I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because of my bed, which was like a heavenly cloud compared to the dirt floor I was used to sleeping on. It wasn’t from a fear for my safety either. I wasn’t in the forest dungeon anymore. I was in Cecilia’s mansion. There was no safer place in the world.

No, the reason I couldn’t sleep was simple. It was because my senses picked up Cecilia reading in the library. She hadn’t turned in for the night. No matter how long I waited, she showed no signs of going to bed.

I threw my blankets off and left my room. The mansion at night was quiet. My keen senses allowed me to easily navigate the complex hallways without encountering anyone. Within a few minutes, I reached the entrance to the library.

I didn’t hesitate to enter. The sight of Cecilia reading a book by the window leapt into my eyes. I sat down next to her.

“Can’t sleep?”

The silver-haired Cecilia didn’t answer me, but I didn’t expect her too. There was only one reason Cecilia would be up this late. Helen had told me about it a lifetime ago.

“Are you worried about your so-called curse activating?”

Cecilia finally put down her book at my words. Her eyes fell on my body, but she didn’t choose to comment on it. I had gone to sleep naked and I hadn’t bothered to put on any clothes when I realized that Cecilia was still up.

“My curse activated while you were missing. As a result, I ended up burning down Father’s house. My battle with him damaged a good chunk of the hometown I grew up in.”

I knew that Black Cecilia’s actions had caused much mental anguish to the silver-haired Cecilia, but I couldn’t help but smile. As I thought, the Fallen Archangel had gotten revenge for me.

“What did Byleth do while I was missing?”

“She joined me in burning down Father’s home.”

I chuckled. Cecilia looked like she couldn’t understand what Byleth was thinking to take such crazy actions.

“Sorry Cecilia, but hearing that you and Byleth got revenge for me makes me very happy.”

It was no good. I was so happy that I couldn’t stop myself from acting on my feelings. I grabbed Cecilia’s hand and had her stand.

“If we sleep together, then I’ll be able to stop the black haired version of you from doing anything that might upset you.”

Cecilia’s bright, violet eyes bore into my own golden eyes. After a moment of contemplation, Cecilia nodded her head in agreement. My heart danced in joy. I held Cecilia’s hand and led her back to her bedroom.

The sight of her far too big bed greeted my eyes. I didn’t hesitate to climb onto the bed and make myself comfortable. Cecilia changed into a thin nightgown with an open back design and joined me.

She was so beautiful that it took my breath away. I would have been a blushing mess for sleeping with her, but Cecilia’s skill took away all of my embarrassment and allowed me to be much bolder than usual.

“Night, Cecilia.”

“Good night, Fang.”

Cecilia closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. She must have spent several nights with next to no sleep. I laid my head on my pillow, but I didn’t close my eyes. Instead, I waited. She didn’t make me wait long.

I watched as Cecilia’s silver hair turned jet black. Cecilia opened her violet eyes that now contained a deep darkness. An evil smirk formed on her lips.

“Just how did you plan to stop me from burning down more houses, Fang?”

I smiled back at the unsuspecting Fallen Angel.

“Like this.”

I grabbed Cecilia’s hand and moved it to my chest.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Yes. Is it working?”

“Ha. Like you could seduce me with your…”

Cecilia’s voice trailed off as her fingers squeezed my chest.

“...poor…”

She tried to finish her sentence, but she was distracted by other things. Her second hand came up without needing me to guide it and cupped my other breast.

“...body.”

Cecilia fell silent and her hands freely explored my chest. My body should have been burning hot with the flames of desire. The girl I loved was touching me. [Instinct] screamed that it was time I became one with my mate.

Even so, my mind was a calm, tranquil lake without even a shred of arousal. It was like Cecilia was doing nothing more than massaging me. Thanks to her skill, I could not even summon the slightest figment of lust towards her.

Even without lust in the equation, I still enjoyed the sight of Cecilia admiring my body. A beautiful blush appeared on her pretty white skin. Her eyes freely roamed my body and drank in the sights.

One of her hands left my chest and curved around my waist. Cecilia suddenly sat up and lifted me onto her lap. I smiled at my new position.

