OHNIR – Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Liar
Gloria’s fingertips tapped on the documents as she pondered for a long time.
“You’re right, he’s the most suitable one,” the silver-haired girl said thoughtfully. “Because he has to shoulder a threefold mission—one, to represent us and collude with the Demon King, finding an opportunity for the latter to attack the Nobili Kingdom; two, to search the demon’s territory, helping the Goddess of Deceit find the Holy Force Source she believes is hidden at the Continent’s Edge; and three, which is his true purpose, to gather all information for us regarding the ‘Dark Mark’ and the Goddess of Deceit.”
“A pure human would find it difficult to complete these three objectives quickly… because an outsider’s movements would surely be restricted, and we don’t have much time,” Kelusta added. “But Musen is different. He can integrate into that group at the Continent’s Edge at the fastest possible speed—both because he is a demon himself, and because he is a wind mage.”
Due to their innate limitations, demons could only acquire magic by consuming the magical power in human blood or through generational inheritance.
Musen had grown up in an orphanage and never had the chance to harm humans, which indicated he was very likely the sole survivor of an ancient demon family.
The demons had been building up their strength for years to return to the center of the continent. Now was a critical moment when they needed such talent, so they naturally wouldn’t ostracize this poor little thing who had just returned—even if he had spent the first half of his life in the Nobili Kingdom.
In Kelusta’s plan, as soon as Musen’s demon identity was discovered, he would immediately become a guest of honor to the Demon King and even the entire race. Not only would he have greater authority, but he would also be able to pass information to them more freely, killing two birds with one stone.
The only variable was—
“You need to ensure his loyalty,” Gloria said, cutting straight to the point. “If he really goes with the flow and returns to the demons, this entire game we’ve set up will be lost in an instant.”
“To be honest, I’m only seventy percent certain about this,” Kelusta replied. “But I have an even bolder plan. If it succeeds, it can raise his loyalty to at least ninety percent.”
Gloria raised her eyes, waiting for her to continue.
Kelusta took a deep breath, as if she had just made some kind of resolution, and began to speak in a low voice:
“I am willing to promise him that after the Holy Force Source is restored, I will immediately do my utmost to persuade the current rulers of the continent’s center to allow all of humanity to accept the demons’ settlement… But the prerequisite for this is that Musen must form an unbreakable partnership with us, and do his absolute best to—”
She closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and said faintly, “Become the Demon King.”
After hearing the brown-haired girl’s ambition, Gloria was silent for a long time before finally agreeing to her plan.
She chose to trust the other’s judgment of character and was willing to take this gamble with Kelusta.
With that, the candidate to be sent to the demons was decided. Gloria finally no longer had to toil over the small mountain of documents. She happily finished her work for the day, and after leading Kelusta out of the study, she realized that night had fallen long ago.
“Lady Gloria, Miss Amirium,” the maid waiting at the door curtsied and said respectfully, “It is now nine in the evening. Young Master Wend returned not long ago, but His Grace the Duke has been kept by His Majesty to discuss other matters and has not yet returned home.”
“Mm, I understand,” Gloria responded, not at all surprised. She turned to look at Kelusta and smiled. “Wend is quite familiar with you, and besides, it’s so late. There’s no need to go and pay your respects to him. Just come with me.”
Kelusta nodded.
Another day of not being able to speak with my father-in-law…
She sighed quietly in her heart, then suddenly heard the maid beside her ask, “My lady, shall I prepare a guest room for Miss Amirium now?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gloria replied directly, “No need. She’s sleeping with me.”
The silver-haired girl’s tone was so matter-of-fact that Kelusta couldn’t help but cough. Under the maid’s astonished gaze, she straightened her face, looking utterly proper and serious as she nodded in agreement.
“Very well, my lady.” The maid wasn’t surprised for long. Her excellent training allowed her to quickly compose herself and put on a proper smile again. “I will inform the butler shortly.”
