38: The confessions

The night Void Proposed Aoi...

It was midnight—a cold yet beautiful hour, illuminated by the full moon's dim light. The silvery beams cast shadows on both our faces as Void took a step closer to me, his eyes filled with something I hadn't seen before.

"Aoi!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling. "I've started getting feelings... My heart aches when I'm with you. It feels like it will burst out any moment." He closed the distance between us, taking my hands in his. "When I see your eyes, when I hear your voice, I forget where I am. I get lost in another world, filled with your memories, and I love getting lost now!"

His gaze was intense, his eyes desperately trying to capture my reflection. "Aoi, I like you!" he said, his voice as smooth and sweet as honey.

"I'm not interested in you," Aoi replied, maintaining a calm smile while her mind churned with thoughts. Now beg, Void. Beg to stay close to me. Say you'll do anything to be with me!

"I see you as a friend, Void, nothing more. Our families may have arranged this engagement, but you left the decision to me, didn't you? Well, I've decided to be your fiancée until I find the man of my dreams!" Aoi's words pierced Void's heart. He began to retreat, tears welling in his ice-blue eyes.

In his mind, Void thought, Vivienne was right! I'm not what this world wants. I'm just a femboy who defies all norms who does whatever he want's an idiot a brabaric brat!...

"I see," Void said, his voice cracking. "Well, good luck with that. I'm glad we're still friends..." With that, he turned and left Aoi standing alone.

"Wait... Didn't he love me? Why did he just leave like that? Just like everyone else!" Aoi thought, snapping back from her memories.

I don't understand why he didn't beg. Even if I reject him, despise him, hate him... he would still stand beside me, not because of a promise to Mother, but because of who he is... Aoi cried in her mother's lap, hugging her tightly.

"He does hate me now... Mother, I've made the biggest mistake of my life by playing with Void's kindness. I'm so sorry... I don't want to stay away from him. Even if he's still near, it feels like he's so far away from me..." Tears streamed down her pale, snow-like skin. The ice princess, known for her cold demeanor and emotional detachment, was crying, her frozen heart beginning to melt.

"Hush, my dear," Rin said softly, rubbing Aoi's head. "It's alright. We can't change the past, nor are we capable of seeing the future. All we have is the present and the power given by the gods to mend what we've broken. In love, mistakes are stepping stones that strengthen bonds. They are painful scars that show how true your love is."

"You now have the chance to prove your love, to fix what you've broken. It's alright," Rin said, wiping Aoi's tears and cupping her face. Aoi nodded, regaining her composure.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the sixth fiancée, Meisheng Shen, sat in her room surrounded by empty medicine strips. She scrolled through photos of Void on Instagram, her mind drifting back to the past.

"Void... Void... I was an orphan taken in by a dragon family, led by Xen Yang, a celestial dragon emperor. He didn't take me in out of sympathy; he saw me as a tool to strengthen his clan and later rule the underworld.

I escaped the dragon kingdom and ended up in Alainette, hoping for a better life. Instead, I was tortured and abused. One day, I was starving, sick from eating rats to stave off hunger, and I was in agony...

That's when I heard the voice of a five-year-old boy, pale and hungry, more so than I was. He left me two loaves of bread and some pills for pain. He didn't say anything but patted my head and said, 'Get well soon.' As he left, I looked up to see his ice-crystal-like eyes.

That day changed me. I vowed to become strong enough to find him. I became an assassin for that reason. Three years later, I learned that Maria had killed his family and perhaps him as well.

Fueled by vengeance, I started my own gang, rising to become a mafia lord by seventeen, equalling Maria's power. Despite this, I could never fully defeat her, as her influence and strength were otherworldly.

For eight years, I spiraled into an abyss, consumed by revenge. But when I saw Void's ice-crystal eyes and snow-white hair, the same smile even when hurt, I questioned how someone could be so similar to him.

My research revealed that Maria had indeed killed Void's host family and adopted him as her own. He was the last descendant of the Frost family, the lost child of Maria.

What a twist of fate. The love I sought all along was raised by my enemy. Seeing him again made me forget the past and the suffering. Void's simple act of kindness had been a beacon of hope and motivation for me.

Though you may not remember that day, others are beginning to recognize your strength. You're becoming the Absolute Monster of Middletown, soon to claim your rightful place. Sharing you is no issue; I just want to stay close to you, my sweet little Mocha cupcake. I'll ensure your smile never fades!"