The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 58

TESSIA ERALITH’S POV:

I kissed him... I k-kissed him!

As I ran out of the room, I could feel the temperature in my face rising rapidly. That was my first k-kiss! I wonder if he liked it? Did I do it right? My face didn’t look weird as I kissed him r-right?

I stopped in the hall and looked at my reflection in the window. I stood right in front of it and pretended to kiss Art again to see how I’d looked.

"EEK! NOOO!!" Banging my head on the window in embarrassment, I could only groan at the thought of how weird I must’ve looked to him. As I looked outside through the window with my forehead still glued against it, I touched my lips with my fingers.

His lips sure were soft. They were a bit chapped since he was so hurt but it felt nice.

"Hehe..."

I noticed that my face in the reflection showed a perverted grin.

Oh God, I’m turning into a pervert. I wonder if I came on too strong? What if he didn’t like it? What if he thinks I’m some sort of pervert now?

"UGHHH!" I slumped down to my knees as my forehead slid down the window.

Wait. How was I supposed to face him now? Things were just getting better too! Did I just ruin everything? What if he ignored me now, when he saw me?

A throbbing ache thumped in my chest as tears started welling up in the corners of my eyes. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if Art ignored me like that.

Should I go back to his room and pretend it was all a joke? I imagined myself bursting in the room, laughing and pointing at him. "Got you! Hahaha! You really fell for it!"

Am I stupid? I groaned again at the stupidity of it all.

No! You did the right thing, Tess! Things would never progress if I left it up to Art! He still treats me like a child every time we’re together. It was for the best!

"Yeah!" I fist pumped the air to encourage myself but I still let out a big sigh at the thought of him not liking me.

"Tch!" Who cares?! If that stupid Art chooses to ignore me, I can just find someone better than him! He wasn’t that great anyway! He’s just a teeny bit better-looking than average. He’s only slightly better than mediocre in magic, right?

Sigh. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else but Arthur. Sure, over the years, there were nobles that tried to impress me and tried to get close but they didn’t come close to Arthur.

That stupid Art! He’s such a player! "’Don’t furrow your brows, Tess. Your face will turn ugly,’

" I said in a mocking tone, imitating him.

Tch! Making my heart skip a beat for no reason! That stupid player!

"GAH! Who cares if he doesn’t like you, Tess! It’s his loss! What don’t you have? You’re a talented mage! You’re also pretty smart and popular too, right? Not to sound conceited but you’re not a bad-looking girl either, right? Arthur is the one that’s missing out if he doesn’t snatch you up!" I pointed at my reflection as if she’s a different person.

I wondered what kind of excuses I could make to talk to Arthur. There were plenty of excuses! His Mother personally asked me to watch over him, yeah! A-And also, the beast core assimilation! I could just ask him to help me with it since he was the one that gave me the beast core! It was only right that he took the responsibility, right?

Sigh...

I took one last look back at where Arthur’s room was before I slumped back to my dorm.

ARTHUR LEYWIN’S POV:

I k-kissed Tess...

I kissed Tessia Eralith, a thirteen-year-old girl. Wasn’t this a crime? Was I a criminal? No, I had to calm down. I was in the body of a twelve-year-old boy. Why did I feel so guilty then? I shouldn’t, right?

She was the one that kissed me after all! I was the victim here! Making a move on me while I was in this vulnerable state...he sure was smart, that Tess. As I stared blankly at the door she’d left through, my shaking hand finally reached my lips and I just lay there, dumbfounded, touching my mouth as my mind couldn’t help but recall the soft, moist touch of her lips.

This was wrong. Yes, I was technically only twelve years old, but with the mental age from my previous life and this life combined, I was almost 50! Even assuming that I had kids late, Tess would still be around the age of a daughter if I’d had one.

Goddammit! All of this was because of this accursed body! These raging hormones in my body right now! The reason I was feeling so guilty was because I actually enjoyed it. It felt nice when Tess kissed me. It shouldn’t feel nice and I shouldn’t enjoy a kiss from a little girl, but I did.

I groaned, half from pain and the other half from thinking about what was going to happen between Tess and I. Knowing her, she was probably over-thinking a lot of things right now and she was going to be really uncomfortable around me.

I almost laughed at the thought of what people might think of Tess when she was with me. If someone didn’t know any better, they might even assume that she hated me since she was the type to act cold when she didn’t know what to do.

"Uh, yeah. S-Sure, I can do that." I shook my head helplessly at this. I wasn’t sure if Director Goodsky really has errands to run but she was definitely giving me an excuse to meet Tess.

My body’s recovery rate was a lot faster thanks to the assimilation of Sylvia’s Dragon Will into my muscles and bones. I also spent this time while recovering to meditate and develop my mana core. I was at the threshold of breaking out of the dark yellow stage but it would take a bit more time until I could reach solid yellow. I would still feel a bit weak, but thankfully I planned on leaving the infirmary and resuming normal school life starting tomorrow. My body felt stiff from being in bed for so long.

Hearing a strong knock on the door, I called, "Come in." I turned my head as Sylvie hopped off the bed and padded towards the door.

"I came to visit you!" My father had a wide grin on his face as soon as he noticed how much better I looked than before.

"Hey, Dad." I smiled back as Sylvie ’kyus’ in greeting before hopping back up next to me. _{freewёbn૦νeɭ.com}

Taking a seat, my father caught me up on everything going on at home. We talked for quite a bit of time and I realized how comfortable it was to talk to my father. Family sure was different than anyone else. The fact that he didn’t have any ulterior motives, no plan, no secrets, was comforting. He just wanted what was best for me.

After a brief period of silence, I asked him something that had been bothering me. "Hey, Dad. How come Mom never really uses her magic? I mean, she healed small wounds for me when I was little and stuff, but that was about it. I remember you telling me how great of an emitter she was."

Looking at my father, I was surprised that his usual bright face turned a little sullen.

"Your mother...she carries a lot of weight in her heart." Letting out a deep sigh, he continued.

"I know you’re mature enough to know this but I want you to be patient. She’ll tell you when she feels ready, so I want you to wait for her to tell you directly." He ruffled before we changed topics.

"How’s everyone doing at home anyway?" It hadn’t been that long but it still felt like it’d been awhile since I’d spent some time with my family.

"Oh, you know, your mother is busy mingling with her friends. Your sister, though, she’s becoming quite a handful." He chuckles to himself.

"Maybe we had it too easy raising you, but I sometimes just don’t know what to do with Ellie." Scratching his head, I notice some wrinkles that hadn’t been there before.

"Just give her some space. She’ll come around." Patting my father’s arm weakly, I repositioned myself as I felt my body cramping up.

"I should let you rest, Son." He pinched my nose softly and quietly left through the door, leaving me wondering what could possibly have happened with Mother that she became too traumatized to use her powers.

"Kyu?" Sylvie asked me what I was thinking of and I just shook my head. "It’s nothing, Sylv. I hope."