After a long mont of pondering, I made my decision.
I was going to sabotage it.
[Goddess of Wisdom rejects the idea strongly.]
[Defender of Divine Glory asks you to not break the poor man’s heart.]
[Giver of Gifts hopes you realise how beautiful love is.]
"Yes, yes, love is beautiful," I muttered, already annoyed, "but it’s only for those who have the ti to indulge in it. I, unfortunately, do not. And don’t you dare start adding any quests regarding this, because if you do—I swear I’ll make you regret ever choosing as your candidate."
[Goddess of Wisdom asks if you’re challenging her.]
"So, what if I am?" I challenged.
[Goddess of Wisdom has wielded her spear.]
[Giver of Gifts intervenes.]
[Giver of Gifts gently requests the Goddess of Wisdom to refrain from violence.]
I wasn’t scared of her anyway.
"I have a couple of pointers for you, Your Highness," I finally said, and Davian looked up at with wide, hopeful, painfully innocent eyes.
"First of all," I began as I walked behind the changing screen, pajamas in hand, "stop stalking her. That’s bad. And creepy. You wouldn’t want her to hate you for being a lurking shadow wherever she goes."
"But... if I don’t, I won’t get to see her," he replied earnestly, his voice tinged with frustration. "There aren’t many ways to et her otherwise."
"You should learn to endure that much, Your Highness," I said, starting to undo the buttons on my shirt.
"I can’t! Not after all these years!" he nearly shouted.
I paused mid-motion, one arm halfway out of my sleeve.
"...What do you an, ’after all these years’?"
There was a beat of silence. Then, softly, he spoke.
"I... I’ve loved her since the first ti I t her. That was seven years ago. My parents had just..." He hesitated. "Well... you know. They disappeared on Mt. Siern. Everyone thought they were dead, and I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do. They were two of the strongest people in the kingdom, but I... I felt like a disgrace to the Montaire na."
I remained silent as I listened, slowly changing into my pajama bottoms.
"The other noble children used to look down on ," he continued. "Mocked for being weak. But... she didn’t. Reina looked at and saw sothing else. She said... I could grow stronger. That if I had more self-confidence and worked hard, I could beco the strongest one day."
I paused again, fingers stilling against the hem of my shirt as the mory ca rushing back.
I did rember saying that. A sweet line to pull him to my side—because I had seen his potential, and I needed him to awaken to it. I hadn’t realized... that those simple words would end up planting the seed of love in his heart.
A soft sigh escaped .
What a ss.
"You fell in love just because of that?" I asked, stepping out from behind the screen dressed in my black silk pajamas.
"It wasn’t just that, Master," Davian replied, his tone quiet but certain. "At that ti... no one was on my side. Even you and I hadn’t t yet. But she... she reached out to without any ulterior motive. She asked to be friends—genuinely. Back then, her words were the only ones that felt real. And even now... she hasn’t changed. She still treats like I matter."
Wait—what?
Wasn’t he already friends with Prince Eric back then? Did sothing happen between them? Did they fight and broke their friendship?
Before I could voice the question, he continued, almost reverently, "Miss Reina isn’t just beautiful and kind. She’s intelligent, graceful... and when trouble cos, she faces it head-on with calm. The only thing that worries is her weak health... That’s the only thing that scares ."
His eyes drifted toward mine—and then, suddenly, he reached out and took my hands in his. His gaze sparkled with raw emotion.
"Master," he said earnestly, "can’t you do sothing? My mother and father told you regenerated their limbs—you’ve worked miracles! Can’t you heal her?"
I instinctively looked away.
The guilt pressed down on , cold and heavy.
"Well... her condition is a little... special."
"How special?" he asked, alarm creeping into his voice. "Is it life-threatening?"
"Er... I can’t really—"
"Master, please!" he interrupted, his voice rising in desperation. "My life depends on it. I... I can’t live without her!"
His words struck like a knife. I closed my eyes, swallowing the weight sitting in my throat.
Don’t tell him.
Don’t tell him.
Do not—
"She’s well," I blurted, betraying my own better judgnt.
"What?"
"Reina..." I sighed. "She’s not ill. She uses her supposed ’health condition’ as an excuse... to help with my work in secret."
I cracked one eye open, cautiously checking his reaction.
He was silent. Staring at .
Blank-faced.
"She’s... well?"
"Yes."
"She’s not sick or anything?"
"No."
"She’s healthy?"
"Yes."
"Her constitution is normal?"
"YES!" I snapped, exasperated.
He let out a long breath, almost collapsing forward as he slumped onto my shoulder. His head rested there, heavy with relief.
"That’s... a relief," he murmured. "I’ve been so worried. Sotis I honestly thought she’d collapse or be blown away by the wind while I was watching her."
He chuckled softly, still leaning against .
And all I could do was stand there, frozen.
This was bad.
His feelings had gone far too deep already.
And if he sank any further, they would act like an anchor—pulling him into a sea he may never escape from.
"Your Highness..." I began, my voice cautious.
But before I could say more, he stepped back, gripping my shoulders tightly and staring at with narrowed eyes.
"Did you just say... she uses her health as an excuse to work for you?" he asked, voice low and suspicious.
