The concert ended without incident, bringing the night to a perfect close.
A sightseeing cart was now making its way toward a seaside villa.
The atmosphere inside, however, was strangely tense. There was almost a hint of gunpowder in the air.
The reason was simple: Orb's princess was glaring sharply at PLANT's princess.
She was looking at Lacus as if she were an enemy.
Lunamaria and Meyrin, who were also riding in the cart, both understood why.
It was obvious that Cagalli saw Lacus as a romantic rival.
During the concert, Lacus had performed a song called "Miracle Reborn," and it had clearly been meant for one particular person.
More importantly, Lacus had displayed a sweetness and bashful blush that no one had ever seen from her before. As her assistants, Lunamaria and Meyrin would have to be blind not to understand.
She had practically confessed her feelings in front of the entire audience through that song.
And the person she had confessed to was, of course, Kain, who had been sharing the mascot costume with her.
Lunamaria had to admit, it had been incredibly romantic.
Then Cagalli, Orb's princess, had stormed over in a huff. Her behavior practically screamed jealousy.
Lacus had merely met her anger with a smile, leaving Cagalli unsure how she was even supposed to lash out.
When it came to the clash between the two princesses, PLANT's princess had clearly come out on top.
That aside, Lunamaria was also curious about two other people in the cart: the captain and executive officer of the Archangel.
Murrue appeared relatively natural, but there was still a trace of awkwardness whenever she faced Lacus.
Natarle, on the other hand, was far too obvious.
She normally projected a stern, cold image. Now, no matter how hard she tried to remain composed, she still seemed unsettled, flustered, and even somewhat guilty.
It almost looked as though she had betrayed Lacus somehow.
Now that was interesting.
"Murrue, could you stop here?"
"Of course."
Murrue brought the cart to a halt beside the shore.
As Lacus prepared to get out, Lunamaria caught Meyrin by the arm before her younger sister could follow. She needed to read the room first.
"Cagalli, Stella, would you mind giving Kain and me some privacy?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Stella obediently nodded.
Cagalli, however, stood up as well, apparently having no intention of honoring Lacus's request.
Before Lacus could say anything, Lunamaria rose and blocked Cagalli's path.
"Princess Cagalli, don't you think following them would be inappropriate?"
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? Lacus is about to go on a private date with Kain. You shouldn't follow them unless you're also in love with him."
Lunamaria gave Orb's princess a teasing look as she delivered the final line, making Cagalli's face turn bright red.
"Wh-What are you talking about? I'm not!"
Perfect. That was exactly what Lunamaria had been waiting for.
She had already realized that Cagalli was the kind of person who couldn't be honest with herself. Whenever she became embarrassed, she covered it up by acting tough, proud, and contrary to what she truly felt.
By maneuvering Cagalli into denying her feelings, Lunamaria had cut off her only avenue of retreat.
"If you're not, why are you trying to follow them? You've been glaring at Lacus like she's your romantic rival this entire ride."
"I-I haven't!"
"Then please don't interrupt Lacus and Kain. Otherwise, people might start suspecting that you really do like him and that you're jealous."
"I'M NOT! FINE, I WON'T FOLLOW THEM!"
A muffled snort of laughter escaped someone.
It was Murrue, though she immediately restored her natural expression.
Cagalli had always been stubborn and difficult about expressing herself. Lunamaria had successfully baited her with almost embarrassing ease.
Cagalli realized that she had fallen for it, but with her stubborn personality and pride, all she could do was sit there fuming.
"I'm sorry, Cagalli. I'll explain a few things to you later."
"Hmph!"
And so, an oversized mascot climbed out of the cart, stepped onto the beach below, and began strolling toward the nearby villa.
"Mr. Kain, I finally know the truth about what frightens you."
The instant Lacus spoke those words, she felt the heartbeat against her chest stop for the briefest moment.
"You have something you want to ask me too, don't you?"
"Where did you learn that song?"
Lacus detected a trace of emotion in his voice. It sounded like nostalgia, perhaps even homesickness.
Alice had told her that the song contained a clue to the truth of Kain's origins.
It was not that Alice had refused to reveal that truth herself. She wanted Lacus to hear it directly from Kain.
If he was willing to tell her with his own lips, it would mean that she had truly earned his trust. It would mean that she had finally broken through the walls surrounding his heart.
"Why don't you guess?"
Lacus answered in a playful tone.
"Alice told you, didn't she?"
Kain smiled bitterly. That was the only possibility he could think of, since Alice had effectively visited his "real world."
