Wails and groans rang out around the dark basement room and they echoed pitifully against the cold stone walls.

I was completely frozen as dozens of thoughts passed through my head.

This was my fault...

If only I hadn't made a single sound...then none of those people there would have needed to go through this...

But at the same time, my heart was still tightening painfully against my chest.

I bit my tongue so hard that my mouth began to bleed and I could taste the blood as it slowly dribbled down my chin.

"Ah...Ah! Ugh!" the cries rang around the basement.

I need to help these people...

The moment that thought passed through my head, Ace gripped his hand around my wrist as if to tell me: "Don't you dare do anything stupid."

I stared at him defiantly in frustration and slowly lowered my eyes when I realized that he was right.

If I got caught here then...

Another loud scream rang around the room and closed my eyes shut in order to force myself to pretend that it didn't exist.

But it was useless.

This is wrong.

With the flick of my wrist, I snapped the chain whip in the Marquis' hand into dozens of small, harmless pieces.

It wasn't enough to save the prisoners but it was enough to lessen the guilt I felt that weighed down on my chest.

"Wha- What happened?!" the Marquis yelped as the whip crumbled to pieces in his hand.

Ace gave me a flabbergasted look and let out a low, deep sigh before wrapping his arms around me and running out of the room, ignoring the fact that he was completely revealing our location.

"Who's there?!" the Marquis and Marquess screamed as we vanished in front of their very eyes.

Luckily though, we were moving so fast that I was sure that all the Marquis and Marquess could have seen was our blurry after-image.

"I'm sorry," I gave an awkward chuckle as I gripped onto Ace's chest with my trembling fingers.

My breathing was ragged and I struggled to keep my consciousness as I looked up at Ace.

Within a mere second, we were already far, far away from the marquisate and were well-hidden, deep within a large forest.

"Cordelia...do you know..." Ace murmured in a voice so quiet that I could hardly hear it.

"Huh?" I asked Ace.

For some reason, my body, especially my fingertips felt a little cold...very cold, in fact.

"...You're not dead, Cordelia," Ace murmured.

"Y-Yes...???" I nodded my head in confusion.

I definitely wasn't dead...or, at least, I was sure that I wasn't.

Why in the world was Ace talking about this now?

"..." Ace was silent for a while as he stared at me with a gaze that I couldn't understand in the slightest.

"What's wrong, Ace? Are you okay...??" I asked as I wondered if anything happened to Ace while we were in the basement.

Oh no.

Did he get hurt somewhere?!

I pushed myself away from my arms so that I could check his body for myself, but Ace didn't let me go.

"Cordelia...Your heart isn't beating...but you're not dead..."

"...Huh?"

What in the world was he talking about??

"Cordelia."

"Yes?" I asked.

"Your heart isn't beating again."

For a moment, time began to slow down to a halt as I looked down and pressed my hand against my chest.

There really...

...was no heartbeat.

It was as if I were a walking corpse.

When I raised my eyes to look at Ace, I widened my eyes.

Because Ace's pupils were a dark, glowing shade of bloody ruby red.

"Ah...I wonder why it's not..." I murmured as my mind went blank.

"A doctor...that's right...we need to get you a doctor..." Ace said underneath his breath as his eyes went dull.

It was as if he had lost his mind and sense of reasoning somehow.

I was about to say something when the pain in my chest slowly disappeared...as if it never existed in the first place.

And when I pressed my hand on my chest, I could feel my heartbeat again.

It was like magic.

But Ace didn't seem to care at all.

"Ace...? Hey, Ace...are you okay?" I asked as I shook him a little.

But the most that happened was that he stumbled to the side a little bit as he lost his balance.

"Ace!! Hello!! I'm okay!!" I yelled as I tried to grab his attention.

Suddenly, the air seemed to shift somehow and a strong, horrible pressure erupted from around Ace's feet as he turned his gaze down at me.

His eyes were piercing cold as if he couldn't even register that it was me in his mind.

My body began to tremble in his arms as my eyes began to tremble in fear.

It was terrifying.

"Ace!!!" I yelled at the very top of my lungs.

But he didn't move or respond to my cries at all.