“Were you jealous of Byleth this afternoon?”

Cecilia now had me clinging to her like how I was clinging to Byleth earlier. My words seemed to awaken the Fallen Archangel from her trance.

“Me, jealous? Of course not!”

I laughed at her. She didn’t like my reaction. Cecilia pinched my butt, making me yelp in pain and scoot closer to her. My thigh brushed against a unique part of the Fallen Archangel’s anatomy.

“You said my poor body couldn’t possibly seduce you, but your little guy down there is pretty excited.”

“Like I told you last time, I’m always like this.”

Cecilia’s mouth was saying one thing, but her wandering hands were telling an entirely different story. I wanted to return the favor and go on the attack, but her skill kept getting in the way and squashing those types of thoughts.

Thanks to Cecilia’s skill, her defenses were impregnable. It was truly impossible to go all the way and join our bodies together as one. If attacking Cecilia was not an option, then the only option left was to seduce Cecilia into attacking me.

“Do you know how babies are made, Cecilia?”

“Of course, a stork delivers them to a couple whenever they are deeply in love.”

I chuckled at Cecilia, earning myself another pinch on the butt. It all made sense now. Half of the reason Byleth and the other princess struggled to make any progress with Cecilia was because of Cecilia’s skill, while the other half was because of her lack of sex ed.

Her father, Aurelius Snowlight, didn’t bother to teach Cecilia about the birds and the bees. Or rather, that type of knowledge was something he didn't wanted Cecilia to know about.

I happily went about my petty revenge against him. I leaned forward and whispered into Cecilia’s ears exactly how babies were made as well as the typical acts lovers did.

Knowledge was a poison that could desecrate the well of innocence. Cecilia’s beautiful violet eyes now looked at me in a different light.

I saw a girl whose vague, unknown feelings were given a direction and purpose. Wants and desires she previously didn’t understand suddenly clicked into place. I watched as Cecilia’s complicated thoughts fell away An incredibly cute expression appeared on her face the moment a single desire dominated her thoughts.

“Fang, I…”

That was as far as Cecilia got. All of a sudden, the feverish heat left her body and Cecilia regained her senses.  I could barely suppress the joy welling up within my heart. As much as I wanted to say that it was impossible, the sight before my eyes proved otherwise. Cecilia’s gaze alternated between us in confusion.

“What is wrong with me?”

 It must have been strange for her to not feel the flames of [Lust] while she was a Fallen Archangel.

“Is this the first time you have been hit by your [Chastity] skill without turning back into an Archangel?”

“Are you saying this is because of [Chastity]?”

[Chastity] was a mental interference type of heavenly virtue skill that safeguarding the user’s chastity by interfering with thoughts, making them pure in both mind and body. [Chastity] interfered with my thoughts, making it impossible for me to make advances on Cecilia.

In a similar fashion, [Chastity] would interfere with Cecilia’s thoughts if she was about to do something that would throw away her chastity. That was to say, Cecilia held the same desires towards me that I held towards her. Our feelings were mutual.

“Now you know how Byleth and I feel whenever we are with you. That skill of yours has really been getting in our way.”

As soon as I gained the [Gluttony] skill, I began to research the various known heavenly virtue and cardinal sin skills. [Chastity] and [Lust] were both skills I learned about during that time.

Archangel’s were born with two heavenly virtue skills while Fallen Archangels were born with two cardinal sins. Cecilia must have been born with the [Lust] skill. Her father couldn’t accept that she was a Fallen Angel, and so he pushed the corresponding heavenly virtue skill, [Chastity], onto his daughter, effectively sealing her Fallen Angel nature.

The [Lust] skill amplified the user’s lust and shaped their bodies to better fulfill their desires. The thing between Cecila’s legs was a symbol of her cardinal sin, her [Lust].

[Instinct] called for me to take action. [Ki] swirled around my mind, body, and soul, doing its best to protect me from [Chastity]’s interference. I leaned towards Cecilia, intent on making her mine.

A hand cut in between me and my target, interrupting my kiss. Cecilia’s eyes were wide in disbelief. A trembling voice weakly protested.

“You said that you should only kiss someone that you like.”

