Episode 112
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 112
His calm green eyes steadied the teetering balance between Elysia’s reason and intuition.
“They’re a ducal family that holds an entire nation in their hands, El. You’d be wise to think carefully and approach this with caution. You’ve done well with your methods so far, but if your guess is right, they’ll be incredibly difficult to deal with.”
“…”
“This time, you have to be thorough. If you’re not properly prepared, you’ll be devoured.”
A troubled expression crossed Evan’s face as he fell into thought. He wasn’t trying to find fault with her or suggest she was wrong; he was simply emphasizing the need for thorough preparation. He sighed, thinking to himself.
Of all the families, why did it have to be them…?
Alea, Löwe, and Lune each had different social systems. Unlike Lune, where the imperial family held strong centralized power, Löwe was a union of lords, each ruling their own territory, centered around the House of Sylvester.
And then there was Alea, which was truly unique. It had a king, but it also had a parliament that kept the king’s power in check.
As commerce developed and class boundaries blurred, some commoner families, like Adrian’s, had amassed enough wealth to gain a voice in the parliament. Still, the majority of its members were nobles.
And the ducal House of Ror held immense power within that parliament. This meant they were far more than just a wealthy family.
Elysia, on the other hand, was, for all intents and purposes, a commoner. Having been dropped into this world with no foundation, that was how she was bound to be treated.
He planned to use the power of the House of Sylvester to protect her as much as possible, but they were currently in Alea—a foreign country to him.
With a look of frustration, he rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window. A difficult opponent… As that thought began to consume him, Evan glanced over at the woman beside him. Her expression had turned serious after his warning, but her silver-gray eyes were unwavering.
Then again, she’s no pushover either.
The thought brought a faint smile to his lips. Evan watched the trees as their leaves slowly began to change color, lost in his thoughts.
The fall semester was about to begin.
*
Cain was in an exceptionally good mood.
Humming a tune, he entered the Minerva dormitory building. It was the end of the school break, a time when most students were making their final visits to their families, so the dormitory was nearly empty.
He ascended the stairs with elegant steps and stopped before a door. He traced the nameplate with his fingertip.
「room 303: E.H」
After a moment’s hesitation, he gripped the doorknob. The firmly locked door unlocked itself, opening the way for him.
Entering her room as if it were his own, Cain surveyed the mess and muttered.
“I didn’t expect it to be tidy, but… this is awful.”
He perched lightly on the edge of the desk and glanced around the room before pulling a blue potion bottle from his jacket pocket.
Holding the bottle up to the moonlight streaming through the window, he stared at it intently. The corner of his mouth twisted up as he read the text that appeared with a crackling static. It was a sneer mixed with ridicule and contempt.
“Target initialization, huh…”
Is this the brilliant plan they came up with to deal with me? This is it?
With a soft clink, he placed the potion on Elysia’s desk and fell into thought.
What should I do?
“A conversation should come first, right?”
Smiling, he took out a blank sheet of paper. I want to let you know who I am. I want to tell you why you must be mine. So that I can be dyed in your color, and you in mine.
After placing the letter, written in an elegant script, squarely on the corner of the desk, Cain noticed a small, palm-sized portrait on the desk.
His fingertips subtly traced the short, curly hair in the sketch. Then, he slowly looked around the room.
The cool, distinctly feminine scent soaked deep into his lungs, making his breath sting. He must be insane. The tingling sensation felt more welcome than agonizing.
Right now, you’re probably chasing me, holding the traces I left behind. He covered his mouth as if to stifle his breath and laughed.
Yes, keep going. Chase me, closer and closer. Whatever the reason, as long as you’re coming to me, that’s all that matters.
He scanned the room one last time, the only difference from when he’d entered being the letter. Then, leaving the door wide open, he vanished into the darkness.
A short while later, Elysia burst into the room, shoving the unlocked door open with a bang.
She didn’t bother looking around. Though her room was messy to begin with, she wasn’t so dense as to not realize someone had broken in.
Without hesitation, she strode directly to her desk and snatched the neatly folded piece of paper. Unable to contain her rage, she instinctively crumpled the letter before forcing it open. Her expression turned ice-cold.
「Hello, outsider.
There’s much I want to talk about, so how about we meet?
You won’t refuse, will you? There’s something you want back from me.
I’ll be waiting in the library basement, three days from now, at midnight.
Come alone, and I’ll guarantee your safety. So don’t bring anyone with you.
A date is no fun with three people, is it?」
This fucking psycho… The last sentence made her see red. Swallowing a curse, Elysia slammed the letter she was holding against the wall.