It was at this moment, I realized that Ace wasn't looking at me...but directly behind me.

When I turned my eyes around, I couldn't see anything worth mentioning.

When I looked back at Ace's eyes and traced his gaze to where he was looking, I realized that he was staring directly at a small squirrel, which was frozen stiff in its place under Ace's gaze.

Did Ace...possibly think that squirrel was a threat...?

"Um...Ace..." I tried to say until a heard a small...pop...behind me.

Even without looking, I knew exactly what had happened.

The squirrel definitely exploded.

I want to throw up...

"ACE!! SNAP OUT OF IT!!" I finally screamed.

But when he didn't reply, something in the back of my mind finally snapped.

"Stop..." I murmured as I pulled his face closer to mine, "...ignoring me!!"

And with that, I closed my eyes and planted a light kiss on Ace's lips as gently as a butterfly.

Each time I kissed him, it felt as if though his lips became softer and softer each time.

Please...please wake up, Ace...

A few seconds passed...maybe longer...until I finally decided to let go of his lips.

And when I opened my eyes, I could see Ace's eyes again.

And I let out a long sigh of relief.

They were back to their wonderful shade of rich, emerald green.

"Stupid. I was the one whose heart wasn't beating and yet you were acting like you were more on the verge of death than me..." I muttered with a pout as I gave him a little pinch on the cheek.

All of a sudden, the heavy pressure that hung around the air disappeared without a trace.

And, for some reason...I think I could smell the scent of flowers blooming in the air...but maybe it was just my imagination.

"...Ah," was all that Ace managed to say.

His eyes were a bit brighter than normal too...I think...again, it might have been my imagination playing tricks on me...

"W-What's with that look on your face..." I stuttered as I blushed in embarrassment.

He was acting so strange!!

"N-Nothing..." Ace also stuttered as his cheeks became dyed in a lovely shade of rosy pink.

"Uhuh..." I nodded as I avoided his gaze.

"Mhm..."

"..."

"..."

And, after that, there was a long period of awkward silence between the two of us as we struggled to come up with words to say.

"So...are we still planning on going on that date...?" I finally asked slowly with a slightly shaky voice.

"Y-Yes??" Ace nodded quickly.

"Mmm...then what are we waiting for...?" I asked awkwardly as I gave a small tug on his sleeve.

"..."

Ace's face was beet red now and he muttered something along the lines of, "This isn't fair," before suddenly widening his eyes as if though he had remembered something important.

"Wait, no. That's not important right now! We need to get you a doctor!" Ace said loudly as he pulled me into his chest and prepared to carry me somewhere before I screamed.

"Stop!!! I'm fine!!!" I yelled as I pushed myself out of his arms and stumbled backward.

"What...??? You're clearly not fine!! This is the second time...the second time..." Ace choked on his words.

I knew what he was going to say.

That it was the second time...my heart stopped.

But I didn't care.

I had gotten sick and hurt so many times that I knew everyone around me was already at their wits ends just worrying about me.

What would my father...the boys...or even Sophie say if I told them, "So I found out that there's something wrong with my heart and there may or may not be a chance that I'm dying right now."

They would go crazy!!

And...besides...

...My father's wedding was only in a few more days...

At least...at least until the wedding is over...I don't want to say anything that will make my father and Sophie excessively stressed and worried about me...

"Ace...please, please, please...don't tell anyone about this. At least, not yet..." I begged him.

"Are you crazy, Cordelia...Come here, I'll take you back home—" Ace said with pleading eyes as he tried to approach me carefully.

But I smacked his hands away in a hurry.

"No...wait, just hear me out. We can tell them after my father's wedding is over...please...I don't want anyone to stress about me again..." I repeated.

"But Cordelia...! This is serious!! What if you..." Ace tried to say when his voice trailed off.

"Ace...?"

Ace looked at me with empty eyes as if he were reliving a nightmare.

"I just...I just don't want anything to happen to you...please..." Ace whispered as he moved to me and gripped my hands, "...please...let's get you some help..."

And, with that, I almost listened to him but...

"We might be worrying the others about nothing. I'm fine right now...see?" I asked as I gave him a little twirl to show him that I was alright.

"Cordelia..."

