Not long after, Luciana slowly opened her eyes. Still groggy from waking, she drowsily thought, I can smell the warmth of the sun. Is all of this a dream, or has the sun god taken pity on me and sent me to heaven?
The girl suddenly froze, because she realized that her hands were actually tied up. Just then, a pleasant voice rang out.
"You said you're not Gratzia. So, what is your name?"
The girl stared blankly at the handsome man above her and answered instinctively. Seeing this, Orizio could not help curling his lips into a smile. "You may call me Orizio."
The girl was instantly so dazzled by the beauty before her that her heartbeat quickened and her heart fluttered wildly. But she quickly came back to her senses, and fear instantly swept through her body. "Please don't kill me. Please untie me."
"Of course. As long as you promise you won't faint again."
With a crisp sound, the ropes binding the girl's hands loosened on their own. Luciana was slightly startled and suddenly sat up from the bed. Then she quickly turned around, knelt on the bed, and devoutly bowed to Orizio. But the man reached out and lifted the girl's chin, and with a smile as warm as sunshine, said softly, "You may raise your head and look."
But the girl, blushing, hurriedly averted her gaze. Orizio found it somewhat amusing and spoke again. "I told you to raise your head and look."
That voice seemed to carry a kind of magic, making Luciana obediently lift her head without meaning to. Orizio was extremely satisfied, and the smile on his face grew even brighter. "What a good girl."
The two were destined to meet. And as she gazed at the god before her with a smile as brilliant as sunlight, the girl had only one thought left in her heart at that moment.
He was beautiful enough to intoxicate anyone.
"I want you to live." Orizio's gentle voice sounded again, interrupting the girl's thoughts.
For a moment, she could hardly believe it and softly asked, "Are you really going to forgive me?"
"I can even grant you eternal life. But you must spend the night on my bed."
Hearing this, Luciana was instantly horrified and asked in a trembling voice, "One night. On the bed. What if I don't want eternal life?"
"You're very brave. But do you dare refuse?"
The girl froze in place all at once, unable to make a sound for a long while. Orizio rose from the bed. "Rest for a while and take good care of your body. You're weaker than a mouse."
Even after Orizio left, Luciana still had not recovered from the shock of what had just happened. At this moment, her mother's words of warning surfaced in her mind. Men are no different from animals. You must protect your chastity at all costs.
At this thought, tears began slipping uncontrollably from the girl's eyes. He is a god, but in the end, he is also a man. Although what he said sounds wonderful, if I cannot please him, perhaps he will turn me into stone or wood. Mother, what should I do?
Just as Luciana was secretly grieving, a strong floral fragrance interrupted her thoughts. Suddenly, a drop of water fell onto the marble floor. Then, out of thin air, a strange green-haired girl appeared.
Luciana was instantly frightened out of her wits. A scream like that of a groundhog once again rang through the heavenly palace.
So the green-haired girl hurriedly waved her hands and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Nicole, a low-ranking daffodil fairy. His highness sent me to take care of you. I'm terribly sorry. I frightened you, Lady Luciana. I brought you some water."
But Luciana refused all food and only sat silently on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest. The simple-minded Nicole could not understand at all why my lady was so sad, and secretly thought, Being able to serve the prince's first partner is my greatest honor. But there is one fundamental problem. Mortals cannot live long in the heavenly palace. Their fragile bodies cannot withstand the essence of the sun and are destined to wither away. I explained that she has to eat in order to stay alive. Yet my lady still refused all food.
Looking at the silent Luciana, Nicole was so anxious she was almost in tears and pitifully said, "Lady Luciana, please. I was ordered to make you drink this cup of holy water. It contains the essence of his highness Orizio, the sun prince."
Hearing this, Luciana took the cup and stared blankly ahead, but for a long time made no move to do anything further.
Nicole truly could not understand. Why does my lady simply refuse to drink it? You should know this cup of holy water containing his highness Orizio's essence is one of the most luxurious treasures in the whole realm of Tesca. One cup alone would be enough for the dowries of all nineteen of my siblings.
Suddenly, a voice sounded, interrupting Nicole's thoughts. "If I drink this, what will happen?"
Nicole quickly answered, "You will become healthy and beautiful like a goddess of Bovias."
Luciana sniffled and said with a serious expression, "If you want, you can drink this."
Nicole instantly panicked. "I would never dare covet anything his highness has bestowed upon you."
Seeing Nicole's eager avoidance, Luciana resigned herself and poured the holy water into her mouth. Seeing this, Nicole seized the chance to ask, "Then from tomorrow onward, will you eat?"
Luciana shook her head frantically in refusal. Nicole was almost in tears and weakly asked, "Then, water? Will you still keep drinking water?"
Hearing Nicole's nearly pleading voice, Luciana slowly nodded. Seeing this, Nicole immediately brightened up and said with a smile, "I nearly forgot. You can now lie on the bed with his highness Orizio."
Then she used divine power to fill Luciana's hair with orange blossoms, leaving Luciana utterly bewildered. Nicole, however, explained excitedly, "Because the ladies in heaven wear orange blossoms in their hair when they are preparing to welcome their wedding night."
Luciana, who was drinking her second cup of water, instantly sprayed it out in one spout.