CHAPTER 46: CHOSEN ONE

"No, I’m lucky because I’m about to kiss the lips of a beautiful, sexy, and talented woman."

Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly at my words. She tilted her head as she sheathed her sword fully, strands of hair cascading over her cheek to hide her blush. The corners of her lips trembled, first with what seemed like a disdainful glance, then replaced by an involuntary flush.

"Shut your mouth," she said, her voice sweet but laced with a subtle tremor. "I’m too tired to handle your antics. Go flirt with the woman waiting for you at the manor."

I extended my hand, my fingers brushing her cheek. Her warm skin quivered, as if my touch had stolen her breath mid-exhale. In that moment, I saw two things in her eyes: a genuine fear and a desire she was desperately trying to conceal.

"I wasn’t joking... But the real question is, Reb. Would you prefer it to be a joke?"

Rebecca tried to avert her gaze but couldn’t. Her eyes were locked on mine, ensnared by the warmth spreading from my hand to her face. Her lips parted, but she struggled to gather her words.

Finally, with a soft exhale, she whispered:

"If you were joking... it would be easier to believe."

The vulnerability in her voice shattered her tough mask for an instant. In her blue eyes, the fragile girl emerged; the one hidden behind all those hours of sword practice, the one who suppressed every emotion just to appear strong.

I leaned in, closing the distance between us even further. My lips were nearly touching hers.

"Do you want the easy path, or the truth, Rebecca?"

Her eyes widened, her breath catching for a moment. Her fingers instinctively clutched the collar of my shirt, as if torn between pushing me away and pulling me closer.

The silence hanging between us was filled with the rhythm of her heartbeat. The scent of grass, the warmth of her sweat, and the lingering burnt aura of her magic... all converged at a single point.

"Leo... This is too dangerous. You know that. What you want is more than just an escapade."

Her words echoed within me. Rebecca’s voice wasn’t trembling; it was resolute yet timid. That mix drew me even closer to her.

"To hell with what people say. The only thing that matters is what we say," I replied, my eyes locked on hers.

Rebecca’s lips parted, but the words knotted in her throat. Her grip on my collar tightened. She tilted her head, her breath grazing my neck. "I don’t care what people say, anyway."

As Rebecca’s last sentence spilled from her lips, the tension inside me exploded like a spark.

"Then?" I said, my voice low and challenging. "Why are you still resisting me so much?"

Rebecca closed her eyes, resting her forehead against my chest. Her fingers didn’t release my collar; instead, they gripped it harder. Her heart pounded against mine, its rhythm frantic but unyielding.

"Because... Have you ever thought about what our father would say? Or our siblings? Or my mother? They might not mean much to you, but they do to me," she whispered, the words heavy as stones in her throat.

She stood there with her forehead pressed to my chest, the strong warrior woman transformed, for a fleeting moment, into a vulnerable girl.

Her heartbeat was palpable through our clothes: fast, irregular, like the beat of a war drum. I, Leonardo, her stepbrother, the cursed heir to our shared father’s blood... Her state fueled the fire within me, yet it also pierced my heart like a dagger.

I pressed my hand a little firmer against her back, my fingers gently caressing her trembling body. It felt like I was touching not just her, but the fears surging within.

"They don’t need to know every detail of your life," I said, my voice nearly a whisper, but my words landed like stones. "What we experience, what we feel... let that be ours alone. That should be enough."

Rebecca lifted her head from my chest, her blue eyes meeting mine. In them, a battle waged: loyalty to her family clashing with her desire for me. Her lips parted as if to say ’no,’ but the words caught in her throat.

"I--I... I’ll think about it."

The feeble words that fell from Rebecca’s lips felt less like a victory and more like a retreating soldier’s strategy. Not surrender, but not advance either.

In that moment, a pang struck my heart. It didn’t slam the door on me, but neither did it fling it wide open. It didn’t extinguish the fire between us; it only made me inhale its smoke deeper.

I slowly withdrew my hand from her back, though my fingertips still sought the warmth of her skin. "Think..." I said, my eyes never leaving hers. "I’ll give you as much time as you need. But remember, Sis... every moment you lose could be one another woman uses to get closer to me. Besides, you already have a rival," I added with a mocking smile, stepping backward.

Rebecca’s eyes widened, her brows furrowing in anger. The tremor at the corners of her lips vanished, replaced by a sharp line.

"Are you threatening me, Leo?" she said, her voice ice-cold, but the spark hidden in her gaze was unmistakable.

I continued backing away, my smile deepening. "No..." I replied, spreading my hands. "I’m just stating the truth. While you think, life doesn’t wait. And if you turn your back on me... someone else will be ready to fill that void."

Rebecca’s fingers instinctively slid to the hilt of her sword. But not to draw it; it seemed like her last anchor to keep from losing herself. She swallowed, her gaze unwavering. In those blue eyes, anger, jealousy, and desire intertwined.

"You... you’re a complete devil, Leonardo," she hissed.

I turned my back, taking a few more steps away before glancing over my shoulder at her. "Maybe. But I choose to be your devil. See you later... my sweet sister."

When I turned away, silence lingered behind me. Yet that silence made me feel Rebecca’s heartbeat echoing into the distance.

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A few day had passed since my conversation with Rebecca, and now I sat at my desk, staring at the pile of documents before me. At one end of the desk was a petite, sweet girl. She was well-educated, and I’d hired her as a sort of assistant.

Meanwhile, the fallout from the vampire attack had been heavier than I’d anticipated. I wished I hadn’t underestimated that damned vampire. But blaming myself was foolish. After all, even in a novel spanning hundreds of Chapters, high vampires rarely appeared. Damn it, high-level beings of any kind were rare in the story.

How could I have known one would be in my city? Anyway, no time for complaints. On the bright side, our reputation and fame were spreading across the continent because we’d defeated the vampire.

Wait... We?

It hit me then, and the first thing that came to mind was the letter from the emperor himself. Gods... the letter praised only me. It didn’t even mention Rebecca.

No, of course the emperor wasn’t a misogynist. In fact, he’d probably prefer writing to Rebecca, the noble daughter of a duke. I checked the other letters, and it was the same in all of them. I was the only one being praised. The only others mentioned were the soldiers who died in the attack.

This could mean only one thing: Rebecca had deliberately claimed that I, not she, had defeated the vampire. That’s why these letters were lavishing so much praise on my courage.

Even the lord of one of the empire’s most artistically inclined cities had offered to paint my portrait. According to him, I was a hero, and my face should be immortalized in history.

Rebecca had probably told them I’d risked my life to kill the vampire and save the city.

I let out a deep sigh, rubbing my forehead with my fingers. Inside me stirred an indescribable unease, mingled with gratitude. I stood up, shoving the papers aside without a care. An inner urge guided me.

When I found myself at the door to Rebecca’s room, my heart raced involuntarily. I paused, thinking. My fingers traced the door’s surface. Then, taking a deep breath, I knocked.

The door creaked open heavily. Rebecca was inside, her armor pieces set aside, wearing only a thin shirt. Her eyes turned to me, a strange gleam in their blue depths, but also a sense of peace.

As I stepped inside, words knotted in my throat. Finally, I managed:

"Rebecca... why did you do it? Why did you give me that victory? Why--"

Before I could finish, Rebecca closed the distance in one step. She grabbed my collar and yanked me toward her. When her lips crashed onto mine, all the questions in my mind fell silent.

Without breaking the kiss, Rebecca pulled me roughly into her room. As the door slammed shut behind us, she took full control, shoving me toward the bed.

The kiss was sudden, passionate, and scorching. It silenced all my questions, reducing the answer to one thing: **she had chosen me.**