"Mmm..."
As Kiana slowly stirred, the first thing that drifted into her blurry vision was a delicate, jade-like hand—pale and smooth as polished marble—coming into focus before her eyes.
Her mind was a jumble of confusion.
But then she shifted her gaze slightly.
And there, smiling sweetly down at her, was a charming, lovely face gazing playfully right back at her.
She froze for a moment.
Soon enough, her awareness grew clearer.
"Elysia...?" Her voice came out soft and muffled, like a sleepy puppy's whimper—drowsy and adorably disoriented.
"Mhm! That's right! It's me, Ellie~" Looking at Kiana like this, Elysia felt her heart melt.
She couldn't hide her delight; her smile only brightened.
Just moments ago, she'd been teasing Kiana, playfully pinching her nose until she couldn't breathe properly. Even in her sleep, Kiana had unconsciously parted her lips to gasp for air—though sleeping with your mouth open isn't exactly comfortable.
And so, she'd begun to stir awake.
But even though Elysia had teased her like a little mischief-maker, she herself didn't seem to think much of it.
In fact, she acted as though nothing had happened at all.
She casually withdrew her hand.
She casually smiled.
She casually booped Kiana on the nose.
Watching Kiana scrunch up her cute little nose like an adorable bunny made Elysia giggle uncontrollably—her bright eyes and sparkling smile glowing like a beautiful flower.
Truth be told, although Kiana understood what was going on pretty quickly, she really wasn't upset.
I mean, who could possibly mind being woken up by someone as gorgeous as Elysia, especially when she's being so affectionate?
Even if you were grumpy, even if you had the worst morning temper—one look into those innocent big eyes of hers, and it all just… melted away. Like a soft spring breeze soothing your irritation. You might still feel a little bothered, but not enough to really care.
Heck, you might even crack a smile.
Can't help but chuckle a little.
Maybe that's just Elysia's charm!
And Kiana was finally experiencing it firsthand.
No matter how much she'd thought about it beforehand, no matter how many guesses she'd made—meeting Elysia in real life was nothing like what she'd imagined!
It was better.
Reality surpassed all expectations.
There's only one Elysia in the real world.
And because she's one of a kind, that makes her all the more precious!
Kiana pushed herself up, sitting on the edge of the bed, and tilted her head slightly as she looked at Elysia.
Elysia, in turn, settled into a seated position on the floor—knees out, hands propped cutely in front of her—gazing up at Kiana with pure, innocent eyes.
The two of them just looked at each other.
And in that moment, it felt like an eternity had passed in a single glance.
By the way, Kiana had to admit—she'd totally inserted some personal bias into her videos.
And this second video? Way more self-indulgent than the first.
She just loved Elysia that much.
That's why she wanted to cast Elysia as her fiancée.
I mean, isn't it only natural for Origin to be the wife of Finality?
But!
Even though she knew Elysia would be arriving soon, even though she'd mentally prepared herself…
Now that she was actually face to face with Elysia, she couldn't help feeling a little flustered, a little awkward.
It was like she'd been caught red-handed doing something sneaky—and now the evidence was staring right at her.
Especially with the way Elysia looked at her, so innocent and seemingly unaware, as if she trusted Kiana completely. It made Kiana feel just a tiny bit guilty.
Of course!
Elysia was far from some naive pushover.
But those big, pure eyes of hers, her gentle expression, that ever-present hint of a smile—
It all made her incredibly likable.
She seemed like a blank canvas of pure sincerity.
Just looking at her made you happy!
You know how some people just give off shady vibes at first glance?
And others seem honest and kind right away?
Even though real life has taught us time and again that judging by appearances isn't exactly reliable, we still can't help forming first impressions—deciding whether someone's good or bad, whether we like them or not.
"So… why'd you get here so fast?" Kiana pursed her lips and asked softly.
Because, really, they couldn't just keep staring at each other forever.
Even if Elysia didn't mind,
Kiana was starting to feel restless.
This was getting awkward!
"What's wrong, my dear Kiana?~ Ellie missed you so much, I just had to hurry over!"
"Don't tell me… you didn't want to see me sooner?"
"Ellie might just start crying, you know~"
It sounded a little teasing, maybe even slightly manipulative.
But coming from Elysia, it didn't feel that way at all.
She put on a slightly hurt expression, but it was so playful—so lighthearted—that it felt like she was dancing right on the strings of Kiana's heart. Kiana couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed.
Back in her past life, playing games, she'd loved Elysia.
Even in this life, before they'd met, she'd yearned for Elysia.
And now that she'd finally met her, that admiration hadn't shattered—it had only grown stronger.
Elysia's sudden teasing left Kiana flustered in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.
She seemed like she wanted to explain herself.
But then Elysia giggled softly on her own—eyes curving like crescent moons, lips tilting sweetly—and gently continued, easing a bit of Kiana's panic with her thoughtful words.
"Actually, the local branch of Fire Moth in Sapphire City already finished processing my transfer paperwork ahead of schedule."
"So with all that free time…"
"Of course I came straight to see my darling wife~"
"..."
Giggle~ Surprised?
"I wonder… now that you've met me for real, do you like what you see?"
"But Ellie likes you a lot, Kiana—like, a whole lot. It's the first time I've ever felt so grateful to the Honkai… thankful that it brought you to me…"
"..."
She laughed cheerfully, teasing Kiana without holding back.
She said things that should have been embarrassing, but her tone was so light and joyful.
"What? That look on your face… You don't believe me?"
"Don't doubt meee~ Elysia would never lie to you. Every word I say is true!"
"..."
"I… believe you." Kiana paused slightly, her eyes still on Elysia.
As much as she felt a little overwhelmed by Elysia's enthusiasm—even instinctively shifting back just a tiny bit—she knew deep down:
Elysia was always consistent. You could always trust her.
The only lie she ever told in her life was about her true nature as a Herrscher.
And even that was something she only fully understood at the very end. Before that… how could it even be called deception?
"It's okay, I believe you, Elysia… It's just—you being so sudden like this, I'm really not used to it yet..."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.