episode_0164

[Episode 160] – Proof (1)

It had been two weeks since Vivian fell ill.

After diligently taking the bitter medicine, thankfully her illness had passed, but perhaps it was due to Veronica leaving and feeling unwell that she seemed different from before.

For example –

“Where are you going?”

“…There’s a meeting about next year’s debutante ball. I’ll be back after a short while.”

“Alright, take care.”

When Titania started to disappear from Vivian’s sight, she began asking where she was going. At first, Titania didn’t find this strange, but as time passed…

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a bath, would you like to come with me, Mother?”

“No, I’ll bathe later.”

More and more.

“Where are you going?”

“For a moment, to the garden… would you like to come with me?”

“Should I? I’m feeling a bit bored.”

At every opportunity.

“Why are you going out at this hour…?”

“…To the bathroom. Please go back to sleep for a little longer.”

“Mm…”

Vivian began to seek Titania.

Continuously bombarded by Vivian’s questions, Titania felt slightly perplexed. It wasn’t so much her mother being obsessive as it was a desire to know her whereabouts.

Since she wouldn’t follow if told the location. In Titania’s eyes, Vivian’s behavior seemed more like anxiety than obsession. It was akin to the behavior of a young child feeling anxious about being left alone.

The fact that her mother’s attention was solely focused on her made her feel good, but at the same time, it seemed pitiful to see her mother expressing anxiety. How could she alleviate her mother’s anxiety?

As Titania pondered briefly, one method came to mind. It was one of the plans she had been thinking about for some time. However, she had no intention of executing this plan just yet.

After all, the curse had not been lifted.

But…

“Sooner than expected…”

This plan would certainly alleviate her mother’s anxiety. It would definitely erase the anxiety of being alone. Moreover, it seemed necessary to give her mother confidence now.

“When I become certain that I won’t leave my mother’s side, she won’t be anxious either,” Titania smiled at the eerie and warm sensation that stirred her chest. Look at the current situation. She wanted her mother, and her mother wanted her as well.

It didn’t matter if her mother’s feelings were different from hers for now. After all, with time, her mother’s feelings would become just like hers.

Titania decided to carry out her plan with a pleasant smile. First, she needed proof that the plan could be executed. Tonight, she had to provide that proof.

Moreover, if this proof succeeded…

Now, she really felt like she was just one step away.

Toward the dreamlike scenery she had envisioned.

Truly, just one step left.

*

“Should we start getting ready for bed?”

As Titania blew out the candle, she looked at Vivian. Vivian was already lying in bed, hugging a pillow, blinking sleepily, waiting for Titania to lie down.

Titania approached Vivian, sat down beside her, straightened her disheveled bangs, and spoke. It was necessary to confirm the plans for the future.

“Mother, would you like to ‘experiment’ after a long time?”

“Experiment?”

“Yes, an experiment.”

Titania playfully winked and tapped her lips. At the signal to kiss after a long time, Vivian’s face momentarily lit up with surprise.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t done that until now.”

Perhaps because she had been too preoccupied. Since Veronika left, she had been so distracted and physically unwell that she had completely forgotten about the curse. Moreover, she had become too accustomed to the child’s body by now.

“I do need to lift the curse…”

Vivian glanced at Titania who was looking at her, beckoning to kiss her, seemingly drawn to Titania’s lips.

Titania’s crimson lips quivered with sweetness, and Vivian unconsciously swallowed dry saliva. The thought of kissing after so long made her inexplicably ticklish. Really, inexplicably.

“But why all of a sudden…?”

“It’s been quite some time since we checked the curse, hasn’t it? It would be good to confirm whether the time for the curse to be lifted has increased beyond two hours or decreased. Mother thinks so too, right?”

“Uh, um…”

As Vivian hesitated for a moment, Titania approached a little closer with a bright smile. Avoiding Titania’s gaze, Vivian turned her head away.

“You’re not going to do it?”

“I have to, but… does it have to be now?”

