DEG - Chapter 30
Chapter 30: You've Acknowledged Our Marriage
Although they were words meant to comfort Luo Nanqiu, Jiang Xun had clearly broken something.
The crystal-clear glass barrier between them had shattered a little more.
This time, Jiang Xun had shattered it herself.
Jiang Xun had to admit that Luo Nanqiu's feelings for her were more than just friendship or familial affection.
After all, those kinds of feelings didn't come with such terrifying possessiveness.
The kind of possessiveness that wished no one else-not even another version of herself-could have her.
And what about her?
Did she feel possessive of the Eldest Miss?
Jiang Xun wasn't actually sure.
But facing the Eldest Miss's tear-filled eyes, the look in them after hearing Jiang Xun's words was one of shock and disbelief.
So much so that Luo Nanqiu stared at her intently.
Just like... that night.
Jiang Xun's fingers twitched slightly, a blush quickly rising to her face. Her gray eyes were full of evasion.
The shyness was obvious.
Luo Twenty-Five was charmed by her cuteness, but she was more focused on deciphering the meaning behind Jiang Xun's words.
The paper window between them had been pierced.
Jiang Xun knew she loved her, and she was taking it well.
Even...
Luo Twenty-Five's gaze fell on the bite mark on Jiang Xun's jaw.
It had actually faded a little, but because Jiang Xun was so pale now, even the slightest red mark was incredibly conspicuous.
They had even been extremely intimate.
Luo Twenty-Five came to a swift conclusion.
Her mind felt a bit dazed from the overwhelming and intense emotional impact.
Even so, she couldn't suppress her instinct to pursue what she wanted.
"Are we together now?" she murmured.
Luo Twenty-Five's cool fingers gently caressed Jiang Xun's burning cheeks, lightly wiping away the sweat from her temples.
Knowing Jiang Xun still had a bit of a headache, Luo Twenty-Five wiped the blood from her hands on Luo Eighteen's skirt, then used the massage techniques she had learned before to gently knead the crown of Jiang Xun's head and her temples.
Jiang Xun: ...
Putting aside how good the massage felt, did they really have to discuss this right now?
Jiang Xun's face was already uncontrollably red, but the places Luo Twenty-Five's cool fingers touched felt even hotter.
Luo Twenty-Five's technique was meticulous, but her gaze was fixed on her.
She stared intently at every inch of her, her eyes lingering on her jaw.
She had clearly seen the bite mark Luo Nanqiu had left.
Jiang Xun could even feel her fervent gaze shifting toward her neck, wanting to see if there were any more marks left by someone else on her body.
Even though that "someone else" was her future self.
Jiang Xun: ...
Enough!
She felt like a cooked shrimp, wanting to curl up into a ball and hide from everyone.
Especially Luo Nanqiu!
But there were three Nanqius in this room!
And she was sandwiched between two of them.
Jiang Xun closed her eyes.
Figuring her face was this red, there was nothing she could say to defend herself.
She decided to just throw caution to the wind.
"Aren't we married?" she said, giving up.
She heard the sound of Luo Nanqiu abruptly taking a step forward in the distance.
She also heard a low chuckle from Luo Twenty-Five in front of her.
"You know that's not the answer I want," Luo Twenty-Five retorted.
"But I suppose that's an answer in its own way?" Luo Twenty-Five said softly, her voice mixed with a satisfied sigh.
"You've acknowledged our marriage."
It was a statement of certainty.
Luo Twenty-Five's soft laugh made Jiang Xun's ears tingle and burn.
She was surrounded by Nanqiu's scent, and even Luo Twenty-Five's voice was somewhat ambiguous and bewitching.
It made her involuntarily recall her loss of composure that day.
She didn't know why she had suddenly been overcome with lust.
She also suddenly remembered some of her unusual behavior from before.
For example, at the Eldest Miss's graduation ceremony when she was twenty-four.
Her mission schedule was tight, but she still squeezed out the time to get her hair styled, something completely unnecessary.
She had wanted a style that Luo Nanqiu would like, one that would make others envy Nanqiu.
So she spent a great deal of time getting her hair cut into a wolf tail that made her look more dashing.
Perhaps her feelings for the Eldest Miss weren't just a mix of guilt and heartache.
But something more, something she couldn't put into words-a 'like' that she wasn't sure was actually 'love'.
She had never before categorized her feelings for the Eldest Miss as romantic love.
But she had also subconsciously felt that she and the Eldest Miss would be together forever in this life.
She wasn't sure what kind of relationship it would be.
Because they were closer than family or friends.
The only thing she was certain of was that their companionship was eternal.
She would not be separated from the Eldest Miss.
So, if it was marriage, then so be it.
The moment she came to this realization, Jiang Xun felt a great weight lift from her shoulders.
She couldn't tell if it was because she was just giving up and would no longer have to think about such complicated questions...
...or because she felt that the other person also saw their eternal relationship the same way.
And that it was even so in the legal sense, and in the eyes of the world.
They were meant to be together.
So Jiang Xun hummed in agreement.
Though the sound was faint, it was filled with certainty.
She couldn't help but raise her eyes to look at Luo Nanqiu's expression.
But Luo Twenty-Five just chuckled softly and completely blocked her view of Luo Nanqiu.
Jiang Xun tilted her head slightly and saw that the tips of Luo Eighteen's ears were red, her face a mixture of shame and indignation, as if to say, "I just stumbled in here, I don't want to hear any of this."
But undeniably, the smile playing on her lips was beautiful.
