After a few hours of torture, I was finally properly dressed in a long white dress with a long navy blue shawl to compliment the look.

"You look absolutely stunning," the maids said.

Was the pain worth it though?

No.

As I carefully stepped into the front hall of the estate, I caught a glimpse of my father and Sophie flirting with one another as if there was no one else in the world besides the two of them.

Ahem.

I gave a small cough to grab their attention and to interrupt their PDA session.

"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Sophie. I have just finished-"

"Oh. My. God. An angel...?! HAVE I GONE INSANE?! MY SWEETIE IS AN ANGEL!!!" my father screeched as he dropped onto his knees dramatically and stared at me with wide eyes.

Even Sophie's eyes widened a little as she glanced at my attire.

"Of course Cordelia is beautiful! She's the precious princess I raised since childhood after all," Sophie huffed proudly as she stared at me with a bright twinkle in her eyes.

Geez...

What are these two talking about...?

"AGH! MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! MY DAUGHTER!!! MY SWEETIE!!! SHE'S TOO PERFECT!!!" my father cried as real tears flowed from his eyes as he rolled around on the ground.

"F-Father...! The Holy Priest will be here soon! What are you going to do if he sees you like this??" I asked as I tried to lift him from the ground.

But no matter what I did, my father did not budge and he stared at me with teary eyes as snot flowed from his nostrils.

"I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE HANDED YOU OVER TO THAT DUMB PRINCE!!! IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME, I WOULD HAVE NEVER MADE THAT DEAL WITH THAT OLD GEEZER KING!" my father angrily yelled as he banged the ground with his hand.

"Father...! What in the world are you saying...!"

"AGHHH!!! MINE!!! MY SWEETIE SHOULD BE ALL MINE!!! AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Sophie gave a sigh as she watched her fiance behave childishly and I gave an awkward chuckle at her reaction.

Soon, a servant walked over to my father and whispered something in his ear quietly.

My father's expression changed from over-dramatic whining to complete seriousness so fast that I almost questioned my eyes.

"Ahem. The Holy Priest has just reached the front gates of our estate. He should be here in approximately five minutes or so," my father announced as he wiped away his tears and blew his nose on a clean handkerchief.

I nodded my head and turned my head slightly to try to catch a glimpse of familiar gray hair.

Ace was nowhere in sight.

"I promise I'll be back soon, Father. I'm going to go find Ace real quick," I murmured as I quickly took a few steps away.

"Wait...! Cordelia-"

But I had already left to go find out where my familiar was before my father could finish.

I quietly wandered the halls for a while as I tried to search for a glimpse of Ace.

Of course, I could have easily called for Ace by summoning him with the dragon's mark located on my ankle, but for some reason, I felt that I didn't need to.

"Ace," I called out as I walked through the halls, letting my intuition guide me toward him.

With every step I took, I could feel myself getting closer to where he was.

Eventually, I found myself in front of an entrance to a wide terrace balcony.

"Cordelia...?" Ace murmured as he turned his head around to face me.

He was dressed comfortably in formal attire that loosely hung over his body.

Ace was never the type to properly dress nicely since I don't think he properly understands the concept of clothes in the first place.

After all, dragons don't wear clothes.

But, today, he was dressed like a dazzling god that was so beautiful that my heart nearly stopped for a moment.

His silver hair, which was a color that was more regal than any gold, and his crystal-like green eyes that glowed with a bright, mysterious light, were too lovely to belong to any mortal.

Sophie and my father had praised me earlier for my appearance but, now that I could compare myself to this ethereal man, I thought that their praises were almost laughable.

Clearly, they had never seen true beauty before.

"The Holy Priest is almost here, Ace," I said as I stepped up next to him.

"Oh, yes, I know...I was planning on heading to the main hall soon," Ace replied with a small smile.

He was casually leaning against the railing of the terrace as he stared out into the open air.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" I asked as I also leaned on the railing beside him.

"The air here is different than the capital's," he replied as he took in a deep breath of the frosty cold air.

The moon and the countless stars that dotted the night sky strangely suited Ace very well.

It reminded me of the first time I had met Ace, with the large moon behind him, when I was still very young.

"I wonder..." I murmured unconsciously, "...what would have happened if I never found you in the garden that day..."

"..."

"Sorry, it was a stupid question," I laughed a little.

"...Do you regret it?" Ace asked me.

I shook my head no without any hesitation.

At this point, I couldn't imagine my life without Ace in the slightest.