“It’s okay to do it later, but please tell me when you’ll do it next. Mother always tends to escape at times like this. I think we should make a promise.”

With a sigh, Vivian groaned softly. If it would feel the same later, she felt it would be better to do it quickly now. As they say, it’s better to get it over with.

Rising from the bed with a creak, Vivian buried her face halfway into the embraced pillow. No matter how much she thought about it, the curse was strange. Instead of receiving a kiss, one had to give a kiss to break the curse.

In most fairy tales, a curse is broken by receiving a kiss, but in this case, it could only be lifted by giving a kiss directly. Yet even then, it wasn’t completely released.

Does it make sense for there to be a time limit for breaking a curse? This damn curse only lasted a few hours. Vivian, thinking it was a wicked curse, furrowed her brow.

Glancing up at Titania, Vivian reluctantly approached her on the bed. As their faces drew close…

Titania gently caressed Vivian’s cheek and spoke.

“It’s a good opportunity. Let me explain the curse that my sister and I have researched.”

“…Can’t we do it later?”

“No, we can’t.”

Vivian’s lips pouted at the curt, decisive rejection. Titania chuckled at her reaction and gently stroked her cheek with her thumb, asking, “What do you think is the destined partner who will break the curse?”

“Hmm… How should I explain it…?” Vivian hesitated for a moment. What did it really mean to be someone’s destined partner? A lifelong companion? Or someone to navigate destiny together? What was destiny, anyway?

Her head spun in circles. Faced with what seemed like a philosophical question, Vivian could only mumble and ponder. Then, Titania grinned mischievously and spoke up.

“The destined partner isn’t someone predetermined by fate. It’s strange to think that someone else is chosen to break a curse. The destined partner is someone you choose for yourself.”

“Huh…? Choose for yourself…?”

As Vivian tilted her head in confusion, Titania playfully tapped her lips. Before continuing the conversation, it seemed as if she wanted their lips to meet to break the curse.

Reluctantly, Vivian slowly rose to her feet. Titania gently embraced Vivian’s cheek and neck, closing her eyes as if waiting patiently.

With her eyes closed, Titania waited for their lips to meet. Without realizing it, Vivian found herself holding her breath due to the tension. Slowly, she leaned in, bringing her lips closer to Titania’s.

As their faces drew nearer, the heat from their skin became palpable. Due to an inexplicable tension, Vivian unconsciously held her breath and slowly pressed her full lips forward.

Their slightly parted lips met, mixing their breaths. Their lips lightly touched and moved tenderly with each breath.

Short, exchanged breaths flowed into each other’s mouths, mingling and intensifying the warmth. As their lips began to part, the exhaled warm breath collided with their lips, creating a burst of heat.

The moist lips parted, emitting a rather lascivious sound. The kiss, after a long time, felt embarrassingly intense, as if it were the first. Heart pounding, back tingling.

As the kiss ended,

Vivian gently opened her eyes.

She found herself looking down at Titania, whom she had just been looking up to moments before. Even her fingers at the edge of her vision seemed elongated. The curse has been lifted, hasn’t it? How many hours will it last this time?

As she pondered, Titania, with a smile in her eyes, spoke.

“Yes, on my own. Mother has designated me as your destined partner. Not someone else, but directly chosen by Mother. Me, as your destined partner.”

“Uh…?”

So, when Vivian understood Titania’s words, her face flushed crimson.

So, that means…

“Yes, Mother loves me. Not as a daughter, but as a ‘woman.’”

As Titania’s words drove into her heart like a stake, Vivian’s breath stopped.

Titania once again, with a lascivious smile, cupped Vivian’s face in her palm. Then, squeezing her enclosed hand, slowly lowered Vivian’s head.

Almost touching lips again.

Vivian no longer resisted.

Whether due to confusion or desire, Titania paid it no mind.

Right now, she simply whispered love.

Overflowing with overwhelming emotions.

Whispering love.