I can't lie

Night settled, and after the two girls left, several times they returned. The girls would peek from the corner of the doors of Theo's study.

It was highly distracting.

"What is it, you two?"

"Dinner is ready... (Dinner is ready...)." The two meekly answered.

"I'll pass; Older Brother has a lot of things to do tonight."

"But… everyone has a lot of things to do too. We do not have anyone to eat with."

"Father and Mother Thalia is taking care of Mother Laura, Older Sister is packing for her departure tomorrow, and Titus is sneaking out again, so we don't have anyone to eat with."

"…is that so?" Theo raised a brow, "Hmm, is that so? Well, I don't have much time to spare — how about this? Why not bring dinner here, and we can eat together simultaneously? How about that?"

"...they said it's rude to bring work on the dining table."

"But not food to your work!"

The two looked at Theo with bewilderment.

"Are you perhaps a genius, Older Brother? (Are you perhaps a genius, Older Brother?)."

"You can say that. Now, go, my beloved minions. Fetch this brother of yours his dinner!"

"Yes, sir. (Yes, sir.)."

Lyria and Lisa left giggling with light steps.

"As a Saint, I didn't expect you to be such a bad example." Entering the room was Rose, giggling at the interaction of the siblings.

'Oh, did she take a bath? She smells really ni—God.Fucking.Dammit! What the hell am I saying? I'm acting like a stalker who got to talk to his target!' Something was wrong with him.

[Initiating Self-Scan]

Report: Clear]

This was the second time today.

"Did you have a good rest?" Theo asked after killing his emotion and expression.

"I did; thank you for caring for me."

Biting the inner walls of his cheeks, Theo kept his wits with him, "Don't thank me, I should be the one thanking you. Not only did you care for me, risking your honor, but you also kept my secret." Theo lifted his left hand and showed Rose a glowing purple mark.

"That mark…." Rose's voice quivered, but she did not step back. She gathered herself looked Theo in the eyes with conviction before regaining the life in her steps, "It's different from before. What did you do?"

"I formed a pact with the Demon and put its existence in the body of a Floof… please don't kill it. I already made precautions from hurting and enticing others; I even connected its life to mine to avoid any betrayal. If it dies… I… die… as well… huh…."

Rose shook her head at the sight of Theo's contemplating expression, "You must have made that deal to stop the pain. But, making a Pact with a demon is nothing but trouble, Theo. They aren't Devils, created to test people. Demons are cursed creatures who tried to slay the Gods. The opposite of a Saint as yourself, are you having doubts now?"

"Doubts? With my decisions? Of course not. Demons aren't devious; they are simply intelligent beings following their desires even if they cause pain and calamity. If you have a strong soul and are smart enough to get rid of any loopholes, they're virtually powerless, so no. What I'm thinking of is something far more baffling…." Theo looked at Rose with a tilted head, 'How come I'm telling her all this? I know I developed a loose lip, but… this is absurd.'

"Then, what is it?" Rose could not think of any more reason why Theo would be so distracted, "Is something in your mind?"

She was worried about him.

Theo could see the clarity in her eyes.

It wasn't an act.

He responded in kind.

"I... feel unguarded in front of you." Theo admitted, "I feel vulnerable—it is bewildering how something like this can happen."

"I see." Rose interjected in Theo's ramblings for the first time, "I… I must scare you… but believe me, I don't mean to interrogate you or gather information. I only mean to know more about you. You do not have to feel obligated to tell me anything, The—Sir Theo."

Rose looked down; her eyes locked on her gloved hands. She closed her eyes and bit her lips, 'Even Sir Theo… is afraid of me….'

Even her fiancé was afraid of her.

'…I… I blew it… didn't I?'

Rose knew all too well where this was heading.

She thought that with the red strings guiding her, this time would be different, 'The-they were right about me after al—'

"Scared? Who? Of whom?" he was utterly confused, but once more, his eyes caught Rose's, and then, he understood, "Wait, are you talking about me?"

"...are you not? But you said you felt unguarded and vulnerable; doesn't that mean you're scared?"

"What? No, of course not. I meant that I couldn't stop telling you things I don't have to without any prompts. This is bizarre for me. I know I am not the best person to keep a secret, but this is beyond that. Besides, why would I be afraid of you? You have been in my mind since last night—goddammit, see? I utter these things without me noticing when I talk about you. I apologize, to act like this is not normal. This must also be embarrassing for you, so until I can purge my mind of such thoughts, we may have to refrain from speaking to—"

His speech paused as his eyes returned to Rose.

She looked at him with bewilderment, and somehow, that was enough to cause Theo to feel disconcerted.

"You must be uncomfortable with my mindless prattling—"

"N-no, it's not like that." Rose fervently shook her head, "I-I'm not uncomfortable...tell me more... are you really not afraid of me?"

"Um, no? How could I? You speak softly; you act elegantly; you cook for me. You even tell me off when you need to as to harm me. I said this before already, but you took care of me and kept my secret. If it were anyone else, they would have run away. Not only that, but I sensed the trace of blood in the runes mixed with divine energy. You are the only person I can feel divine energy from, so that means you used your Lifeblood to help keep the Demon at bay.

