dream world. A realization struck him suddenly, making his sharp blue eyes flicker with contemplation. He grasped her hands gently, his fingers wrapping around hers, and with a steady voice, he spoke:

  "But Honey, aren't you being too quick to give me your heart?"

  Eterna blinked at his words, her glowing blue eyes shimmering with amusement, yet behind them, there was something deeper—a silent confidence, a certainty that even Arfrotian found perplexing.

  Arfrotian continued, "I mean, I just met you when this dream world was forged. It was only when those two clashing forces—Pandora and Eternal Frostheart’s backlash—collided that I absorbed the power and met you here. So, aren't you actually rushing into this?"

  But before he could utter another word, Eterna moved swiftly, raising her right hand and placing her index finger against his lips, silencing him.

  "Shhh, Darling," she whispered in a playful yet sultry tone, her breath warm against his skin.

  Then, before he could even process it, she leaned in—so close that her lips brushed against his ear, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine. Her soft laughter followed, a delicate melody filled with mischief, as if she had just trapped him in an inescapable game where she alone made the rules.

  "Ah~ Darling! You see… I made my CHOICE. Right?"

  She said it so smoothly, so effortlessly, that Arfrotian was left momentarily stunned.

  "Huh? What the hell did I do to her? Why is she acting like this?!" Arfrotian thought, completely thrown off by Eterna’s sudden shift in demeanor.

  Yet, before he could even gather his thoughts, Eterna pressed herself against him, closing the distance even more.

  "Look," she murmured, her hands trailing up his chest, her fingers drawing light patterns across his white coat.

  "Didn’t you say I was your wife, when I asked you what you saw me as?"

  Arfrotian’s mind flashed back to that moment—the moment where he had instinctively called her his wife. Back then, it had been a fleeting remark, but now, the way Eterna was holding onto it like a divine contract, he knew she wasn’t letting go of it.

  "And…" she continued, her voice dripping with mischief, "...luckily enough, I agreed with you at that time, right?"

  Arfrotian, completely aware that he had no way out of this, simply nodded his head.

  Eterna, delighted by his reaction, blew warm air against his ear, making him jolt once more.

  "Darling," she purred, "you should actually listen to what I’m saying, after all, isn’t that what you wanted to know?"

  She smiled—a dangerously mischievous smile, one that told him she was enjoying every second of turning the tables on him.

  Arfrotian sighed internally, realizing he had no choice but to play along.

  "Guess I’m left with no other way right now," he thought.

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  Eterna then tilted her head slightly, giving him a playful glance. "See, Darling, we are now a couple, so it was actually extremely normal of me to say the only thing I need is you. So, tell me, am I wrong in my logic?"

  Arfrotian, hearing how Eterna had just reverse-questioned him using his own previous tactics, couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

  "Well, Eterna—"

  But before he could finish, Eterna once again silenced him with her finger.

  "No," she whispered, her icy-blue eyes twinkling.

  "Not ‘Eterna.’ Only ‘Honey.’ You understand that, right, DARLING?"

  Her tone—seductive, teasing, yet full of genuine affection— sent chills through Arfrotian’s spine. He was beyond speechless.

  Still, he smiled softly before giving in: "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Honey!"

  Then, his expression turned serious.

  "Though… aren't you curious to know how I figured out you were betrayed by your own people?"

  Arfrotian paused, expecting her to show some sign of sadness or resentment. But to his surprise, Eterna didn’t even flinch.

  Instead, she just kept enjoying her embrace with him, as if she cared about nothing else in the world.

  Arfrotian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Huh? Did I go too overboard with her or what?"

  Then, Eterna suddenly nudged at his white coat, playing with it like a child teasing their favorite toy.

  "Hmm, yes, Darling, I do wonder… how perceptive you are to see me BARE through, right?"

  Arfrotian froze.

  "WHAT. THE. HELL. DID. SHE. JUST. SAY???"

  He had used that exact phrase to tease her before, but now, Eterna had completely flipped it back on him!

  Clearing his throat, Arfrotian quickly composed himself.

  "So, the case is that… well, first was your expression, alright?" He began explaining. "When I asked you that question, your face changed—it was bitter, sour, like you had been betrayed by someone close to you.

  Then, before he could continue, Eterna interrupted.

  "Darling, what do you like to eat?"

  Arfrotian paused mid-sentence.

  "HUH?!? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?!"

  Seeing the pure passion in her eyes, he knew he had no choice but to answer.

  "Well, I…"

  But before he could finish, Eterna burst into laughter—a warm, heartful laugh that made him momentarily forget how absurd the situation was.

  Then, she spoke words that left him COMPLETELY stunned.

  "Oh! How silly of me to ask such a question, right? I mean, the best thing a husband can have to eat… is his wife, right?"

  Arfrotian turned into a living statue.

  "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HER?!?!?"

  He could feel his entire soul glitching from sheer disbelief.

  Forcing himself to focus, he quickly resumed:

  "So, yeah. After understanding your emotions, I then considered the possibility…"

  "Say, if anyone from outside had sealed you, why within this omniverse and not elsewhere? And why leave a fragment of you in Eternal Frostheart, where there was even a condition that it could be wielded by anyone of this omniverse to rule it, means like any outsider would if want to have rule of this omniverse then they would have done for their sake not for the people within this omniverse?"

  Arfrotian’s expression darkened. "It didn’t make sense."

  He continued, "The only possible way this could happen was if someone from your OWN omniverse was responsible. Maybe your own people, out of fear of the unknown, means, it was normal, that’s how people or creatures are to begin with, since you were a divine entity and not something of their stature they were kind of afraid of you and chose to seal you in a way that still allowed them to USE your power. That’s how they forged the Eternal Frostheart and trapped a fragment of you within it. And afterall if it were outsiders they wouldn’t stand a chance against you in your own place, rather not powerful enough to just seal you, but since it was related to your own people, out for their sake you may have done it"

  After he finished, he expected Eterna to show anger, pain, maybe even sorrow.

  But instead…

  She stared at him, her eyes full of something entirely different.

  Total. Awe.

  Eterna was completely dazzled by Arfrotian’s razor-sharp deduction and logic.

  Then, a knowing smile curved her lips.

  "I knew it was right of me to accept you as my husband," she murmured.

  Her mischievous smile returned.

  "I could never hide anything from you, Darling… could I?"

  Arfrotian sighed, shaking his head with a smirk.

  "Guess not, Honey."