Kelusta coughed even louder.
It’s just… just sleeping! Why does it have to be announced to so many people!
The commotion attracted Gloria’s attention. The latter turned her head, glanced at her, and couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile. She naturally took Kelusta’s hand and led her directly toward her bedroom.
“Wait, wait—”
For some reason, Kelusta grew a little nervous. She blinked, grabbed Gloria’s arm, and swallowed under the other’s confused gaze, stammering a bit, “Is… is it time for bed already? The garden is so beautiful. We could, um, go admire the moon. It’s not too late!”
“…” Gloria turned her head to look at the overcast sky and the pitch-black garden outside the window, then said calmly, “It’s nine o’clock. That’s not early.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Kelusta’s face scrunch up. Her whole body went as stiff as a support pillar, and she said mournfully, “But I’m not sleepy at all…”
Gloria’s smile faltered, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.
Under Kelusta’s glare, she took a half step forward, instantly closing the distance between them to a dangerous degree. As the latter reacted and tried to retreat, Gloria raised a hand, grabbed the brown-haired girl’s waist, and said coolly, “It’s not like we haven’t slept together before. What are you afraid of?”
“…”
Kelusta thought to herself, Back then, it was just a normal classmate staying over. Now, we’ve been promoted to fiancées-to-be. How could sleeping in the same bed mean the same thing!
But saying that out loud would change the mood. The brown-haired girl kept her mouth shut, secretly rolling her eyes. Even as Gloria leaned closer and closer, her pale silver eyelashes nearly brushing against her own, she remained resolute and didn’t say a single word.
However, even if she insisted on not speaking, Gloria wouldn’t remain silent with her.
The silver-haired girl blinked, a glint flashing in her sea-blue eyes. She curled her lips, drew even nearer, and whispered, almost brushing against the other’s lips, “Could it be… you’re afraid I’ll do something to you?”
Kelusta’s eyes widened instantly, and she sharply held her breath—
The next second, however, the duke’s daughter thoughtfully pulled back a little. While watching the other’s on-guard expression with great interest, she turned, took her hand again, and said nonchalantly, “Before you’re ready, I ‘probably’ won’t do anything to you… Don’t worry.”
Kelusta let herself be pulled along like a puppet, completely missing the insincerity in Gloria’s guarantee.
Because she was busy arguing with the System.
“You’re the worst one I’ve ever had,” the mechanical voice commented without any emotion, hiding its contempt well. “Aren’t you usually quite the flirt? The moment things get real, you chicken out. So pathetic.”
Being mocked, Kelusta’s mind roared like the seafood market in Seaside Town, full of the sounds of haggling. While suppressing her racing heart, she swallowed and said defiantly, “I didn’t chicken out! Stop slandering me!”
The System sneered, sounding quite disdainful. “According to research, when humans feel guilty, they tend to raise their voice to hide their lack of confidence. —You are a textbook case right now. Do you need me to re-project this recording for you?”
“…” Kelusta faltered, but still insisted, “I’m not lacking confidence, I’m just… just a little nervous!”
“Oh?” the System retorted. “So, you’re prepared for ‘something to happen’?”
Kelusta pressed her lips together, looked up at Gloria’s graceful and beautiful back, and unconsciously tightened her grip on the other’s hand.
She was silent for a moment, as if after some internal struggle, before finally answering, “I think… yes, I’m ready.”
If it’s her, then anything is fine, the brown-haired girl said softly in her heart. Because she is the one I’ve chosen, the one who will spend the rest of my life with me—the only one.
Gloria’s bedroom wasn’t much different from her dormitory at the academy; both were decorated in an elegant and noble classical style.
With the deteriorating natural environment of the Nobili continent, the fact that the furniture in Gloria’s room was still guaranteed to be made of solid wood was a testament to the immense wealth of the Silentdis family.
