"That was a long kiss," Victor grinned, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Well, we love each other, it's a given. You'll have to do better with Selene, though," I added, my tone taking on a teasing edge.
"Huh?" Victor looked at me, puzzled.
Poor guy. He really had no idea what he was in for.
I glanced at Selene and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. This poor soul was about to be devoured whole.
"That was so romantic!" Amelia exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration. "The way you looked at each other!"
Of course, we were looking at each other; we were about to kiss!
"The way you exchanged sweet words!"
I felt a pang of guilt at her words.
"The way you held each other so close, with barely anything between you!"
"And then Elizabeth's second kiss! Wow!"
She was just thanking me in her own way.
"And then you looked at each other for a whole minute!"
I had no defense against that.
"Instead of talking about others, you should worry about your own lover. There's no way he'll do better than me," I scoffed.
"U-Um, yes..." Amelia blushed shyly, glancing at John.
John shot me a defiant look before grabbing Amelia's arm and leading her away.
"J-John?" Amelia let herself be dragged off, her surprise evident.
That guy could be surprisingly assertive when he was pissed off.
Left alone with Victor while Elizabeth was talking with Selene, I decided it was a good time to bring up Celeste.
"Isn't Celeste acting strange lately?" I asked him.
Even if there wasn't any romantic development between them yet, they were still close friends, so I valued his opinion.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, she does seem a bit off. Like, more girly? It scares me, honestly," Victor admitted.
"If Celeste hears you, it's over for you, lad," I laughed.
"Y-Yeah, don't tell her," Victor laughed back nervously.
Don't worry, I will definitely tell her later. She was talking with Cylien, so I would catch her later. I just wanted to see her reaction.
My gaze then drifted toward Alicia. "Your sister hasn't greeted me at all, Victor. I hoped for some congratulations even from her," I said jokingly.
"Really? I thought you got somewhat close to her after helping her out with Adrian," Victor said, looking surprised.
"Thought so too," I nodded.
Well, my tongue might have slipped a bit during dinner, that's all.
"Hey, Amael! Congrats on the engagement," Sirius finally joined me, his voice cutting through my thoughts.
I smirked lightly. "You sure took your time. I hope you weren't too busy with Sephira?"
"Ahah, well..." Sirius scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.
"You should talk to Father about her, Sirius," Victor suggested.
Sirius looked at his brother with a conflicted expression. "Yeah, but... you know Cyril and Grandfather. I'm not sure they will accept it."
That was doubtful. The Teraquins might be glad to get rid of Sephira, but the Raven House? Sirius was next in line after Cyril, and he was a prince as well.
At the mention of Cyril, Victor's face turned complicated as well. "Right... but if you need any help, just ask me."
Sirius smiled gratefully. "Thank you, brother."
Victor seemed surprised and a bit shy as he smiled back. It made me think about my own family. If only I had a brotherly relationship like that.
Connor was dead, and my adopted brother was rambling nonsense because he couldn't accept that his father was part of Ante-Eden and that's why Thomen killed him. This guy, until the end, never apologized to Elona. Still, he was my adopted brother; I couldn't completely cut off all thoughts about him.
I thought everything would go fine for him since Lyra was at his side, but it seems Lyra fell into an undetermined unconscious state after the attack of Ante-Eden. I hadn't had the occasion to see him since I was thrown into jail, but that guy Donald told me that Simon got engaged again and had taken the rule over the Falkrona House in Celesta.
"Come on, just congratulate him," Sirius urged.
"No," Alicia replied stubbornly.
"Just this once," he insisted.
"...Fine," she relented.
When I looked ahead, I saw Alicia being pushed forward by Sirius. It seemed Victor had asked
him to drag her over since she had been ignoring me.
"..." Alicia stood in front of me with her arms crossed.
"I'm disappointed, Junior. I waited until now to hear your blessing," I said with an
"You are lying," Alicia replied, staring at me.
"Of course I'm lying; no way I'd wait for anyone for my own engagement," I laughed.
Alicia's expression hardened as she attempted to leave.
"Alicia," Sirius sighed.
Alicia paused, her steps faltering. It was clear she was quite obedient to Sirius, unlike with
Victor. Perhaps it was because he was her blood brother?
Turning toward me, Alicia finally spoke. "I wish Senior Amael and Beth...Elizabeth to be
It seemed they were indeed close, despite their apparent distance now. "Thanks, Junior. I wish you happiness as well. Since your engagement with Adrian has ended, how about you finally choose a fitting partner? Look around; there might be someone who meets your criteria: six years old mentally, unexpressive, and a bro-con as well," I said,
raising an eyebrow in jest.
Alicia's grip on her crossed arms tightened, and she glared at me coldly. "I am not a bro-con."
"You don't deny the six years old part?" I pressed, still teasing.
Alicia's expression twisted with discomfort.
"What's that, Amael..." Victor sighed, clearly dismayed. "If you keep upsetting her, she'll
hate you, even if you've helped her."
"I'm not trying to upset her," I said, sighing in return. "I'm just trying to make her grown up
She needed to become stronger if she was ever going to escape Cyril's control over her. "Y-You want to make her a woman?" Sirius echoed, dumbfounded.
Victor grimaced, clearly disturbed.
Realizing my words might have been misleading, I quickly clarified. "No, that's not what I
"..." Alicia's cheeks flushed red, and her ears turned pink with anger. She glared at me before turning on her heel and leaving with clenched fists.
"I think she misunderstood me. Victor, please explain to her," I said, turning to Victor, who
"You're truly clueless about women, aren't you?" Victor said, shaking his head.
"I don't want to hear that from you," I retorted.
"Whatever," Victor said as he left to rejoin Selene. "I hope you won't anger Elizabeth like
that. I genuinely hope for you."
Why is everyone so concerned about Elizabeth?
She's a charming woman.
Now alone and in need of some fresh air, I stepped out onto the balcony. Resting my hands on
the guardrails, I took a deep breath. The sky was already dimming, the typical twilight of the
I turned to my right and saw a man standing there, his golden eyes fixed on me as he smiled.