"No, of course, I don't regret it. If I think back at it now...meeting you then was probably...haha...the best day of my life," I chuckled as I remembered the good past.

Now that I think about it, I was probably really annoying as a kid.

I screamed a lot and made a lot of stupid mistakes too, even though I should have been mentally older than all of my peers.

Maybe the idea of being reborn in another world, like some sort of story protagonist, got to my head and I became like an actual child.

Who knows.

"Me too," Ace started, "I am certain that meeting you that day, without a doubt, was the best moment of the entirety of my life."

"You must be joking," I laughed.

"No, I'm serious," Ace repeated as he gave me a warm smile.

"..."

"You are my reason for living, Cordelia. Even if you one day grow to hate me for who I am, I've already given you my everything."

"...Idiot," I murmured as I looked away from him, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks.

What is wrong with him...!

Is it because this is the world of an otome-game that he is able to say such cheesy lines without thinking twice about it...?

"..."

Ace was completely silent as he awkwardly turned away from me.

His ears were dyed in a lovely shade of red.

"What's wrong, Ace?" I asked as I carefully tapped his shoulder out of worry.

He flinched a little at the contact and backed away from me slightly as his ears turned an even deeper shade of red.

"I think...I'm finally at my limit," he muttered as he covered his mouth with one hand and stared at me with his eyes.

"What does that mean...?" I questioned, confused why he was looking at me so much.

"...You're too pretty today. It's not my fault..." he confessed as he turned his back to me quickly.

"Excuse me...?" I asked as my eyes widened.

"I thought so at first...but the maids are too good at their job. You already looked perfect before, but now I can't even look at you properly without feeling dizzy..." he said sheepishly as he hid his face from me.

"What? Are you kidding me?! I thought my heart was going to stop the moment I saw you just now! The one who feels like dying is me! Me! I tell you, it's me!!" I laughed loudly.

"It's impossible...you're too dense, Cordelia..." Ace sighed in exasperation as he also laughed a little.

I was going to say something in retaliation, but then I suddenly remembered the reason why I was here in the first place.

"Wait! Father must be freaking out right now...the Holy Priest is going to be here any second now. Let's go," I gasped as I tugged on Ace's hand.

Ace looked down at his hand in mine and he gave a small unconscious smile.

"Yes, let's go," he nodded as he escorted me back to the main hall, where we would meet the Holy Priest.

.

.

.

Ace POV

It always felt a little empty without Cordelia nearby.

Even though I knew it was pointless to be miserable over something so small, it always felt as if though something was missing if she wasn't forever locked into my line of sight.

Stupid.

Foolish.

I really am such a hopeless man.

"Follow me, Ace. I have some questions I'd like to ask you," Cordelia's father said in a dark tone with a cold expression on his face the moment that the maids had successfully dragged Cordelia away.

I nodded my head.

There was no room for me to refuse her father anyway, especially when the tone of his voice indicated that he was not just merely asking me for a favor.

As I followed him to his private office, I stared at the paintings that were hung up on every inch of the manor's walls with passing curiosity.

There were many pictures of people with faces that I did not know or care about.

For some reason, all faces besides Cordelia's often muddled and blended together into meaningless blobs in the background.

"Please, enter," her father said as he opened the door to his office and stepped inside first.

I followed him and my eyes widened at the vast number of photos that hung throughout the room.

They were all pictures of Cordelia as a child and of his soon-to-be wife.

"Is this why you don't let the two of them enter this room?" I asked as my eyes were immediately drawn to a photo of both Cordelia and I playing under the sun.

"Well...it's embarrassing," her father blushed a little as he admired a photo of his fiance on a wall.

It's a little too late for him to be worrying about embarrassment, judging by the way he always acted around them, I thought.

I couldn't blame him though.

Even I understood the feeling of not being able to control emotions in front of loved ones.

"So," her father began sternly, "I hope you understand why I brought you here."

"Yes."

"I believe I specifically ordered you in the past to immediately bring my precious sweetie here should there be any...issues in the capital. Do you remember?"

"Yes."

Within that single moment, he raised his fist and banged it down on his desk loudly.

"Tell me everything that happened. Who in the world dares to hurt my sweetie?!" he growled darkly as he angrily spat out curses.

Even from where I stood, I could feel the overflowing wrath of the man in front of me.

He was like a wild beast trying to protect his young cub.

