Chapter 261: You are priceless [2/2]
"As the battle raged on, we lost more and more ground. Eventually, we did not have a single city left. We forced our people to become reapers to keep from starving. Nine years later, our civilization lay in ruins while the dead still roamed the continent."
I held Liv's hand as she continued to shed tears at the story of the North's fall. I really knew nothing. If Liv and her people couldn't stop the undead, then what could America do?
More than half of my countrymen suffered from obesity as body positivity poisoned our minds to believe that fat fucks were healthy.
Our men were so shamed they wanted to be women. While our women were so confused they were basically either gold-digging hoes or super-successful professional cat ladies.
"My mother was branded a traitor and I was stripped of my birthright as a princess. But I still wanted to protect the country my mother loved. Against the wishes of the North, I joined the enlistment, all in search of someone to help me save my home," Liv confessed as she cried.
She brought my hands to her face and wept silently into the palm of my hand.
"My love, I am so sorry. I tried to use you. My love for you comes more from your strength than anything else. But in the end I really fell in love with you. And now...
"I feel so ashamed. Confused. I want to live and die with you. But I also want to save my people. The stronger you get, the more I hope. I am such a deceitful woman.
I wanted to manipulate you into fighting a hopeless war. I am so sorry, my love. I am so sorry."
Liv then dropped to her knees and fell to the ground, crying.
"John Smith. I vow that I belong to you from this moment on. But in return, save the land my mother loved! I don't care if you withhold your affection. I don't care if you send me to die! Even if you use me only for sexual relief, I will not complain.
Just please, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I beg you, my love. Please save my people."
Unable to stop my affection from overflowing, I raised the face of the Northerner I loved most. Liv sobbed pitifully, as if ashamed of her request. Why did she feel that way? Such a fine woman was willing to be my cum dumpster? How worthless did she think she was?
I felt I had to correct this mistake. I gave her lips a quick peck and wiped away her tears.
"Liv Ivaldi, you are sorely mistaken. Anyone who would use you just for sexual relief is a fucking idiot. I have extremely high standards. You, who are one of the seven I adore, are not worthless. Instead, you are priceless."
Technically, I have already confessed to the Sirens three times. The first was when I talked to Noelle. The second was when I told them my demands. The third was when I gave them my {Kismet}. But none of my girls were normal. The idea that they were worthless had been beaten into them for the longest time.
I, who also suffered from self-esteem issues, understood this well. The only way to gain confidence was to believe in yourself. Meanwhile, as her lover. My job was to constantly remind Liv that I was there. And that I loved her.
"How can this be true? I have nothing to my name. No dowry, no land, no title. I am just an orcish woman with a body full of scars. I know of your kindness. And like a prostitute, I sell myself because I seek your strength.
I am truly an obscene woman. I am the reason the North has fallen!" Liv declared.
I see, so this woman hated herself for a past mistake. Her bullies and that Luk bastard must have blamed her for their stupidity.
{Withstand} already gave an idea of how much hardship Liv must have been in. And all the time she had to do it without allies or support. A woman so proud, bowing her head, all because she lacked the strength.
With nothing to offer but her body, she thought she was taking advantage of my kindness. Liv wanted a life of her own, but her regrets and responsibilities crushed her under their immense weight.
At first I thought Liv was crying because the food was so good, but she had been torturing herself like this. I really knew nothing. Since she was Formless, she probably knew how difficult it would be to get help.
But despite her claims, I knew that this woman truly loved me. Much like the other Sirens, I was sure, against all reason, that Liv Ivaldi would never betray me. Unfortunately, her guilt made her believe she was a terrible person for manipulating me into saving the North.
Liv, who looked like a fortress that would never crumble, had scars deep enough to kill most men. Inside, she longed for love, attention, and people to lean on.
Steeling my will, I replied.
"Liv, I am your beloved as you are mine. Why do you think I will not help you willingly? Then what the fuck is my strength good for? Remember this, Liv.
"I am Limitless. When you lose hope or have no strength left to draw from, know that I am here. And that I am with you. As long as I live, we will fight together."
Loving someone was incredibly complex. Patience, an integral part of love, was something that had no substitute. If my girls continued to need someone to validate them, then I would do it as the one who holds their hearts in my hands.
"John! John! John! John!" like a broken record, Liv buried herself in my chest as she sobbed in my arms, calling my name.
Like the rest of the Sirens, Liv had her own baggage to work through. Now that I claimed her as my own, the responsibility for solving her problems was no one else's but my own.
"Liv, I love you. It's okay if you don't believe me right now. I will tell you every day for the rest of our lives. I accept your vows. And in return, I give you one of my own. For you, I vow to purge the dead from the North." I vowed.
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