Since it was already almost night when I returned to the orphanage, we went straight to dinner after Alice healed with her magic. While eating, I shared my adventures at the academy with the children. It wasn't anything grand, just tales of my experiences, duels, and sparring sessions. Though not particularly thrilling, the children found my stories quite exciting.
It wasn't every day they heard tales from beyond our little village of Flui, after all.
While eating, I discreetly glanced at Sister Lily's and Alice's domination requirents.
--
You've captured the interest of Lily. You can now proceed to dominate her.
Na: Lily
Race: Human
Requirents to dominate Lily:
1. Donate anonymously to the orphanage (Completed!)
2. Visit the orphanage once a week for eight tis (1/8)
3. Unlock
4. Unlock
....
--
--
You've captured the interest of Alice. You can now proceed to dominate her.
Na: Alice
Race: Human-Vampire Hybrid
Requirents to dominate Alice:
1. Make Alice say her true feelings three tis (0/3)
2. Unlock
3. Unlock
4. Unlock
....
--
My progress with Sister Lily had advanced slightly. And it was my first ti seeing Alice's requirent list, revealing her as a half-vampire. So she's a half-vampire, huh? I wasn't sure how primordial vampires differed from half-vampires, but I assud half-vampires weren't weakened by sunlight, considering Alice spent most of her ti outdoors.
After dinner, we headed straight to bed. Despite the late hour, the children still gathered in my room eagerly, eager to hear stories about life beyond the village. Their excitent was contagious, and it ward my heart to see them so enthusiastic. It made imagine what it would be like to have children of my own soday.
However, their excitent was short-lived as Alice strode into the room, her hand on her hip.
"Alright, kids, it's late. Ti to head back to your own rooms and get so sleep," she instructed firmly.
"Ehhh~ But we want to hear more stories from Big Bro!" the children protested.
"Sorry, but your Big Bro Leon has school tomorrow. He needs his rest," Alice explained. "If you want him to have more stories to share, you'll let him get so sleep."
"Okay..."
With disappointed expressions, the children reluctantly bid goodnight and returned to their own rooms.
Alice watched as the children obediently returned to their rooms, and after a mont of silence, she sighed in exasperation. "These kids really know how to make a fuss just because you're back..."
"It's only natural," I replied. "But I'm surprised to see them following your orders so readily."
"Well, ever since Sister Eli passed away, there hasn't been anyone to keep them in line and maintain order. So, I took on her role."
Sister Eli was the elderly woman who used to run the orphanage. When I turned fifteen, she passed away from natural causes. She was the one who kept us all in check, even resorting to spanking misbehaving kids. I wasn't immune to her discipline either; I got my fair share of spankings. Ah, those were the days. Maybe I'll visit her grave tomorrow before school.
"You sounded like their mother for a second there," I remarked to her.
"You ssing with ?" she retorted, her hand still on her hip as she glared at .
"No, I ant it as a complint," I replied earnestly.
With that settled, she eased herself down onto my bed beside . The moonlight stread through the window, casting a romantic glow over us. It felt surreal to have her here, alone with in my bed. This was perhaps the first ti we had been alone together in a room.
Alice was different from the woman I once knew as my childhood friend. My past life had left with deep-seated trauma, causing to avoid anything related to childhood friends. I was wary, fearing that she too might betray soday. That's why, initially, I didn't give her the ti of day.
Now, though, I was grateful that I had saved her that day. Alice had actually been kidnapped and nearly sold to so sicko who had a thing for children. Thankfully, I managed to rescue her. Despite the trauma she had endured, she couldn't recall a thing. It was like her brain had shielded her from experiencing PTSD. That's when we grew so close.
Alice was nothing like that woman. She wouldn't betray like she did. Well, she didn't really betray . It was just how I felt, but she didn't actually betray . Still, the trauma from that experience lingered, and I dreaded going through it again. Nowadays, though, the mories I had tried so hard to bury were resurfacing, dredging up painful emotions I'd hoped to forget.
While I remained silent, Alice promptly rested her head on my shoulder, catching off guard. It was a rare display of affection from her. Alice had never been one to show such tenderness. She was always more likely to berate, punch, or shout at . A real spitfire, she was. I often jokingly referred to her as a cavewoman who hadn't quite grasped the concept of acting like a lady.
As a kid, she'd been a tomboy through and through, and it seed not much had changed. Now, she was a stunning beauty with curves in all the right places, like an hourglass. Her ample bosom and shapely thighs were hard to ignore, even though her personality remained the sa.
But I didn't mind. There was sothing refreshing about her, in my opinion.
As she nestled closer, I caught a whiff of soap on her skin. Had she showered before coming here?
"Hey," she spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Yeah?" I responded.
"Do you already... have a lover?" she asked, sounding sowhat nervous.
Honestly, I could have just lied and told her I didn't have a lover. But then, I couldn't shake the feeling that it would only lead to trouble down the line. What if she found out I was lying? She'd feel betrayed, just like I did back then.
I also asked the sa thing from my childhood friend back on Earth. By that ti, I had already spilled my guts to her, confessing my feelings and making it crystal clear that if she was already hooked up with soone else, I'd step aside without any fuss. But then, she fed a line, claiming she and the guy she was into weren't an item yet. It was a load of crap.
The very next day, I found out the truth: she and her crush were already an item, keeping it a secret from everyone at school, including . The only reason they finally ca clean was because my childhood friend couldn't bear to keep lying to . The betrayal hit like a ton of bricks, filling with seething anger. All I could do was stand there and watch her cozy up to the guy she'd fallen for.
She picked him, and I got left in the dust.
But it still cuts deep that she had to lie to my face like that.
After feeling betrayed, it was like the world around started spinning faster and faster. Before I knew it, I had transford into soone unrecognizable. I beca the kind of guy who picked fights on the streets, got into brawls left and right. I even picked up smoking cigarettes. I started dating won, having sex with them, then ditching them once I got what I wanted.
I had nurous flings with won who were only interested in a good ti in bed and nothing more. The betrayal had changed so much that everyone could see it.
Despite my childhood friend's attempts to reach out to , her words fell on deaf ears. To , everything she said felt like a lie, so I chose to shut her out.
The only person who had any chance of turning back was my sister. She saw the drastic change in and tried to steer back on track. But before she could succeed, she tragically took her own life by hanging. Her death shattered to my core. After her funeral, I sought vengeance on those who had wronged her, but before I could finish, I t my end in a fatal traffic accident.
I got reincarnated here, then...
If I told Alice that I don't have soone yet, it could lead to complications down the line. I didn't want that. So, I decided to be honest with her.
"I have," I finally admitted after a long silence.
She withdrew her head from my shoulder and muttered, "I see..." She then got up from the bed. "Well, that's to be expected. I an, you're very handso, Leon..." she began to walk towards the door. But I grabbed her hand, pulling her back to , and embraced her from behind.
At that mont, she finally broke into loud sobs. It was the first ti I had heard her cry like that.
"It's so unfair, Leon..." she choked out between sobs. "You're so unfair... Without even realizing it, you've grown into an adult... so unfair..."
I could only hold her tightly from behind and listen to her crying.
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