"Let's wait, okay...? Just a few more days...I'm sure it will be alright...please, Ace...I just want my father to be happy on his wedding day..." I pleaded as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to me.

I gave him a slight peck on the lips again and opened my eyes and whispered, "Please..."

Ace was completely frozen for a moment before he breathed, "...f-ck."

"I won't ask for any more favors so...just this once— Mmph!"

Ace crashed his lips against mine before I could finish what I wanted to say.

It was passionate...wild...and completely uncontrolled.

And before I knew it, I was lost in the kiss as well...forgetting about everything that I was worried about.

"You need to stop doing that..." Ace murmured with his lips still brushing on mine, "...before I start losing my mind."

"Huh...?" I asked, feeling a little bit dazed as I struggled to focus my eyes on him.

"Ah...f-ck...Cordelia, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you," Ace breathed as removed his lips and thumped his forehead on mine, staring directly into my eyes.

I blushed as I tried to think about what he was talking about but couldn't come up with anything...so I gave up.

"U-Um...j-just a f-few more days...a-and then I'll let you tell a-anyone you like..." I stuttered as I tried to regain my composure.

What were we doing just now?!?!

And why was Ace acting so calm as if though nothing just happened?!?!

Wasn't be blushing as red as a strawberry earlier because of a small peck?!?!

What about now?!?!

I fanned my face with my hands as I tried to calm myself down.

"And what will you do if I tell someone anyway...?" Ace asked me with cold eyes.

I looked at him and blurted out the first thing that came into my mind.

"And if you don't...I'll hate you for life!!"

"..."

For a moment, I thought that Ace would just take my unconvincing words lightly and brush them off without any worries...

...But it seemed as if though he were taking them quite seriously.

His eyes shook a little as he considered what I said.

"Over a decade...it took me over a decade to get to this point...and now you're threatening to hate me for life if I try to help you...F-ck, Cordelia. You're so cruel..." Ace murmured with a crestfallen look in his eyes.

I didn't even know what to say as I watched him...

And what did he mean by "over a decade"...?

Was he implying that he had loved me for that long...?

Nah...that can't be right...I'm probably overthinking it...

"Okay," Ace finally said.

"R-Really?" I asked as I brightened up.

"But under one condition..." Ace murmured.

"What is it...?" I asked slowly.

"...that you'll only love me for the rest of your life..."

I froze.

What kind of condition was this?

It almost sounded like a marriage vow...!

"Will you, Cordelia?" Ace asked me as he stared directly into my eyes.

For a moment, I think his eyes flashed red...but it went away so fast that I was almost certain that I probably imagined it.

"Who do you think I am, Ace..." I said with a small pout.

"..."

"I was already planning on doing that from the start..." I said with a soft smile.

"You promise...?" Ace asked.

"I promise...but only if you promise to love only me for the rest of your life too."

Ace gave a small chuckle before nodding his head.

"You underestimate me, Cordelia...I'll never let you go..."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Then never regret it, okay?" I said with a wide smile.

"Okay..."

At this moment in time, I didn't even realize how much I would grow to regret making this promise to him.

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

A/N: AHAHAHA~ Oh my~ I wonder what Cordelia meant by that last statement~ My oh my~ I'm totally soooo sorry for leaving you guys on such an utterly DREADFUL cliffhanger~ *insert sarcasm here* (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

But on another note...oh my god. I COMPLETELY SPOILED YOU GUYS THIS CHAPTER!!! This isn't like me at all!!! There wasn't one...not two...but THREE KISSES IN ONE FREAKING CHAPTER!!!

SJDFJHSDJERHSJVAP!!! UGH!!! DANG IT!!! I feel like pulling all of my hair out now!!! Screw this cheesy romance!!! I need to start adding more drama into this series... ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

Ahem.

Anyways.

It's exam season for me!! Nooooooo...

...which means...chapters will be much shorter in the following weeks as I try to focus on my studies. Sorry!! I'll try updating much longer chapters as soon as I am done!!

Thanks, again, to all of my readers/voters/commenters for always supporting me! I love all of you guys so much, even if it doesn't seem like it~ Hahaha~

Stay safe, everyone~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 2276