"...I love you, Ace."

The words spilled out of my mouth before I could even think to stop them.

I closed my eyes tightly shut to avoid whatever expression Ace would have on his face.

How would he react, I wonder.

I didn't know what I would do if he rejected me with pity in his eyes.

Throughout my life, there were many times where I had felt afraid...nervous...scared...

But at this moment, it was as if all of my fears had come crashing down at once.

Even though I knew...I knew how much Ace deeply cared for me.

I was still afraid of rejection and what he would tell me.

"..."

We were quiet for so long that I ran out of patience and slightly peeked open my eyes to look at him properly.

He was still standing there.

And the expression on his face was as unreadable as stone.

His face was rigid...

...and was the opposite of what I had imagined it to be.

"...Ace, I..."

"...Shhh...it's okay, Cordelia...you must be really tired..." Ace murmured as he gave me a few gentle pats on the head.

He had a stiff smile on his face that gave nothing away.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all.

"Ace-"

"You should go to sleep...Don't worry...I'll make sure no one interrupts you," Ace said as he completely ignored anything I had to say.

It was as if he were stopping me from saying anything else.

As if he didn't want to hear it.

Ah...

He was...

...rejecting me...

Right?

I lowered my eyes and bit my tongue, forcing myself to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall at any moment.

It was as if a giant void had replaced the spot where my heart had been, sucking my throat tightly shut.

"Thank you, Ace," I murmured as I simply enjoyed the feeling of his hand on my head.

"...Sleep well, Cordelia," Ace said as he dropped his hand from my head and took a step back as if he were trying to run away.

"...Ace..."

But before I knew it, he had already turned around and was quickly walking away on his two legs.

Not once did he turn around to even look at me.

And when he was finally gone, I let the tears that I had desperately contained flow from my eyes like rivers.

I cried and cried for so long that I didn't even know what the time of day was anymore.

When I had somewhat calmed myself down, my pillow was already soaked with both my tears and snot.

But by that point, I had already become too tired to even care and fell asleep, muffling my quiet whimpers through the sheets of my blankets.

.

.

.

Ace POV

I ran.

I walked away as fast as my two human legs could take me to the door, closed it behind me, and ran.

My mind was in so much disarray that I had to force myself to breathe.

"...I love you, Ace."

D-mn it.

I want her now...

I want her...

I want her...

I want her...

The feeling in my chest only grew and grew until it threatened to consume me alive.

Before I even knew it, I had hurled my fist at a window and utterly shattered it into a million tiny speckles of glass.

F-ck!

I cursed over and over again.

It was as if I had lost my last thread of rationality.

The last string of rationality that I made sure to keep secure in the back of my mind immediately snapped and crumbled at her words as if it had never existed there in the first place.

I could see my reflection staring back at me from a mirror centered at the very end of the hall.

His eyes were dipped in a shade of bloody red and he was smiling back at me, laughing at my helplessness.

Oh...Cordelia...

If only you knew...

If only you understood...

...that I was not human.

Not a single ounce of my blood was human.

That the heart beating in my chest was not human.

I inhaled a deep breath of fresh air that wafted in through the shattered window.

I want her.

I want her.

No one else can have her.

I took another deep breath and gripped my chest with my trembling hands.

These past two months were living hell for me.

Why did you fall asleep for so long, Cordelia?

Was it because of me?

Why?

When I saw you so lifeless, weak, and frail like that...I felt a strong urge to just whisk you away somewhere myself...to hide you away from anyone who would dare lay their eyes and hands on you...

And I knew very well that I could do it too.

...That all I needed to do was to find a secluded place somewhere far away and encase your sleeping body there, in a tomb of glass and gold...

...and then, to stay there with you for the rest of my life, protecting the only precious piece of treasure that I had ever wanted in all my years...

...Just like the terribly hopeless, greedy dragon that I was.

But I stopped myself...

Because I knew.

I knew that if you woke up and saw that I had stolen you away from your family and friends and kept you all for myself, your lively eyes would fade away and your ethereal voice would only lash out at me with words of hatred instead.

And yet...

The words you spoke when you awoke from your coma...

"...I love you, Ace."

I felt as if, for a moment, I had finally lost control of the deep sea of desire that had flooded my heart since the day I had met you.

It was dangerous...

So dangerous.

I want her.

I want her.

No one else can have her.

...d-mn it.

Who the hell did I think I was...?

A part of me refused to believe that Cordelia would ever truly reciprocate my feelings for her.

In return for her warm feelings for me, my love would surely be too strong for her...too much for her to even handle.

I was sure...

I was very sure that I would hurt her...

That I would overwhelm her, scare her, and ultimately be forced to watch her run away from me...

I would chase her, of course...and I would forcefully chain her to me...

And...

In the end...she would only hate me.

Cordelia...

Surely...you would never be able to understand just how terrifying the feelings of 'love' in my heart were for you...

"I just...don't want to hurt you..." I said, limp from the raging emotions in my chest.

Before Cordelia fell into her deep slumber, I had no doubt in my mind that I would be able to make her happy...

That I would treat her well...

And that I could protect her from anything...

