148. Kiana's Direct Approach to Lemuen's Plan
Xiling, speechless, was forcibly carried back to bed by Kiana.
"Alright, alright." Xiling rolled his eyes at her, annoyed.
Kiana plopped down on the edge of the bed, tilting her head.
"What is it?"
"It satisfied your perverse sense of humor, didn't it?" Xiling said with a hint of disdain.
"What are you talking about!" Kiana immediately puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"I was just concerned about you! And!" she emphasized, puffing out her chest, "I'm a sweet and soft, beautiful girl! And you're complaining when I hug you?"
As she spoke, as if to prove her "sweet and soft" nature, she leaned back and rolled onto Xiling's bed, even rolling around in the blanket.
"The main problem is that you're making me feel like I can't take care of myself," Xiling said, moving his arms and feeling that he had indeed recovered quite a bit, managing to sit up with some difficulty. He looked at the little guy rolling around on his bed, even burying her head under the covers with only a few strands of white fur showing, and sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.
"Hey! Don't get my bed dirty."
Kiana's muffled voice came from under the covers, with a hint of whining in it:
"I won't!" She then shrank further under the covers, completely disappearing into the bulge.
Xiling, too lazy to bother with this "white cat" who had crawled into his bed, grabbed his change of clothes, and went straight to the bathroom. Soon after, the sound of running water came from inside.
The instant the water started running in the bathroom, the bulge under the covers suddenly... Froze.
Kiana's cheeks, which had been pressed against the pillow, instantly flushed a burning crimson.
She buried her face deeper into the pillow, taking a deep breath. The scent of Xiling lingering on it instantly enveloped her, a realization that sent a jolt through her heart, making it pound wildly as if it would leap out of her throat. Her legs unconsciously rubbed against the soft sheets beneath her, a strange fluttering feeling leaving her weak and feverish.
"Ugh... I feel so... weird..." she whimpered softly, then shook her head violently, trying to dispel the dizziness brought on by shyness.
"No! I can't waste this opportunity! Lemuen isn't here... I have to do something!"
"My time...maybe it really isn't much longer..."
She wouldn't forget what Xiling had once said: they would separate, but they would also meet again.
But Kiana had made up her mind. Even if they separated, she would find him! The different worlds' obstacles couldn't separate them.
Think it and do it!
A spatial rift silently opened beside her, and Kiana's figure vanished from Xiling's bed, instantly returning to her own bathroom.
Warm water washed over her burning skin, trying to dispel the unusual heat, but it couldn't wash away Xiling's image from her mind.
Water droplets meandered down the curves of her smooth, white body. In the hazy steam, the girl began to grapple with her own worries.
When a person is alone, especially when doing something quiet, their thoughts easily wander.
"What kind of girl does he...like?" Kiana looked down, watching the water glide over her undulating curves, a newfound insecurity about her appearance quietly creeping in.
She ran her fingers lightly across her delicate collarbone, then hesitated, gesturing to her chest, her cheeks flushing even more.
"This...size...should...be...good enough?" her voice barely a whisper.
She cupped her burning cheeks.
"Idiot!"
"I am so cute and pretty, there's no reason he wouldn't like me..." It was like she was trying to reassure herself, but there was also a hint of uncertain trepidation.
Would Xiling really care about these external things? He treats everyone the same way... It seems the only reason he took her in was... because she's a Herrscher?
Thinking of this initial "reason," Kiana felt a complex bitterness welling up inside her, followed by a sense of relief—bitterness because the starting point wasn't 'her', and relief because at least this identity allowed her to meet "him."
The scene of their first encounter unconsciously replayed in her mind.
Kiana's lips finally curled into an uncontrollable smile.
"But it's precisely because he's like this... that it makes Xiling even more irresistible..." Through the steam, the girl's eyes shone brightly.
"So... Sister Lemuen... I'm sorry."
She whispered silently to the void, "Don't blame Sirin... blame Xiling. Who told him... to be so good?"
"And..."
"You shouldn't have given me a chance."
"Since you've given it to me..."
"Then I—I definitely won't be polite!"
.....
Opening the bathroom door, Xiling stepped out. Seeing that the white fuzzy ball wasn't on his bed, Xiling breathed a sigh of relief.
Kiana's attitude towards him was a little strange. He might have misunderstood something...
Perhaps Kiana wasn't interested in Lemuen, but rather in him—Xiling.
"How did things turn out like this?"
Xiling was puzzled and confused. Frankly, he had never harbored any thoughts of crossing boundaries with Kiana. Their initial encounter, that night with the Herrscher girl on the verge of collapse… He reached out to her simply because he saw it, and to change the predetermined story.
Like the Elden Ring.
He offered salvation to everyone beyond the Golden Law.
Uruk.
He provided a doctor with another path, a path that would influence Chaldea's future.
Even in their current world.
He still left a choice.
He never intended to mix personal feelings into this relationship of guidance and being guided; after all, once the mission was complete, he would leave—an unchangeable trajectory.
Even… even if they met again in the future, in what capacity would he stand before her? A passerby who had already fulfilled his mission? A friend worth remembering? Or…
"I hope… It's just my imagination." He closed his eyes, utterly helpless in this tangled web of love.
Before Xiling's murmur had faded, ripples spread through the space behind him. Just as he turned, a soft, warm body, carrying the fresh scent of a bath, nestled into his arms.
In a whirl, when his vision refocused, a silver-haired girl straddled his waist.
"Did you ever imagine this day would come, Xiling?"
Kiana's voice was deeper than usual. The loose neckline of her nightgown revealed her delicate collarbone, and strands of her dried hair fell across Xiling's cheek. Moonlight and lamplight mingled on her flushed face, making her loving blue eyes shine even brighter.
