Chapter 55: An Offer You Can't Refuse~ (End)
After the stunning public announcement of the broken engagement and Lucian's desperate, multi-date proposal, the atmosphere in the main hall of the Royal Academy was less like a school and more like a battlefield. Lucian was trapped between two overwhelming forces.
Serene (Vennie), the ruthless Northern Duchess and a fellow regressor, was clutching his left arm with the iron grip of possession, her crimson eyes gleaming with triumph. Celestia (Silvie), the Crown Princess and the original yandere regressor, was clinging just as tightly to his right arm, her grey eyes radiating cold fury and intense paranoia.
They were walking toward the Class A lecture hall, but it was a walk of absolute torment for Lucian. He was the rope in a divine tug-of-war. He felt an intense wave of killing intent emanating from each woman toward the other. The intent wasn't focused on him, but on eliminating the competition. It was a silent, intense war of spiritual pressure that physically manifested as palpable tension.
The other students, terrified by the palpable malice surrounding the trio, hastily scattered, scurrying inside their classrooms like startled mice. No one wanted to be collateral damage in a fight between the Crown Princess and the Northern Duchess, especially one concerning the academy's most controversial and handsome noble.
Lucian, Serene, and Celestia finally arrived at their destination, the elite classroom of Class A. Standing by the door was Christopher, Lucian's only true confidant and friend in this life, who was waiting for him and managed to maintain a facade of normalcy. Christopher offered Lucian a knowing, empathetic look, then gave a stiff, formal bow to the two princesses.
"Hey Lucian. And it's good to meet you, Princess Celestia and Princess Serene. Can I borrow Lucian for a minute?" Christopher asked, trying to sound casual, but his voice was strained by the sheer intimidation radiating from the two women.
Serene and Celestia looked at Christopher. For a fleeting moment, their mutual enmity seemed to dissolve, replaced by a chilling, unified front against any external interference. Both of them smiled—a bright, beautiful, but utterly terrifying expression that didn't involve any actual warmth.
And both of them said, simply and in perfect unison:
"No!"
The two girls tightened their hold, clutching Lucian still, their fingers digging into his arms through his uniform sleeves. Lucian was currently suffocating, not from a lack of air, but from the intense silent war that was ongoing between Serene and Celestia. The pressure was immense. He was being crushed by their mutual obsession.
Lucian knew he had to escape now. This was exactly the kind of confrontation that would delay his vital exile plan. He forced a strained smile and spoke the most dangerous word in his vocabulary.
"Sure, Christopher. And can you please let me go, Vennie, Silvie, please?"
He said the word please, but that word, in this context, meant that he desperately wanted to get away from them by a 100-mile radius immediately.
'I really needed to get away,' Lucian thought, his internal panic spiking. 'And even after offering them that I should date both of them, I still didn't have a real answer, and it even seems they wanted to kill me because of how they were clutching my arms so tightly that it feels like the bones will explode because of the pressure.'
The use of their familiar nicknames from their past lives struck them both. It was a subtle, commanding way for Lucian to remind them that he knew their secrets, which momentarily gave him the psychological advantage.
Celestia slowly let go of his arm, her eyes calculating. She knew she had to temporarily retreat. "Sure, Lucian. Serene and I needed to talk. Right, Serene?"
Celestia smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, and for a terrifying second, her irises seemed to turn into vertical slits, the physical manifestation of her divine, tyrannical nature briefly surfacing.
Serene understood the game. This was the opening for the verbal duel. She replied, her voice smooth and cold. "Yes, I agree, we needed to talk, Your Highness. Because I am curious about you being obsessed with your ex-fiancé, that it seems you went back in time just to meet and have him all by yourself again."
Serene's direct statement—an undeniable accusation of regression—left Celestia momentarily stunned. The air in the hallway crackled with unspoken cosmic knowledge.
Celestia quickly regained her composure, her face hardening into the mask of the imperial princess. "What do you mean, Lady Ardenia? Also, it is rude of you that you are still clutching Lucian's arm while I let it go already. Like, where's your manners? You should let him go too, right? Being fair is the greatest virtue of being a noble, and here I thought you were a fine noble, Lady Ardenia."
