‘I should’ve done this from the start…’
Grabbing onto Riley’s cloak and tightening her grip on his collar, Rose locked eyes with him, her gaze burning with intensity.
The realization hit her like a cold wave-she had made a grave mistake by staying in the shadows, allowing others to draw closer to him.
In her effort to respect his space and avoid attracting attention, she had inadvertently given those other women the chance to flutter around him like eager chicks, drawn to his warmth and charm.
Riley was cool, smart, and undeniably handsome. It was inevitable that others would notice these qualities, but Rose should have acted sooner.
She should have asserted her place by his side, rather than letting him interact so freely with others.
She now understood that being sensitive to the feelings of the person you care about was important, but there was a fine line between showing respect and being negligent.
By holding back and staying in the background, she had left a void that others were all too eager to fill.
Rose’s heart burned with determination as she resolved never to make the same mistake again.
If she wanted to monopolize Riley’s love and affection, she would have to fight for it.
She would no longer allow herself to be sidelined, to watch as others drew closer to him while she remained in the periphery.
She had waited long enough. Now, she would step forward and claim what should have been hers all along.
The duke, Riley’s fiancée, the princess-none of these boundaries truly mattered to Rose.
If she wanted something, she believed she had the power to take it. Riley was no exception. Many desired Riley, and Rose was no different.
She wanted him, craved him, and she wasn’t about to let anyone stand in her way.
Riley might be indecisive when it came to matters of love, but Rose knew that, in the end, he was still just a man.
His natural charm, whether he was aware of it or not, drew women to him.
Rose recognized that Riley’s flirtatious nature wasn’t something that he had done willingly and it wasn’t something that could be easily restrained, nor could the effect he had on those around him be denied.
It had happened to her, and she suspected it had happened to the princess as well. Riley was capable of awakening emotions in anyone, just as he had done with her.
He was meant to be her partner, and in due time, once all her plans were in place, Riley would inevitably belong to her.
That was her initial strategy-to wait, to bide her time, and to claim him when the moment was right.
But as she watched the growing number of girls gravitating toward Riley, she realized that her patient approach might not be enough.
‘He’s too oblivious… He needs to be protected from these other girls who don’t see him the way I do…’
A dark, possessive thought took root in Rose’s mind.
‘I need to keep him safe forever… I need to lock him up, so he doesn’t get involved with any of these vixens~’
She smiled to herself, her mind filled with the idea of making Riley entirely hers, away from anyone else who might try to steal him from her.
Rose wanted Riley to teach her the genuine love he felt for his fiancée. She craved to understand it, to feel it, to possess it.
But if pursuing that love complicated her plans and threatened to ruin everything she had meticulously prepared, then it was of no use to her.
She could simply learn it by making Riley hers, bending him to her will.
“Even though I gave you the freedom you liked,”
“What are you talking-“
“From now on, you’re going to stay by my side, Riley…”
‘FOREVER~!’
As Rose’s hands moved with precision, the mana within her stirred, heating up rapidly.
The air around her began to crackle with energy as celestial magic manifested, the once subtle signs now unmistakable.
Her mana turned a deep crimson, interwoven with crystalline blue sparks that radiated with an eerie glow.
It was the beginning of her celestial magic, [Teleportation].
“Rose, I’ll say this again, but you need to calm down-” Riley’s words were firm but tinged with urgency.
But his voice fell on deaf ears. Rose was too far gone, her mind solely focused on the spell she was about to cast.
She had waited too long, planned too carefully, to let this moment slip away.
As she prepared her spell, Riley, realizing the imminent danger, resisted.
He amplified his own mana, trying to push her away, to break free from the invisible chains she was wrapping around him.
But Rose was quicker.
Her hands moved with the speed and precision of someone who had practiced this moment countless times in her mind.
She reached out, touching his chest. Before Riley could react, a golden sword, formed entirely of condensed mana, pierced through him.
Shiiiinnnnn~!
“What is this?” Riley wondered aloud; his voice filled with confusion. But then his shifted to one of surprise as the realization dawned on him. “Mana
emotionless g
Needles?”
The needles embedded within him sapped his mana, draining it with terrifying efficiency. Slowly, the power he had been using to resist her faded away, the overwhelming pressure he had exuded now gone.
He could feel the energy slipping away, leaving him vulnerable, defenseless.
The once bright and intense mana within him subsided, disappearing completely.
“I’m sorry, Riley, but this situation can’t be helped… This is all for your sake, so please understand. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe~”
Riley tried to summon his mana, but the golden needle embedded in him rendered any
attempt futile.
His energy was completely pinned down, leaving him helpless.
“Rose, stop this at once, or I’ll really get mad…”
Rose paused, her heart skipping a beat.
The thought of an angry Riley, his eyes filled with hatred, sent a wave of worry through her.
She imagined a scenario where Riley looked at her with disdain, a coldness that she couldn’t
bear to witness.
But she quickly shook off the thought, reassuring herself.
‘There’s no way Riley could ever hate me…’ she thought, convincing herself that even if he did, there was something oddly captivating about the idea of an angry Riley.
A small, twisted part of her found the thought of him enraged to be almost… alluring.
As the teleportation spell neared completion, Rose focused on the delicate calculations
required.
Unlike typical [Teleportation] spells, which usually transferred one person, this situation required her to manually calculate the destination, taking into account the mana Riley had both inside and outside his body.
Each detail mattered, from the specific coordinates to the amount of energy needed to maintain the spell’s stability.
In just a few seconds, the spell would be complete. Deep in her home’s underground cellar, Riley would be safe-safe from the dangers of the world, but more importantly, safe with her. The thought of having him all to herself, away from prying eyes and external influences, filled her with a sense of satisfaction.