"I just felt that it was too dangerous for her to remain in the capital any longer. And, besides, she genuinely seemed to miss this home, so I brought her here," I replied.

"Dangerous?! How?! In what way?!" he asked loudly as he pressed for more.

"Her fiance seems to be overly obsessed with her these days. He didn't do anything that would warrant a criminal sentence though. It was simply...vexing to watch," I said as I gritted my teeth.

"What did that boy do?!"

In that single moment...when he forced his lips onto hers...licked them...bit them...

Ah...

I almost killed him right then and there.

"You..." her father flinched as I failed to control the boiling rage that I had desperately chained deep within my heart so Cordelia wouldn't need to witness something so unsightly.

My face must have been distorted beyond repair at this point since her father began to tremble at the mere sight of my expression.

"I'm sorry. It'll just take me a few more moments to calm down. Do you have any other questions you'd like to ask me?" I asked as I calmly turned away from him and took a seat on a nearby couch.

"Ugh...I-" her father choked as he began to suffocate on pure air.

Eventually, he was able to calm down and he dropped to his knees as he desperately gasped for air.

Humans are so...fragile.

"I think it'd be best if I stopped questioning you for today, Ace. I don't think my body will be able to take it if you suddenly become angry again," her father sighed as he wiped away his sweat with a clean handkerchief.

"Yes...I think so too," I agreed as I turned to stare at more of the pictures that hung around the room.

There was a picture of Cordelia enjoying an entire chocolate cake for herself.

Cream was stuck around the corners of her mouth as she smiled brightly at the camera.

Precious.

Cordelia was like a one-of-a-kind priceless jewel that I could neither own nor forcefully steal.

She is just...

"I wish you could see the expression on your face right now. Just a second ago, I thought you were going to kill someone...but now you're grinning as innocently as a child," her father scoffed as he took a seat beside me.

"Ah..." I murmured as I touched my face.

I didn't realize I was smiling.

"You...Do you like my daughter?" he asked as he suddenly stared at me straight in the eye.

The question was so sudden that I was left speechless for a moment.

"Ah...well..." I stammered in surprise.

"So you don't like my daughter?! How dare you not like my sweetie!!!" he growled menacingly to me.

"No...that's not what I meant...I just-"

"So you do like my daughter?! What?! How dare you like my sweetie!!!" he also growled at this.

How in the world...am I supposed to respond to a man like this...?

"If you want Cordelia, you're going to have to get past me first," he huffed.

"That's..."

Suddenly, his hand reached out toward my head and I was prepared for him to at least give me a good wack on the face for being so insolent.

But, instead, his hand plopped itself on the top of my head and began to gently stroke my hair.

"You know, Ace. To me, all men are dangerous beasts that desire my daughter. Don't get me wrong, you're the same too," he chuckled as my eyes widened in surprise at his actions.

"I see-"

"But to me, you're also like my own son."

At this, I didn't know what to say and I couldn't hide the surprise on my face.

"Besides me, you're the only one I can trust with my daughter. Do you know that?" he asked.

I almost blurted out loud: You're actually capable of trusting people around your daughter?

But the words never left my mouth and I chose to stay silent.

"You're the only one I've ever seen that has never forced her to do anything she doesn't like. And you're also the only one who I know that can protect her with their life on the line...to keep her happy."

"That's not..."

"Do you know? Sometimes, I feel like my daughter is older than she appears. There are times that she seems to know things that she shouldn't. She tries to hide it...but she's a terrible liar. So I know...I probably don't need to worry about her as much as I do...but...I can't help but worry."

"..."

"So that's why, I need someone I can trust to always be by her side—to protect her when I can't. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he asked me as a twinkle appeared in his eyes.

"I will...make Cordelia happy. Definitely," I said seriously as I gripped my hands together.

Her father laughed a bit before his face suddenly turned serious and he gave me a good smack on the head.

"You're getting too carried away!! I just told you that I trusted her with you!! That's all!! She's still my daughter, you know!!" he yelled with irritation clear on his face.

"I-I...see. I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"And, besides, you might be the strongest being alive, but you don't have anything besides your stupid strength. You have no money, no land, no influence. How in the world am I supposed to hand my daughter over to you?!"

He was right...

"...I will...work hard," I said grimly as I tried to come up with a good plan for the future.

Suddenly, he bursted with laughter as he watched me seriously think.

"We haven't gotten to the biggest problem yet either! What are you going to do with that disastrous prince?!" he continued.

"Ah...well..."

