Lilia was old enough to have his fair share of experiences regarding love. He knew that it was short, and even shorter if the other party was human. He experienced heartbreaks enough to act nonchalant when it comes to confessions. Don't get too close or you'll only hurt yourself, for the past years those are the words he kept telling himself.
But then you came along. A small fragile human with not even a speck of magic within you. How in the world did he fall for such a fragile being? Your first meeting consisted of you staring at Lilia who was hanging from the ceiling. A weird sight to behold but your staring became a little too intense for him. Then Lilia remembered how easily humans fall in love. He gave you a warning in a mischievous tone, "A little warning, if you would. Be careful with dealing with me, otherwise you might find yourself falling for me." A giggle escaped his lips.
Who knew that Lilia would be the one falling for you instead.
He found you very fun to tease at first, always grabbing the chance to fluster you. Then at some point, he found himself going out of his way to find you or to spend time with you. Now, he found your scent intoxicating. He wanted nothing more than to touch you, mark you as his, and be the first person you think of when you wake up. He wanted to have an established romantic relationship with you. He wanted to confess to you soon but, fate was cruel.
Soon after he realized his feelings for you, he found out about you and your relationship with Malleus. Both of you were secretly meeting at night outside the Ramshackle Dormitory. It didn't take two heads to figure out the relationship between the two. You were always giddy when Malleus was mentioned in a conversation. Hands would go sweaty, Scratching the nape of your neck occasionally, and averting your eyes whenever you say something. Lilia figured it out. Though a part of him refuses to believe the reality of the situation.
Lilia felt hopeless. For the first time in many years, his heart ached. All of his dreams of being with you, crushed. He couldn't possibly take you away from Malleus. "How do I... get rid of these feelings?" That night, Lilia Vanrouge shed tears with a broken heart.
You were happy with your relationship with Malleus. Things were going well and you were expecting a confession soon. Your overflowing joy overshadowed the fact that Lilia has not once talked to you for a week.
He wanted to steal you away from Malleus. So many times, he considered it. All of those times, he refused to betray him. His acting won't do him any good at this point anymore. He looked unwell in so many levels, and to make things worse, he isolated himself from everyone. His pale skin looking more pale. His usually smooth lips, now parched. He curled himself up on his bed and whispered to himself "I'm such a fool."
Many weeks passed and eventually, Lilia came back to normal. He didn't talk to you as much, but he didn't avoid you at least. Many times he wanted to kiss you so suddenly without thinking of the consequences, many times he wanted to hold your hand while walking to the cafeteria, many times he wanted to be Malleus. But fate was cruel to him.
Looking over his shoulder to spare you a glance, he thought about his biggest regret. He never got a chance to confess to you. He whispered under his breath, inaudible to everyone else but him "Even if it's for a short while, I wanted you to be mine." His heart ached once again.
