"Um...err...so...well..." I stuttered as I tried to wriggle myself out of his arms.

Even though his embrace felt so gentle and soft, it was absolutely impossible to break free from it no matter how hard I tried.

"Pwease let meh go," I said with my voice muffled a bit from being pressed against his chest.

"I will but..." Ace murmured as he brought his face down to mine, "...only if you tell me which [b-stard] person you fell in love with."

...Was I mistaken...?

I swear I just saw Ace silently mouth a bad word with his lips...

Nah...I was probably just imagining things.

"Ah...um...It's a long story...so..." I said as I tried even harder to pull away from him.

"We have time," Ace said sternly as if there was no way in the world he would lose this opportunity.

"Well...I'm sorry!! I just can't!!" I yelled even louder as I pushed on him with all my might.

But just like a mountain, he did not budge even an inch at my futile attempt.

...You've got to be kidding me...right...?

With the amount of strength that I'm using right now, I could easily toss the greatest boulder in the world from here to the royal palace!

And I could easily kick one of those massive semi-trucks like a football across the entire continent!!

But yet...here I was...stuck in his arms like a mouse in a mousetrap with no place left to go...

This was truly...

...Unfair.

"Please...Cordelia...I need to know..." he whispered with a sad expression on his face.

At the sight of his pitiful puppy-like expression, I almost gave in and told him anything he wanted.

But I didn't.

Never.

There's no way in heck am I ever letting him know.

"What will you even do if I tell you?!" I asked loudly.

"..."

Ace didn't say anything as he turned his head away from me slowly.

"Ah...well...I'll think about that later," he said a little slowly as he dodged the question.

"See?? You don't have to know, so please let me go-"

"No. I won't. I have to know," he murmured as he tightened his hold on me.

"Ace-"

"Tell me..."

"No...!"

"Please..."

"I can't though!"

"Cordelia..."

His voice continually grew weaker as he spoke.

"...I can't tell you, Ace. I'm sorry..." I apologized as I closed my eyes shut as tightly as I could.

"..."

I could feel Ace's body stiffen again at my words.

There was an empty silence for a while as I struggled to break free from him, to no avail of course.

"Is it because...I've been too nice lately...?" he asked me quietly.

"What?" I murmured.

Before I could realize what was happening, he picked me up from the ground and carried me over to a conveniently placed bed in the corner of the room.

He plopped me down on the mattress and gripped both of my hands above my head, leaving no space between my body and his.

"Wait a minute...What are you doing-"

"You gave me permission..." he murmured to me.

"Yes...Well, I didn't expect you to actually do anything with it though..." I replied with a small squeak as his face went dangerously closer to mine.

From my position, I could see the collar of his shirt droop down, revealing a sea of rippling muscles underneath.

Ahem.

"If asking you nicely won't work...then I'll have no other choice but to threaten you, Cordelia. But I don't want to do that either...What should I do to you...?" he asked me quietly in a colder voice than what I was used to.

"..."

"What should I do to you in order for you to tell me...?" he asked darkly.

Different.

Ace was acting too different today.

It was almost...

"Ace...you're scaring me..." I whispered quietly.

I didn't expect him to hear me, but he immediately froze at my words.

Well, Ace had an extraordinarily sharp hearing, so it wasn't too unexpected anyway.

"..."

"This isn't like you at all, Ace...Is there something wrong...? Did I do something wrong...?" I asked him slowly.

I could feel Ace's grip loosen against me, but even so, I still couldn't break free.

Ace truly had the strength of a monster.

Before he responded, he clicked his tongue, gritted his teeth, and gave an exasperated sigh.

"...Cordelia...you really are..." he whispered as he dipped his head into the side of my nape, "...impossible to beat..."

"Eh? Oh, wait a minute...Ace! You're too close!" I stuttered as I squirmed around underneath his tight hold of me.

"...But I'm sorry...just this once...I can't afford to lose..." he murmured as he mercilessly refused to let me go.

I could feel his hot breath tickle my neck, sending a wave of electricity down my spine.

"...GAH! Wait!!" I yelled as I tried to fight back.

"...If you want me to stop...then just tell me. I don't know...how much longer I can hold myself back," he said, his voice sending vibrations through my skin.

"Ah...well...um..." I stuttered.

I didn't think I'd have to confess this way though...!!

There wasn't enough time for me to mentally prepare...!

"I-It's...um..."

Ace lifted up his head from my neck and thumped his forehead against mine.

"Who is it..." he murmured, staring straight into my eyes.

My heart began to beat and race so fast that I felt like I was going to get heartburn.

I took a small deep breath in.

"It's..."

