Ace POV

When early morning came, I awoke and blinked a few times as I attempted to shake away my drowsiness.

How long has it been since the last time I was able to sleep so well?

I felt so comfortable, in fact, that I almost felt like falling back asleep all over again, which was something quite rare for me these days.

For a moment, I was confused as to where I was, but then I slowly began to recognize the soft, baby blue wallpaper and the gentle white decor of the room.

...It was her room.

Gently, as to not shake the bed, I turned my body and laid my eyes on the sleeping beauty in front of me.

Her loose, airy blue hair spread across her pillow and her full lips were slightly opened as she slowly breathed in and out—without a single hint of danger.

I don't know how long I stared at her for.

All I knew was that, no matter what I did, I wasn't able to draw my eyes away from her.

I was curious.

What will she look like when she wakes up?

Using my curiosity as a poor excuse, I laid there, unable to move an inch as if I were hypnotized, as I watched Cordelia sleep peacefully.

Did she know how much the very sight of her affected me?

Did she know how much my heart wanted her and her alone?

If I could touch her, kiss her, perhaps even embrace her, I would.

I would hold onto her and never let her go.

But I was deathly afraid that she would pull away from me and reject me...that she would hate me.

Living without Cordelia would be much worse than death—it would be a life sentence of pain.

Eventually, the whisps of morning light began to flow through the windows and land on her thin eyelids.

She stirred and groaned slightly from discomfort.

Almost as if though my body were moving on its own, I immediately shielded her from the pesky light.

Slightly irritated that the sun had the audacity to bother Cordelia in the middle of her sleep, I lifted a few shadows from the ground and covered the windows with them using my magic.

Ah...What in the world was I doing...?

"...cold..."

Suddenly, Cordelia began to murmur in her sleep and she quivered a little at the disappearance of sunlight.

I was utterly conflicted as to what to do next.

She turned a little in her sleep, facing me, and she curled into a small pitiful ball to warm herself up again.

I didn't quite understand it, but her small actions were enough to make my heart melt against my control.

She was like a sleeping cat, who didn't know how intriguing and adorable it looked when it slept.

Ah...I'm such a hopeless man...

Hopeless.

Also stupid.

And very insane.

"...hmm...warm..." she whispered very quietly as she moved her way closer to me.

My entire body stiffened the moment she wrapped her small arm around my body and I was starting to question what I had done to deserve something like this.

With a content smile, she rubbed her cheeks on my chest as if though she were savoring the warmth of my body.

"...You can't be serious right now..." I groaned quietly as I clenched my jaw.

Everywhere she touched, I could feel my body grow increasingly hot and I grew dizzy at the mere sight of her defenseless self.

Did she know what she was doing to me right now?

Her actions were equivalent to some sort of psychological torture—it was something I had never experienced before.

"...hehe...Ace..." she giggled in her sleep.

I froze the moment I heard my name come from her lips and, for a moment, I thought that she had woken up.

When I realized that her eyes were still closed and that her relaxed breathing had not changed in the slightest, I gave a small frustrated sigh.

But yet, at the same time, I was unable to hide the sneaking grin that grazed my face.

I wonder what she was dreaming about...

To say my name in her sleep...I wonder...what type of dream was she having...?

"Are you sleeping well?" I murmured as I lowered my head into her ear.

I felt her soft hair brush against my face and I took the chance to inhale her sweet scent like some hopeless dug-addict.

Before I knew it, my own arms had wrapped themselves around her body and I cradled her against my chest, enjoying the feeling of her light breaths against my skin.

...I really had no self-control when it came to Cordelia.

To be honest, it was surprising that I was even able to last so long until now.

And it didn't help that Cordelia, who had no idea of the thoughts that ran through my head, had always managed to test the limits of my patience.

"...mmm..." Cordelia mumbled as she buried herself even deeper into my arms.

It was as if though she were an innocent child who was unknowingly throwing herself into fire.

Unable to stop myself, I tightened my hold on her as well and buried my face into her hair, holding her head against my chest.

"Sleep well, Cordelia," I whispered to her.

.

.

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Cordelia POV

It felt as if there was something heavy on top of me but, strangely enough, I didn't dislike the feeling.