In that secluded space, Riley would be hers, and no one would be able to interfere.
She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. In her mind, this was all for Riley’s own good. No
one else could protect him the way she could.
No one else could love him as much as she did. As the final moments of the spell ticked away,
Rose felt her heart race with anticipation.
Soon, they would be together, just as she had always planned.
But just as the shine of Rose’s magic ignited, another force suddenly erupted.
FOOOOSHHHHHH!!!!!!!
A sharp electrical buzz filled the air, and before anyone could react, a blinding blue flash slashed through the space where Rose stood.
The air crackled with energy as thunderous claps echoed through the academy grounds.
In an instant, Rose was blown away, her magical assault interrupted as her hands were
severed by a surge of blue lightning.
[Hidden Blade, First Form-]
[Blue Moon] The distinct sound of a blade sliding back into its scabbard echoed softly, and when the dust
settled, Seo stood in front of Riley, her stance unwavering.
Despite the dark marks marring her face and the damage to her uniform and winter cloak, Seo
appeared unscathed by Rose’s initial spell.
The sheer power she wielded seemed to repel any real harm.
Seo’s cold gaze locked onto Rose, who was now on the ground, both of her arms severed at the
shoulders.
But instead of pain or panic, Rose’s expression remained eerily calm.
The crimson in Seo’s eyes deepened as crackling tendrils of lightning danced around her,
illuminating her fierce determination.
“Stay away from my friend…” Seo’s voice was steady, laced with a quiet menace as she positioned herself to shield Riley from the golden-haired mage before them.
Rose, undeterred by the loss of her limbs, began to rise to her feet, as if the injury was nothing
more than an inconvenience.
Golden sparks flickered around the stumps of her arms, and in a display of terrifying power, her arms regenerated, growing back to their pristine, unblemished state. “You’ve become faster, Miss Seo… but can you please not interrupt us? You don’t want
another shameful defeat like last time, right?”
Rose’s voice dripped with a calm menace, her golden eyes narrowing as she spoke.
Despite the gentle tone, there was an underlying threat that hung heavy in the air.
“No, I don’t… but you hurt Riley,” Seo replied, her voice steady but filled with a quiet determination. “So please, get out of here while I’m still being patient…”
A heavy silence followed their exchange, both of them locking eyes, each unwilling to back
down.
The tension between them escalated rapidly, the air thick with the palpable weight of their clashing wills.
It was no longer just a simple rivalry; the atmosphere was charged with the unmistakable
scent of killing intent.
The situation had gone beyond what could be considered an academic dispute. If they didn’t stop now, the consequences would be catastrophic, not just for them, but for the entire academy.
The institution had already been plagued by scandals and drama, and another incident of this magnitude could irreparably tarnish its reputation.
Riley knew he had to act. If he couldn’t deescalate the situation, the consequences would be
far more dire than either of them anticipated.
No amount of merit points or personal importance would prevent them from being expelled
at this rate.
“You two, stop-” Riley yelled, trying to regain his balance, but his words were muffled as something soft and furry pressed against his mouth.
“Oya~ Oya~ I came here to see what was up since mana levels kept rising, but isn’t this quite
the interesting find, no?”
A casual, almost teasing voice whispered into his right ear.
Startled, Riley turned around to see the head of a floating cat, its body shrouded in deep,
cloudy smoke.
The creature’s wide grin revealed razor-sharp teeth, and its green eyes glimmered with
mischief.
The sight was unsettling, yet eerily familiar. “Cheshire?” Riley mumbled in disbelief, his expression shifting from confusion to a hidden tension of fear.
“Hello, Riley~ Long time no see!” Cheshire purred, its voice dripping with amusement. “Looks like our dear prince charming has ended up attracting the troublesome ones. This is why I kept telling the queen to hurry up and snag you herself. Now look at all these~” Cheshire’s grin widened as it glanced between Riley and the two girls, clearly entertained by
the chaos unfolding before it.
Riley’s mind raced.
He hadn’t expected to encounter Cheshire here, especially not now, with tensions running
high between Rose and Seo.
“Cheshire, this isn’t the time-” Riley started, but Cheshire cut him off with a playful flick of
its tail.
“Oh, but it is the perfect time, Riley-“Cheshire’s voice was light, almost mocking. “After all,
how often do we get to witness such delightful drama? The queen will be most intrigued when she sees this.”
Riley could feel the situation spiraling out of control. Cheshire’s presence only complicated things further. He had to find a way to diffuse the tension between Rose and Seo before it escalated into
something far worse, but with Cheshire here, it felt like luck found it’s way to mess with him
again.
Cheshire floated lazily around him before it’s eyes brightened up.
“Kukuku~!”
Cheshire chuckled to himself, a twisted grin spreading across his face as his disembodied
limbs appeared out of thin air.
With a snap of his fingers, pink-reddish cards materialized in the air, swirling around like a
storm.
From this chaotic display, a pink-haired witch emerged onto the scene, her golden eyes crackling with red lightning.
Four knights appeared beside her, standing at attention.
“Cheshire, why did you suddenly summon me? The white pawns are still-” Her words trailed
off as her gaze fell upon Riley, who lay hurt with a golden needle embedded in his heart.
Then soon her eyes landed upon the two girls who was clearly at the forefront of what might’ve happened.
The atmosphere shifted drastically, the air thickening with an oppressive energy.
The witch’s eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone.
“What did you two do to Junior?”
As Alice’s question hung in the air, the tension was palpable.
Cheshire, still caught up in his own amusement, laughed heartily at the chaos unfolding
before him, clearly reveling in the turmoil he had orchestrated.
…
“HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA~ this is going to be so fun don’t you think so too~ Mr. prince
-charming~?”
‘This Fucking Cat!!!!