It was too late for tea, so the maid brought a mild fruit juice. As Kelusta sipped it, she watched Gloria bring a blooming golden flower from the windowsill and place it right in front of her, saying with a hint of pride, “This is the rose you gave me.”
Kelusta reached out a finger and gently brushed the soft petals, her gaze warming. “After all these years, it can still bloom so beautifully… It must have been a lot of work for you to take care of it, right?”
“It wasn’t that much work.” Gloria shook her head and said with a smile, “On one hand, the invisible support of light magic elements has given it a more tenacious life force than ordinary flowers. On the other hand, it’s because this rose has a special symbolic meaning, and I very much want it to bloom forever.”
She raised her eyes and looked deeply at Kelusta, her expression gentle. “On the Nobili continent, a golden rose represents ‘eternal memories’… Legend has it that as long as it continues to bloom, the owner’s most precious memories will never fade.”
Her deep blue eyes held a multitude of complex emotions, but in the end, they all dissolved into the ripple of a breaking wave.
Gloria smiled. Her fingertips moved past the rose to gently cup Kelusta’s hand as she said solemnly, “Even if you once had to forget our past for certain reasons—I believe that as long as I always remember, those wonderful times will exist forever.”
“You are my most precious memory, Ruth,” the silver-haired girl said. “I want to carve you into my heart, so that even after thousands of years, you will never fade in the slightest.”
Gloria bent her fingers, intertwining them with Kelusta’s, and smiled faintly.
“I formally welcome you to the rest of my life—my dear, my one and only… Miss Little Shell.”
Warmth spread from her palm, and her eyes began to sting uncontrollably. Kelusta took a deep breath, nodded with tears in her smile, and threw herself into the silver-haired girl’s waiting arms.
“You too, Lux.”
Kelusta sniffled, her eyes curving into crescents, and the moment the words left her lips, she fiercely kissed Gloria.
“I want to occupy your heart and bloom there like a rose,” she said. “I want to grow with you, grow old with you, and love you always, right up until we enter our graves.”
Lips and teeth meeting represented the most intimate contact, and breaths intertwining, the closest distance. A faint, wet sound echoed indistinctly in the room, like a golden stream flowing into the ocean, sinking into a softness gathered from the waves.
The mood was perfect.
Gloria undid her dress, her long fingers sliding down the brown-haired girl’s neck, as if tracing a line, or perhaps delicately blending pigments, like painting a masterpiece for the ages with the softest of brushes.
Kelusta let out a hot breath from between her lips, her slender, swan-like neck arching up. Her eyes, like amber submerged in a clear spring, shimmered as she looked at the silver-haired girl causing mischief, saying in a voice that was half-pleading, half-protesting, “No… Lux, don’t—”
Gloria chuckled softly, lowered her head to place a reassuring kiss on her cheek, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Relax, my dear… I promise, I won’t let you get hurt.”
The next day, the sun was bright.
Kelusta stared wide-eyed, her back aching as she wrapped the soft feather duvet around herself, feeling as if her bones had turned to jelly.
She held it in for a long time but couldn’t resist. She turned and glared fiercely at Gloria, who still had her eyes closed, and said through gritted teeth, “I remember you said you wouldn’t do anything to me until I was ready!”
“I did say that… but I must remind you, you missed a word, my girl,” the silver-haired girl said, lazily placing a hand over her forehead to block the light. The corner of her lip curled up as she gave Kelusta a pleased and sated smile. “What I clearly said was that I ‘probably’ wouldn’t do anything to you. —Besides, judging from your performance yesterday, weren’t you quite satisfied with my service?”
She pronounced the word “service” with a meaningful tone, making Kelusta’s face burn. Her hands moved faster than her brain; she yanked the duvet up and wrapped it tightly around her head.
Gloria’s faint, amused laughter filtered through the down feathers to her ears, causing the brown-haired girl to curl up even tighter.
She bit her lower lip and thought resentfully—
As expected… a woman’s mouth is a deceiving ghost!
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