Although Bronya had tasted such sweetness more than once during the brief honeymoon period after the agreement at the orphanage, those fleeting moments now felt like distant dreams.
Ever since she found Seele again, Bronya had been treading carefully. She feared that advancing too quickly might startle Seele, whose fragile state left no room for careless affection. So, no matter how fierce her inner yearning grew, she had been holding back—restraining the surge of longing that constantly gnawed at her.
It wasn't as if she was old enough to completely devour her precious Seele just yet.
But… hadn't they already unlocked certain boundaries between them? Revisiting a few of those sacred moments shouldn't be a crime against the Ganges, right?
"Seele… after losing her memory… she probably hasn't kissed another girl yet, right?"
That thought alone sent a strange thrill coursing through Bronya. Her cheeks warmed with a flush, and the little red duck on her face quivered faintly: (=???=). The excitement rose from deep within her, unbidden but impossible to ignore.
She inched closer—slowly, deliberately—toward the sleeping girl before her.
Right now, Lunelle lay curled up in slumber, soft breaths rising and falling like the tide. Completely defenseless, blissfully unaware of what her 'sister' was about to do.
30 centimeters...
13 centimeters...
3 centimeters...
As the space between them vanished, Bronya's vision blurred ever so slightly.
In that quiet, aching moment, Lunelle's sleeping face—delicate, serene, almost sacred—began to blur and overlap with the image of Seele from Bronya's memories. That same curve of the lips, the flutter of those lashes—everything melted into one.
Just as the little duck was about to press her lips forward—
A sudden burst of footsteps shattered the stillness. Loud, hurried, completely lacking any sense of shame.
And along with it came the worst possible voice.
"Hey? Nurse lady? Can I ask how to get to Ward XXXXX?"
In that instant, Bronya felt a murderous rage explode inside her. If she had any less control, she might have gone berserk on the spot.
Even worse—she recognized the voice. That idiotic, infuriating voice belonged to the one person she resented most right now.
Kiana.
Stupid, loud, tactless Kiana!
How on earth did that oversized fool manage to find this place?
(???)!!! (rage intensifies!)
It was no coincidence. Bronya was convinced that the appearance of that loudmouthed, timing-ignorant Paramecium was the universe's most malicious prank.
But…
Mua.Boo.
Bronya's frustration boiled over. She refused to yield to fate. Rules be damned.
So, without hesitation, she leaned in and stole a kiss from Lunelle's tender, sleeping face.
The soft contact burned through her chest like wildfire.
Seele was right there—so close, so dear. Why should she wait any longer? Why should she surrender her moment?
If she didn't claim this now, would she leave Seele's first kiss to that dumb Kiana?!
No way.
If Bronya could make a face other than her classic "(???)", she'd probably look like some smug, villainous Joestar right now, sneering with diabolical satisfaction.
"Even if Seele lost her memories—her first kiss after waking up wasn't with you, Kiana. It was me. Me! Bronya!!"
And yes, though the stolen kiss flooded her with a rush of joy and temporary triumph…
She had wasted too much time.
By now, judging from the footsteps, that foolish Paramecium was already near the ward door—and possibly blocking it.
If Bronya tried to escape now, there was a more than 90% chance she'd be caught red-handed by Kiana.
And that would be a disaster.
Because unlike Kiana, who barged around openly like a bull in a china shop, Bronya had slipped into Seele's ward covertly—quiet as a whisper, through less-than-legal means.
Even though Kiana's intelligence could barely rival a soggy dumpling, Bronya wasn't about to gamble her entire plan on that.
Sure, she could bluff her way through temporarily.
But Kiana's big mouth was legendary. If she said the wrong thing to the wrong person… and the Schicksal authorities caught wind of Bronya's infiltration…
The consequences would be dire.
Especially since Bronya had only just joined Schicksal yesterday.
To her, Schicksal's true power was still veiled, cloaked in the shadow of the infamous Overseer Otto. And if Otto's reputation for cruelty was even half true—
Then sneaking into the ICU would be considered a grievous offense.
Bronya could already imagine the worst: imprisonment, interrogation, torture, demands about her motives.
If luck favored her, she might escape with her life.
But she'd never be able to visit Seele again—not openly, not secretly.
For Bronya, such a fate was worse than death.
If she couldn't see her Seele—couldn't be near her, hold her—what was the point of living?
So no matter what, she couldn't be caught. Not now.
Her eyes darted around the room—searching. Then she spotted it.
Underneath Lunelle's hospital bed, concealed beneath crisp white sheets, was a gap. A hiding place.
A narrow, claustrophobic space.
But for someone like Bronya, small and light, it would do.
Just in time, she slipped beneath the bed and pulled the curtain of linen over herself like a veil of silence.
Outside, Kiana had just confirmed the room location with a nurse.
"Huh? Why does the ward door look like something slammed into it? That dent... it looks like the cross Auntie Theresa used to hang me from when she got mad..."
That ridiculous observation was eerily accurate. Judah had done that—just punishment for Kiana calling Theresa a little devil.
Kiana hesitated.
She'd heard Seele had woken up. But…
"If Mei finds out I came here without telling her, she's going to be so mad..."
Still, the thought of her beloved Seele—injured, unconscious, all because of her—burned into Kiana's chest.
No. She couldn't leave it like this.
Even if Mei got angry. Even if she got dragged by Judah again.
She had to see her.
For Seele.
Meanwhile, Bronya lay perfectly still beneath the bed.
Fortunately, the bottom was shrouded in thick cloth, and the space—though cramped—was just enough. Kiana would have to crawl on the floor to spot her.
And even if she did, unlike Bronya, she didn't have a "duck nose" trained for unusual scents.