"It's...?" he asked.

"It's...you, Ace-"

.

.

.

"Did you already fall asleep?" a familiar voice said as he lightly tapped my body.

"Mmm...Wh...at...?" I groaned as I opened my eyes groggily.

A blanket was twisted all around my body like a snake and the bed below me was all messed up.

Was I...sleeping...?

"Cordelia...?" Ace asked me from above.

Ace...?

Wait a minute...

"Ace?!" I yelled in surprise as I immediately sat up from my bed in a hurry and wiped away the drool from my lips.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to wake you up..." he apologized immediately with a guilty look on his face.

"It's no problem!" I squeaked as I immediately scrambled to the farthest corner of the bed away from him.

"...Cordelia...?" Ace murmured as he watched my strange behavior.

Where was I?!

I took a small glance at my surroundings and then I realized...

...I was in the royal palace.

"You aren't acting like yourself...Are you feeling okay?" he asked me, worry clearly etched on his face, as he reached out to me.

"GAH!"

I let out an unholy screech in response, causing Ace to flinch in surprise and retrieve his hand.

There was a blanket of silence as we awkwardly stared at one another.

"Did I...do something wrong...?" he asked me a bit hesitantly as he took a few steps back from me, giving me room to breathe.

I breathed in and out heavily, trying to take in everything that just happened.

Did he not remember my confession...????

"Where are we?!" I asked a bit loudly.

"We're in the royal palace...Cordelia, are you sure you're fine...?" he asked as he gripped his hand slightly.

"...I thought we were at the dukedom..." I muttered.

"The dukedom...? Did you want to go there?" he asked in response.

I stared at him with my eyes wide.

"Didn't you already take me there...???" I asked, a little confused at his reaction.

Ace responded to me with an equally confused expression on his face.

Was...everything...just a dream...?

"Um...so does that mean I was just having a weird dream?" I asked him with a hopeful expression on my face.

Ace stood in front of me with a strange expression on his face.

"No...it wasn't a dream..." he muttered.

Wait a minute...

"WHAT-"

"You, Florence, and I were really fighting earlier. None of that was a dream..." he murmured as he dipped his head.

"Oh..." I sighed in relief.

Of course...

Right before Ace and I went to the dukedom to visit Father and Sophie, we were dealing with Florence.

(A/N: If you guys want to know the exact moment Cordelia fell asleep, check the bottom half of 'Chapter 76. Home Sweet Home' after Ace carried Florence away!)

"As I thought...I shouldn't have punched him..." he whispered.

"What...?" I asked.

"...Are you...scared of me now...?" he asked me hesitantly, with fear clearly intertwined in his voice.

"Excuse me...?"

"Or maybe you hate me..." he mumbled.

"Wait. No. Why would you think that?"

"It's because when I get close to you...you..." he murmured as he reached his hand out to me.

"GAH!"

I let out another unholy screech.

Oh...

I can see why he thinks I hate him now...

"No...um...this isn't because I hate you or anything..." I mumbled awkwardly as I fiddled with my fingers.

It was because I had another stupidly realistic dream.

Seriously...

One day I might start actually mistaking dreams with reality.

...Or maybe I already am...

What if this was also a dream...?!

I pinched myself slightly with my fingers and felt a small nip of pain.

Nope...this was reality.

"Then why...?" he asked quietly as he looked at me with damp eyes.

"Ah...well...it's...complicated..." I replied shyly as I tried to hide the blush sneaking up on my face.

Why did I have to dream such an embarrassing dream anyway?!

Maybe I'm dirtier minded than I thought...

I took a small glance back at Ace, and as I expected, he had a very sad expression that was almost startlingly similar to an abandoned puppy's.

Agh...now I'm starting to feel bad...!

"I see..." he replied with a small sad smile.

"No...! I swear I don't hate you!! It's just...I had a really weird dream a second ago and, when you woke me up, I was just confused for a moment..." I muttered as I tried to leave out as many details as possible.

"...What was it about?" he asked me slowly.

"Uhhhh...well...hmm...it was...um...nothing...! It was a dream about nothing...yes," I stuttered unconvincingly.

"Did I...do something to you...?" he asked me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"...Well...you took me to the dukedom to visit Father and Sophie..." I started.

"And...?" Ace asked as he probed for more details.

"And...um...we also awkwardly watched them flirt with one another..." I continued.

"And...?"

"And...then you woke me up! Nothing happened after that! Nothing at all!" I yelled as I threw a pillow at Ace.

He caught the pillow easily with a small confused expression on his face before sighing.

"I see," he muttered before giving me a small smile.

"What?" I asked, confused by his change in expression.

