Chapter 583: Her Reply...

"Okay..."

Her voice was quiet, yet surprisingly calm.

"I’ve made my decision."

Amon’s expression immediately became serious. The playful smile he usually wore disappeared as he waited for her answer.

Seraphina took a small breath before looking directly into his eyes.

"I’m ready to give you my answer, Amon."

A gentle breeze passed through the trees behind them, carrying the soft rustling of leaves through the quiet space.

For a moment, the world seemed to disappear around them.

Amon’s heart began pounding.

’What should I do? I’m so nervous... Why is my heart beating this fast?’

He had faced monsters, fought dangerous opponents, and stood on the verge of death more times than he wanted to remember.

Yet somehow, waiting for one girl’s answer was making him more nervous than any battle.

Seraphina closed her eyes.

"Fhuu..."

She slowly exhaled, gathering the courage to say what had been weighing on her heart.

Then she opened her golden eyes again.

"Amon..."

"Yes?"

"I... I’m not a hundred percent sure about this."

Her fingers nervously intertwined in front of her.

"You already have someone you love, and I don’t know what the future between us would look like. But..." She lowered her gaze. "I also don’t want to be away from you."

Amon’s eyes softened.

"So...I don’t really know how to say this."

"Just say whatever you’re feeling."

She gave a small, nervous smile. "That’s the problem. I know... I think I am just trying to run... but the truth is I like you. "

Amon’s expression softened. He already knew that she have feelings for him.

Her cheeks slowly turned pink. "But when I think about you being with Scarlett..."

She hesitated.

"It bothers me."

Amon blinked. Yes, this was the problem, he knew that she have feelings for him, but he already possessed a lover.

So, chances of her accepting his confession was nearly zero. That’s what he thought.

Seraphina immediately looked away.

"You know that you are being selfish. Scarlett is your girlfriend yet you asking me to be your lover."

"Seraphina—"

"Let me finish." She took another breath.

"So I tried telling myself that you’re just my friend. I really did. But..." Her voice became quieter.

"I don’t think I can keep saying that anymore."

Amon’s heart began beating faster.

Seraphina finally met his eyes. "I really like being around you, Amon."

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "I like talking with you. I like when you tease me, even though you can be incredibly annoying."

Her cheeks gradually turned more pink.

"I want to try dating you."

Amon froze.

Seraphina quickly continued, almost as though she was afraid she would lose her courage if she stopped.

"Let’s try being in a relationship and see how it goes. If everything goes well... then I won’t mind continuing."

She looked down shyly.

"But if I start feeling uncomfortable or realize that I can’t accept the situation, then..." She paused. "We’ll find a solution together."

Silence followed.

Amon simply stared at her.

His eyes widened, and his mouth remained slightly open.

For several seconds, he couldn’t find a single word.

Then his expression slowly softened into a genuine smile.

"Okay."

He nodded.

"Okay?"

Seraphina looked up.

Amon stepped toward her.

"Then I’ll make sure you don’t regret giving me a chance."

Her heart skipped.

"A-Amon, why are you coming closer?"

He took another step.

Seraphina instinctively stepped backward.

"Amon..."

Another step.

She took another step back.

Until—

Thud.

Her back gently touched the academy wall.

She looked up at him, her golden eyes widening slightly.

Amon placed one hand against the wall beside her head, leaving her plenty of space. His face held none of his usual mischievousness.

Instead, there was only a gentle smile.

Seraphina’s heartbeat grew faster.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I’ve wanted to do since I saw you this morning."

Her face immediately became bright red.

"You mean..."

Amon leaned closer.

Seraphina could feel his warm breath against her face. Her nervousness returned all at once, but she didn’t move away.

She closed her eyes.

That tiny gesture was enough of an answer.

Amon gently leaned forward and kissed her.

Their lips met softly.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Seraphina’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her clothes as she slowly relaxed, allowing herself to accept the warmth of the moment.

The breeze continued to pass through the trees, making the leaves whisper above them.

Amon eventually pulled away just enough to look into her eyes.

Seraphina slowly opened hers.

Their gazes met. Neither spoke. Then Amon smiled.

While Seraphina looked at his face in daze. "...I love you, Amon." She finally said it.

The words came out of nowhere.

Amon’s eyes once against went wide in shock.

