"She's asleep..."
Sigurd looked at Kiana, resting his head on his hand, his gaze gradually softening.
She wore a white uniform, light blue denim shorts, and long white socks that wrapped around her round, toned legs.
A retracted black armor strap encircled her right thigh.
Her long, silver hair cascaded down to her waist, with the simulated sunlight shining on her curvaceous figure, making her neck appear especially fair and delicate.
The peaceful atmosphere in the room was filled with a subtle fragrance.
Sigurd took a deep breath, catching a hint of sweetness, though he couldn't tell if it came from the nearby Kiana or the cake on the table. So, he ate the cake.
"Mmm..."
The sound of Sigurd eating woke Kiana from her nap.
She rubbed her eyes, and as her awareness returned, she noticed the empty plate and Sigurd wiping his mouth.
"Ah! My cake! The one and only lunar strawberry flavor!!!" Kiana exclaimed, holding her head, her sweet, melodious voice tinged with despair.
Sigurd nonchalantly crossed his legs, a smile playing on his lips. "Weren't you trying to resist temptation?"
"I was just practicing; I never said I wouldn't eat it!"
"The best practice is to give it up completely."
"…You owe me!"
Kiana's eyes widened, tears welling up as she accused Sigurd.
He intertwined his fingers, placing them on his lap, and spoke slowly, "Be honest, why were you doing so many things while I was working? What were you trying to do?"
Kiana froze, the tears in her eyes instantly retreating.
After a while, she twiddled her fingers nervously and replied, "I just wanted to be a little more considerate and thoughtful."
"Give it up," Sigurd advised bluntly.
That sort of thing was beyond Kiana.
If she could manage it, Sigurd might as well go to the Book of Fuxi and propose marriage tomorrow.
"Hey!"
Kiana pouted, unhappily glaring at Sigurd.
"So, why the sudden change? You've always scoffed at my lessons on being a lady, and no matter how much I tried, you only ever humored me."
"That's because… I was young and foolish!"
"I want the truth."
"It's just… didn't you say you wanted your future partner to be the considerate and reliable type?" Kiana continued to twiddle her fingers, her gaze shifting, a blush spreading across her face.
After a moment, she shyly covered her face.
Confessing her feelings in the consciousness realm had been different—driven by extreme emotions, she hadn't cared about the consequences.
But now, admitting these things in front of Sigurd made her feel deeply embarrassed. When trying to seduce him, it was different; in those moments, there was no room for shyness.
Sigurd watched her intently for a long while before shaking his head with a laugh. "You..."
It seemed that, after that confession, both of them were a bit at a loss.
She had never considered these things before.
With a low chuckle, Sigurd reached out and ruffled her hair. "Come here."
Sigurd said, patting his lap.
Kiana's eyes lit up, and she quickly scooted over, leaning back against him, smiling so widely that her eyes nearly closed.
Sigurd wrapped his arm around her slender waist, his other hand threading through her silky silver hair, lifting a strand and catching a faint, delicate fragrance.
This was their daily routine, always like this.
Before, Sigurd hadn't realized that this closeness had already crossed the line of ambiguity, or perhaps he had noticed but couldn't refuse Kiana's closeness.
"Sigh..."
Sigurd sighed softly.
If he had no feelings, he should have distanced himself from Kiana, clearly establishing a boundary between them, instead of continuing to let her stay so close.
However, he could already imagine how Kiana would react if he tried to distance himself—how could he bear to see her cry?
Caught between a rock and a hard place, that's what this situation was.
"Don't sigh… Am I making things difficult for you?" Kiana looked up, her large eyes filled with a soft, watery light.
Sigurd nodded honestly. "A bit."
"Oh..." Kiana lowered her head in disappointment.
"It's not your fault," Sigurd reassured her, patting her head.
Kiana remained silent for a while before looking up again, her smile radiant but with tears in her eyes as if she had made a decision.
She said, "Then, can we pretend it never happened? Go back to the way things were before, no confession, no feelings. Sig is Sig, and I'm just me."
"…What nonsense are you talking about?"
"It's not nonsense. I know you're doing something very important, and there are so many people you need to take care of. So, if my confession is troubling you, let's just pretend it never happened. That way, you don't have to feel conflicted!"
Sigurd was taken aback. Knowing Kiana, she wouldn't give up so easily.
"I… I don't want you to be unhappy. I want you to be happy, and everything else isn't important."
Kiana clasped Sigurd's hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
She looked at their joined hands and smiled sweetly.
Sigurd also looked at their clasped hands.
Kiana's hand was small but warm, soft like holding a piece of cotton candy, but with a unique and wonderful feeling.
"Fool."
Sigurd sighed.
Kiana chuckled and leaned against Sigurd, not saying another word.
She wasn't a fool, just a little bit sillier than Sigurd.
"Do you remember our first meeting?"
"Of course! I will never forget about it! Now that I think about it, it feels like it was just yesterday. You were so different back then, so skinny and weak. Not like now, where nothing can defeat you."
Kiana smiled nostalgically, her words filled with admiration for Sigurd.
"I'm not that impressive. There are still many things that can defeat me."
Sigurd tightened his grip on Kiana's hand, his eyes softening.
Yes, many things could defeat him—like saving the world, or the girl now nestled in his arms.
Kiana, oh Kiana, what should I do with you?
Sigurd thought with a mix of helplessness and sweet indulgence. After a while, he spoke slowly, "In a few days, let's go back there again. We buried some charcoal there, remember? You said you'd dig it up one day. So, let's go see if it's still there… just the two of us."
Kiana froze, her eyes blinking rapidly.
Just the two of them?
Did she misunderstand what he was saying?
"I've never been in a relationship. I never even thought about what it would be like. I admit, your confession left me confused, making me overthink a lot of things. That's why I came up with that adoption agreement. But, when I really think about it, besides myself, who else could I trust to take care of you... Let's give it a try. Maybe, I've long since been unable to let you go."
Sigurd spoke slowly, first with resignation, but as he followed his heart and explained everything, he felt a sense of clarity.
Yes, Kiana was playful, gluttonous, lazy, impatient, mischievous, impulsive, and often kept her troubles to herself… Given all that, no one else but Sigurd could take care of her properly.
He knew nothing about love, but it didn't matter.
He just couldn't let go of Kiana, and that was enough.
As for the ideal of a lifelong partner—it didn't matter.
Compared to Kiana, it really didn't matter at all.
"Hic..Hic…Hic.."
Kiana's sniffles reached his ears. It seemed she was crying.
Sigurd's heart tightened.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing! I'm just… just really happy, extremely happy… Waaaah!!!"
She really started crying, one hand still tightly clasping Sigurd's, while the other clumsily wiped away her tears, but she couldn't stop more from spilling out.
Sigurd sighed with relief.
As long as she wasn't sad.
"You're like a little child."
"I-I just can't help it…"
"I didn't say it's a bad thing. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to laugh, laugh. That's all I ask of you."
"Sig…"
"Yeah?"
"I really like you. I like you so, so much… More than I like this world! No one will ever like you as much as I do! Really!"
Sigurd didn't realize that his lips had curved into a gentle smile.
He ruffled the girl's hair before saying, "You know, Siegfried might cry if he heard that."
"That's different… I could leave dad, but I could never, ever leave you!"
Kiana looked up, her tear-filled eyes gazing at Sigurd with complete sincerity and determination.
Sigurd opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
He admitted that because of this sentence, because of this tear-streaked little face, his mind went blank for a moment.
How did he not realize before that Kiana's words could be so powerful?
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Ko-Fi[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Ko-Fi: Chapter 274: Infighting? A Hundredfold Payback![2]
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