-Lilith Ardes' POV-
We walked through the pillars, with me obviously admiring the amazing decor while Devron focused on protecting us. Honestly, though, I don't think anyone would attack us. Especially when it's already this peaceful...
"Hey, Honey, don't you think that statue looks pretty?" I asked, pointing to the statue we happened to pass by. The first one so far, atleast I think so... Anyways, the statue itself was quite beautifully detailed.
There wasn't a single present flaw in it, yet it seemed so lifelike. Except it wasn't alive. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. Okay, I'm praying that statue is just a statue.
My grip on Devron's hand tightened slightly and I shifted closer to him as we walked, feeling as if the eyes of the statue were on us and following our every move like it was alive.
"Damn it. Please just be a statue..." I muttered under my breath, provably noticed by Devron since he also tightened his grasp on my hand reassuringly.
I hope I don't jinx it.
And we kept walking.
And it was uncomfortably quiet.
"Let's talk about something." I said, turning to Devron quickly.
"Hm? Sure, what do you want to talk about?" He replied, smiling at me kindly.
"I don't know, uhm... What's... No, you give a topic." I said, thinking about different things to talk about but failing miserably.
"Ah, then what about favourite books?" He said, his thumb caressing my hand gently as he held it. His hand almost completely enveloped mine, and my hand small compared to his.
"I don't read." I said bluntly, turning my head away from him and averting my eyes from him, feeling a sense of shame growing.
"I don't also." Answered Devron, "I don't need to read."
"Why don't you need to?" I asked, finally turning back to him from his (somehow) successful consolation over my lack of reading ability and reading in general.
"I already have all the knowledge and ability without reading books. So I don't need to read, however, I sometimes read books since my knowledge doesn't include books for recreational purposes." He answered lengthily.
"Can you make what you said easier to understand?" I said, my brain malfunctioning from what he'd said.
"I've technically read all books that give information I would need, but I don't know about books that don't give information. Like romance books and the sort." He re-explained.
"Ah, so you know cooking recipes but not books about romance?" And he nodded.
"Yep, correct."
"Then why'd you ask about favourite books?" I tilted my head ever so slightly as I looked him in the blindfold.
"I thought you'd have a favourite book, like Master does." He answered.
"Hold up, Cru- Ray has a favourite book?" It came as a surprise for some reason. Crudelis always gave off the feel of 'naturally smart and I don't even study', so I never expected him to be someone who read books. Since books were included in the 'study' category.
"He does, I think... Ah, it's called [No Longer Human]." He replied.
"I've heard about that book before. Isn't it really really old?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, before Aetil and in the 1900s, according to my memory." He said, "A book about a man who feels alienated from 'humans' and views himself as a separate entity."
"Damn, that's deep." I murmur absentmindedly, holding my chin gently with my free hand as my gaze drifted off to the ground. "Do you know why he likes the book so much?"
"I don't, and don't plan on trying to know." He said, "If I tried to understand him, I would fall into his personality and drown in its deepness. And soon, it would overwhelm me, reforming me to replicate it in ways I wouldn't notice."
"I'm not even gonna try understand that."
"I won't force you to." He said gently, his thumb still caressing my hand as we walked together. It was a romantic atmosphere if you excluded the fact that the statues were still staring at us. Yes, there were more statues as we walked.
"Next time, remind me to never go into ruins." I muttered, half speaking to myself.
"Yes, I will remember to remind you."
"... You weren't supposed to answer that."
"I will take note so I don't respond next time, then." Devron said, flashing me a gentle smile as we walked.
And then there was silence, no conversation.
It was somewhat awkward, but it was also comforting. Somehow.
"Hey, Devron?" I stopped walking and turned to him, prompting him to also pause.
"Yes, Love?" My heart beat slightly faster, yet quickly calmed down as I gazed at his lips (the blindfold was a bit uncomfortable to stare at, okay?).
"Why did you agree to date me if you can't really feel love?" I asked, releasing his hand.
He still held onto my hand, so it was basically him grasping my hand and not letting go.
It was the question I'd been avoiding since we first met. Why did he choose me? I mean, Sayna obviously had some sort of attraction to him (whether it was pure or not wasn't a question) and he accepted when he didn't even know me. Why?
My gaze dropped from his lips, to our hands, to the tips of his hair and then to his shoes.
"I... Don't know." My stare shot up, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Explain?" I asked, confused as to why he answered like that. Like literally, it'd be more possible for Crudelis not to know something.
"Uh, I just kind of felt compelled to accept your offer." He said, looking as if he felt guilty as he let his hand release mine and I felt my arms drop to my side.
"Compelled?" I furrowed my brows, one of my hands began fiddling with my thigh-strap absentmindedly (I used it to hold my dagger so I could conveniently access it incase of unexpected battle).
"How to explain this..." He looked down, atleast I think so, since his head tilted forward like he was looking at my hand. "It was like an invisible force telling me to accept? I swear, I wasn't forced, though. It was all out of my complete free will."
My eyes teared up slightly, unexpectedly.
You would've expected the sweetest, most gentle man to say something along the lines of saying he actually loved me even if it wasn't possible. Yet here he was telling me that he felt like he was being told to accept.
"So it isn't love?" I asked quietly, in a whisper.
"Do you want it to be?" He asked, his hand reaching forwards to mine and gently holding my fingertips. Like he was asking if he could completely hold it, or if he was just hesitant.
I didn't answer him, though. I kept staring at his hand, gingerly holding mine like touching a fragile gemstone.
And slowly, he kneeled onto one knee. Honestly, it was like he was proposing.
And I was forced to look at his face since it came into view. He brought my hand to his lips, and I didn't resist. He left me the complete ability to pull my hand if I wanted, yet I didn't as I watched him kiss my knuckles gently and reassuringly.
The mere feeling of his soft lips on my hand comforted me, as I knew he wasn't doing this to be polite or anything. He was doing it for me.
"Lilith Ardes." My name snapped me back to reality, and I attentively paid attention to his next words. "... You... Aren't a chore, for me. For me, you are..."
I waited for his next words, impatiently as I suppressed the urge to ask him to continue.
"You are my Goddess." He said simply, not like vain descriptions of beauty or personality. Nothing to do with appearance or how I act. Just a simple phrase.
And it wasn't even a lie. There was truth in his every gesture.