The Duke's Daughter Is A Villainess (34)

Lucas followed Dahlia all the way outside and into the maze that was in the garden. Dahlia didn't seem to notice where she was going, so she only stopped walking until she was inside the maze and almost ran into a wall of green.

"Dahlia!" Lucas called from behind her.

Dahlia turned around to face him, a little stunned. "Lucas? What are you doing out here?"

"I... I saw you with Prince Noah earlier."

Dahlia immediately dropped her gaze and bit down on her lip. "Oh..."

"Did he... do you like him?" Lucas asked, even though he hadn't planned to. Initially he wanted to ask if she was okay, but he couldn't resist but ask that instead.

Seeing the prince and Dahlia close like that, it made him uncomfortable, and at first he had no idea why. But once he saw Noah kiss her, it was as if he was filled with this sense of fear and urgency, like he was losing something important. It wasn't until then that he really noticed what he felt, and so he chased Dahlia all the way out here.

"I..." Dahlia's eyes watered, a look of hurt on her face. "How could you ask me that?"

Lucas stopped breathing. She put extra emphasis on the 'you', as if it was special that he was the one that asked. Why? Lucas had never really experienced liking a girl before, so he was still clueless about a lot of things. He'd thought that he liked Alice before, but then he met Dahlia and she seemed to shake the foundations of everything he thought he knew. Even Alice, someone he thought he knew inside and out, turned out to actually be someone so insidious and disgusting. The feelings that he thought he had for Alice could not compare to what he seemed to be feeling now for Dahlia.

"... Do you like him?" He asked again.

Dahlia's eyes flashed, like she was mad at him all of sudden. "Don't you know the answer to that yourself? He was- it was never him!"

At this admission, it was as if things suddenly became clear for Lucas. Why his chest felt constricted whenever he was around her, why she looked so pained when he asked her if she liked the prince, why he could not get her out of his head no matter how much he tried.

"Oh." Lucas exhaled.

"Oh?" Dahlia repeated, a little puzzled.

Without another word, Lucas stepped forward, snaking his arm around her back and pulling her close.

"Is it me? Do you like me?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Dahlia bit her lip again, and under the moonlight Lucas could see her flushed cheeks. "Why are you asking again like you don't know?"

Lucas laughed at Dahlia acting coy, and then leaned down to kiss her.

Compared to her kiss with Noah, Lucas' was a little rougher, a little stronger. Lucas was inexperienced, but in an entirely different way to Noah. Noah was gentle and almost a little hesitant. Lucas on the other hand was over enthusiastic, pressing his lips to hers with a desperation that made Dahlia a bit breathless.

Neither of the kisses were bad, if she was honest.

When Lucas pulled away, he was beaming, and the number above his head read +100%.

In the end a kiss went quite a long way, didn't it?

[Host!!! You've done it!!! You've completed the first challenge!!!!]

Dahlia smiled, and was about to celebrate with Buddy, when suddenly Lucas released her from his grip and fell unconscious to the ground.

Dahlia stumbled back in surprise, looking into Zeke's cold eyes as he emerged from where Lucas was previously standing.

Something felt very, very wrong.