Gentle as a Fairy Tale (4k bonus chapter for donations)

Cecilia did not leave. Leaning against the kitchen's glass door, she gazed absently at the busy figure inside.

When had she gained such unrestrained authority?

The woman still remembered that, for most of the past, Otto had always worn a teasing expression. He treated her as a tool in his words and occasionally stressed that she should mind her status. Only during their annual trips would he seem kind and approachable, enough to make her lose herself in it.

Was his coldness a disguise?

Was she a tool or family?

The young Cecilia had pondered this question endlessly, yet even much later, she had found no answer.

Not until Otto appeared amid the Siberian snowfields with a sigh of regret did Cecilia suddenly understand, believing she had grasped the concern he had hidden away.

He must have cared about her after all. How could years of raising her have left him without any feelings whatsoever?

It was merely that, as Schicksal's Overseer, he kept those feelings buried deep inside during ordinary times.

After all, she was a Valkyrie, a Saintess who had devoted her life to the world. Becoming too involved with her would only affect his judgment as Overseer, as well as his state of mind after her sacrifice.

The strongest were disgraced; the deepest feelings did not last. That was all there was to it.

Yet at the crucial moment, this brother who appeared once a year had still softened his heart and secretly prepared a substitute body for her.

What a pity. This was the last time. Now that she understood his feelings... no matter how far human power exceeded its limits, how could it reverse this final, hopeless situation brought about by a god...?

That was what Cecilia had thought. Who could have known that the man would raise Black Abyss White Flower alongside her, pull her out of her predetermined fate, and forcibly carve out a path to survival from a game that had been certain death?

As long as he was willing, he could do it.

That was the Valkyries' assessment of their elder brother.

Cecilia firmly believed it, yet she had never hoped to receive such favor from him.

Yet in truth, he had not only granted her that incomparably precious willingness, but also proven the Valkyries' assessment through his actions.

But Cecilia did not think it had been easy.

She did not know how he had done it, but she knew very well that no matter how capable Otto was, for Cecilia Schariac to return to life beneath a Honkai Energy Fission Bomb and for her body, drained of blood from activating Black Abyss White Flower's Zeroth Rated Power, to be restored to its original state—those unheard-of miracles must have come at a tremendous price for him.

And that was not all her elder brother had done.

Setting everything else aside, after that unreliable man had stormed into Schicksal with an eight-year-old child in tow, Otto had cared for her daughter for years. That alone was enough to make Cecilia, who revered Otto in her bloodline, deeply grateful to her elder brother.

After she had returned to life, Otto seemed determined to give her all the emotions he had accumulated over more than a decade. He treated Cecilia with the utmost tenderness and indulgence.

He had cast everything aside to travel with her, celebrated birthdays for her and her daughter, and cared for her meticulously while she had lost her memories...

Those happy, warm moments made her obey Otto more sincerely than ever before.

And the grandeur he had shown during the Honkai Energy Fission Bomb incident and with Fehu Rune had given her an indescribable feeling beyond reverence.

The dream of her youth bloomed again, beyond all remedy.

Cecilia knew clearly that the two times he had saved her life had already branded eternal marks upon her heart. No matter what she encountered in the future, Otto's interests would surely be the first thing she thought of.

Even if it defied her own ideals, even if it went against everything in her heart, she would stand before Otto Apocalypse with all her strength and become the Black Abyss White Flower that forged a path ahead for him.

At most, she would quietly die afterward in utter despair, but she would never defy even a fraction of his will.

Because this life had been given to her by him.

Although the man repeatedly told her that she had to learn to live "selfishly," Cecilia had already been dyed in the color named Otto from the depths of her heart. For the rest of her life, there would be no place for anyone else.

Durandal might barely compare to him emotionally, but that was the love she felt for her daughter. Toward him, there was only complete obedience.

She belonged to him.

Cecilia Schariac belonged to Otto Apocalypse.

For all the years that remained, forever unchanged.

"Fu Hua told me that in Shenzhou, chicken soup always symbolizes warmth."

The man's voice sounded beside her ear. Before she realized it, Otto had prepared everything and taken hold of her wrist.

"Drinking a bowl of chicken soup in winter makes people feel refreshed and content."

Holding Cecilia's frost-white wrist, he led her to the table and seated her. He carefully placed the steaming soup before her. She lowered her head obediently and began drinking.

"Wait—it was just cooked!"

"Mmph—"

Clearly, he was too late. Before Otto had finished speaking, Cecilia had already swallowed a mouthful of soup. The scalding heat made her raise her head at once, mist gathering in her eyes as her cherry lips opened and closed. She looked at him with a face full of grievance.

"Who told you to be in such a hurry?"

The blond man lightly scolded her and walked over to Cecilia's side.

"Open your mouth."

The woman obediently parted her lips, revealing a row of neat, snow-white teeth. Warm mist rose from her tongue, carrying a faint chicken-soup fragrance.

Otto tapped Cecilia's lips, and a piece of ice neither too large nor too small formed inside her mouth.

"Hold it there. I'll cool the soup for you."

The woman nodded embarrassedly and pressed her cherry lips together. Her tongue unconsciously extended forward a little—by the time she realized what she was doing, a lush crimson blush had quietly spread over her fair cheeks.

By the time the ice between Cecilia's teeth had melted, Otto had finished cooling the soup as well.

"Don't drink so quickly. The chicken is underneath." The man brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across Cecilia's forehead and pushed the soup toward her.

"Mhm."

