"Hey, N/N..."
"Hm?"
"Do you like anyone?"
Eh? What kind of question is that? Does Elise like someone?
"Hmm... I do."
"You do...? Who is it?"
It's you...
"It's embarrassing to tell..."
I shifted myself deeper into the water, with half my head submerged in it.
"N/N... I think I like someone."
"You do? Who is it?"
I don't think it's the crown prince... who else is there in the novel that could've interested her?
"She's someone who's perfect... and I don't know if she'll like me back..."
"What makes her perfect?"
Elise doesn't take too long to answer.
"She makes me happy... and charms many people. Unfortunately, she's too dense to notice.."
"Why don't you confess to her?"
Elise hesitates a little.
"I'm scared."
"Scared...?"
It's quite a relatable feeling, actually... back in my past life, I used to like someone... but I was too scared to confess, so she found someone new... I was devastated at the time... if Elise were to experience the same thing, I'd be just as hurt...
"I think you should confess to her."
Elise perks up.
"You do? What if she doesn't like me back...?"
"It's better than her never finding out your feelings, isn't it? If you take too long, she'll move on..."
She thinks deeply.
"But what if the person I like..."
"...?"
"...Is you...?"
What...? The person she likes... the 'perfect' person who 'charms many people'... she was referring to me?!
"Is that a no after all...? I guess I should have kept my mouth shut huh..."
"No..!"
Elise is startled by my sudden exclamation...
I didn't know she felt this way the whole time...
I turned to face her.
"Elise... I... I like you too."
She flushes red, mouth slightly agape.
_____________________________________
We ended up getting out of the bath, the tension awkward. No words were exchanged after the confession.
I sat on the bed, burying my face into my hands.
Why did I have to say that?! It's so embarrassing... where was that confidence from anyway?
"N/N..."
I turned to see Elise, still in her bathrobe, hair dripping wet... she only looks more attractive this way... curse my gay self!
Elise sits down on the bed.
We stare at each other for a good minute.
Her lips look so.. soft... it's really tempting... I already know she feels the same way, but doing it is really too embarrassing...
I glance back up at her eyes again... they're practically pleading...
Ah, fuck it...!
I crawl onto her lap... she wraps her arms around my neck. The both of us are in sync at this moment, we stare deeply into the others' eyes.
"N/N..."
I can't take it anymore. My last sane brain cell went out the window as I crashed my lips onto hers.
"...!"
Surprised by the sudden action, Elise falters a little, but relaxes into it eventually.
Strange. I've never done it before, but when it comes to her, I feel like it comes naturally...
I close my eyes and savour the sensation.
This truly is... my first... to think it would happen like this...
Elise's hand cups my cheek, her slender fingers caressing my face as her tongue danced with mine.
"N/N.. I love you. I always have..."
It's the first time someone's confessed to me.. in my previous life and this one... the feeling... it's amazing... it's almost as if I'm drunk... drunk on her love...
We break the kiss, gasping for air. The heated moment was interrupted for a while, but if I could feel that sensation again, I might not mind suffocating for a longer time...
My vision is clouded, my face feels hot and red. The sight in front of me... I only want to keep it to myself. The cruel and intimidating villainess lies panting and flushed red in front of me.
It's really too bad cameras and phones don't exist here...
Elise grabs my hand and pulls me onto her.
"..?!"
She flips me around, as she now pins me down on the bed. Her bathrobe slides down a little.
It's really.. beautiful..
She leans in for another kiss, and in that moment, our time froze. It felt like it was just us.
[I'm still here, host.]
Curse you system... did you have to interrupt the moment?!
[...]
In any case, Elise snaps out of it and gets off me. What a shame...
She sits at the edge of the bed, back facing me.
"Say... Was that your first kiss, Elise?"
"..."
She slowly nods. So I've taken her first... just like she had taken mine...
I'm not sure where the sudden confidence came from, but I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and buried my face into the crook of her neck.
Maybe it was because I hadn't confessed properly, but I suddenly felt the urge to express my love for her...
"Elise.. I love you."
_____________________________________
"Elise, I love you."
Ahh... I'm blushing so bad right now... I can feel her breath fanning my neck... and she whispered those words into my ear ever so softly...
I feel like I'm going to explode. I love her so much...
I love you, N/N...
I struggled to say those very words for such a long time... but I really was worried for nothing... Even after meeting so many people and charming them... she chose me...
That's right, she loves me...
_____________________________________
I feel her flinch under my touch. Her ears are red and burning. She really is the cutest after all...
"....ove...too"
"Hm?"
"I love you too, N/N..."
I smiled.
That night, we laid in the same bed, with her arms around me, spooning me to throughout the night. In her embrace, I felt the safest I've ever been in this world.
Even if the plot changes, to the point where I can no longer see a future... I would still stay by her side... forever. Forget my past life, if she isn't in my life, I don't want it.