Chapter 76 - We’re Good

Chapter 76: Chapter 76 - We’re Good

Before Vincent could take a step toward her, a pink blur shot across his peripheral vision.

"WE DID IT!"

Ava leapt into the air and wrapped her legs securely around Vincent’s waist once more. She planted smooching kisses on his cheek while giggling with joy. "You were cool! Hahaha!"

Maelle’s stoic expression flickered. Without saying a word, she turned her back on the display and walked back into the mansion.

Ava, completely overwhelmed by her demonic instincts and pure adrenaline, lost all self-control. She buried her face into the side of Vincent’s neck and took in deep breaths of his divine scent. "Ah... you smell so good... I missed this scent so much..."

"Whoa, hey! Cut it out! People are watching!"

Gwen grabbed her by the shoulder and tried helping in prying Ava off him. "Would you stop acting like a wild animal and get off of him!"

Roxa joined in and tried unhooking Ava’s legs. "You are embarrassing yourself, demon girl...!"

Neither of them could budge the hyper-stimulated succubus. She clutched Vincent even tighter while purring against his skin.

Vincent sighed and dropped his voice into a stern tone right beside her pointed ear. "Ava. You are being a very bad girl right now."

She flinched as if struck by lightning and instantly dropped to her feet, stumbling backward into Gwen with her hands over her worried face. "I-I’m sorry! I got carried away!"

"Right... let’s just go inside."

Inside the mansion, the atmosphere was surprisingly lively. Leo and Zally were sitting on the plush carpet, giggling as they tried to pet a disgruntled Eugene. The baby green dragon was squirming in Maribelle’s lap, puffing his cheeks in frustration while she stroked his scales with a serene smile.

Toby ran up to Vincent upon seeing him. "Vincent! You were amazing out there!"

"Good to see you safe, Toby," Vincent smiled. He looked around the room, noticing a distinct absence. "Where’s Maelle?"

Toby pointed toward the hallway leading to the basement. "She went downstairs to check on the prisoner... Lucianne."

Maribelle gracefully stood up, placing Eugene into Zally’s eager hands. She walked over to her son and rested a gentle hand against his cheek. "Go on. This is your chance, Vinny. Say what is in your heart."

"Thanks, Mama. Will do."

....

Descending the cool stone stairs into the dim basement cellar, at the end of the corridor, Vincent saw Maelle standing in front of an iron-barred cell, looking down at the defeated form of Lucianne Elsa.

Hearing the footsteps, Maelle didn’t turn around and assumed it was Gwen. "It doesn’t look like any of Rizer’s men or guards made it down here–"

"Maelle."

Her body went stiff at the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned around to face him.

They stood barely two feet apart. Neither knew quite where to start as the silence stretched between them.

Vincent awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "So... how have you been?"

"... Clearly better than you. Are you finished having your fun with Ava?"

"Come on, you know how Ava gets when she’s excited. It wasn’t like that."

Maelle let out a quiet, almost imperceptible huff, implicitly acknowledging his excuse. Silence fell over them once again.

"..."

"..."

Seeking a safe distraction, Maelle gestured vaguely toward the ceiling. "The woman upstairs... is she really the Goddess of legend? Of Pristina? Your mother?"

"Yeah. That’s Maribelle. When I was dismissed by you a week back, I couldn’t be transported to Pristina afterward since Familiars can’t cross planes without their summoner’s call. So... she came down here herself to convince you to bring me back."

"I see... And that baby dragon? Where did he come from?"

"Well... funny story. That’s actually the dragon you were supposed to summon during your Academy ritual. The egg hatched right before you called me back."

Maelle’s face visibly clouded over. A shadow of discomfort crossed her features as she remembered the dark history associated with dragons across Pristina.

"So? Are you going to give that dragon to me? In exchange for never summoning you again?"

"Wha–?! No! Maelle, it’s not like that at all! Please... please don’t put words in my mouth or mistake my actions."

Feeling the terrifying weight of their unresolved emotional rift creeping back, Maelle’s defense mechanisms kicked in. She pulled her icy armor back around her heart and looked toward the stairs.

"We should get back to the others–"

As she attempted to walk past him, Vincent reached out and caught her forearm.

Maelle stilled, her eyes dropping to his hand wrapped around her arm.

Stripping away all awkward humor, small talk, and hesitation, Vincent looked directly into her eyes. "We need to talk about what happened that night... and what I said to you."

She tried to pull her arm back. "Now is not the time, Vincent. More troops could be combing the–"

"I don’t care. I know the timing is terrible, but I’m not waiting another second for this."

As Maelle stared at him, she saw the look of determination in his blue eyes and let out a shaky breath, deflating her shoulders. "...Fine. My room."

They passed through the main lounge and ignored the curious glances from the group as they walked further up the staircase.