So the Eldest Miss had wanted to marry her so long ago?
Perhaps it was due to overusing her Mental Power, but even after recovering with a potion and receiving Luo Twenty-Five's supportive massage, Jiang Xun's thoughts were still a bit sluggish and fragmented.
She felt a little embarrassed and covered her eyes with the back of her hand, as if that would make her invisible.
But she heard Luo Twenty-Five's laugh.
It was very soft, yet it tickled one's heart.
But in the next moment, she felt a warm drop of liquid on her cheek.
It was a tear.
The Eldest Miss was crying.
Jiang Xun felt herself being pulled into an embrace that reeked of blood and heard Luo Eighteen's angry hiss, "You..."
But the word died on her lips.
Was it because Luo Twenty-Five was truly crying so miserably?
Jiang Xun couldn't help but move her hand away and look at her.
Luo Twenty-Five was crying.
Her eyes were moist, the corners crimson, and her expression was a mix of sorrow and joy, but mostly it was one of grievance and relief.
"You don't resent me?"
she asked, her voice choked with sobs.
"If I hadn't forced you to be with me that way, you wouldn't have..."
"I wouldn't have," Jiang Xun shook her head before she could finish.
"They've had it out for me for a long time. It wasn't the first or second time they wanted me dead."
Only after she said this did Jiang Xun realize Luo Twenty-Five was crying even harder.
Even Luo Eighteen was angry.
"I told you not to go to the military academy! You're covered in the Luo Family's label, of course they were going to target you!"
Luo Eighteen couldn't hold back and angrily shook Jiang Xun's body, but Luo Twenty-Five grabbed her wrist, stopping her from moving Jiang Xun any further.
Luo Eighteen snorted angrily and rolled her eyes at Luo Twenty-Five.
Luo Twenty-Five, however, asked, "How many times did they target you? Were you ever seriously injured? Were there many times you lied to me about not finishing a mission, when you were actually recovering from your injuries at a comrade's place?"
She had clearly been holding a grudge about these things for a long time.
Jiang Xun: "...Er."
It seemed that in her haste, she had exposed more than she should have.
But was that the point right now?!
Seeing Jiang Xun remain silent.
Luo Twenty-Five's voice grew dejected. Her long, damp lashes lowered as she spoke, her voice choked and broken, "If you want to hide it from me, then so be it..."
Just as a pang of heartache hit Jiang Xun and she was about to vaguely confess, she heard Luo Eighteen snort behind her.
"Green tea."
Realizing Jiang Xun had heard her, Luo Eighteen added, "Haven't seen you in a few years, and you've learned some green tea tricks."
Jiang Xun: ...
Luo Twenty-Five looked up at Luo Eighteen in the distance. Though her eyes were teary, her gaze was dark and filled with a coldness that suggested she was about to chop the loudmouth to pieces.
Luo Eighteen: ...
Ah, she was probably already God Rank at that point. I definitely can't beat her.
Luo Eighteen rolled her eyes and tactfully returned to her card.
Luo Twenty-Five lowered her gaze, once again looking teary-eyed, aggrieved, and broken.
But Jiang Xun couldn't feel sorry for her anymore.
She kind of wanted to laugh.
Her head didn't hurt much anymore.
She stood up and hugged Luo Twenty-Five, saying softly, "I will never resent you, and you shouldn't resent yourself either."
"The truth is, as long as I'm alive, they will always target me."
"Because Jiang Xun was shaped by both Jiang Xun and Luo Nanqiu."
"You are the biggest reason I am who I am."
Holding Luo Twenty-Five in her arms, Jiang Xun looked up at the present-day Luo Nanqiu, who had been silent all this time, as if she had done something wrong.
These words came from Jiang Xun's heart, but saying them out loud was just...
It was just too sentimental.
Jiang Xun had already closed her eyes in embarrassment.
She heard Luo Twenty-Five, who was hugging her, begin to cry even louder.
Her tears had already soaked through her clothes.
She heard footsteps from nearby.
They were very light and slow, yet each step seemed to land on the tip of her heart.
It was Luo Nanqiu.
Then came the rustle of fabric, a breeze against her cheek, followed by hurried breathing.
She knelt down to be at eye level with her.
Jiang Xun's long lashes trembled. She opened her eyes slightly, only to see Luo Nanqiu leaning in to kiss her.
Luo Nanqiu held Jiang Xun's head, careful not to touch Luo Twenty-Five.
Her kiss was urgent.
It was a tempest that completely contradicted her calm exterior, threatening to steal every last breath from Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun's mind went blank from the kiss. Bitten by the Eldest Miss, she felt the urge to bite back.
But the moment she remembered she was still being held by Luo Twenty-Five, she didn't dare make a move.
Even though this was the Eldest Miss's past self.
It was still weird, no matter how you looked at it!
She wanted to end this awkward and somewhat absurd kiss as quickly as possible.
But she didn't dare pull away and break the kiss herself.
She was afraid the Eldest Miss would start overthinking again, letting her wild thoughts crush her from the inside.
Jiang Xun didn't dare to move. A moment later, the Eldest Miss finally ended it.
Her violet eyes were a little dark.
She clasped Jiang Xun's hand, interlacing their fingers, and held it against her heart as she looked at Jiang Xun with serious eyes.
"It's the same for Luo Nanqiu."
"Everything about Luo Nanqiu was shaped by Jiang Xun."
"All of her brilliance, all of her willfulness, all of her disgrace were shaped alongside Jiang Xun."
"So you have to take responsibility for a lifetime."
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