"I might be the almighty duke of Silverbell...but in comparison to that young boy's influence, I can't do anything. My hands are tied. So...that's why I'll leave it up to you."

"...What...? You're...okay with that...?" I asked in surprise.

"I never liked that boy anyway. He might be a prince, but he keeps pushing my daughter around and sexually harassing her while I'm not looking. And now, according to you, it's too dangerous for him to be even near my daughter now!! Even I have my limits too!!" he growled.

"..."

"I'm a father before I am a duke. If my daughter wants to break away from that engagement, then I will do anything in my power to help. But. Only if she wants to, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"No matter what, you can not force her to do anything she doesn't like. If you do, I won't hesitate to lock you away," he said darkly.

I nodded my head and smiled.

"Now get out of my sight before I change my mind," he sighed with a hearty chuckle.

Without another word, I did as he said and immediately left the room.

What was this strange feeling in my chest?

I didn't quite understand it, but I didn't hate it either.

It felt...warm.

"But to me, you're also like my own son."

How many years had it been since my father died?

I couldn't even remember his face anymore, much less what he was like.

A strange ticklish feeling warmed my chest slowly.

I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a father...

"There you are!" a voice said from behind me while I was preoccupied with my thoughts.

I turned to see Cordelia's soon-to-be step-mother running toward me at full speed before stopping in front of me.

"You! I've been looking for you!" she yelled as she looped her arms around mine.

"Did something happen?" I asked as I threw away my pointless emotions and returned to my usual self.

"You're meeting the Holy Priest too, right...?" she questioned slowly.

"Yes, I believe so," I nodded.

"The maids and I have been dying to dress you up from the moment we first saw you..." she chuckled a little darkly.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

For some reason, I had a strange premonition that something bad was going to happen, but I ignored it.

"Fufu~ You're a very handsome boy indeed..." she chuckled as she immediately began to drag me behind her.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Shh...It's okay. Don't be afraid," she said comfortingly in a way that only made me more worried.

It would only be much later when I would learn first-hand of the torture that Cordelia had always complained about when preparing for any meetings or social events.

These maids...are a frightening breed of human.

Soon, every inch of my body had been massaged and wiped clean with fragrant oils before they began to dress me in dozens of different outfits.

Each outfit looked exactly the same as the last—or at least they did so for me.

At the same time, a team of maids brushed and cared for my hair with different products that I didn't even know existed.

Once the maids were satisfied with the final product, they finally sprayed some sort of cologne over my body and, after warning me to not mess with my hair and skin, set me free.

But at that point, I was so exhausted that I needed to head out for some fresh air.

I wonder if Cordelia always has to deal with things like this...

Haha...

I chuckled a bit as I imagine her thrashing around, attempting to escape the clutches of those demonic maids to no avail.

Eventually, the moon began to rise and stars began to speckle the sky in front of me.

Before I had realized it, I had completely lost track of time and had quietly let the time pass without a word.

Time always seemed to move quickly for me.

How old was I?

What was my real age?

I couldn't remember anymore.

All that I knew was that, if I wasn't careful, a full day could slip by and I wouldn't even notice.

Years felt like months, months felt like weeks, weeks felt like days, and days felt like minutes.

Time was insignificant...

...unless it was time spent with her.

Whenever I was with her, time would slow down.

Every minute...no, every second would matter.

Being with her was like a drug, and I knew, that if Cordelia was a drug, I would be the world's worst drug-addict.

"But it feels so good that I can't stop," I chuckled as I pitied myself for being unable to control myself around her.

It was then that I heard the sound of wheels and trotting near the front of the estate and assumed that it was around the time for the Holy Priest to arrive.

But before I could leave the terrace and head to the main hall, the place where we had planned to meet the Holy Priest, I heard the sound of familiar light footsteps heading toward me.

"Cordelia...?" I murmured as I turned around to face her.

It was at that moment, my heart stopped.

Cordelia under the light of the moon...in a dress that shimmered like the stars.

She was beautiful...no...she was more than that.

There was no doubt in my mind that neither angels nor fairies could ever hope to compare to her beauty.

Her everything...from her graceful movements to the painfully innocent expression on her face, mercilessly stabbed and pierced my heart.

It was as if her very existence was enough to rip my body to shreds, and, maybe it really was.

"The Holy Priest is almost here, Ace," she said in that uniquely sweet voice that belonged only to her.

I forgot how to breathe for a moment as she stepped beside me defenselessly.

