Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 430: Jealousy
After dinner ended, this special day finally truly came to a close.
The large group that had come to the Imperial City would stay tonight in this residential building. After all, many detailed arrangements had yet to be completed. They first had to finish building the upper framework of the Empire before they could properly rule this world.
Inside the Imperial City, aside from the residential building where everyone lived, the other buildings were silently undergoing changes according to preset procedures, constructing a majestic palace with a grand and glorious avenue.
It was still a kind of façade project—something with little practical meaning—but its existence was nevertheless necessary.
On the top floor of the main building, the observation platform overlooked a sea of clouds. Above was a brilliant starry sky, with a bright, pure moon hanging high in the air.
Burp~
A certain tuna lying with her head on Sigurd's lap struggled to let out a full burp and subconsciously reached out to rub her greatly swollen stomach.
Sigurd, who had been looking up at the moon, glanced sideways and slapped her hand away.
Smack!
"Ow! That hurts!"
"Don't rub your stomach after eating. It's unseemly."
Facing the girl's cry of pain, Sigurd spoke calmly and seriously.
Kiana rubbed the back of her reddened hand, looked at Sigurd's face, and puffed up her cheeks.
"That's too much! My stomach feels so stuffed and uncomfortable!"
"Who told you to eat without any restraint?"
"Then why didn't you stop me while I was stuffing myself?"
"You need a lesson. Though you'll probably forget it in a few days anyway."
Sigurd rolled his eyes and said mercilessly.
He couldn't understand what this girl was thinking all day long. Sometimes she was gentle and affectionate, making people think she had matured.
But most of the time she was still as willful, noisy, and spoiled as a child.
For example, right now—
"Ahhh! Sig is bullying me! I'm unhappy now!"
Kiana kicked her legs on the long bench and twisted her body, looking exactly like a tantrum-throwing brat.
"Sigh…"
Sigurd sighed.
After brief consideration, Sigurd felt that the "stick discipline" he had used over the past few days was already sufficient. So he decided to switch methods to suppress her.
Thus, he placed one hand over her breast and squeezed the tip.
"Ah!"
Kiana was startled and opened her eyes wide in a daze.
Then she covered her face, hiding the redness that spread across it.
"Pervert Sig! Sadist! Big lecher!"
"Still going to make trouble?"
"No, no, I won't! Let's just watch the scenery!"
Kiana spread her fingers apart, revealing a pair of blinking bright eyes filled with shyness and a hint of pleading.
Sigurd immediately curled his lips into a smile, released her nipple, and instead stroked the silver hair scattered across his lap.
"Were you serious about what you said this morning?"
Sigurd suddenly changed the topic. As he stroked Kiana's hair, a trace of complexity appeared in his eyes.
Kiana had relaxed her stance. Although it wouldn't make Sigurd directly change his mind, it had undoubtedly lifted a considerable portion of the psychological restraint weighing on him.
This could be seen as Kiana being considerate. But somehow… Sigurd wondered if this girl simply didn't love him that much after all. Otherwise, how could she give way so easily?
"Tsk."
Sigurd clicked his tongue. On one hand, the possibility annoyed him. On the other hand, he felt that having such thoughts wasn't like his usual self—the kind of person who did whatever he wanted without hesitation or restraint.
Kiana didn't know Sigurd's exact thoughts, but she could sense his subtle mood. So she tugged on his collar and asked,
"What are you thinking about, Sig?"
"Nothing."
"Hmph! Let's be clear—the one who should feel wronged right now is me, the girl whose heart is about to break, not you, the flirtatious playboy! You're acting like it's somehow my fault—ah, ow, ow, ow!"
Sigurd pinched Kiana's cheek, forcefully cutting off her complaints.
The next second, the teary-eyed girl clutched Sigurd's arm and begged for mercy.
"I surrender! I surrender! It's all my fault, okay?"
"You were the one who messed up my emotions first. Now my thoughts are all tangled up too. If it's not your fault, whose is it?"