But when she fell unconscious, my obsession for her uncontrollably grew and grew until I couldn't even recognize myself anymore.

I felt...

I felt like I had gone insane...

Surely...

Surely...someone like me would only be able to hurt someone like you...

Surely...someone like you deserves so much more than someone like me...

Surely...

Surely...there's someone out there...more suitable to be with you than me...

...Cordelia.

D-mn it.

I love you too.

.

.

.

Cordelia POV

I woke up to the sound of the door being broken down.

BANG.

It was similar to the sound of an explosion.

But I wasn't afraid.

Because I was able to immediately recognize the voices from outside the door.

"Sorry, Ace!" a voice said.

"We know you're mad!" another voice added.

"But we need some screen time too!" the first voice continued.

"Yeah, you can't just hog the word count, Ace!" the second voice yelled.

I could immediately tell...the twins were here.

And following behind them were Florence, Ash, Grey, Deux, Wolfe, and finally...Ace.

I gave a deep sigh.

For some reason, it felt like years had passed since I had seen them all together...even though I knew it had only been a few months.

"Forgive us for the sudden entrance, milady," Grey, my personal servant, said with a sarcastic bow before cleaning up the mess that was caused when the twins broke down the door.

Seriously...

I swear that the door wasn't even locked to begin with...

Did they really have to break it down...?

They could have just opened it like a regular person...

"But that would be boring, Cowdelia," Lin sighed.

"Yeah, we would lose our comedic entrance..." Min pouted.

Oh.

I forgot.

The twins could read minds.

"Sis...Hey, are you okay?! Why are your eyes so red and puffy..." my brother, Ash, asked as he stumbled toward me and knelt by the side of my bed.

"Oh...uh...I'm alright...I just woke up from a bad nightmare...that's why..." I mumbled as I tried to come up with any excuse that I could think of.

"I swear to god...if anyone hurt you...I'm going to..." my brother murmured darkly.

"No...no one did so...you don't have to worry about me..." I sighed.

"W-What?? Who said I was w-worried about you...?!" Ash stuttered.

"...Oh. Sorry...I just assumed..."

"N-No...! I just...ugh..." my brother lowered his face, "...I'm glad you're okay..."

He was blushing from ear to ear and seemed to be genuinely concerned for me.

I gave a small chuckle.

"Thanks, Ash," I smiled.

Ah...

I really missed this...

From afar, I could see Deux and Wolfe standing alone together.

Both weren't the type to talk too much but...I could see the genuine relief in their eyes when they saw me.

I felt a warm feeling in my chest...

Was it possible...

That there were people in this world who actually cared for me this whole time...?

I just...

I just never realized it...

"..."

In the corner of the room, I could see Florence by himself.

He wasn't paying attention to any of us at all but...rather...he seemed to be lost in thought somehow...

It was as if Florence was in so much concentration that he had completely drowned the rest of us out from both his hearing and vision.

"Florence...?" I called out.

He jolted his head toward me in surprise as if he couldn't believe I was calling out to him.

"What is it, Lia?" Florence asked as his eyes turned stern again.

"...How have...you been?" I asked him with a gentle smile.

I recalled what he had done before I had returned back to my other world...

Most likely...I would never be able to forgive him...but...

Maybe...

"F-cking terrible," Florence spat as he left the room with an irritated expression on his face.

I flinched.

"Milady...I recommend not talking to his highness, Florence, anytime soon. He hasn't been in the right state of mind lately ever since you fell into a coma. Perhaps you should give him some time," Grey said as he closed the door behind Florence, who left without another word.

"I...see..." I nodded.

Right...

Maybe if I give Florence some time...he will change back to the way he used to be...

...But for some reason, it felt like I was missing something.

A key piece to a puzzle.

What...was I missing...?

.

.

.

"Cordelia."

"..."

"Cordelia..."

"Huh...?" I murmured as I looked up, finally snapping out from being deep in thought.

And then I realized that my face was only an inch away from Ace's.

I was so surprised that I gave a small yelp and immediately scooted away a bit.

What-?!

I looked around and realized that there was only me and Ace left in the room.

How long was I lost in thought for...?

"I thought you would be getting tired soon, so I forced everyone out a few moments ago...Are you okay...?" Ace asked me with his brows scrunched up a little from worry.

As I thought...

I could lie to anyone in the world and tell them that I was alright...

...that I wasn't just crying my heart out a few moments ago...

...and that my eyes were only puffy because of a simple bad dream...

But Ace would never believe it.

Before I knew it, I started crying again.

I couldn't stop it.

"Why. Why. Why..." I whimpered as I tried to rub away the endless stream of tears from my eyes.

But it just wouldn't stop.

At this moment, I felt the worst that I had ever felt in my life.

"Ace...I..." I whispered through my tears.

But before I could finish, I could feel a pair of soft lips land on mine.

I widened my eyes in shock.

It was as if electricity were passing through the place where our lips met and were shocking me...burning me.

But at the same time, it was soft...gentle...and sweet.

And it felt so good.

So right.

And before I even knew it, I was lost in the kiss like an amateur sailor would be amidst the stormy sea.