Alone in the quiet room, Vincent didn’t waste a beat. He directly addressed the event that had torn them apart a week ago.

"When I first got summoned to this world... I panicked. I was terrified of missing out on my life back on Earth. I was terrified of losing my family, my friends, my future... everything I had grown up knowing. Being tethered to a world I knew nothing about made me feel like I was losing my identity."

As Maelle listened, a painful lump formed in her throat. She felt the exact same stinging ache of guilt she had felt that night – remembering how his words had made her feel like a cursed burden, an unwanted anchor dragging him away from his true home.

"BUT..."

Vincent raised his head and looked her dead in the eye with absolute certainty.

"...it isn’t like that anymore."

Maelle’s lips parted slightly, but she closed them again to let him finish.

"I don’t stay beside you because of some magical contract, or because it was a ’mistake’, or out of some stupid obligation... I stay because I want to.

"I mean, just think about how insane our journey has been. We’ve only known each other for barely half a month. But in those two weeks, Maelle, we’ve fought through elves, bandits, we beat down that Prince who abandoned you in front of everyone, and now we got the whole city on our backs. That was all the time I needed to figure out how I really feel about being by your side. There’s never a dull moment when I’m with you."

Maelle’s voice trembled as the core question haunting her soul finally broke past her lips. "What about your life back home...? On Earth? Your world...? Your family...?"

"I have responsibilities on Earth," Vincent acknowledged honestly. "Yes, I have a home, a father, a younger sister, and a life I cherish there..."

He took a step closer to her. "But I have responsibilities here with you, too. I’m not choosing one over the other."

As if the realisation struck him with undeniable clarity in that exact second, Vincent reached out and took both of her hands in his. "I’ll choose both."

He squeezed her hands and repeated it louder with absolute certainty: "I’m going to choose both, Maelle. I’ll fight for your place in this world, and I’ll fight for mine. You don’t have to carry the weight of being alone anymore. I’ll always be there for you. Willingly."

Hearing his unwavering declaration, the wall of ice surrounding Maelle’s heart cracked, and a single tear broke past her eyelashes. She slightly squeezed his hands back and confessed:

"I... I dismissed you because I was terrified. I... I have a persecution complex. Ever since I was a child, I was different from the rest of House Ebony. They were cruel, deceptive, and bloodthirsty... and I wasn’t. Because of that, my own siblings harassed me, plotted fake schemes to frame me, and tried to poison me."

The tears dripped onto their joined hands as she continued.

"In my childhood, I had people I thought were friends... people who acted genuine... only to betray me and the moment my back was turned. So when you said you wanted to go home... I believed that as long as you were tied to me, you would grow to despise and betray me. I thought... giving you your freedom was the only selfless thing I could ever do for you."

Vincent’s chest swelled with empathy. Without hesitation, he pulled her into a fierce embrace. "I’ll never betray you, Maelle. You also have real friends by your side. You have Ava, Gwen, Roxa, Toby, Leo, Zally... and you have me. We will never hurt you."

He chuckled softly while holding her. "Well... technically I can’t hurt you, considering our souls are forever bound."

Maelle let out a wet laugh through her tears, resting her forehead against his chest. She pulled back and looked up into his eyes with genuine trust instead of cold detachment. "Thank you, Vincent..."

In that moment, the Familiar crests on Vincent’s neck and Maelle’s hand lit up in harmonious unison. Overcome by the heat of the moment, Vincent leaned down slowly as his gaze dropped to her lips. Maelle closed her eyes, tilting her head up to meet him when–

CLICK!

"Alright, you two, it has been more than enough time for a little heart-to–"

The door swung wide open to reveal Maribelle.

She froze mid-sentence as she caught them lingering inches only apart. A massive, mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Oh my~~~~! Am I interrupting grandbaby number one~?"

"MAMA!"

Maelle’s entire face exploded into a shade of violent red.

"Forget that I was here. I shall leave you two to your... preparations~!" Maribelle giggled teasingly, winking as she quickly pulled the door shut.

Silence returned to the room.

With the moment gone, Vincent stepped away from Maelle. *Ahem* "... S-So... are we good?"

"Yes... we are... good."

"G-Great! If there’s ever anything else you want to know about me, or my world... don’t hesitate to ask."

Maelle turned toward her wardrobe closet, opening the wooden doors to compose herself. She reached inside and stopped her hand on a specific garment.

With her back turned to him, she spoke in a hesitant tone. "...Do you have a... ’Partner’ back on Earth?"

A sweatdrop rolled down his temple. "Uh... well... not on Earth, no. However, I do have a girlfriend back on–"

"I see."

She pulled out the white denim jacket that Vincent had given her, slipping her arms into the sleeves and buttoning it up.

Turning around to face him, a rare, charming smile played on her lips. She walked right past him toward the door and called, "Let’s go, Vincent. We have a mess to clean up once and for all."