"Sig is unreasonable!"
"Hm?"
"Sorry! It's all my fault! Please let go!"
Kiana slapped at Sigurd's hand, continuing her desperate plea.
After a moment, Sigurd released her hand, but couldn't resist pinching her small, fair nose before finally calming down.
"Let's talk properly. This matter is very important. I need to understand your true thoughts."
"…"
Kiana rubbed her cheek that had been pinched painfully and looked at Sigurd with a pitiful expression.
After a while, she sat up, turned her back to him, hugged her knees, and said in a muffled voice:
"What's there left to understand? If it were possible, who would want to share Sig with others? Of course I wish Sig belonged to me alone—only looking at me, only being good to me… But that's already impossible, isn't it? I went to understand Seele and Wendy's situations. They've already fallen for you. I can't just watch them become heartbroken and collapse… I understand that feeling of despair. I don't want to see it happen to them again."
"So you chose to give in?"
Sigurd narrowed his eyes. Even though his tone tried to sound calm, it couldn't hide the displeasure in his voice.
"I already said I had no choice… Huh? Wait! Could it be that Sig is jealous? Because I chose to compromise for their sake, you think I don't love you enough?"
Kiana had originally planned to argue with Sigurd, but suddenly a flash of realization crossed her mind and she saw through his mentality.
She turned her head, eyes shining brightly as she carefully observed Sigurd's eyes and expression to confirm her guess.
Sigurd: "..."
Sigurd raised his head to look at the moon. The movement seemed relaxed and casual, but in reality he was clearly avoiding Kiana's gaze.
"Ha!"
Kiana broke into an incomparably brilliant smile. She turned around and crawled closer to Sigurd, reaching out to twist his face back toward her so she could keep observing.
Then her eyes filled with delight.
"Haha! Got you! Sig is jealous!"
"…I'm not that childish."
"Wahaha! That's a lie! I can smell the scent of lies. Pretending to be tough in front of me won't work, Sig!"
Kiana let out a mischievous laugh, like a cat that had stolen a dried fish, her smile full of cunning and satisfaction.
Sigurd had always been straightforward when expressing his feelings. Precisely because he was so direct, it didn't happen very often. This kind of shy, awkward jealousy was something Kiana had almost never seen before in her memory.
She was overjoyed by it, and love surged through her chest like a tide.
Following her heart, Kiana pounced forward, hugged Sigurd, and offered her lips.
Sigurd's eyes widened slightly. The awkwardness in his gaze turned into helplessness and tenderness. Then he pressed a hand to Kiana's head and indulged in the sweetness that was impossible to resist.
After quite a while, Kiana lay on Sigurd's chest with a rosy face. Her slightly swollen lips and dreamy expression spoke of her satisfaction.
Then she reached up to touch Sigurd's face and said with a smiling squint:
"Say something. How do you feel now, Sig?"
"There's a taste of watermelon and cantaloupe. You didn't rinse your mouth properly after eating fruit."
"Oh, I'll pay attention next time. I don't want to leave Sig with a bad experience— Hey! That's not what I wanted to hear!"
Kiana puffed up her cheeks and grabbed Sigurd's face with both hands, rubbing it vigorously.
Sigurd raised his hand to pull away Kiana's mischievous hands. He lowered his head to look into the girl's expectant eyes. After a moment of silence, the composure on his face gradually turned into helplessness.
"There's really nothing I can do with you…"
"Hehe~"
"Don't look so proud. But… I guess I really was jealous. Thinking that your feelings for me might not be that deep… it made me… unhappy."
Imitating Kiana's earlier antics, Sigurd pressed both hands onto her soft, smooth cheeks and rubbed them firmly.
"Hahaha~!"
Kiana laughed happily. It was hard to say whether it was because Sigurd admitted his jealousy, or because his cheek-rubbing tickled her.
In any case, after laughing for a while, Kiana suddenly straightened her expression and spoke softly.
"Sig."
"Hmm?"