It was a perfectly delivered political jab: accusing Serene of bad manners and lack of nobility, all while demanding she release Lucian.
Serene's eyes filled with anger at the word fair and the implication of her lacking virtue. Lucian's survival was paramount, and Serene knew she couldn't risk Lucian being seen as her prisoner right before he spoke to Christopher. With a sharp exhale, she finally let go of Lucian's arm.
"Sure, Your Highness. Let's talk."
But Serene wouldn't leave without a definitive, public mark of ownership. She looked back at Lucian, her expression a mix of possessive love and savage triumph, and then, in a swift, unexpected move, she grabbed his collar, yanked him toward her, and kissed him passionately and intimately.
---
Lucian was momentarily stunned. They were in public, in the main hall of the Royal Academy! He instinctively tried to struggle, to push her away from the scandal, but a deeper, more primal memory surfaced, freezing his movements. He surrendered because he knew that if he still tried to struggle, he would call himself a hypocrite for rejecting a woman's first move to confess their love.
He still remembered what Seoryeon said before their first real kiss in his third life as Seonin.
"Seonin, do you know women do a first move too when it comes to confessing to their love?"
Seonin replied, "That's impossible. As far as I know, women are shy, and we, most men, do the move so we could be with their love."
Seoryeon replied, "It seems you really don't know. How about this? I will teach you a lesson?"
Seonin said, "A lesson?!"
Then, without any second thoughts, Seoryeon grabbed Seonin's collar and suddenly kissed him.
That kiss was warm and intimate, a blazing confirmation of her devotion, one that had shocked the stoic demonic cultivator to his core.
After a whole 10 minutes of that kiss, Seoryeon finally let go and said, "How about that? Did you already learn a lesson, Seonin?"
And Seoryeon looked down on Seonin's garment and was shocked, then she laughed, teasingly.
"It seems my dear Seonin is getting hard because of a kiss."
Seonin replied, "A kiss? It's like you telling me you want to get pounded hard again! That kiss was so intimate, and don't lie, you literally did it because you want to tease me."
Seoryeon laughed again and said, "So what if am i? It's fun to tease you, and also, I don't need permission to be intimate on you."
Seoryeon kissed Seonin again, but this time it's more intimate and passionate, and this time Seonin didn't reject. Rather, he kissed her back with the same level of passion and intimacy.
---
The memory of Seoryeon—the only woman he truly cherished—made him stop struggling. Serene's kiss was a calculated move, but the sudden, intense intimacy reminded him of his past love, making it impossible to reject.
When Serene was finally done kissing Lucian, she pulled back, her eyes glowing with victorious arrogance.
"Goodbye, my dear Lucy~, and goodbye, Christopher. I hope your boys' talk will be enjoyable. Shall we head where we will talk, Your Highness?"
Lucian quickly looked at Celestia. Her face was pale with a mix of anger and humiliation. He felt her killing intent become even more intense, focused entirely on Serene. It was clear she wanted to kill Serene on the spot.
Celestia, still angry and pissed off that Serene had made the final, public move, replied, her voice dangerously soft. "Sure, Lady Ardenia, but first—"
Celestia moved faster than Serene could react. She hastily approached Lucian, grabbed his collar with fierce determination, and then, in a direct, visceral answer to Serene's challenge, kissed him. This time, it was more intimate and passionate than Serene's. It was a kiss of utter, possessive defiance, a silent declaration to Serene: "He is mine, and mine alone."
After a grueling five minutes of the most demanding, aggressive kiss he had ever experienced in public, Celestia finally let go of Lucian, her breathing heavy.
She turned to Serene, her face a mask of cold triumph, and spoke with venom. "I need to erase the fluids of a filthy slut. Lucian, sorry for the sudden kiss, but I needed to clean it up."
Lucian, still shocked because of the sheer confidence and public boldness of Celestia, finally regained his composure. He touched his lips, stunned by the realization that both women had used their past-life knowledge to corner him.
"I—it's alright, Silvie," he stammered, then turned to Christopher, desperate for rescue. "Christopher, can we go now?"
