Endless Pursuit (Yandere! Ei[Raiden Shogun] X Fem Reader)

Chapter 24: Vehemence

[Y/n's PoV]

I was shocked by what Ei had just said. Was she really thinking of letting me go free so easily? But maybe... it was all because she did understand my wish in the end.

"I truly love you, and I desire nothing but true happiness for both of us. And I believe you can find that happiness with your old friends and family in Sumeru. So, I want to free you from our marriage contract so you can live as you wish. But I swear this is the one thing that will make me the happiest."

"Wait what..?" I asked her a bit dumbfoundedly.

The controlling and manipulative Ei is letting me go?

Ei sighed and took a deep breath before folding her arms.

"Did you really think that I would hold you captive against your own will until your very last breath? I may have said it from the past that I'm willing to lock you up, however by understanding your wishes... this made me realize that I'm merely no different to a beast who wants their hostage to be locked up for eternity."

"I love you, but I have always believed that happiness comes from freedom. I do not want to bind you to me and force you to stay with me since that would only make you miserable. So... I am terminating our marriage contract so you can live however you want to. If this is what you truly want, then it is what I must do."

"...."

I only stayed silent once I realized that the Ei standing in front of me really was planning to let me go free.

Now, she cared more about my happiness than her own, which surprised me a great deal.

I could not help but wonder if this was the beginning of a new phase of my life.

However, as I stood there, a feeling of emptiness overtook me as I watched Ei walk by past me... just like that.

Tch.

I scoffed before turning around and grasped her wrist, keeping her from leaving.

"You think all that nonsense would satisfy me? You controlled my life for so many years— forced me to marry you after my graduation let alone announcing it to the public, and now you wished to end it all here when I purposely came here to Inazuma today to tell you that I am more than willing to be your wife?"

She seemed surprised when she heard my words, however, she looked at me once more with a hint of uncertainty.

"Ah... you... you're willing... to stay with me...?"

I nodded solemnly.

"How could I not stay with you when you're doing your best to win me over the past few years?"

"During my research on your perspective, I noticed that your determination is always what makes you keep moving forward even the ravages of time."

"And you prove that fact by making me fall in love with you. I may not show it to you fully over the years due to my pride and your possessiveness but I also cared for you as much as you care for me."

"In other words... I love you, and I'm willing to spend the rest of my days with you, Ei."

Ei was stunned for a moment at my unexpected statement. Perhaps she did not realize that I had already fallen for her over in the past. And even more so, I was willing to overlook her past actions of control and dominance.

It took Ei a while to process the situation until she finally spoke from her heart.

"I... love you too... Perhaps I have tried too hard in my endless pursuit of making you stay with me. But it doesn't change the fact that I desire you very much."

Ei held my hand and pulled me close to her body. Her face seemed to be filled with genuine happiness, her eyes looking at mine with adoration. She held me with both hands, as she leaned in slowly to kiss my lips.

I smiled from the kiss before wrapping my arms to her neck and returned the kiss.

A few seconds later, she deepened the kiss with all the love she has for me. I felt so at peace... so happy, so loved, so protected, so safe, so complete within her arms...

We parted away but didn't step away from one another.

"I may be only a human and my Vision will only add a few lifespan of my life, but during my time, I promise to love you fully."

Ei smiled before leaning our foreheads together.

"I will love you fully as well. I have always wanted to show you my love, but I was blinded by my possessiveness to keep you by my side at all times. From now on, I won't make that same mistake. Let us show the full extent of our love for each other for your time in Teyvat is short, and I do not want to waste it by being separated or alone."

She lifted the back of my hand before slowly kissing it gently. Then she let go of it and looked into my eyes with a smile. Her expression was one that I have never seen before— one full of genuine affection and love, one that made me realize she truly did change her ways from her controlling past.

"I cannot believe that you, who I forced to marry, who I locked up in a prison of my own design, would still willingly give me your heart."

"The fact that you show how strong and forgiving you are, I have always been so consumed by my desire to fulfill my own wants and needs even at the expense of denying yours."

"But I've realized now that I was wrong and that I should have seen how much you have always tried to reach out to me. So I promise you that from this point forward, I will cherish every moment with you and I will never let anything get between our love again."

Ei leaned in again, this time to place a kiss on my cheek. She looked up at me with affection from her eyes as she spoke once more.

"I love you... Y/n. I always have, and I always will. To be honest, deep down, I always thought that you'd find someone better than me eventually, but I realize now just how wrong I was. I am yours, and you are mine."

I just chuckle a bit before clasping our hands.

"Forever, and beyond."