Love I

Cecilia leaned in closer, her smirk curling into something both mischievous and triumphant. "And who's going to stop us, Arthur? Certainly not you."

She had a point.

After all, this wasn't exactly a situation I found myself objecting to.

"This reminds me of when we visited your house," Rachel said with a soft giggle, her fingers idly brushing through my hair as I rested on her lap.

"Agreed," I replied with a faint smile. "That was… a good time."

It was strange to think that had been more than a year ago. Time felt like a blur now, fractured by the months of isolation training that had followed soon after. A part of me almost envied how carefree those moments had been, yet here I was, finding something akin to that peace again—if only for a fleeting moment.

My heart thudded heavily in my chest, a drumbeat of resolve and emotion I couldn't ignore. I wanted to protect all three of them—not just because I loved them, but because they meant more to me than I could ever fully articulate. 

And the threat of the vampires looming over us made that desire even sharper, more immediate.

"I want all of you to know," I said, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of feelings churning inside me, "I love you. All of you. Enough to die for you."

The words weren't grandiose or exaggerated. They were simply the truth. Losing any one of them would feel like losing a part of my own soul. If protecting them meant throwing myself into the jaws of danger, even to the point of death, I wouldn't hesitate.

The three girls blushed deeply, their expressions shifting into a mix of warmth and quiet disbelief. For a moment, none of them said anything. 

It was Seraphina who finally broke the silence. "Then, Arthur... what really happened to you last year?"

I exhaled slowly, meeting her gaze with as much honesty as I could muster. "I'm not fully sure," I admitted. "It seems like there was... another soul inside my body. That interfered with my ability to achieve Resonance. The isolation training was meant to, well, 'adjust' things. To set them right."

It wasn't the whole truth. In fact, it barely scratched the surface of the bizarre and tangled circumstances that brought me to this world. Even I didn't fully understand all of it. But I wasn't lying, either. The existence of Art's soul had been the main obstacle, and isolation training had been the only way to confront it. Of course, Art had taken the opportunity to extend that training well beyond what was necessary. 

"I can't say it wasn't helpful," I added, a wry smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "Even if it was... intense." 

Rachel tilted her head, her fingers still idly brushing through my hair. "You're always hiding pieces of the story, Arthur," she said softly. "But I suppose we trust you enough to wait until you're ready."

Cecilia crossed her arms, though the faintest smile softened her features. "Just don't make us wait too long. If something is happening, we'll be there for you. Whether you like it or not." 

Seraphina simply nodded, her crystalline blue eyes unreadable but full of quiet determination. The unspoken understanding between us filled the room like a warm glow, a rare moment of peace in the storm.

Yet even as I allowed myself this fleeting moment of comfort, the air carried a weight that I couldn't ignore. This felt less like a reprieve and more like the calm before the storm. Because when the truth finally unraveled—when the connection between the Southern Sea Sun Palace, the vampires, and the Red Chalice Cult came to light—I knew the storm would break, and it would be relentless.

Still, a flicker of optimism refused to be extinguished. 'We have Magnus Draykar,' I reminded myself. If anyone could anchor us through the chaos, it was him. That thought brought a small, fleeting sense of peace, enough to let me indulge in the moment.

I nestled deeper into Rachel's lap, her warmth chasing away the chill of my thoughts. She froze for a moment, her breath hitching, and I felt her body tremble slightly beneath me.

"Shy?" I asked, turning my head toward her stomach with a teasing grin.

Rachel's response was immediate. Her hands came to my face, pressing gently against my cheeks as her own turned crimson. She looked down at me, her flustered expression both enchanting and utterly disarming.

For a moment, I simply blinked, caught off guard by her reaction. My teasing grin faltered as my cheeks began to heat in response. Rachel's ethereal beauty, her flushed face framed by her blonde hair, rendered me momentarily speechless.

"You're impossible," she murmured, her voice soft yet laced with exasperation. But her hands lingered on my face, her touch warm and gentle.

Cecilia rolled her eyes, though there was a faint curve to her lips. "You two are so insufferable sometimes," she said, leaning against the headboard and crossing her arms. "I don't know how Seraphina and I put up with you."

Seraphina, perched nearby, gave a faint nod of agreement, though her lips quirked in a ghost of a smile. "Patience, perhaps," she said simply, her voice carrying its usual calm. "Or resignation."

Rachel gave them both a sidelong glare but didn't release me. If anything, her grip on my face tightened slightly, her embarrassment giving way to defiance.

"Jealous?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

Cecilia let out a short laugh, sharp and dismissive. "Not in the slightest. I'd rather not have to babysit him like you do."

Rachel huffed indignantly, her cheeks still tinged red, but the playful banter was a welcome reprieve from the tension that lingered just beneath the surface of the evening.

"Of course not," I said, my lips curving into a mischievous grin. "Because I'm the one who has to babysit you." With a quick motion, I pulled Cecilia closer. She let out a small, surprised yelp as she tumbled onto the bed, her head landing squarely on my chest.

"I don't need babysitting!" she hissed, her voice sharp with indignation, like a cat puffing up in protest. I couldn't help but chuckle as I reached out to pat her head, a playful gesture that only seemed to stoke her frustration further.

"Sure you don't," I said, my voice laced with mock sincerity.

Cecilia huffed again, her crimson eyes narrowing, but her struggles soon ceased. Instead, she simply settled against my chest, her irritation melting into reluctant comfort. Her golden hair spilled over my shirt, and for a moment, she just lay there, quiet and still, though I could feel the occasional twitch of her fingers as if she was debating whether or not to shove me off the bed.

Rachel glanced down at us, her fingers pausing in my hair as a knowing smile tugged at her lips. "Babysitting both of you, it seems," she murmured, her voice soft but teasing.

"Don't get too comfortable," Cecilia muttered, her words muffled against my chest. "I'll have my revenge for this."

"Looking forward to it," I replied, my grin widening as I tilted my head back to look up at Rachel.

Seraphina, still sitting nearby, observed the scene with her usual calm detachment. But I didn't miss the faintest flicker of amusement in her icy blue eyes. "You're all absurd," she said, though her voice carried a rare warmth.