MSG – Volume 1 – Chapter 7
"Hahaha!"
Solon's unrestrained laughter resounded throughout the library while Cyanea's low grunt of frustration could be heard accompanying it.
"Tch!" Clicking her tongue, she elbowed his lower abdomen with an irritated expression on her face. "If you were there to witness it yourself, I am sure you would have done worse than I did."
Hearing her words, Solon finally managed to rein in his laughter to some extent, though he still had an amused expression on his face as he said;
"Come on, Cyanea. You killed him after publicly humiliating him."
The Demon General gave him a deadpan expression as she blurted out her thoughts; "Exactly."
Solon's mouth went ajar, a look of exasperation overcoming his features; which soon suppressed and regained control of his emotions.
"That's an exaggeration, is it not?" he sighed. "I mean… Sure, I would have been a bit furious upon witnessing his actions but—"
"Just a bit furious?" She interjected with a knowing smile.
Seeing her reaction, he could only blink a few times in quick succession, a resigned expression on his face as he seemed unable to refute her insinuations.
"Eh, I would have been really upset." He finally admitted. "The misogyny that I have witnessed in this world has been a bit too much for me to bear."
"The Count boasts a public image of being a bit different from the rest, being supposedly righteous to all ends and all that, but he is like the rest of the men (even those who are not powerful) who refuse to see women as equals. It doesn't matter how much he tries to hide it."
"Even though he claims to be fair to all, his actions prove that he would still not consider any of his daughters when the topic of his successor is discussed."
"…Also, although you got rid of that demonized human Lieutenant, he was just a symptom of the disease." (Solon) "Even back there (Earth), this was also a pest that could never be eradicated."
There was only a two-second silence after he finished speaking before, she spoke.
"…Then, wouldn't you like to change all that?" she asked. "When the war ends and the demons and Lilith rise to our rightful place in the world, changing such a little thing would be more than doable. In fact, it will come naturally."
Hearing her words, Solon scoffed and a cheeky smirk appeared on his face.
"Look at you… you have now acclimated so much to your new status that you now include yourself in the bracket of demons—using the term 'our'."
The teen-looking beauty rolled her eyes before opening her mouth wide enough for her fangs to be visible.
"I am now a vampire—a pure-blooded one. I have learnt to accept what I am. Who I am now." she said.
Pursing her lips with a meaningful expression on her face, she added; "You should stop holding back too."
Once she said that, Solon froze.
His expressions all vanished as he closed the green book whose first page, he had been on all this while as he was too engrossed in conversing with the vampire to concentrate and read.
Rising to his feet, he turned his back to her and said; "She keeps saying that she would give up but not even an hour passes and she tries again—sending you here."
Hearing his voice that now lacked any discernible amotions whatsoever but could vaguely hinted at a brew of negativity, her expression turned a bit frantic.
She shot to her feet and immediately found her body glued to his, hugging him from behind.
The duo remained silent for about two thirds of a minute before she spoke;
"Come on, Solon. Please, don't misunderstand. Please." She pleaded. "She wasn't the one who sent me. I came here of my own accord upon overhearing her lamenting about what a shame it is that you still decide to live like a mundane existence despite what you could possibly accomplish. I just personally felt that it was high time I tried to see if a push from me would help."
She paused, inhaled, and then exhaled deeply.
"Upon witnessing your reaction to the subject myself, I believe I now understand your convictions a bit more." She went on with a quieter voice. "Since it is your wish not to pursue divinity then I would support you, whether you like it or yes."
She felt his breathing quicken a bit as he retorted; "Although you say all that, the probability that your overhearing of her statements was not an accident is far higher than a value that I would be willing to ignore."
Turning around to face her, allowing her arms to still be wrapped around his abdomen, he added; "Also, why are you still so foolhardy? I already said that my heart belongs to someone else."
Hearing his words, her brows creased slightly; "I thought you said that you would not stop any more of my advances."
He cocked his head to the side before looking down at her arms that were still firmly wrapped around him like snakes strangling its prey; "I stand by my words."
Her facial expression remained unchanged as she shot back a question soon after; "You're still thinking of her? She might have killed you!"
Solon smiled weakly and nodded; "Exactly. She 'might' have."
The furrow of her brows deepened.
"Well, the probability that she is the culprit is one that I would not be willing to ignore either."
Solon smiled and said; "I never said I was discarding that scenario completely."
"Then—" She started to speak, a spark briefly lighting in the depths of her eyes, but she was swiftly cut off by him.
"However, I would not ignore the chances of her not being the culprit either." He declared.
Hearing his words, she still had some protest in her, she began using her brain to try to find some more means to convince him.
Alas, his well of words had not yet run dry.
He still had more verbal weapons to drive into her heart.
"Irrespective of whatever really happened, it still stands that I am not ready for (or to even consider) entering a romantic relationship with anyone," he said. "Would you rather I put up a farce and act like I see you that way? When I know for a fact that I do not?"