Dimensional Descent

Leonel's heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't a question that should have moved him very far from his original baseline at all. He should have been able to read from Eamon's expressions that it was something like this.

However, the problem was that this situation was too familiar.

In love with someone he shouldn't be? Wasn't that the woman he jokingly called Aina's mother-in-law all the time?

Leonel might not interact much with Eamon, but he had seen plenty from afar. He knew how much he cared about Cindra. But he also knew how much Cindra cared about Miel.

Much like he had ignored the oddities surrounding Goggles, he had ignored this one as well... because it was simply too uncanny.

Goggles had truly been in love with Rollan's wife back then. Something that probably came off as mostly a joke to everyone else was quite serious to him, or else he wouldn't have risked so much and even practically changed himself for her. Even if it meant that he wouldn't actually get to be with her.

And now Eamon was in love with someone that Leonel effectively thought of as Miel's woman. In some ways, he even thought of her as a quasi mother-in-law already.

Leonel forced himself to calm down.

He truly didn't care much about Goggles at all. The reason he had such a visceral reaction the first time, and now this time, was because Goggles was a representation of his father in his eyes. Not in type, and certainly not in ability, but he was a mirror that forced Leonel to look into it.

He could only logic his way out of the uncomfortable feelings.

had met Rollan's wife while she was already married, but Miel and Cindra had yet to even have a date together, let alone marry. Being able to see their feelings for one another because of Dream Force was a completely different beast compared to them actually acting on it. He couldn't expect that Eamon would be as sharp as he

realize he was being serious until it was far too late. This caused Leonel to misjudge a character he thought he knew quite

his heart on his sleeve and had

too good at scheming and hiding his real thoughts while Eamon wasn't

in the same box was doing a disservice to Eamon, one he didn't deserve at all

down beside

best person to ask for relationship advice," he finally

that. He had such a beautiful wife, and there were clearly women throwing themselves at him all the time, how

the subtle hints quite

was so powerful that he fell in love without even understanding why he was in

really did love him at all, or if it was something his future self

because of the way this world worked and it was hard to tease apart the truth from the fiction. He could only do

sighed. "Do you know how many

odd question. Wasn't that

"No..." he said tentatively.

"521 times."

Eamon was speechless.

every time and never gave me an answer. Then when I finally saw her again after the Metamorphosis descended, the first thing that

whole time that she was some shy girl who couldn't even say "NO"