OHNIR - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: Concealment
The kiss was over in an instant, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface. It was like a snowflake drifting onto her lips; the moment she felt a hint of coolness, it had already melted away without a trace.
The moment her lips met the other’s, Kelusta felt the impulse to deepen the kiss.
But this sudden rush of passion was quickly suppressed by the self-controlled, brown-haired girl. She hadn’t even savored the soft, subtle sensation for more than a few seconds before reason compelled her to pull back, creating a distance between them that would allow them both—or rather, mainly Kelusta herself—to cool down.
Once settled, she pursed her lips and mentally booed herself for sounding such a hasty retreat.
—It wasn’t that Kelusta didn’t want the kiss to be deeper, to last longer.
It was just that she…
didn’t quite dare.
After spending so much time together, not to mention their interactions during childhood, she felt she had an unusually deep understanding of Gloria.
This daughter of a duke, who presented a gentle face to everyone and everything, who appeared easygoing and doted on Kelusta, was in reality, much like her mother, a textbook example of a proper and decorous noblewoman.
Putting herself in Gloria’s shoes, Kelusta could easily deduce that women like Aunt Susan and Gloria would never want their object of affection to be someone frivolous or casual.
Therefore, before their relationship was truly confirmed, no matter how intimate they became, Kelusta believed it was best to restrain any behavior that crossed the line of propriety, doing her utmost to avoid earning Gloria’s disapproval.
Moreover, the weight of the eight endings from the original game’s plotline hung over her head… As a member of the definitive “good” faction, Kelusta had to maintain a protagonist’s caution and think twice before acting. No matter how beautiful, fragrant, or alluring Gloria was, she couldn’t let her soul be so easily stolen away.
After the light kiss, Kelusta, cheeks tinged with pink, quickly pulled back. She immediately put on a pure, sweet, and innocent expression, like a little girl utterly clueless about matters of the heart. Calmly and with an air of perfect justification, she met the silver-haired girl’s darkened gaze and asked with a wide smile, “Was that okay? Does this mean my paper is taken care of?”
Changing the subject was the best form of concealment.
Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to always maintain the persona of a silly, mischievous little girl in front of Gloria. If Gloria had reacted with disgust, she could have immediately apologized, acted cute, and smoothed things over… Besides, the people of Seaside Town were known for being open and warm. While such an intimate gesture wasn’t exactly common, she could force an explanation and pass it off if she had to.
Kelusta’s expression remained perfectly calm, but her palms were slick with sweat. She watched Gloria’s face nervously, her heart in her throat, not daring to miss the slightest change in her expression.
If she showed even a hint of disgust…
In just a few short seconds, Kelusta had already formulated several backup plans to salvage her image. Her mind was working countless times more nimbly now than when she was writing her paper.
—In the end, however, she didn’t need to use her Plan A, B, or C.
Because after gazing at Kelusta for a moment, the silver-haired girl suddenly broke into a smile. Her cornflower-sapphire eyes were filled with Kelusta’s reflection, like a gently rendered relief deeply etched into the deep sea of Gloria’s gaze.
“You made the right decision.”
Gloria’s words sounded profound, yet her tone was as light as a gentle breeze, drifting away into the room’s intimate atmosphere before it could fully settle.
Kelusta froze, not even having time to ask about the deeper meaning hinted at in those words. Gloria pointed to the scroll of parchment that reached the floor and smiled. “Since the condition has been met, our deal is sealed… Don’t worry. You can leave this assignment to me.”
Seeing that Gloria didn’t dwell on the kiss and instead steered the conversation back to their studies, Kelusta breathed a silent sigh of relief. She stopped trying to puzzle out the true meaning of Gloria’s earlier comment and instead threw herself forward, delightedly nuzzling the shoulder of the top-ranked student. “I dare say,” she said, moved, “that’s one of the sweetest things I’ve heard since enrolling!”
For a slacker, could there be any words more moving than “I’ll do your assignment for you”?
Gloria laughed briefly and stroked Kelusta’s hair, who was clinging to her shoulder like a little squirrel, refusing to let go. “Alright, off to bed now,” she said softly. “Tomorrow is the weekend, and I have to take you somewhere. Make sure you don’t sleep in.”
“Since when do I sleep in…” Kelusta muttered, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Gloria. “Where are we going? Where? Are we going to do something fun or eat something delicious?” she asked excitedly.
Gloria shook her head in resignation and poked Kelusta between the eyebrows, making the little brown squirrel fall back. Satisfied, she withdrew her hand and said, amused, “Is your head really filled with nothing but having fun and eating? No more talking. Go to your room and sleep. We have real business to attend to tomorrow.”