Christopher, who had witnessed two powerful noblewomen nearly chew Lucian's face off, was horrified but quickly nodded. "Su-sure, Lucian. Goodbye, Your Highness, and Lady Ardenia."
Celestia spoke first, her rage barely controlled. "Where should we go, Serene? As far as I know, you are busy, right? Why we needed to talk?"
Serene replied, her smile returning, serene and chilling. "Didn't you offer to have a talk? Ohh right it must be because of Christopher, also because of Lucian's offer, and you kissing my dear Lucy."
Celestia scoffed. "Is that all we need to talk?"
Serene took a slow step closer to the princess, and then, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper, she delivered the ultimate blow—the true reason for their existence and antagonism.
"No. I still needed to talk about you."
Serene's crimson eyes narrowed, focusing on Celestia's soul.
"My dear fellow regressor, and the Goddess of Vanity and Tyranny," Serene whispered, delivering the devastating titles of Celestia's true identity. "The same former empress of our past life who became a god just to revive my dear Lucy and failed—a failure that caused the an all out war of the Evil God's and Gods that plunged the World into chaos."
Celestia froze, her mind reeling. Serene knew. Serene knew everything. Serene wasn't just a regressor; she was privy to the highest level of cosmic plot—Lucian's identity, Celestia's true nature, and the monumental failure that had doomed the world.
---
Lucian and Christopher were still walking, putting distance between themselves and the noble drama. Christopher, finally recovering from the shock, burst into incredulous laughter.
"Damn, you are really a damn lucky man, Lucian! Two princesses kissing you in public, and damn, I really admire your bravery for offering both of them dating together for the upcoming birthday party of that simp prince. Hahahahahaha! Good luck, bro, you need that good luck!"
Lucian, still dazed, responded curtly. "Are you done? Also, thank you for helping me escape on those two. I owe you one."
Christopher replied, his grin infectious. "No worries, man. I'm also a man, which means I know what our problems are—they are women! Also, if you really wanted to repay how about this?"
Christopher paused, his expression turning sly.
Christopher continued, dropping his voice conspiratorially. "Help me have a date with Marice Weldenbud."
Lucian raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. Marice Weldenbud was one of the few high-ranking female protagonists he hadn't had to deal with yet, known for her sharp mind and aversion to social drama.
Lucian replied, "Wait, I thought you will try to court her after the party? Why the sudden change of plans?"
Christopher fidgeted nervously. "Well, there's many men trying to get her, and it's also because of Professor Clarice."
Lucian felt a renewed wave of dread. "Professor Clarice? But why? I know she is that siscon—her sister complex is legendary—but as I hear, she's been busy with high-level research."
Christopher shook his head, looking truly terrified. "Well, she really is not, Lucian. When those students tried to have a date with Marice, they were all found with bruises and mild curses after that day. Clarice has been secretly sabotaging any potential suitors."
Lucian sighed. His future was looking less like hunting Evil Gods and more like babysitting his friends' disastrous love lives. "Damn. So, you need my help, but how?"
"Well, by using the damn piano of yours in the music room. I heard you played that piano time to time from the rumors. You're the only one who can distract Professor Clarice while I sneak in a date with Marice."
Lucian was shocked. 'How the hell did he know I play the piano? You know what? Fuck it, fine. I couldn't care less, and I already promised him before, plus, it's a good cover for my escape prep.'
"Alright, fine. Sure, I'll help. But is that all? No helping you distract the Deputy Head Professor, too?" Lucian joked darkly.
"Nope. I still need your help to distract her siscon sister, Professor Clarice, while I make my move," Christopher confirmed, dead serious.
Lucian let out a final, dramatic sigh, already mentally scheduling his fight with a highly powerful, possessive magic professor. He was a Demon God trapped in a slice-of-life romantic comedy.
"Fine. You will be the reason I will die early, Christopher."
Christopher clapped him hard on the shoulder, beaming with relief. "Thanks, man! I knew I could count on ya!"
Lucian's exile plan was now set to begin with a distraction involving an obsessed deputy head professor, all thanks to his best friend.