"So you don't hate me..." he murmured quietly before giving me a childish grin.

"Ah...um...no...I don't..." I stuttered a little as I blushed a little.

"Do you want to go?" Ace asked me.

"Go where?" I asked in reply.

"To the dukedom," Ace answered.

I froze.

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as if though I had been through this kind of conversation before.

"Well...it would be nice to see them...but I wouldn't want to bother you-"

"Then let's go," Ace said as he picked me up from my bed and held me in his arms.

"Huh???" I asked in surprise.

A huge burst of wind shocked me and made me close my eyes tightly shut.

For nearly two seconds, I held my breath until the burst of wind disappeared and I squinted open my eyes slowly.

And then, like magic, I could see the entirety of the dukedom estate in front of me.

Ah...I'm home.

"Ace...you really are like someone who came out of a dream," I laughed when I realized what he did.

"I'm happy you think so, Cordelia," Ace smiled warmly at me in response as he held me gently in his arms.

His genuine smile was so beautiful and enchanting that it almost felt as if though flowers were blooming behind him.

I felt my heart race at such a lovely sight and I nearly kissed him on impulse...!

Oh my goodness...What in the world was I thinking...?!

But...

It really wasn't fair.

As I took a peek at Ace's clear emerald eyes, which happily curved into the shape of crescent moons...

...And his small innocent smile that possessed his full lips...

I couldn't help but wonder what type of woman wouldn't immediately throw away her dignity to be by his side.

"...Sweetie?" a familiar voice said from afar.

I recognized the voice almost immediately.

It was a voice I had heard within my dreams after all.

"Father!" I exclaimed as I waved at him.

My father had a shocked expression on his face as if though he couldn't believe that I was here.

Hmm...I haven't visited my father for a very long time after all...

Maybe I should visit him more often.

"Sweetie!" my father yelled back as he immediately ran toward me on his two legs as fast as he could.

Dust clouds began to rise in the air and the ground itself began to shake as he made his way toward me.

"MYYY ANGELLL!!!" he nearly screeched as he ripped me away from Ace's arms and squeezed me tightly within his.

"Father, I've missed you," I giggled happily as I also returned his embrace.

"Oh dear...I can't believe my precious daughter is in front of me...! Ah...! I'd be happy even if I die tomorrow!" he said with a fiery look in his eyes that made me laugh.

He was as overdramatic in real life as he was in my dream.

I smiled.

Really...this stupid daughter-con of a father...

"Hehe...It's good to be home again," I sighed as I gave him a light squeeze.

"...You came all the way to the dukedom, Cordelia...but you didn't come to greet me? Even I've missed you a lot, young lady," another familiar voice said behind me.

"Sophie-" I was about to say before I turned around and became stunned by her appearance.

The same...

She was dressed the same way as she was in my dream...

My new hot step-mother...

Before I could think of anything else, Sophie immediately saved me from my father's clutches and carefully placed me on the ground where I could stand on my own.

"T-Thank you...Sophie..." I said with a slightly hesitant nod.

As far as I was concerned, I had never seen Sophie all dressed up in pretty clothes without her maid outfit.

So how in the world was I able to see exactly what she looked like in my dreams before I saw her in person...?

"Of course, Cordelia. It was no problem. On the other hand..." she muttered as she stared directly at my father.

"W-What is it, Sophie..." my father stuttered as he automatically began to fiddle with his fingers.

"Alastair, how many times do I have to tell you to control yourself in front of Cordelia?? She's already a grown woman, so you can't keep treating her like an innocent child anymore!" Sophie and I said at the exact same time.

Everyone paused for a moment to stare at me.

Ah...I didn't mean to say that out loud...

After all, I was just reciting the exact same lines I had heard in my dream.

"Ah...um...yes, just as Cordelia said, you are being too much, Alastair. You should calm down...!" Sophie said with a piercing glare as my father immediately said his sorries.

"I'm sorry...Sophie..." my father muttered quietly as he dipped his head into Sophie's shoulder from embarrassment.

"Ah...W-Well, as long as you understand what you did wrong, Alastair..." Sophie stuttered slightly.

She blushed slightly as she waited for my father to lift his head off of her shoulder, but even after a minute or so had passed, he never did.

"How long are you going to have your head in my shoulder for?!" Sophie protested as she pushed my father away.

"Hehe...I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how cutely you would react," I said blankly along with my father at the same time.

The same...

His words were the exact same...

Everyone paused again to look at me with perplexed expressions on their faces.

"Wow...sweetie...At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but are you practicing mind-reading?" my father asked me with wide eyes.