It was quite nice, gentle, and warm.

Still half-asleep, I instinctively burrowed myself as closely as I could into the warm arms that wrapped around me.

In return, the strong arms tightened around me even more and I frowned a little at the stuffiness.

With a small sleepy groan, I weakly protested against the discomfort and, almost immediately, the arms loosened a little, allowing me to breathe much more comfortably.

Yep, this was nice.

I rubbed my face against the warm, yet muscular, flesh in front of me, feeling the loud, but pleasant, rhythmic heartbeat.

At this, the source of the warmth stiffened as if though it were frozen in place.

Haha...how weird...

How could something so warm be frozen?

A small, quiet groan rang out from somewhere in front of me and, slightly confused, I blinked open my eyes and saw the blurry outline of a man with grayish, silver hair and lovely green eyes.

Eventually, my vision cleared a little and I was able to see the finer details of the man.

What met my gaze was a sensual neck, a delicate Adam's apple, and a gentle face that looked at me as if though I were the most wonderful thing in the world.

There was only one man in the world that would have such an appearance.

"...Ace...?" I murmured his name, slightly confused.

The handsome man in front of me broke out into a soft smile and he ran his fingers through my hair until I was almost fully awake.

"Good morning, Cordelia."

Eh?

What was going on...?

"Are you awake now?" he asked as he gently lifted my face so that my eyes could meet his.

His face was so close that I could feel his breath meet my skin.

"W-Woah!!" I exclaimed loudly.

It was then that I realized that I was holding onto him and I immediately pulled myself away in my embarrassment.

Oh...my...God...

What the heck was I doing...?

"D-Don't tell me...W-Were we s-sleeping like that the whole t-time?" I stuttered as I looked to Ace for answers.

"..."

"D-Did we??" I repeated the question.

"...Only for a little bit," Ace replied with a cheeky grin on his face as if though he were enjoying the situation.

W-What in the world?!

"You should have woken me up!!" I cried out, unable to hide the sneaking blush on my face.

"...I thought it would be a shame since you were sleeping so peacefully after all," he replied with a small, shameless cock of his head as if though he were a good child, waiting to be praised for his goodwill.

I gave a small sigh of disbelief as I calmed myself down.

It was partially my fault for being so careless anyway.

Normally, whenever I sleep, I would easily awake with even the slightest of disturbances, since it was a habit that I developed during my time in the underground labyrinths.

Whenever I slept, I would always make sure to keep my guard up in case of any danger.

But...!

For some reason, my body was able to last night and I was able to sleep deeply, which was the first time in months for me.

Ace's presence...felt very safe and reassuring to me, I guess...

I blushed a little at my own thoughts.

Before I could open my mouth to scold Ace, I was soon lifted off of the bed and my feet dangled in the air as I gave a small yelp of surprise.

"A-Ace???" I squeaked as I gripped onto his shirt in fear that I would fall.

"Let's go get you ready, okay? And then we can eat some breakfast afterward. How does that sound?" Ace asked me as he started carrying outside of my room.

E-Eh?

"I-I can walk on m-my own, you know..." I stuttered as I tried to avoid the stares of the maids and servants that we passed by.

What in the world was he doing and why was he acting like this??

"Shh...Today, I want to be the one to take care of you," he said as he gave such a bright, happy smile that I was forced to clamp my mouth shut.

Aghhh...!

He was too blinding...!

And so, just like that, before I knew it, my morning routine had been done by him, as if I had reverted back into a toddler who couldn't do anything on her own again.

"Ah...next, we have to change your clothes..." Ace mumbled as if he had just stumbled across a surprising flaw in his plans.

He looked so incredibly disappointed that it was almost cute.

"Alright, I'll leave the room for a few seconds. But tell me when you're done changing, okay? Don't do anything else without me," Ace pleaded to me with his eyes and, in response, I nodded my head quickly as I pushed him outside the dressing room without another word.

I was finally able to relax the moment I locked the door behind me.

Ace was acting extraordinarily clingy today for some reason...!!

I mean...I didn't hate it...but if he kept this up for any longer, my heart was going to explode...!!