As soft as a fluffy pillow...

As gentle as melting snow...

As sweet as honey...

Dear god...

I love you so much, Ace.

But, soon, he lifted his face away from mine and I opened my eyes.

It was...already over...?

I blushed at the disappointment that flashed across my mind.

As I was scolding myself for my selfish thoughts, I felt a large, gentle hand brush back my hair and I looked up at Ace, who caged me from above with his body.

The look in his eyes was so gentle that I was worried that I would melt away at any moment.

"...Don't cry," he murmured softly with that deep voice of his that sent shivers down my spine.

At that moment, I felt that I was probably a very simple woman.

Because the moment he told me to stop crying, the tears in my eyes disappeared as if they were never there in the first place.

But, unfortunately, I couldn't stop myself from hiccuping.

I covered my mouth with my hands and tried any tricks that I knew to try and stop my hiccuping but nothing worked.

"...Sorry...urp...just give me a second..." I murmured as I tried to look away from him.

Instead of moving off of me though, Ace shifted his body and laid down by my side instead, wrapping his long, muscular arms around me.

I could hear the sound of his heart beating and the warmth that radiated from his body.

For the first time in a long time, I felt...whole.

I felt...complete.

"I'm sorry, Cordelia..." Ace whispered.

"Hmm...?"

"I ran away earlier..."

"Oh..."

That's right...

But if he had rejected me earlier...what did our kiss right now mean...?

Was he simply just offering me his sympathies...?

Or was there...

...more...?

"Ace...Why did you—"

"Cordelia. Were you serious before?"

"Huh...?"

"What did you mean earlier...? Do you even know what the phrase, 'I love you,' even means...?" Ace asked me with his teeth gritted.

"...yeah. I was...I was serious...when I said it..." I mumbled as I squeezed my eyes shut.

For a moment, I could feel his body stiffen against mine and I was worried...that he would reject me a second time in the same day.

So, I immediately pushed him away.

"I-It's okay if you don't like me back anymore you know," I said quickly as I held him away at arm's length.

"..."

I peered my eyes up at the silent Ace and immediately froze when I saw the reddish glow of his eyes.

"Who said I didn't...?" Ace asked me, his ruby-red eyes piercing me like knives.

"...I thought...Didn't you..." I stuttered as I tried to come up with a response.

Ace gave a small sigh filled with restraint and, before I knew it, his eyes had returned to their regular shade of calm green.

"I'm sorry, Cordelia. I must have scared you," Ace murmured as he buried his head into the nape of my neck.

"...It's okay..." I replied, thankful that he seemed to have calmed down.

"Why...Why do you always forgive me so easily...?"

"Huh?"

"I always do this. Sometimes I scare you. Sometimes I hurt you. But why do you always forgive me...?! It's okay if you get mad at me, you know. Yell at me or something so I know to not do it again next time. You can even hit me too...Just—"

"...Is that...what you think of me...?"

I could hear my own voice break.

Ace widened his eyes at my reaction.

"No...it's not. I know...I know you wouldn't do something like that...it's just...I'm worried that you're going to regret...loving someone...like me..." Ace murmured.

"...I won't regret it though."

"..."

"I'm serious."

"Why?"

"Because I love you, Ace," I said as I pulled his face directly in front of mine so our eyes could meet at the same level.

His eyes trembled at my words but, eventually, he blinked and pulled himself away from me.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled to himself.

His eyes turned red again but, this time, they weren't scary at all.

Or rather, they seemed to be more confused and conflicted than anything.

"Ace," I said as I pulled him closer to me again, "I'm serious. Listen to me."

"..."

"I love you. I love you. I love you—"

"Stop it. You don't know what you're doing—"

"I love you."

I stared at him defiantly, daring him to tell me otherwise.

"F-ck. D-mn it. Sh-t."

He began to curse so much that I was starting to wonder if something was wrong.

"Cordelia. Surely, you know that a dragon like me can't make you happy, right?" he asked me through gritted teeth.

"You're the only one who can make me happy, Ace..."

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"I'm serious."

"F-ck."

He cursed again.

"Cordelia..."

"Ace?"

"...You're mine."

---------------------------------------------

A/N: WOOOO! This chapter is complete~ AHAHAHAHA~

I know I promised you guys that I would write an extra-long chapter this week...and I really did try to but...I couldn't imagine adding anything more to this chapter. Ending the chapter here was the only thing that made sense to me while writing~

Also~ Dang...Ace is uh...developing some...hmm...yandere tendencies now...BUT! If there's one thing I can promise to you folks: he will be...uh...a *good* yandere...haha...

Anyway, I feel like I can guess some of yall's reactions throughout this chapter~

Something like:

"HSDJFHJSDVHIE!!! OMG THEY KISSED!!!"

Yes, I know. Ace and Cordelia finally kissed. Dear goodness, how long has it been since their last kiss? Like over 80 chapters have passed or something, right? Honestly, it's been so long that even I can't remember...

Thanks, again, to all of my readers/voters/commenters! I always have a lot of fun writing every week because of the support I get from all of you so THANK YOU!!

Stay safe, everyone~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 3156