"Oh...haha...Sure," I nodded my head to his words.

My father didn't seem very convinced by my answer, so I gave him the brightest smile I could muster to distract him.

"Oh...My...Goodness...An angel. AN ANGEL AS DESCENDED UPON US!! MY DAUGHTER!! I LOVE YOU!!! MY ADORABLE LITTLE ANGELLL!!! EVERYTHING!!! I SHALL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING!!! AGHHH-"

All of a sudden, a cold chill appeared in the air.

"...Alastair...Didn't you hear what I told you a few moments ago...?" Sophie asked my father in a scarily dark voice.

The entire area turned a bit dark as Sophie released a frightening aura from her body.

"Didn't I tell you...to control yourself in front of Cordelia...?" she asked with a scary smile.

Bloodlust...(?)

I couldn't exactly tell what Sophie was releasing into the air, but I knew one thing for certain...

Father is going to sleep on the couch tonight.

"Sorry, Father...but there's nothing I can do to save you now," I murmured as I prayed for his safety.

"W-Wait! I'm really sorry, Sophie!!" my father begged as he began to heavily sweat in his nervousness.

"Humph..." Sophie muttered as she turned her head away from him.

"P-Please, forgive me...just this once, Sophie," my father murmured as he wrapped his arms around Sophie's waist smoothly.

"A-Alastair..." Sophie stuttered as a slight tint of blush appeared on her face.

"Haha...you really are cute," my father laughed a little as he gave her a light kiss on the lips.

Ahem.

I immediately turned my head away from the scene.

Geez...it should be illegal for parents to flirt in front of their child...

They were so deeply in love that it almost seemed as if though hearts were fluttering in the background behind them.

...I guess I didn't need to worry about my father as much as I thought I would.

Father and Sophie are going to be newlyweds after all.

I turned my head to Ace and our eyes met for a moment.

We both nodded our heads and, without another word, we both quietly left the area to leave my father and Sophie alone together.

The two of them didn't even notice us leaving at all.

"Hehe...the two of them are really meant for each other," I giggled a little to Ace as we left.

"They seem to make a great match," Ace also smiled as we left the two lovebirds together.

"Yeah...I wonder if that's what love is," I said wistfully as I walked into the familiar mansion with a small grin creeping up my face.

Wait a minute...

"Trust me, Cordelia, that is exactly what love is," Ace said with a serious look on his face.

The conversation I was having with Ace right now seemed oddly familiar to me somehow...

"Why are you acting so serious, Ace? Of course, I know what love is!" I replied with a small awkward laugh.

"...Do you?" Ace asked as he chuckled a little at my words.

Ah...

I immediately froze and stopped walking the moment I realized why our conversation seemed so familiar.

...It was because we had both talked about the exact same thing in my dream.

Now that I think about it...

When I was talking with my father and Sophie earlier, their words perfectly matched up with the ones that I had dreamt about...

This isn't the first time my dreams have matched up perfectly with reality either...

Then is it possible that my dreams can show me pieces of the future...?

Hmm...

"Cordelia...? Are you okay?" Ace asked me as his face suddenly popped up in front of mine.

"Ah...Y-Yes...!" I nodded my head.

But if that's the case then...

If my dreams can really predict the future then...

Doesn't that mean...

"Cordelia? Is there something on my face?" Ace asked me as I stared deeply at him without looking away.

Doesn't that mean, just like in my dream, I'm going to end up confessing to him?!?!

"...OH HECK NAH!!!!!!" I screeched loudly as I pulled on my two blue pigtails.

"E-Eh? C-Cordelia???"

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

A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHA~ YOU ALL THOUGHT SHE WOULD CONFESS, DIDN'T YOU!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA~ BUT IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM!! OHOHOHOHO~ I FEEL LIKE AN EVIL GOD NOW!! ALL OF YOU MORTALS SHALL SUFFER!!

Ahem.

Sorry, I lost control of myself for a minute~

Welp...I already know some of you already expected something like this would happen. I mean...hehe...a lot of you have a lot of trust issues against me these days~ ;)

But well...I'm sure Cordelia's dream confession managed to internally hurt you guys anyway, even if you were expecting it~ Mwahaha~ Sorry, guys! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Also, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE~~ I HOPE EVERYONE FINDS LOVE AND JOY!!

I hope you guys are enjoying the holidays~! I updated a lot earlier today because my family celebrates Christmas~ I'll be spending the rest of the day relaxing and visiting family!

Thanks, again, to all my readers/voters/commenters! Everyone, I know I may be evil sometimes, but from the bottom of my heart, I love each and every one of you~ Truly, thank you~

Stay safe!

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 3553