Chapter 538: Ian’s and Chiffon’s Secret

The days passed swiftly and the Staff of the Academy busied themselves with the preparations for Princess Sidonie's Birthday Party. 

Several servants from the Royal Palace had been sent to the academy to help, and even the Head Butler of the Palace was mobilized into action.

"Everyone, Her Highness' birthday is just two days away," Michaelis, the Head Butler of the Kraetor Royal Palace, said in a commanding tone. "I don't want any mishaps to happen, so please, do your best. Do I make myself clear?"

""Yes!""

This was not the first time that a member of the Royal Family had celebrated their birthday in Silverwind Academy. Everyone already knew the arrangements that needed to be made, so the preparation was going at a smooth pace. 

While everyone was doing their best to make her happy, Princess Sidonie was currently inside the Beach Villa, on the Tenth Floor of the Dungeon of Atlantis. 

As the day of her Eighteenth Birthday drew near, the power inside her body was starting to awaken. It was to the point that William had to help her with maintenance every two days, to prevent it from breaking out completely. 

Her voice tinged with pleasure sounded inside the room, as William absorbed the power of her Divinity inside the gem embedded in his chest. 

William had to admit that if he didn't have the Incubus Job Class, he would be hard pressed to help his lover alleviate the burning desire that was threatening to consume her. 

"Darling, I promise that I will not let you rest on your birthday next month," Morgana vowed as she lovingly kissed William's lips. 

After their passionate kiss ended, the beautiful succubus pressed her sinful body against her beloved before whispering in William's ears.

"I swore long ago that I will have your babies. I will not let you run away."

William kissed Morgana's neck before replying to her.

"I don't have plans on running away," William whispered. "Let's fight for thirty rounds if you like. The winner will get to order the loser to do one thing. What do you say?"

"Sounds good. Sidonie is also in agreement. Are you ready to lose, Darling?"

"Silly girl. Let's see if you will be able to brag after I'm done with you."

The two once again frolicked on the bed, not caring about what was happening in the outside world. 

Ian was currently taking care of Chiffon. Due to William's declaration that he would take care of her, the students of the Academy no longer called her Trash Eater in the open. Especially since they were aware that the girl no longer visited the Garbage Dump since she started hanging around William and Princess Sidonie.

This change in her routine made the other students almost forget the things that she had done in the past. 

Also, Chiffon was not only well fed, but also well taken care of. Her uniforms were clean, her hair smooth and silky, and her skin was white and radiant. 

After weeks of rehabilitation, the pink-haired girl that everyone ridiculed was like a blooming flower that carried the scent of jasmines. 

Even the boys in the academy were starting to take notice of this cute, and adorable girl, who seemed to have transformed from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. 

There were even high-ranking nobles who were starting to think that she would be an ideal lover after a few years, once she had matured.

(A/N: Chiffon's race and age are only known by a select few, namely William, the Emperor Leonidas, and Evexius. Everyone else thinks of her as a twelve year old girl because of her cuteness and height. 

Just in case any of you had forgotten, Chiffon is older than William by a year. She likes to call William Big Brother because she wanted to be spoiled by one, but her blood related brothers were scum, so there has never been an opportunity.)

As Ian and Chiffon strolled around the academy, the little girl seemed spaced out. Although she didn't mind being around Ian, she still preferred to hold William's hand. Although it felt rough to the touch, her heart felt at peace whenever they were together.

Also, her stock of chocolate lollipops grew by the day. 

William was able to create fifty of each lollipop type, except for the Pink Lollipop. The effect of the chocolate lollipop lasts for three days. Even if Chiffon were to chew one, it wasn't much of a problem. 

Chewing the chocolate lollipop made her not feel any hunger for a day. Right now, she had hundreds of them in her storage ring, so she felt at ease. 

(A/N: Since she is the Sin of Gluttony, the effects of the chocolate lollipop is lessened. Instead of three days, its effect lasted only a day.)

Chiffon was now also able to enjoy regular food like normal people. Back then, she didn't really have the luxury of taking the time to enjoy the taste of the food, because her hunger had clouded her other senses.

Sometimes, she would wake up in the middle of the night in tears because she had a bad dream. A dream where her current life, and the happiness she was experiencing, was only an illusion.

If not for the fact that she slept beside Princess Sidonie every night, the pink-haired girl might have suffered from a nervous breakdown. She didn't want to return to those dark and difficult days when she had to fend for herself, alone.

Chiffon would rather stay in the dream and never wake up, if the reality that awaited her when she opened her eyes was a nightmare that she had to live with for the rest of her life.