The only risk…
"…Weird. Why do I feel like… I'm not alone in here? Is it just my imagination?"
Kiana frowned, glancing around the silent ward.
Bronya held her breath.
It was a good thing, she thought bitterly, that her scent was still masked by the faint smell of baby formula.
And Lunelle—no, Seele's—own scent was even sweeter. A soft, milky fragrance that belonged only to a select few girls.
The kind Bronya had fallen hopelessly in love with.
Even though the lingering scent of milk powder in the room could reasonably be explained by Bronya's earlier visit, there was something subtly off about it now.
It was faint, almost unnoticeable—but when mingled with Lunelle's naturally sweet, almost intoxicating milky scent, it created an unmistakably suspicious fragrance that hung in the air like a guilty whisper.
Still, Kiana wasn't that abnormal. Not enough to draw a conclusion based solely on a lingering scent.
And besides, compared to some vague sense of strangeness, wasn't Lunelle's delicately adorable sleeping face infinitely more important?
"Hehe… Seele's still so gentle and pretty even when she's sleeping," Kiana murmured, her voice soft with awe, completely absorbed in the sight of her beloved's resting face.
Suppressing the tickle of unease, she quickly focused all her attention on the girl she considered her secret concubine. Just one glance at Lunelle's doll-like face, framed by her snow-soft hair, was enough to heal Kiana's soul.
"Hehe… Seele… my adorable Seele... pinch pinch (ˉ﹃ˉ)," she whispered, voice trembling with affection.
A glimmer of moisture pooled at the corners of her mouth—not tears, but something worse. Desire, longing, frustration.
How could the universe allow a girl this unfairly cute to exist?
Meanwhile, under the bed, Bronya was silently grinding her teeth. She could hear every word, every breath, every shameless sigh coming from Kiana—who was, in her view, nothing more than a degenerate pervert trespassing on sacred ground.
Her poker face darkened. In Bronya's eyes, the scene unfolding above wasn't just inappropriate. It was criminal. To her, it was as if Kiana, this idiotic, audacious bug, had seized Seele in her arms and was violating her right before Bronya's helpless eyes—then flashing her a smug smile, as if to say:
"Oh? What are you going to do about it, Bronya? You don't want anyone to know you sneaked into this ward, right? So sit there and watch. Watch as I take your precious Seele for myself. Meow hahahaha~"
Bronya clenched her fists under the bed covers. Her duck-like expression remained frozen, but her knuckles had long since turned white.
She had to endure. For now.
Objectively speaking, Kiana hadn't actually touched Lunelle yet. She was simply admiring that sleeping face, drooling a little, and... maybe leaning in a bit too close.
But from Bronya's point of view, this wasn't admiration—it was predation. And it felt as if she were watching her duckling nest being trampled on by a rampaging cat.
"Huh...? Is it just me, or does Seele's face look... off?" Kiana muttered suddenly.
She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. Her brows twitched in confusion.
There, on Lunelle's otherwise flawless cheek—something was... wrong. The soft cherry pink hue was deeper than usual. As if someone had bitten it.
Wait.
Bitten it!?
At first, Kiana tried to dismiss the thought. Maybe she was just imagining things. But a flash of inspiration struck her mind, like lightning against a clear sky. And once the idea took root, it bloomed into certainty.
Upon even closer inspection, she could see it clearly now—an ever-so-subtle swelling at the edge of Lunelle's cheek.
"Don't tell me... someone kissed her?"
Her eyes widened. Blood rushed to her head. Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Someone kissed my Seele? Without me knowing!?
Fury erupted within her like a volcano. She felt as though the crown on her head had been stolen, the throne beneath her pulled away.
Though she had only jokingly referred to Lunelle as her concubine, the idea that someone else had gotten to her first left her seething.
It was like someone had borrowed her favorite toy, played with it in secret, and then put it back as if nothing had happened.
Unforgivable.
Her gaze fell once again on Lunelle's sleeping face, impossibly lovely and serene, even with that faint pink bruise blooming on her cheek.
If someone else already stole the first bite… then what's stopping me?
The thought came unbidden, whispered by a dangerous part of her heart.
And before she even realized what she was doing, Kiana found herself leaning down, drawn toward the girl like a moth to flame.
Knock, knock, knock—
A sudden knock echoed from the door. But Kiana didn't flinch. She didn't care. She was just getting closer. That's not a crime, is it?
"Excuse me… is anyone inside the ward?"
That voice. Soft, familiar, lethal.
"—Mei!?"
The color drained from Kiana's face in an instant. Her blood turned to ice.
Why Mei? Why now!?
One second ago she'd felt invincible, convinced nothing could shake her resolve.
Now she was pressed against the side of Lunelle's bed, hovering inches from her lips—and it looked like she was about to steal a kiss.
A chill ran down her spine. The scene felt way too familiar.
Déjà vu. No, worse. PTSD.
She didn't even do anything yet, and already she was being blamed. Again.
[Why is it always me!? Why am I always the one who takes the blame!? QAQ!!]
Just thinking back to that fateful day when she got caught red-handed by everyone, accused of being a pervert when she hadn't even gotten the chance to do anything, made her heart explode in protest.
If she was going to be punished anyway... if she was going to be accused again...
Then—shouldn't she just go all the way?
Her eyes burned as she looked at Lunelle again, whose soft, sleeping face still shimmered with a gentle, unknowable charm.
And then a thought slithered in. Wicked. Final.
If I'm going to hell... I'll at least go with a full stomach.
So, filled with indignation, stifled love, and a twisted sense of justice—Kiana leaned in and bit Lunelle without hesitation.
--+--
T/N: Nah when she's sleeping is foul. Though Lunelle probably regretting she wasn't awake when it happened.