Some of the girls no longer bothered with shyness and rose from their seats to surround Lloyd.
Lucia quietly moved closer to him, Ginny claimed the spot in Lloyd's arms without hesitation, and Gion relied on her strength to squeeze into the remaining space at his other side. Lloyd sat at the center, calm and composed, as if the attention was entirely expected.
At other tables, the male students watched the scene with complicated expressions. They smacked their lips, raised their glasses, and drank heavily.
None of them felt resentment.
They were convinced.
If they were girls, they would probably be the same. Lloyd had looks, strength, and an aura that made it impossible to ignore. There was no reason any girl would not be drawn to him.
A polite, restrained smile rested on Lloyd's face as he accepted every toast offered to him. For a Dark Dark Fruit user, alcohol was hardly an issue. His body was darkness itself, absorbing a portion of the alcohol was trivial.
The only drinks he truly accepted were the ones poured by Lucia and Ginny.
Ginny, however, had a disastrously low tolerance. Before long, she had slumped against Lloyd's chest, half asleep and mumbling incoherently. Even then, nearly every sentence that slipped from her lips had Lloyd's name in it.
Lucia, in contrast, displayed a surprisingly strong tolerance. She remained quiet and gentle throughout the banquet, occasionally placing food onto Lloyd's plate with practiced familiarity.
When the banquet finally ended, Lloyd escorted Ginny to the dormitory entrance. He only turned away after watching Jessica help Ginny inside and making sure she was settled.
After taking a few steps, Lloyd suddenly stopped.
He turned back and looked at Lucia, who was following behind him.
"Lucia," he said calmly, "why haven't you gone back yet?"
Lucia brushed her long black hair behind her ear and spoke softly.
"Young Master, I want to walk with you. May I?"
After a brief pause, she lowered her head slightly.
"It's been a long time since I was alone with you."
Lloyd did not hesitate. He reached out and took her hand, his voice low and steady.
"Why wouldn't I allow it? Everyone else has already returned. Let's sit at the training grounds for a while."
Lucia's face immediately brightened. She slipped her arm through Lloyd's and walked beside him toward the quiet training grounds.
Upstairs, Gion rested her chin on her hand and watched the two figures disappear into the distance. After covering Ginny with a blanket, Jessica asked casually,
"What are you looking at?"
Gion shook her head and smiled faintly.
"Nothing. It's late. We should rest too."
"Yes," Jessica sighed. "I didn't expect Ginny's tolerance to be that bad. She shouldn't drink again anytime soon."
Gion glanced at the sleeping Ginny and replied softly,
"She really shouldn't."
...
At the training grounds, beneath a large, thick tree, Lucia knelt on the grass while Lloyd rested his head on her thighs.
Lucia gently stroked his face, her gaze filled with tenderness she did not bother to hide.
Lloyd closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of her lap, and spoke calmly.
"Lucia, from now on, you are my adjutant."
"I will obey all of Young Master's arrangements," Lucia replied softly. "I am yours."
"There you go again," Lloyd said, opening his eyes. "I have never treated you as property. When we were young, I saw you as an older sister. And now…"
He lifted his head slightly and looked directly into her eyes.
"Now, you are my mine. My woman"
Lucia's face flushed instantly. She tried to turn away, unable to meet his gaze, but Lloyd suddenly sat up, closing the distance between them until their faces were only inches apart.
Their eyes locked.
"What," Lloyd asked quietly, "do you think there's something wrong with that?"
Without waiting for an answer, he leaned forward and kissed her lips, pressing her down against the grass with controlled strength.
Lucia froze for only a moment before responding, her movements instinctive and earnest. Her pupils shifted into a faint, mesmerizing purple as her ability activated unconsciously.
A pair of pitch black wings spread open, enclosing both of them beneath their shadow.
Under the moonlight, dark feathers trembled softly, swaying in gentle waves.
Time passed.
Eventually, the trembling slowed. The wings rustled and slowly opened, revealing Lloyd and Lucia beneath them.
Lloyd was bare from the waist up, while Lucia's clothes were loosely draped across her body. A satisfied, peaceful smile rested on her face as she leaned against his chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns across his skin.
Lloyd looked down at her and spoke with faint amusement.
"So the angel has truly fallen."
Lucia fluttered her lashes and tilted her head.
"Young Master, I was already a fallen angel," she said softly. "But that was not falling. For me, that was returning to heaven."
Lloyd chuckled quietly. He kissed her forehead, then summoned his dark bible. From it, he produced a neatly folded white handkerchief and placed it back inside.
Lucia's face reddened again. She buried her face against his chest and muttered,
"Young Master, how can you put something like that in the bible? Won't we go to hell after we die?"
Lloyd clicked his tongue lightly.
"What nonsense. There is nothing more sacred than that. And why would we die? Don't you want to stay with me forever?"
Lucia stiffened, then suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked directly into his eyes.
"Of course I will. Even if we go to hell, I will stay by your side."
Lloyd smiled faintly.
"We won't go to hell."
"Then I will follow you to heaven."
"We won't go there either," Lloyd replied calmly. "Those are things to worry about after death. We will never need to worry about them."
With memories from the Earth, Lloyd knew there were multiple paths to immortality in this world. Death was not something that concerned him, or those he chose to keep by his side.
He did not explain further.
Lloyd leaned back against the tree with Lucia in his arms. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. Zephyr had pressed them into his hand earlier after drinking too much.
Now was a good time.
A spark of electricity flickered at his fingertip, lighting the cigarette. He inhaled slowly, then exhaled a heart shaped ring of smoke.
Lucia reached out and poked it. The smoke drifted along her arm before dissolving into the night breeze.
Under the moonlight, the two of them sat quietly together.
Lucia gazed at Lloyd's profile, silently wishing that time itself would stop at this moment.