Xiling's pupils contracted slightly. The Kiana before him was both strange and familiar.
Kiana Kaslana was never one to hesitate!
She was decisive; if she thought of something, she would do it. If she liked someone, she would fight for it!
"How can you say you like someone if you don't give it your all?"
That's her motto! All those roundabout dating techniques, all those manipulative tactics… to hell with them!
Straightforward and fearless—that's Kiana's style!
"I really didn't expect this day to come." Xiling turned his head; the warmth emanating from Kiana was too real, forcing him to face the fact: "So you… really like me."
"Did you only realise and are feeling shy about it now? It's too late!"
Kiana leaned down, her hot breath brushing against Xiling's ear.
"That's right! I've liked you for a long time! I like you terribly! I want to be with you every day, every hour, every moment! I want to spend every morning with you, share every sunset, and lie in your arms every starry night!"
Her words surged like a tidal wave, rapid and passionate, "I love the rhythm of your breath, I love your scent, I love the feeling of the whole world falling silent when you're beside me…"
"Xiling, I love you! I love you the most!"
"I don't know when this feeling started... Blame yourself! Blame yourself for appearing before me, for reaching out your hand, for being so kind to me!"
The girl's passionate confession was like a flame. He could feel Kiana's accelerated heartbeat through the thin fabric of her clothes, so vibrant, so fragile.
Xiling sighed.
"I like you too."
Before the light in the girl's eyes could fully bloom, Xiling's words followed.
"But this liking might be different from your understanding of 'liking'."
Kiana's body, straddling his waist, stiffened slightly.
Xiling stated an objective fact: "I like you, Sirin, just as I like Lemuen, Kevin, and the Tarnished. I like many people, and you are one of them."
Xiling raised his hand, his palm gently resting on Kiana's fluffy silver hair, soothingly ruffling it.
"You're still young, you've experienced too much turmoil in a short time. Perhaps you only mistook this deep dependence for possessive love because I happened to appear when you needed me most, offering you support and protection."
"What happened tonight was too sudden. I hope... You can calm down and think it over."
"Is there anything else mixed in with your 'like'?"
Xiling felt he had said enough; surely Kiana should have calmed down by now.
However, the girl straddling him merely tilted her head slightly, then a radiant, almost dazzling smile blossomed on her face! Under Xiling's watchful gaze, a sense of foreboding rising within him, Kiana leaned down, her tone surprisingly gentle: "You're babbling so much... It's noisy. It's alright, Xiling—"
Her sapphire eyes curved into crescents.
"Wait a minute, and you'll understand everything when you calm down! Your body... is much more honest than your mouth!"
Before she finished speaking, Kiana actually started tearing off Xiling's clothes!
"What the heck! What the hell! What are you doing?!" Xiling screamed in terror, frantically trying to stop her.
"What else could I be doing? Of course, I'm going to force it!" Kiana's hands didn't stop, but her tone was unusually firm.
"If you don't hurry up, Sister Lemuen will take it off first!"
Lemuen? Take it off? What the hell was she talking about? Kiana's words made Xiling's mind go blank for a moment. His movements froze, and in that brief moment of hesitation, Kiana had already ripped off his top! Just as Kiana's face flushed and her eyes were fixed on Xiling—
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Suddenly, a frantic pounding, almost enough to break the door, erupted at the entrance.
Siegfried stood outside, his face ashen. His daughter had been in Xiling's little room for over ten minutes and hadn't come out! Could she… be about to cause a death? Absolutely not! Thinking of this possibility, he pounded on the door even harder.
"Tsk!" Kiana clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Who's banging on the door in the middle of the night? Is it Tarnished coming back?"
Whoever it was, Kiana knew tonight's plans were off.
She glanced at Xiling, who was wrapped tightly in the blanket, stood up, and said with a hint of resentment, "Looks like tonight's not going to continue, but don't even think about running away, Xiling." Leaving this statement behind, Kiana reluctantly opened a door and returned to her room.
After the other person had completely left, Xiling's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"That's just her true nature, isn't it? Always clamoring about 'drinking Mei juice.'"
Relaxing, Kiana's earlier words clearly surfaced in his mind. "'Sister Lemuen will take it off first'? ...Lemuen, wouldn't she also..." he murmured incredulously in the quiet room, "Like me, right?"
Everything that happened in the room was observed by Lemuen from the shadows of the eaves not far away—yes, she had never left.
This was all a carefully orchestrated game. She deliberately left, creating an opportunity for Kiana to confront Xiling, but how could she let the other succeed so easily? So, she arranged for Siegfried to interrupt everything.
A clear projection floated in front of Lemuen.
At first, she simply watched silently, the oppressive aura emanating from her almost freezing the air, her eyes terrifyingly gloomy. Until the image clearly captured Xiling's incredulous murmur, Lemuen's face began to soften and relax.
"Yes, Xiling,"
"I like you too…much more deeply than you imagine."
"After knowing all this…" a certain light flickered in her eyes, "Xiling, how will your attitude towards me…become? It's so exciting…I can't wait to know the outcome." Lemuen put away the projection device, her figure silently disappearing into the deeper darkness.
"Heh... I'm getting more and more excited for tomorrow." A light, low laugh drifted almost imperceptibly through the night.
Raiden Mei pressed herself against the cold door, holding her breath. She had watched Kiana walk out of Xiling's room, then heard the commotion outside—first Kiana's panicked cry, "Dad? What are you doing here!" Then, Siegfried's voice: "That's a long story... Anyway, what were you doing just now?"
"Taking...taking a bath!"
Behind the door, Mei's tense shoulders finally relaxed, her heart finally settling down.
"As expected...it wasn't what I thought." She murmured to herself, her tense lips finally relaxing, a hint of helpless relief in her expression.