Chapter 133: Chapter 20 - Three Days Before The King's Game, Day 1 (5)

For a while, Alice just cried as I held her tightly from behind. She didn't speak, only silently wept. Maybe it would have been better for her if I let her go, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. If I released her, I feared I might lose her forever, and I couldn't bear the thought of that.

Even to this day, I had no clue what Alice's skill was. She had mentioned in one of her letters that her skill had finally awakened, and it was related to healing, but she never provided specific details. Healing skills weren't uncommon, but those with unique abilities beyond simple healing were rare. I recalled someone from the academy with a healing skill called Wound Transferal.

It allowed them to heal others by transferring their wounds onto themselves, or even onto their enemies. It was a skill with a dangerous twist, capable of turning the tables on opponents by inflicting self-harm.

After a while, her tears subsided, and she spoke softly, "You've changed a lot, Leon. I've noticed how much you've matured in the past four months since I last saw you. Actually, maybe you started changing even before then. It's like something shifted the moment you left the village. I couldn't help but wonder if it was because you found love in the capital."

We were both seated back on the bed now.

"I did entertain that thought at one point, that perhaps you stopped coming because of that," she confessed. "I told myself that if that were true, I would let you go. But when you appeared here after all this time, I couldn't bring myself to do it. That's when I realized...

I'm in love with you." She paused, then added, "I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but if I had to guess, it was when you saved me."

"So you remembered?" I inquired, surprised. I had assumed she might have blocked out the memory due to its traumatic nature.

"Yeah," she replied softly, her gaze drifting up to the ceiling as she released a heavy sigh. "The memory of that day, it all came rushing back to me eventually. It hit me like a ton of bricks when you left the village, Leon. I was consumed by fear, unable to sleep, my thoughts consumed by the horrors of that moment. The only thing that kept me tethered to sanity was fixating on thoughts of you.

It was a strange solace, really. Whenever a wave of panic threatened to overwhelm me, the mere thought of you would wash over me like a calming tide, soothing my frayed nerves. And when I finally pieced together the fragments of memory, I realized... I was in love with you. At first, I denied it, couldn't fathom the idea of falling for you.

But then again, considering you rescued me from the brink of becoming a sex slave, perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all. As the days passed without your visits, I found myself gazing in the direction you had departed, towards the capital. Slowly, it dawned on me that perhaps you had ceased your visits because you had found love there, had no time to spare for our humble village.

I was prepared to let you go, to resign myself to the ache of unrequited feelings. But I couldn't ignore the longing in my heart, the yearning to see you once more. And so, I took a chance, I sent that letter."

After a moment, she lowered her gaze, her voice tinged with sadness. "When I first laid eyes on you upon your return, I couldn't shake the feeling that you had changed. Perhaps you had found yourself a lover while you were away. Call it woman's intuition, but I couldn't ignore the nagging suspicion in my gut. I needed to hear it from you personally.

And when you confirmed my fears, it felt like a dagger through my heart. The pain was so intense, I thought my knees would give out right then and there."

Raising her eyes to meet mine, she continued, "Thank you, Leon."

I blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"For not deceiving me," she replied, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips. Suddenly, I heard a faint, metallic chime in my mind. She then shifted her gaze away from me, leaning back against the bed with her hands supporting her weight as she stared up at the ceiling. Another sigh escaped her lips, but this one carried a sense of relief. "With this, I can finally let go of my feelings for you.

I can focus on pursuing my dream of becoming a priestess. And if that doesn't work out, well, maybe nunhood isn't such a bad alternative now that my love for you has ended."

As she spoke, I glanced at her domination requirements and realized that the first condition had been fulfilled.

--

You've captured the interest of Alice. You can now proceed to dominate her.

As we continued, my hands found their way to her breasts, caressing them tenderly.

"No!"

It was then that realization dawned on her, and with all her strength, she pushed me away.

"...Y-You already have a lover, and yet you'd go this far with me?" she accused, tears brimming in her eyes as she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "Leon, I never thought you could sink this low. You're the worst." With those words, she rose from the bed and stormed out of my room.

Her words stabbed at my heart, leaving a bitter ache in its wake. Despite my lack of motivation, I knew I had to check her domination requirements.

--

You've captured the interest of Alice. You can now proceed to dominate her.

Name: Alice

Race: Human-Vampire Hybrid

Requirements to dominate Alice:

1. Make Alice say her true feelings three times (3/3) (Completed!)

2. Kiss Alice and push her onto the bed (Completed!)

3. Apologize to Alice

4. Unlock

....

--

After seeing that, I reassured myself that it was acceptable. As long as Alice remained mine and didn't seek out other guys, even if she viewed me as scum, I could tolerate it. Even if she spoke of becoming a nun, there was no guarantee she wouldn't abandon that path for another man if she fell in love again. The thought disgusted me.

So, even if my actions were despicable, I convinced myself it was acceptable.

In that moment, a voice echoed in my mind, a voice from my buried memories of my past life.

"...You've become a scum."

I clenched my teeth, banishing those words from my thoughts.