"Ian, when will Big Brother return?" Chiffon asked as the two sat on one of the benches overlooking the Black Giant Monument in the plaza. 

"Don't worry. He will be back soon." Ian patted Chiffon's head. "Why? Do you miss him already?"

Chiffon nodded before looking at the Giant Monument where the names of the most outstanding students of the academy could be seen. 

William's name shone brightly at the very top of the monument, and Chiffon looked at it with a pout. Although she knew that William was Princess Sidonie's fiance, she couldn't help but feel envious of the beautiful princess because she had what she didn't possess.

When the two kissed in front of the Girl's Dormitory many days ago, she felt a slight pain in her chest. She didn't understand why she felt that way.

After leaving the Whispering Wind Tavern, she had consulted William about the pain she had felt back then. What the Half-Elf did back then was to place his hand over Chiffon's head and close his eyes.

Chiffon felt a slight tingling sensation as William activated his Life Mage Job Class and used a diagnostic scan on the little girl's body to check if there was something wrong with her. The test results showed that everything was fine, and Chiffon was perfectly healthy. 

The pink-haired girl trusted William with all of her heart, so when the Half-Elf told her that there was nothing wrong with her, she thought that it was just a figment of her imagination. 

However, whenever the image of the Princess kissing William appeared in her mind, the slight pain returned and it made Chiffon feel uncomfortable.

"Ian, does your chest hurt sometimes?" Chiffon asked. "Mine hurts from time to time."

Ian frowned, and decided to ask Chiffon more about the pain she was experiencing. Although she wasn't an expert in medical knowledge, she still knew the basics on how to deal with simple illnesses.

"What kind of pain do you feel?" Ian asked. "Is it a dull pain, a sharp pain, or a stinging pain?"

Chiffon placed her hand over her chest and closed her eyes. She recalled Princess Sidonie kissing William and felt a dull ache spreading in her chest.

"It's a dull pain," Chiffon replied. "If I hold the image long enough, I feel like I will suffocate from the pain."

"Image? What image?" 

"The image of Sidonie kissing Big Brother. The pain, it's suffocating. It's hard to breathe."

Ian's body stiffened as she looked at the little girl beside her. She then pulled her close and gave her a hug, while silently cursing the Half-Elf who was spreading his pheromones everywhere. 

"Stop thinking about it," Ian said softly. "Nothing is wrong with you. The pain you are feeling is normal. Sometimes, I feel like that, too"

"You do?" Chiffon opened her eyes and looked at Ian in surprise. "Do you also feel pain when you see Princess Sidonie kiss Big Brother?"

"No." Ian firmly shook her head. "However, back then, I also felt a similar feeling."

Yes. In the past, when William was together with Wendy, Ian felt the same. That dull ache in her chest as she looked at the lovey-dovey couple who were blatantly showing their affection in public. 

"Is this pain really normal?"

"Yes."

In truth. Ian was on the fence about whether to tell the little girl the truth or not. 

'Maybe it's just a crush,' Ian thought. 'Since William is the first person who treated her kindly, she feels a certain attachment and like for him. The moment that attention is diverted to other people, she unconsciously feels jealousy.'

Ian sighed internally and cursed the red-headed teenager a second time. Right now, she couldn't tell William what the little girl was going through. There was a possibility that William would distance himself from Chiffon, in order to prevent the little girl from developing feelings for him.

She knew that if that were to happen, Chiffon might close up her heart to people and return to the state she was in the past. Ian didn't want to see that happen because she found the little girl too pitiful.

"Chiffon, don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Ian said as she held Chiffon's hand firmly. "Not even to Will. This will be our secret. Can you promise me that?"

Chiffon nodded her head. Although she didn't understand why she must keep the pain she was feeling a secret from William, something inside her was telling her that Ian was right. 

"Then, what should I do if I feel the same pain again?" Chiffon inquired as she stared straight at Ian's eyes.

Ian met her gaze steadily and smiled. "It's really simple. Whenever you feel that kind of pain, all you need to do is…"

Chiffon listened to Ian's suggestions and closed her eyes. As soon as she followed Ian's advice, the pain in her chest disappeared and was replaced by warm, and happy feelings. 

The corner of the little girl's lips rose very slightly. It was very hard to detect, so Ian wasn't able to see it. 

"Ian, you are right," Chiffon said with her eyes still closed. "I no longer feel any pain. I feel warm and safe."

"Mmm." Ian hummed. 

Ian then hugged the little girl more firmly. Ian sincerely wished that Chiffon would find happiness in her life. Just like how she found her happiness, in the embrace of the person she loved.