Ah...really...

I really am such a hopeless man.

"Oh, yes, I know...I was planning on heading to the main hall soon," I replied with a gentle smile as I tried to casually turn my eyes away from her.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" she asked as she copied my movements and leaned against the railing.

"The air here is different than the capital's," I answered simply as I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

I wonder...if she knew how much she truly affected me.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm just a puppet being played in the palm of her hands...without her even realizing it.

"I wonder...what would have happened if I never found you in the garden that day..." she murmured as she stared at the night sky.

Why did she ask such a thing, I wonder.

My heart dropped at the thought that she might have regretted the day we had met...even though I knew she would never think that way.

"Sorry, it was a stupid question," she laughed.

"...Do you regret it?" I asked slowly.

"No, of course, I don't regret it. If I think back at it now...meeting you then was probably...haha...the best day of my life," she giggled as she shook her head without an ounce of hesitation.

And with that, my previous anxiety suddenly disappeared without a trace and I was filled with an excruciating amount of euphoria.

I took in another deep breath of fresh air to calm myself down.

"Me too," I said, "I am certain that meeting you that day, without a doubt, was the best moment of my entire life."

"You must be joking," she laughed innocently.

She really didn't know how much control she had over me, did she...

It was just like her.

No matter what, she always rejected the idea that she too could be loved.

"No, I'm serious," I repeated as I gave her a heartfelt smile.

"..."

"You are my reason for living, Cordelia. Even if you one day grow to hate me for who I am, I've already given you my everything," I murmured.

I wanted to tell her.

It was too late for her to run away from me.

And that, whether she liked it or not, I would be by her side until the end of eternity...

But those words were too heavy for someone like her, so I kept my mouth shut.

"...Idiot," she murmured as she blushed a little and turned away from me.

Ah...

It was at that moment, I thought that she was so cute that I nearly felt like dying.

How can such a creature be so adorable...?

My heart thumped erratically against my wishes and my head spun as I quickly turned away from her.

A minute...

I only needed a minute to calm myself down...

"What's wrong, Ace?" she asked as she gently tapped my shoulder twice.

I inadvertently flinched at such a soft touch.

She was so small that she needed to stand on her tippy toes in order to carry out this simple task...

Even just her touch stirred so many emotions in me...

What should I do...?

"I think...I'm finally at my limit," I muttered as I covered my mouth and stared at her entirety.

Every inch of her from outside and within...all of it was so beautiful that it hurt me.

"What does that mean...?" she asked with an innocent expression on her face.

She was too defenseless that it took every last bit of my willpower to hold myself back from reaching out to her and embracing her.

Ah...really...I feel like I've gone insane.

"...You're too pretty today. It's not my fault..." I confessed as I turned away from her once more.

"Excuse me...?" she asked, completely surprised.

"I thought so at first...but the maids are too good at their job. You already looked perfect before, but now I can't even look at you properly without feeling dizzy..." I rambled as I did my best to keep my eyes away from her.

"What? Are you kidding me?! I thought my heart was going to stop the moment I saw you just now! The one who feels like dying is me! Me! I tell you, it's me!!" she laughed.

Surely...she must be joking...

There's no way she could ever compare me to her...

The difference was like night and day.

Did she not know how beautiful she really was...?

"It's impossible...you're too dense, Cordelia..." I groaned.

She looked like she was about to say something, but she suddenly stopped and widened her eyes.

"Wait! Father must be freaking out right now...the Holy Priest is going to be here any second now. Let's go," she gasped as she grabbed my hand.

Her hands felt unrealistically soft, more so since I knew she was a master swordswoman...

Those small hands that unconsciously grabbed mine without a second thought were very pretty to me.

"Yes, let's go," I nodded with a small smile, unable to resist her.

Ah...I really am such a hopeless man...

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

A/N: Sorry for the slightly later chapter today! This week is my first week back in school and I already have homework due... ༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ

For this chapter, I decided to write in Ace's POV that Cordelia never got to see~ It's been a while since I last wrote in his POV, so I thought it would be really cute if I did! I hope you guys like it~

Also...'Chapter 80' marks the 100th updated part to 'Another Life, Another Me!!!' Can you guys believe it?!?! This story has 100 parts!! I never thought I'd be able to write a story for this long, but I guess I did~

Thanks, again, to all of my readers/voters/commenters for everything you do! You guys are the reason why I have been able to write for so long~

Stay safe, everyone!

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 4555