"You're really wonderful. Every time I think I'm already happy enough, you somehow give me even more. Thank you, Sig."
"It's my honor, Kiana."
Sigurd lowered his head and lightly kissed the girl's forehead, replying with a gentle smile.
Kiana giggled again, then let out a faint sigh.
"So… that's why I can only endure it a little. As long as I endure a bit, Sig won't have to feel so troubled, and everyone can be happy. That's good enough, right?"
"I don't need you to endure."
Sigurd pulled Kiana tightly into his arms and frowned.
The time with Bronya—Kiana had cried very bitterly.
And that kind of scene, Sigurd never wanted to see a second time. The first time had already been an established fact; there had been no other choice. A second time… that would be a crime committed with full knowledge.
Kiana seemed to understand his thoughts again. Feeling them clearly, she chuckled softly and said:
"But I'm willing to endure it, Sig. You're worth it, and they're worth it too. This is the best solution I can think of. Sig, trust me—you don't have to worry about me. Just make the choice that satisfies you. And besides, don't think I don't know—you must have imagined having a harem, right? Men are like that, I understand!"
Kiana nudged Sigurd's abdominal muscles with her elbow, raising her eyebrows and smiling teasingly. To be honest, that expression looked exactly like those middle-aged men who drank together while talking about dirty jokes.
Sigurd rolled his eyes.
He had almost forgotten that Kiana herself could be a bit of a little pervert—someone who would, when bored, throw herself into Raiden Mei's ample chest and take advantage of the moment.
After his thoughts tangled for a while, Sigurd managed to squeeze out a sentence:
"Siegfried is guilty of monstrous crimes!"
That's right! Kiana's life education had only come from two people—Siegfried and Sigurd. And Sigurd was certain he had never taught her anything strange.
So the culprit who turned Kiana into such a shameless little rascal had to be Siegfried! No doubt about it!
"Mhm! Yes, yes! It's all that stinky old dad's fault!"
Kiana stuck out her tongue and shamelessly shifted the blame, not caring at all how the unhappy Sigurd might deal with Siegfried afterward.
Anyway, as long as that stinky old dad didn't die, it was fine!
Besides, he had been absent for so many years. Helping his daughter share some of the trouble once in a while was only fair, right?
Then Sigurd knocked Kiana on the head and said with a dark expression:
"You're quite the sly little brat yourself! I'm not some dirty old pervert!"
"Ow! You can say what you want, but stop knocking my head all the time. I'm not that smart to begin with…"
"I think you're quite clever."
"Bleh! Anyway, I've already decided. I won't interfere. Whatever the result is, I'll accept it. After that, it'll be Sig's responsibility. You can deal with it slowly."
Kiana made a funny face and casually threw the entire problem back to Sigurd. Then she added:
"No matter what happens, I'll accept it. And you don't need to apologize to me anymore. I won't cry again. Look, I've already obtained the thing I desired most. There's nothing left that can defeat me now."
Kiana raised one hand for Sigurd to see. On her ring finger was that gold-thread ring, shining brilliantly under the moonlight.
But in Sigurd's eyes, whether it was the ring, the moonlight, or even the starlight filling the sky, none of it could compare to even a fraction of the light shining in the girl's eyes.
"Wah!"
Kiana suddenly cried out in surprise, because Sigurd had lifted her into a princess carry and started walking downstairs.
Thinking of certain embarrassing yet exciting possibilities, Kiana's face turned red. Her arms naturally wrapped around Sigurd's neck as she tried to maintain composure and asked:
"Su-suddenly picking me up… what are you trying to do?"
"Go back to the room and rest."
Sigurd replied calmly.
But Kiana already understood what kind of "rest" that meant.
At this moment, she desperately missed Bronya, who had gone to receive the newcomer Ana.
"Be… be gentle… Tonight… tonight it's just me… so you have to be gentle…"
"I'll try."
Faced with Kiana's face, now so red it seemed ready to drip blood, Sigurd gave an ambiguous promise.
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