“Real business? What kind of real business?” Kelusta asked warily. “You’re not planning to drag me to the lecture halls to study, are you? Aside from final exams, I can’t think of any other major event lately that would qualify as ‘real business’!”
“Rest assured, I’ve already arranged your study plan perfectly,” Gloria said calmly. “Your first exam since enrolling is your chance to make a good impression on the professors, so you must take it seriously. I’ve already gotten a general sense of your academic performance from your teachers. Since you brought it up, I might as well give you the official notice…”
“Miss Breviou, I am honored to inform you that starting next Wednesday, you will commence a two-week period of final exam review with me.” The academy’s universally acknowledged top student adopted the formal tone of a professor, smiling at Kelusta’s horrified expression. “I hope that after this time spent patching up any gaps in your knowledge,” she continued gently, “you will be able to achieve a result that is satisfactory to both yourself and me.”
Kelusta: “…”
I think satisfying myself is enough. There’s no need to force myself to meet the standards of someone who’s been top of the class for two years running…
But she couldn’t voice such a pathetic thought. It could only be left to quietly fester in the pit of her stomach.
Upon hearing this dreadful news, all of Kelusta’s anticipation for the next day’s outing vanished. She managed a listless grin and tried weakly to change the subject. “So, uh, aren’t you going to rest, Lux? Don’t we have to get up early tomorrow?”
“I’m not tired yet. I’ll read a while longer. You go first.” Gloria patted the thick book beside her, winked, and said teasingly, “Don’t worry. There’s only one bedroom in my suite. I certainly won’t leave you to keep the bed warm all by yourself.”
Though it was a joke, Kelusta’s heart still skipped a beat. She swallowed discreetly, her gaze flickering away as a faint blush crept back onto her cheeks.
“Fine, I’ll go to bed first, then,” she said, her voice a defiant, strained falsetto. She rose and headed for the bedroom, pressing the back of her hand to her cheek to cool it down. “Don’t keep a girl waiting too long, Sister,” she added, feigning a sultry tone. “Come to bed soon. Good night—”
The words had barely left her lips when, likely disgusted with herself, Kelusta rolled her eyes and darted behind the carved wooden door.
The silver-haired girl, still seated, shook her head in amusement and murmured, “Good night.” Once the bedroom door was fully shut, she half-closed her eyes. Raising a hand, her fingertips gently traced the corner of her own lips for a moment, as if recalling the sensation of the kiss, exuding a subtle, captivating allure.
After a long pause, she opened her eyes again. A faint, inscrutable smile touched her lips as she shifted her gaze back to the book, placing it on her lap once more.
The pad of her thumb slid over the closed edge of the book, slowly flipping it open to the chapter where she had been interrupted. Gloria lowered her gaze and, by the light of the lamp, resumed her reading to the rhythmic ticking of the clock.
“Persedoro, the Goddess of Deceit, one of the six original gods and one of the three principal gods of the demons, was born upon the last stretch of barren land at the southern edge of the continent…”
“Compared to the other five, known records concerning this goddess are exceedingly rare. So much so that after consulting every historical text in the kingdom, this author has only been able to glean the following few details about the Goddess of Deceit.”
“First, the Goddess of Deceit rarely revealed her true form. Aside from Talebris, the Goddess of Darkness, and Hebgard, the God of War, it seems no other deity knew her true appearance.”
“Second, among the six original gods, the Goddess of Deceit was skilled in neither magic nor combat. According to the legends and historical accounts from after the War of Gods, she most often acted in the capacity of a strategist or advisor.”
“Third, it is my personal speculation that the Goddess of Deceit likely possessed an exclusive ‘Rule’—a concept used to describe a deity’s unique special ability, such as the Goddess of Fate’s exclusive Rule of ‘Prophecy’—namely: a temptation that no one can resist.”
“…”
Gloria lifted her gaze from the book and looked up quietly at the bright lamp overhead.
The light danced in her eyes like a lone fish, leaving ripples across what had been a tranquil sea and filling it with a sudden, vibrant life.
“—‘A temptation that no one can resist,’ is it?”
The girl with hair like cascading moonlight gave a low chuckle. She turned her head to gaze into the boundless night, a cool, thin smile gracing her exquisite features. The light in her eyes slowly faded, leaving behind only an endless depth and cold indifference.
“If that’s the case, then let me be the one to try. Let me become the person recorded in the history books of the future as ‘the first to successfully resist the temptation’.”
Comments
Post a Comment