*
Was it mockery, a threat, or a provocation? Lying crookedly on her bed and glaring at the ceiling, Elysia ran a hand through her hair and shot upright.
Her light brown hair, which would normally be damp, was perfectly dry, as if someone had dried it for her. She rolled a candy around in her mouth, her face sullen as she wiggled her feet.
Being wrapped up in a blanket should have brought her peak happiness, but her expression was as crumpled as a cat that had been doused with water.
Her anger just wouldn’t cool down. Still bundled in the blanket, she kicked at the air until the sound of a clicking door made her turn her head.
The very person who had provided the therapy of putting a candy in her mouth, drying her hair, and wrapping her in a blanket emerged from the bathroom, his own hair still wet.
“…Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, looking at Elysia’s state, which was, to put it mildly, far from sane. Elysia’s expression hardened for a moment as she saw the skin revealed by his robe, then she quickly turned her head away and answered.
“It’s the first time someone’s been in my space. It’s pissing me off.”
“…You’ve received threatening letters before.”
“That’s… well, those were pretty tame.”
She’d received threatening letters every time a quest popped up, so she was used to them. The part about a date was absurd, but this letter contained no bloodcurdling threats or someone’s severed finger, so it was relatively mild in comparison.
Of course, that didn’t mean she didn’t feel like shit. Evan cupped Elysia’s cheeks as she glared into space with a grim look.
“Are you going to go?”
“I have to. I’d be crazy not to.”
Isn’t going the crazy part? But he had predicted she would agree. Evan bit his lip, then let go.
“I’ll go with you.”
“The condition is that I go alone. Bringing someone along will only provoke him further.”
“Even so…”
Evan had seen everything—from Elysia shoving the door open to her storming into the room and exploding in fury. She had been too blinded by rage to explain the details, but he had immediately understood what had happened from her reaction.
Evan’s face had been deathly pale as he begged her to at least get out of that room for the night. Elysia hadn’t wanted to stay there any longer either, so she had packed her things and left without a word.
He ran a hand through his damp hair with a troubled look and sighed. Elysia looked up at his face, then scowled at something that appeared before her eyes.
♥ ‘We’ve Moved In Together’ Event has occurred! ((っ´ω`)♥(´ω`⊂ )) ‘Cohabitation’ has begun. To increase the probability of an R-rated Event, a <Sudden Situation> will occur once a day. ♥
♥ SYSTEM: <Event Entry Success Celebration Package> is now open!
The ‘Night and Day’ experience and the ‘Seductive Slip’ outfit are on sale for 999,999 Gold!
Spice up your fresh, budding romance! =͟͟͞͞(๑•̀ㅁ•́ฅ✧
Would you like to purchase? Yes | No
(This package is only available to players aged 19 and over.) ♥
…This is definitely not the time for something like this. Elysia glared at the room’s lights, which had dimmed due to the occurrence of the <Sudden Situation>.
The moment they had entered the room, the lights had abruptly gone out, forcing them to rely on candles for illumination. As if trying to extinguish even those, the wind howled outside the window.
Elysia slammed all the windows shut with a look of despair and growled.
“This thing… it has the worst fucking timing…”
If it has time to pinpoint romantic developments between a man and a woman with such ghostly precision, it could have at least managed the security of my room… She could feel her anger boiling over. The man, who had finished drying his hair with a towel, made a suggestion in a firm tone.
“First, let’s get you out of the dorms.”
“You want me to buy a house? Not a bad idea. I guess I’ll start looking tomorrow.”
“El, the location isn’t the problem, security is. And you already have a place. One with top-tier security forces stationed there.”
I own property I didn’t even know about? Tilting her head in confusion, Elysia thought of the massive mansion where Ian Sylvester was temporarily staying. She looked at him as if to ask what he was talking about.
“…Technically speaking, isn’t that yours, Senior?”
“Then it’s yours.”
Elysia’s jaw dropped at his unhesitating reply. She let out a hollow laugh and shook her head as if he were hopeless.
“Senior, you really have a talent for saying cheesy things without batting an eye…”
Elysia was about to nod with a reluctant expression when she froze.
Wait a minute. This would mean we’re really living together. She hadn’t thought much of barging into Evan’s room since it was still just a dorm room, but if she were to move into a mansion purchased under the Sylvester family name, that would be a whole other story.
Evan’s eyes softened as he leaned down to study her expression.
“What’s wrong? Is there something bothering you?”
“Is it really okay for me to do that?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
He asked with a face that genuinely didn’t seem to understand, which only confused Elysia more. Am I thinking too far ahead? She broached the subject carefully.
“Senior, now that you’ve returned to your family, talk of… m-marriage will probably start coming up.”