"...What kind of work do you make her do, Master?"
His eyes—sharp and searching—felt like a scanner ready to detect even the slightest twitch of a lie.
I forced myself to steady my breath, keep my tone composed, and answered, "She’s the representative of the Aurelius family who oversees the administration of the Oasis Foundation for ."
Davian’s grip on my shoulders loosened, and he tilted his head thoughtfully.
"She looks after your Oasis?"
"Yes," I replied, brushing his hands off with deliberate nonchalance. "Since she’s both intelligent and well-learned, I entrusted her with that responsibility. But if word got out, the other nobles would constantly pester her—trying to use her position in my Foundation to get an entry under my wing. That’s why she asked to keep it quiet."
Davian seed to mull that over, his brows furrowing slightly. Then, a bright smile broke out across his face.
"That makes sense! If everyone found out that Miss Reina was that capable and basically running your Oasis Foundation, they would keep going after her!"
Basically running my Oasis Foundation?
I didn’t bother correcting him. He looked so elated with the revelation that bursting his bubble now felt unnecessarily cruel.
Instead, I turned and made my way toward the bed.
"Well, if you’re done digging into secrets for tonight," I said, "why don’t you go get so sleep, Your Highness?"
He turned toward , still visibly glowing with delight at the idea of Reina being so hidden prodigy running my organization from the shadows.
"Master, are you close to Miss Reina?" Davian asked.
"...Just as close as an employer would be with an employee," I replied calmly.
"But you address her by her first na without any honorifics. And you assigned both Lyall and Kai’s personal knight to her family," he pointed out, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A migraine blood behind my temples.
"The Duke Aurelius’ family is like my own. I assign my best n to them when I think they need protection," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
He humd thoughtfully, then asked, "What about Prince Eric? Is he close to Miss Reina?"
Another sigh left . "He’s like—"
I paused mid-sentence as sothing clicked in my head. Then, with careful consideration, I said, "He and Reina are really good friends. They’re close. In fact... there have been talks that they might get engaged."
The mont the word engaged left my mouth, Davian’s eyes darkened. The air around him shimred with the low sizzle of his aura. A subtle chill crept down my spine.
"Engagent..." he echoed ominously.
"There are only talks!" I added hastily. I could practically hear warning bells screaming in my head. Abort. Abort. Don’t provoke the sleeping beast.
"And besides," I continued quickly, "Reina isn’t planning to get married. Her father and brother would never let her be in the Golden Serpent’s spotlight. There’s no way that marriage would happen."
The tension in his body eased and he smiled—bright, almost too bright. "That’s good to hear."
Then, as if this was completely normal behavior, he kneeled beside my bed and folded his arms on the mattress, looking up at with a soft, hopeful gaze.
"And even if there are any marriage talks with him or anyone in the future, I hope Master intervenes and stops them," he said sweetly.
"...Huh?"
"It wouldn’t be good for anyone if I were the one to step in," he added, his tone light but laced with an icy chill.
This little... he’s threatening .
"You’re threatening to keep suitors away from Reina for your sake?" I asked, deadpan.
He smiled with terrifying serenity. "I’m not threatening you, Master. How could I ever? I’m just saying... it wouldn’t end well for those suitors."
The obsessive glint in his eyes, the calm tone, the simring aura, and body language that practically scread ’mine’—this was all textbook yandere. The real deal.
But—wait—it might not be. Maybe I was reading too much into it. I had to be sure.
"And... what if Miss Reina likes soone else?" I tested.
His gaze dropped. He buried his face into the mattress and went silent. One minute passed. Then another.
My heart skipped a beat. That silence was not comforting.
"If I kill him, she’ll be really upset," he finally mumbled.
I flinched.
"I don’t want to see her sad..." he whimpered softly, then slowly looked up at with glistening eyes. "What do I do if that happens, Master?"
My heart jumped. There’s hope.
"Well... it’s a good thing you know hurting the person she likes would hurt her too. So in that case... you just have to show her that you’re better than the man she likes."
He blinked, then leaned forward eagerly. "How?"
"Erm... well..." I scratched my neck, trying to co up with sothing—anything. "She likes smart, calm, and composed n. She told once she’d marry a man who could match her—soone on her level."
He slumped again, resting his chin on his arms. "That’s impossible... There’s no way any man could ever match her. She’s basically a Goddess on earth."
I choked on air. "Y-You should stop eulogizing her like that."
"Why not? She is a Goddess," he said with genuine conviction.
I nearly clamped my ears shut. The secondhand embarrassnt hit hard. His glowing eyes, the reverent tone, the soft flush on his cheeks—it was too much.
He kept talking, his voice full of awe and warmth, like he was describing so divine vision. The last ti I saw a face that smitten, it was Silas talking about Alys... or my father reminiscing about my mother.
"Your Highness," I called, my voice dry.
"Yes, Master?" he replied, eyes sparkling like a loyal golden retriever with a knife.
"...Just how much do you like Reina?" I asked, already regretting it.
"I love her as much as I respect you, Master," he declared with disarming sincerity.
And there it was—that suffocating feeling again.
Like being caught in quicksand.
The more I tried to crawl out of this conversation, the deeper it pulled in.
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