"Oh, and you even stood up for me when those Knights spoke badly of me —I thank you for that, by the way — so as far as I can see, you're the least threatening in this place. What's more, you never showed any greed or desire to take advantage of me when I awakened as a Saint. I know my family is the same, but they are my family. But, you... our engagement has to be agreed on as well. Meaning, you came here, seeking not power or money; you stayed with me, not for any of that, but only because that is who you are."

That long rambling even surprised Theo, 'Have I been that dependent on her? And it's only been a week too!'

While Theo was busy contemplating how useless he had been since he arrived in this world, Rose could feel her heart beating faster than ever before.

"…you're not lying, are you?"

"Huh? Of course not. Why would I need to lie? I merely listed what you have done for me."

"Do I really not intimidate you?" Rose asked.

Theo snorted, "Again, in my eyes, you're as delicate as a flower—there it is again… see? I can't seem to shut my mouth—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When did you…."

His heart almost jumped out as Rose suddenly appeared right in front of him.

She bypassed his senses and defenses and stood an inch away from him. Her eyes were beginning to change to black as if a shadow had emerged from its depths. As if in a trance, her eyes never left his.

"Ro-rose?"

"You… you aren't afraid?"

Rose took one step forward and Theo one step back.

She pushed, and he retreated until his butt touched the window sill.

"Rose? Why are you."

Rose's eyes turned her eyes sharper. Slowly, even a portion of her murderous intent seeped out, yet, Theo's fear never spiked because of her presence.

He did not run away out of fear of what she could do.

He's afraid of something else, something even Theo could not explain.

'Sh-she's much forceful than before—did something happen while we were talking? Did time stop? Did an alter ego take over? Dammit, what kind of event is this!? Should I unseal one of the three?' For the first time, Theo did not have the situation under control.

Her piercing eyes were not something he expected.

She extended her right hand and touched his chest.

Her fingers ran down his body as she whispered, "Are you still not afraid?"

He unknowingly swallowed his saliva. He was at a loss for words.

For him who likes to be in control, Theo did not fight back.

Drawing closer to Theo, the intensity of Rose's eyes only heightened.

Her focus is only on Theo.

He never averted his gaze out of fear.

It remained clear no matter how much she showed herself to him. The darkness welled and flowed.

Their eyes burned, their breathing hastened. The atmosphere became thicker, and Rose drew leaned closer.

Her lips a hair's breadth from Theo's, she could feel his breath.

"Will you... not run away? Will you not push me away?" Rose asked, her eyes beginning to swirl with darkness.

Theo could see that she, too, carried fear in her eyes, waiting for his answer.

"N—"

Theo's words stopped because right behind Rose a trolley arrived with two unsuspecting girls.

"Older Brother~."

"Dinner~"

Lyria and Lisa called out as they peeked from the trolley corner and then froze at sight before them. For a good ten seconds, they stared at Theo and Rose, not saying anything.

Then, the two looked at each other, apologized for ruining the moment, and scuttled out of the room!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When Theo looked back at Rose, she had already regained her mind. The darkness in her eyes was washed away by a radiant sapphire.

She and Theo locked eyes for a moment, and her face completely turned red.

"Um, I, uh... please excuse me!" Rose panicked and out of after realizing how scandalous what she had just did, she quickly left while hiding a bashful smile.

'He...he said no!' Rose failed to contain her joy.

Theo stood there, alone in a trance.

'Wha-what just happened?' He was still unsure what the hell had just transpired.

Right when Theo was busy contemplating about something sensitive, the two girls peeked from the corner of his door.

Tak! Tak!

They knocked with lowered and ashamed heads.

"Did we interrupt? (Did we interrupt?)."

"Well, sort of."

"We-We're sorry."

"Is Older Brother Mad?"

Theo's answer brought the girls on the verge of breaking into tears.

Sporting a wry smile, Theo approached his sisters and ruffled their hair, "Now, now, don't cry; it's not that big of a deal. What you two did wasn't bad. Besides, I also saw two sides of my fiancee, so you two kinda helped me."

"Re-really? (Re-really?)."

"Yes, now, come on, let's have dinner." Theo wiped his sisters' tears and had them set up the food on the coffee table while he remained crouching on the floor.

The girls finished setting up the table, and Theo remained crouching.

When they asked why, he answered, "Older Brother is thinking. You two eat first. I'll join you soon...."

Theo looked at the floor and whispered to himself, "Okay, so it's working properly... but... I think there's something horrifyingly wrong with me. And I used to jeer at it as well. This can't be happening."

[It's happening all right. You rejected everyone, except her.]

"Don't make me kill us, Fate." Theo threatened.

Fate didn't care. To see the great Villain fall made even the Goddess clapped with joy.

[You've fallen for Rose. Go on, tell me otherwise!]

Theo wanted to refute her words.

Sadly, to Theo's lament.

He couldn't lie.

"Fuck."