"Yes, it was Alice. Please don't blame her. I was the one who kept pestering her because I wanted to learn more about you. That reminds me, what exactly is the difference between Alice and me?"
"I suppose it's the difference between a lotus and a snow lotus."
A lotus emerged unstained from the mud. It represented how Alice had grown up in impoverished surroundings yet retained her innocence.
A snow lotus bloomed high above the world, possessing a lonely, untouchable nobility. It represented how Lacus had been raised amid aristocratic privilege yet remained just as pure and untainted.
"Alice is the lotus, so that makes me the snow lotus. Mr. Kain, do you know that you've already lost?"
"Lost?"
"That's right. The moment I learned the truth about why you were afraid of me, you had already lost. You'll never escape my clutches now."
Lacus adopted the sinister tone of a mischievous little devil.
"If I make the first move, you won't reject me, will you?"
"No."
Just as she had said, Kain truly would not refuse her.
In that sense, Lacus was right. He had already lost.
"Knowing what kind of man I am, you still intend to make the first move?"
"Yes. You're unfaithful, shameless, and greedy, but that's the version of you I love. In my heart, you're still the prince I've always wanted."
"A prince? I'm a pretty despicable man."
"You are. You want women to make the first move so you can feel less guilty and convince yourself that you have every right to devour them. You really are a thoroughly rotten man."
The songstress even delivered those words in a disgusted tone.
What a shame. If they had been facing each other, Kain could have seen the disgusted expression on her face.
"What a shame. Even if we were face-to-face, my disgust would look completely fake. I'm simply no good at pretending."
As if she had read his mind, Her Highness responded with another playful remark.
That meant Alice had also told Lacus about his secret.
"Let's return to my earlier point. Does it surprise you that I'm willing to make the first move even though I know you're afraid of dying?"
"It does."
Kain had never expected Lacus to actively pursue him after learning the truth.
Once he stopped treating everything like he was still a player in a game, fully acknowledged that this was reality, and became afraid of death, he would inevitably grow more hesitant.
He would begin valuing his own life.
Before, he had felt as though nothing bound him to anything. If he truly died, then everything would simply end.
Once that changed, he would become weaker and more timid. He would also exercise far more caution when supporting people in other worlds.
He might even begin neglecting the Warhammer universe.
Lacus making the first move could set that entire chain of consequences into motion. Someone as kind as her should never have been willing to do that.
Yet when Lacus spoke of pursuing him now, it did not sound like a joke.
"Do you truly believe that fearing death is a weakness?"
"Isn't it?"
"Not in my eyes. Quite the opposite. Fear of death can make you stronger. More importantly, you need that emotion to preserve your humanity. Not fearing death might not cause any problems at first, but over time, it would be like losing your sense of pain. You'd gradually become numb. You'd become twisted. Eventually, you'd turn into something else entirely."
Lacus explained her perspective.
That belief was precisely what gave her the courage to pursue him despite knowing that he feared death. It was why she dared to break through the defenses surrounding his heart.
"You might not agree with me, but I firmly believe that I'm right. There is one last thing I want to tell you. I'm not as perfect as you seem to think. There was a little problem with the treats I gave you this morning."
"A problem with the treats?"
Kain could not imagine what she meant.
Had she drugged them?
Surely not. Lacus knew that his body was effectively immune to poison.
"You've watched SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist, haven't you? In that case, you should understand what was wrong with those cookies. That's right. I made them the same way Anna did."
Kain nearly lost his composure.
The destructive power of that statement was simply too great. Even his heartbeat began racing uncontrollably.
"I'm only joking. But Mr. Kain, were you hoping it was true? Do you think I'm less perfect now? I'm capable of making jokes like that too."
The saying that pink-haired girls secretly had a dark side suited Lacus perfectly at that moment.
All Kain could do after being teased like this was smile bitterly.
Just then, he felt a faint electrical discharge travel across his body. It came from the magnetic patches holding the two of them together.
"Oh? Is this the quality-control problem Miss 6O mentioned?"
Lacus sounded genuinely surprised.
Kain, however, was certain this so-called defect was 6O's retaliation.
The magnetic patches seemed to catch fire, but the flames produced no heat and did not burn their skin.
Instead, they ignited the thin protective garments between them. The fabric evaporated as rapidly as the plastic film wrapped around a package.
The flames spread so quickly that every trace of the material vanished within a single breath.
An unimaginably soft expanse of the girl's skin pressed directly against him.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]