I gently pushed her hand aside. Apparently, Cecilia had not realized the truth. She still thought it was impossible for someone to like her while she was a Fallen Archangel.

“Then, it is okay. After all, I love you, Cecilia.”

Before Cecilia could protest my statement any further, I leaned forward and stole her lips. Unfortunately, a simple, chaste kiss was my limit. Cecilia’s [Chastity] skill stopped me from going any further.

I made up for it by kissing Cecilia over and over again until she knew without a shadow of a doubt that I loved her. Halfway through my shower of affection, Cecilia’s hair suddenly reverted back to being silver.

“Fang.”

The silver haired Cecilia called my name in deep confusion. I happily responded back to her.

"Hehe, I told you that I would stop you. If you keep me by your side for the rest of your life, you will never have to worry about doing something crazy in your sleep again. You can sleep at ease!"

I tried to sell myself as a bargain dream catcher for the simple price of always being together, but Cecilia brushed off my sales pitch.

"Why did you kiss... her?"

"Because I love you, silly."

I made a face, asking why Cecilia was asking such an obvious question. To prove my point, I leaned in and gave the silver-haired Cecilia a quick peck on the lips. If anything, this only seemed to further her confusion.

"But, she has black wings..."

"Yeah, I find your black wings really cool... Not that I don't like your white wings. They just have a different charm."

Cecilia faltered over my words. Even so, she steeled herself and continued.

"...and she recklessly attacks her own family..."

"Your family deserves it for treating you that way. I'm happy that you got revenge for how poorly your father has treated you."

Violet eyes shook in uncertainty. Cecilia fell silent. I almost thought she was done speaking, but she opened her mouth after a brief hesitation. It was as if she was confessing her greatest, darkest secret.

"...and she is a great sinner."

Perhaps this was the crux of the issue. Angels were a race that gained heavenly virtues as racial skills at the higher ranks. Hence, they placed a huge emphasis on living a virtuous life style and avoiding sin. It was no wonder that they treated being born with a cardinal sin as a curse.

"Are you talking about your [Lust] skill?"

Cecilia nodded at my words. She added in a weak voice.

"[Wrath], too."

I opened my mouth and gave my true feelings on Cecilia's cardinal sins.

"Wrath is a very scary thing. It can easily ruin lives and bring about great destruction. Even so, I was happy when you expressed your [Wrath] on your father and got revenge for my disappearance. You might despise your sin, but that is one of the parts of you that I love."

"Impossible. A sin can't make anyone happy."

"Your [Wrath] was provoked on my behalf. Isn't the amount of damage you did proof of how much you care about me? It is impossible for me not to be happy about your [Wrath]."

Cecilia fell silent as she considered my words. I was content to sit on her lap and cherish being by her side. Bright violet eyes peered into my own golden eyes, as if searching for answers.

"...and [Lust]? It is unpleasant to be viewed with lustful eyes."

"Certainly."

I easily agreed with Cecilia's words, shocking her. She was so cute that I had to resist the urge to kiss her again.

"It is unpleasant to be looked at like that by total strangers. However, its a completely different story when it comes to the ones I love. I want you to desire me just as much as I desire you."

"You are lying. It is impossible for anyone to desire her when she has that... thing between her legs. Everyone is right. She is a... freak."

I tightly hugged Cecilia, cutting off anything she might say. My 9 tails wrapped around the two of us, enveloping us in a warm, fluffy blanket. Even so, it wasn't enough. My heart ached to hear Cecilia describe herself like that.

"I spent most of my life with something between my legs. Does that make me a freak?"

"No, of course not."

"Right. If that was the case, then half of the world would be composed of freaks."

I chuckled at my own joke. I couldn't see Cecilia's expression since I was hugging her. Even so, I continued my words.

"Then, I was born a man. Now I am a woman. Surely..."

Cecilia interrupted me before I finished my words. She grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me back so that we were now looking each other in the eyes. Her bright, violet eyes carried a serious light within them.

"You are not a freak. You are a beautiful girl."

I returned her words with an equal amount of earnestness.

"The same is true for you. You are not a freak. Rather, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met."

