Confessions (5)
I love you.
Those words that came out of his very mouth.
A sense of elation, joy and warmth spread in my heart. An unusual fuzziness.. murky.. confusing.
"Noel, I.."
I wanted to reciprocate.
I wanted to accept.
Noel's feelings, his confession, I'm delighted.
However..
"..I cant accept your feelings."
Was the answer that came out instead.
It was an answer that became so because of my title.
My title as a demon lord-- an undeniable truth, one that I cannot but accept.
It was, is and will forever be a part of me.
I can't deny it, can't act against it.
"I-I see.. I suppose let's.."
"DOn't be too hasty Noel, I haven't finished now have I?" I surprised myself at the light giggle I made. The look of remorse on Noel's face however.. It pained me. "I can't accept your feelings.. at least.. not yet.. until the prerequisite has been met then.."
Noel is mine, mine alone. My one and only vessel.
I will make him my vessel, then the rest will certainly come naturally.
Yes.. calmly now.. only if I could…
"Prerequisite? W-what do you mean.." Noel stuttered at his words.
I believe he too wouldn't approve of it.. not until i have everything in place.
That's it. That should be my plan for the future.
But I'm scared.
Should the ritual fail Noel will cease to exist..
Furthermore, there is no certainty in the ritual Demon Lord Javiel informed me of.. anything could happen. And if it was all but a lie-- false information. I would lose Noel-- forever. My life would then be over, that will be the end.
I stood up with unsteady steps, confused in my thoughts and tittered towards him.
"Liliath?"
I embraced him.
I can't have him run away. No. He has to stay.
"Please wait.. I will make sure everything happens accordingly… wait for me.."
However, I had no plans. I didn't know where to start… I only know now that I need to start. I need to start now.. I don't know how much longer Noel can wait, i don't know how much longer I have. Perhaps a month? Maybe a year? Forever would be too far..
If there's even a tiny shred of possibility there-- I will have to grasp it.
"A-alright.. I will wait.." Noel brought his arms around my shoulder and pulled me closer.
"Wait for me Noel.. I'll definitely make it work."
Noel will be mine.
Mine alone.
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I opened my eyes to find myself back inside my own room.
The contents of yesterday's confession with Noel remained in my mind. A small smile crept onto my face.
I'm glad Noel confessed.
Please wait a while longer-- I don't know how long it would take but I will definitely return your feelings..
With such thoughts, I should continue to build Noel's trust. The hard part would be to refine and confirm the method and contents of the ritual…
I had no clue where to start.
I got up from bed, drank some water from my water bottle and exited my room.
I stopped in front of Noel's room. He was still in bed. It was unusual, he would be up earlier than me in most circumstances, which proves the mental strain he placed on the confession.
Hoping that he wouldn't misunderstand my wishes, I proceeded to the bathroom.
There I met Nine, a gender-unknown human brushing 'her' teeth.
The act of brushing one's teeth came as a surprise when Noel first taught me about it. It seemed that such was the habits of the inhabitants of this world. I can't seem to understand why swallowing 'toothpaste' was not allowed. It wasn't poison, tasted good yet was a taboo item to ingest.
"Mornin' Nine," I greeted.
"Hm? Owhw, mourn'in Liliatth," she replied with a lisp as her mouth was filled with a delicious cooling taste.
"You're rather early, I suppose I'll go use the other washroom."
"Giimee a sec," Nine spat the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. Wiping the water off, "I'm done, you can use the bathroom now."
"Much appreciated Nine."
"Gotcha."
Nine was a beautiful girl dressed in a yellow flower dress. She had probably cleaned herself in a bath. I wonder why she would wake up so early though.
"Nine, is there any reason why you're so early?"
"Early? It's my habit, I wake up at 4am everyday. You're early too ya know?" she spoke in a cute voice befitting of her small stature.
"Nine, were you originally a girl or boy."
Perhaps I should take this chance to get to know her better.
"I'm a boy. But I prefer being a female because it's funnier that way. I'm officially bisexual and I get to troll people like this," Nine giggled.
Trolls? Bisexual trolls? What is bisexual? Can a single person actually fall for people of both genders? It seems that language comprehension has its limits… No, rather, trolls have no gender in the first place.
"Are there trolls in the world?"
"I'm one of them," Nine grinned.
I flinched, prepared a defensive stance, narrowing my eyes.
"You look human though.. I have never met a troll like your kind.."
To my surprise, Nine flashed me a dumbfounded expression.
"HUh, what. You're serious… ah.. I get it now.. terminology issue, yeah. Liliath, by 'troll' I mean, 'prankster you know?"
"Prankster? I do not know."
"What… I guess this is to be expected of an otherworlder. Noel must have it hard.. but it's funny," Nine giggled again. "Ah, speaking of which, are you interested in knowing what happens here when I change between genders?" Nine pointed at her crotch with a shrewd smile.
"I rather not," I shook my head with a frown.
"Oya? I'll answer it in a roundabout way then. I'm not gay if I hang out with another male in my female form-- I'm sure that answers your curiosity right?"
"You're not happy if you hang out with another male?"
Ponderingi my words for a moment, Nine then shouted, huffing, "Not that 'gay'!!"
If Nine never mentioned it, it was hard to imagine she was originally a male to begin with.
I tilted my head.
"Whatever.. enjoy your bath, and see ya around Liliath," Nine laughed as she ran off.
I stood there confused. Gay in the context meant: happy, right? Perhaps such misunderstanding is why 'transgender' is a popular story genre in this world.
Locking the door, I look at myself through the mirror. Velvet hair, crimson purple eyes-- features that did not exist in any other person.
I wonder what face I showed Noel yesterday night?
The obvious reaction to that thought was my face turning beet red.
I hope he continues to treat me the same from here on…
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Finishing my shower, I headed to my room. On the way, I noticed that Noel had still not awoken. It seemed that he was bothered by the matter yesterday.
I could only pray that he would come out alright.
I had a hair dryer in my room that I do use at times, though recently I have come to realize magic is much more convenient and versatile.
After which I picked up my phone and sent a message that said good morning to Noel's family group. Continuing, I entered the gallery app to see the various photos of tea bags in the display. Mixed in between were pictures I took of different interesting places with Noel.
I admired the photos, bringing back pleasant memories.
I don't want it to fade.
I don't want it to end.
Such were my thoughts-- my unneeded emotions.
It would only get in the way of my goal.
Leaving the photo gallery, I went to check the quests for today.
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Current Points: 3215
Quests: Passion:
Cuddle with Noel for 5 minutes. 40P
Have Noel smell your hair. 30P
...
Quests: Commitment:
Have Noel do house chores. 20P
Have Noel thank you for something. 10P
...
Quests: Intimacy:
Watch a movie together. 25P
Cook a dish together. 20P
...
Quests will be refreshed daily. Quests that have been completed will be prioritized, else the user can select up to 1 quest per category to remove. (removed quests will be refreshed the next day)
Max quest for each category: 2 (Upgradable) (67/100)
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I should pay attention to Noel's attitude towards me before deciding which to cooperate for a completion.
Putting that aside, we have already accumulated enough points for the item needed for the ritual.
Shifting away from the quest list and into the shop, I spun the item catalog, stopping at one item.
The philosopher's stone.
Perhaps I should start taking the studies of 'doctors' seriously. It might contain some clues to Javiel's theory.