Cecilia tasted it in small mouthfuls. The chicken was so tender it fell from the bone, while the chestnuts and yam melted in her mouth. A gentle warmth spread across her tongue, making the woman narrow her eyes in comfort.

"How is it?"

When she raised her head, the blond man beside her had also just finished drinking. He asked casually.

"It's delicious," Cecilia replied. "Perfect in color, aroma, and taste."

Otto froze. "Wait... perfect in color, aroma, and taste?"

"Yes. I like it very much. Thank you, Elder Brother."

"...Really?"

Cecilia saw a flash of wild joy pass through those gentle eyes before he stared straight at her.

"Uh..." The silver-haired woman grew a little shy under his gaze. "I think so..."

"That's wonderful—you've regained your sense of taste." Otto cleared the table, his voice brimming with delight. "I'm amazing."

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes and did not let Cecilia see his gaze.

Yes, he was amazing.

Otto remembered that the side effect of God-Slaying Blood was losing one's sense of taste.

It seemed he had already solved that problem.

But that raised another question: who had solved it? The original Otto? Then why had he not helped Cecilia regain her sense of taste earlier?

And if he had solved it, why were there no related records in Schicksal at all?

Heh.

It seemed the cheat he possessed had caused more than just the return of the dead. It had also stirred up butterflies that sent ripples spreading outward...

The blond man returned to the kitchen, his eyes dark as he lightly tapped the porcelain jar with his fingers.

He had spent quite some time with Cecilia already, yet only now had he discovered that her sense of taste had healed.

If there was nothing suspicious behind this, he would eat the jar in his hand.

"Ah? Ah!"

Only after Otto reminded her did Cecilia recall that old ailment of hers.

But ever since awakening, her entire body seemed to have returned to its best state—no, not its best state, but its most ideal state. Even her sense of taste had returned to normal.

He had considered everything so thoroughly... as expected of my elder brother!

Cecilia's eyes curved as she lifted the alluring arc of a smile.

"If I had known, I would have made a few more dishes."

Otto's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of running water as he washed the dishes.

"I wasn't very confident in what I made, and it was already evening, so this time I only made soup."

"Even without a sense of taste, warm, rich soup can always convey the cook's feelings to the person drinking it—ha, you can also take that as an excuse for my poor cooking. After all, this is my first time trying Shenzhou cuisine."

"It really is delicious—thank you, Elder Brother."

"What is there to thank me for?"

After finishing everything, the man dried his hands and tapped Cecilia lightly on the forehead.

"I'm not telling you this because I expect anything in return. I only want to say this, Cecilia: no matter how much you gain or lose, no matter how high or low you rise and fall, you deserve to be protected."

"There will always be someone willing to protect you."

"Not necessarily..."

Cecilia remembered Siegfried and Theresa's angry expressions, and her gaze dimmed slightly.

Just an hour ago, she had nearly been swallowed by Fehu Rune's flames. Yet they had not come from the Honkai she had fought all her life, but from the person who should have been the one she scolded.

He had charged at her with boundless flames and rage, as though they were enemies who could never coexist under the same sky.

"Theresa—don't worry. My dear granddaughter cannot refuse you. The way you are now is especially effective against her," Otto said. "Sooner or later, she'll come reconcile with you—though there was never really anything to argue about in the first place. As for Siegfried—tsk, tsk."

The blond man paused, unable to conceal the chill in his tone toward him.

"I've already informed the Kaslana family. Your relationship with him will be dissolved soon."

"But, Elder Brother," a warm current passed through Cecilia's heart, though she still analyzed the matter, "if Mr. Kaslana realizes that I am real rather than a clone, he will definitely return to Schicksal. Then you will gain another powerful combatant..."

"Do you want to return to his side?"

Otto interrupted her. His tone was exceptionally calm, but his eyes revealed a different kind of coldness.

Don't disappoint me, Cecilia...

He silently said to himself, then placed one hand behind his back.

Golden feathers floated in his palm. A tranquilizer gun formed behind the white-haired woman. The Staff of the Underworld glimmered faintly beside the table, while violet lightning flickered in and out of sight over Seven Thunders of Repose...

The World Was Never a Fairy Tale

The world had never been a fairy tale.

Unless it was deliberately arranged by someone.

Several weapons secretly took aim at Cecilia, waiting for her answer.

Otto had painstakingly woven this beautiful story of a first love reunited and old feelings rekindled for the woman, but it was not because he merely coveted her body.

Well, not only because of that.

The benefits Cecilia could bring him, and the loyalty of people like Worm Goose that she could secure, were the true reasons Otto supported her.

But for her to serve the greatest possible purpose, there had to be one condition: sever every last thread connecting her to Siegfried, so that he became her only one.

Otto did not know how much influence that connection might have. He only knew that when he had intended to kill that man during the Second Honkai Outbreak, she had protected him.

Since there had already been a precedent, then...

Then she could not be allowed another chance to "make a mistake."

Even being unable to think was better than thinking and making a mistake because of it.

—He still held expectations for her, after all. The creed he held was that traitors could not be trusted.

Even the slightest thought of returning to that idiot's side was not, absolutely not, acceptable.

Otto stood there, but his soul seemed to float into the air as he looked down without sorrow or joy, waiting for the white-haired woman's answer.

As long as her answer crossed the boundary of what he could accept, the tranquilizer gun would fire and make Cecilia collapse. Mimicry: Feather of Dust would alter her memories, then implant his commands.

Then he would repeat what had just happened again and again, until an answer that satisfied him was branded into the woman's mind like an imprint.