Then he smile. "Thank you, Sera. And yes, I love you too."

She looked away, her face still burning.

"Don’t be that happy yet..."

"Hmm?"

"You still have to prove that dating you was the right decision."

Amon’s grin returned.

"Challenge accepted."

Seraphina couldn’t help the soft smile that curved her lips.

She leaned in, studying his face from only inches away. The lingering heat of his last kiss still warm on her skin.

Her gaze dropped and lingered on his mouth, tracing the shape of the lips that had just claimed hers.

Without warning, her fingers closed around the front of his collar.

Amon’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden claim.

She pulled him forward hard, crushing her mouth against his in a fierce, hungry kiss.

One arm locked tight around his back, dragging him flush against her; the other slid up into his hair, fingers threading deep and curling, holding him there as if she refused to let him go.

Amon’s eyes fluttered shut. A low sound escaped him as he answered her with equal fire, his lips moving against hers, returning the kiss with the same intensity.

---

"No way... Are you serious?!" Eliana exclaimed loudly.

"Hey! Don’t speak so loudly!" Aisha immediately tried to calm the elf princess. "We shouldn’t let anyone else find out about this!"

Eliana quickly glanced around the corridor. Fortunately, there was no one nearby. The only people present were herself, Aisha, and Marcus.

"Wait... Marcus?"

Both girls slowly turned toward the violet-haired young man. Marcus stood completely still like a statue.

His expression was utterly blank, and his eyes seemed to have lost their focus. It was as though the information had overloaded his brain and completely shut down his ability to process anything.

"Marcus?"

There was no response.

"Marcus!!"

Both girls called his name loudly.

The young master of the Lionheart family finally snapped back to reality.

"Huh? What?" He looked at them, still visibly dazed.

"What happened?" he muttered. "I think I heard something... something completely wrong. Something impossible."

Eliana exchanged a glance with Aisha.

The elf princess placed a hand on Marcus’s shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Unfortunately, no..." She slowly shook her head. "You didn’t hear anything wrong."

Marcus’s eyes widened.

"It’s true."

"NO WAY! IS THAT MAN AN IDI—"

Aisha immediately covered his mouth with her palm.

"Hey! Don’t yell!"

Marcus’s violet eyes shifted toward her. After a moment, he nodded. Only then did Aisha remove her hand.

"She’s the daughter of a Duke!" Marcus exclaimed in a hushed but agitated voice. "He’s crazy! Does he even understand the consequences if someone finds out about this?"

"Oh, come on," Aisha replied, placing her hands on her waist. "We don’t even know whether Seraphina will accept him or not. And honestly, I don’t think she will."

Eliana, however, seemed to have a different opinion.

"Actually..."

Both Marcus and Aisha looked at her.

"Seraphina has been acting strangely around Amon lately," Eliana continued thoughtfully.

"She was avoiding his eyes, blushing whenever he got close, and acting nervous around him."

She paused. "It really looked like she already had feelings for him."

Silence fell over the corridor.

Marcus rubbed his forehead.

"Sigh..."

He looked toward the direction where Amon and Seraphina had disappeared.

"Whatever. There’s nothing we can do about it right now."

He sighed again.

"All we can do is wait and see what happens."

Aisha nodded.

"Yeah. That’s probably for the best."

Eliana also agreed.

"Let’s wait for them, then."

The trio eventually moved away from the corridor, leaving the area behind.

However, they didn’t realize that someone else had been listening.

A short distance away, around the corner of the corridor and hidden behind the wall, stood a young man with dark blue hair and matching blue eyes.

Arnold leaned against the wall with his arms folded.

He had heard everything. A sigh escaped his lips.

"Amon..."

He shook his head with an amused yet helpless expression.

"He actually confessed to Seraphina."

Arnold couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What a crazy man..."

He stared toward the direction where the three had disappeared.

"What a crazy world I live in."

His smile widened slightly.

"Though, I suppose this world would become even crazier if Seraphina actually accepted his confession."

The amusement in his eyes slowly faded. His expression became serious.

"I need to tell him soon..."

Arnold lifted his gaze. A translucent screen appeared before him, floating silently in the air.

It was visible only to him. His eyes focused on it for several seconds before he finally spoke.

’System...’

He hesitated.

’Are you really sure you want me to reveal your existence to him?’