Quickly grabbing a random dress that looked nice, I quickly changed my clothes since I was worried that if I kept Ace waiting for too long, he would break down the door.

"What in the world is that guy planning?" I muttered underneath my breath.

And with that, I opened the door of the dressing room once I was done.

But the moment I did, I was immediately lifted from the ground by a puppy who had been eagerly awaiting me outside the door, Ace.

"I-I can walk on my own! L-Let me go...!" I finally complained after I couldn't handle it anymore.

"Mmm...Do you want me to?" he asked me with a slightly pitiful expression on his face.

Gah-!

He's too bright...!

It was as if though I was completely unable to resist him.

How in the world was I supposed to push myself away from him if he gave such a sad expression as if he were an abandoned puppy left in the rain...??

"N-No...it's fine..." I mumbled as I lowered my face from him in my embarrassment.

Ace gave a small chuckle at my reaction, as if he expected it, and continued on to bring me to the dining hall with a content smile on his face.

"Are you hungry, Cordelia?" he asked as he suddenly turned his head to face me.

"Mhm...I a-always am..." I nodded.

"Is there..." Ace murmured his face down to my ear, "...something you particularly want to eat?"

He asked the question so suggestively...so flirtatiously...that my face turned red as I tried to decipher what he meant.

What did I want to eat???

Was he talking about food...?

Or maybe...ahem...him-?

"Eh? What's wrong, Cordelia? Your face is red," Ace murmured innocently as if though he truly couldn't understand what I was thinking.

"N-Nothing!!" I squeaked as I tried to shoo away the dirty thoughts.

Of course Ace didn't mean it that way!!

What was I thinking??

"Um...I barely had anything to eat last night...so I'm hungry enough to eat anything right now..." I said as I tried to change the conversation.

Ace nodded his head as if though he understood exactly what I meant and gave a small, humorous chuckle as he continued to carry me princess-style.

After a while, I realized something strange.

Ace was taking me along the longer route to the dining hall that had many detours except for the shorter, quicker route that led directly to the dining hall.

"Um...Why are you walking here?" I asked as I looked up to Ace.

"Hmm...I guess...I'm worried that the other way might be infested with bugs," Ace replied vaguely as he didn't turn around.

Huh?

I wonder what he meant by that...

Without another word, I laid comfortably in his arms.

To be honest, even though this position was deathly embarrassing, it was also surprisingly relaxing at the same time.

It was so relaxing, in fact, that I nearly fell asleep in his arms all over again.

But, just as Ace and I were about to round a corner, someone was already standing there, blocking our way.

"La~ Vida~ Sola~ Vi~ Viviras~ La~ Vida~ Sola~ Vi~ Viviras~" an elegant voice rang out.

It was Holy Priest Gideon.

Behind me, I could feel Ace's body freeze and, when I looked up, I could see Ace's happy expression flicker into that of an irritated one.

"...How the hell did he find out..." Ace growled as he gently lowered me to the ground so that I could stand on my own two feet again.

The moment he saw Gideon, he stopped carrying me as if though all of his plans were already ruined.

Don't tell me...all this time...Was Ace carrying me around because he didn't want me to bump into Gideon...?

Hmm...

Nahhhhhh...There's no way Ace would feel the need to do something like that.

Haha~

I must be stupid for thinking that.

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A/N: Sorry for cutting this chapter off in a weird spot! I had three tests and a quiz this week, so I was way too busy to even have time to write! Also, tomorrow I have to attend a competition for my school's FBLA team...which means...I have to do some last-minute studying tonight...

So, instead, I wrote in this cute, wholesome chapter for old times sake~ Hahaha~ Remember when this story was only filled with happiness and fun? Hah. Mwahahaha~ I fooled you all!!

Also, according to last week's poll, all of you have huge trust issues against me, like oh my goodness~ Hahahahahaha~ What in the world did I do to traumatize you all~? Don't be scared, my little children, you can always trust me~ Hehe~ (づ￣ ³￣)づ♡

Anyways, thanks, again, to all of my readers/voters/commenters! You guys never fail to make me laugh in the comments and I love each and every one of you to bits!

Stay safe~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 2592