Cecilia searched my eyes for any signs of deceit, but found none. If the world thought Cecilia was a freak, then the world was blind. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was a goddess of beauty. Cecilia was the first to avert her eyes. A rare blush appeared on her cheeks. It was so cute that I gave her another kiss on the cheek while she was avoiding my gaze.

"You are an idiot for liking her... no, for liking me."

"Sorry, all of the nutrients went to my chest so that I could better seduce you."

I watched as Cecilia's eyes fell to the chest I was boasting about. It reminded me of when we first met. Her eyes had been drawn to my chest back then too.

"Both you and Byleth will not find happiness if you stay by my side. Thanks to my [Chastity] skill, I will not be able to answer your feelings."

"Don't worry about your [Chastity] skill. I already have a secret plan to deal with it."

I didn't hesitate to confide my super secret, awesome plan to Cecilia.

"I will keep reincarnating over and over again, polishing myself up into a stunning beauty that you can't possibly resist. I'll make your desires for me become so strong that your [Lust] will overcome your [Chastity] skill and we will live happily ever after."

Cecilia's violet eyes shone upon hearing my new dream. A strangely troubled, but happy smile appeared on her lips.

"What should I do?"

"What is wrong?"

I glanced up and down at Cecilia, but nothing seemed out of place. For the Legendary Archangel to be troubled, it had to be a serious matter. A slender pair of hands hugged my waist while I was trying to figure out what was wrong.

"I think your plan is working."

"H-Huh?"

I looked up in surprise and made the mistake of meeting Cecilia's violet eyes. They shone with such a pretty light that I found myself drowning in them just like I had done on the day we first met. If the light in her eyes when we first met was like a single star in the dark night sky, then the light now was akin to a bright moon lighting up the entire night sky.

The warm, comfortable light dwelling within those lovely, violet eyes was approaching me. It took me a moment to realize what that meant. I came to my senses an instant before a pair of soft lips pressed against my own lips. This was a kiss.

Cecilia was kissing me.

Before I knew it, my arms were wrapped around Cecilia. My tails coiled around her, refusing to let her go. Cecilia's warmth overflowed my heart with happiness. I lost track of time and even forgot to breathe. Unlike my chaste kisses earlier, our kiss dragged on for what felt like several, wonderful hours.

Cecilia's lips eventually left mine. I was immediately assaulted by an intense feeling of loneliness on my lips. My lips instinctively chased after hers for a second until I realized what I was doing. Dizziness rushed in the moment I regained my senses and I took some much needed gulps of air.

Unfortunately, Cecilia showed no signs of letting me catch my breath. Her pretty lips opened and unleashed the most devastating attack in the world.

"I love you."

The sweetest sounding words entered through my ears and bounced around my heart. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I was so happy that I was smiling from ear to ear. I thought it was unfair to the rest of the world that I got to experience this much happiness. My pounding heart threatened to explode.

"I love you too, Cecilia."

Just when I thought I was safe from dying of happiness, Cecilia's silver hair turned black. [Instinct] screamed in warning. This was bad. I was seriously going to die from happiness overload at this rate. Cecilia leaned towards me and like a moth to the flame, I met her halfway.

My body went weak as soon as we kissed. I melted in Cecilia's arms. An epic battle took place between Cecilia's [Lust] and [Chastity] skills and I was the lucky(?) victim caught in the middle. I belatedly realized the second danger [Instinct] was warning me about. Seducing Cecilia was like playing with fire. There was no way a single girl could match up to someone with the [Lust] skill.

Byleth and I... no, would two girls even be enough? Just how many girls would we need to vanquish the beast sleeping inside of Cecilia?

My consciousness grew hazy under Cecilia's intense kiss. [Instinct] flipped the safety switch and my body began to shutdown due too muxh happiness. I screamed at my body to stop shutting down. I still wanted to kiss Cecilia more. Alas, my body didn't listen.

Cecilia seemed to realize my predicament as she broke off our kiss and laid me down on the bed next to her. A soft warmth pressed against my head and a gentle voice spoke into my ear.

"Know that no matter what appearance you take, no matter what name you decide to go by, my feelings for you will never change. I will always love you."

Then, I knew no more.