“You see, even though I am wearing a nightgown and all… Your eyes never went past my neck. Heck, you didn’t even look at me as if you didn’t care,” Princess pointed out with a mix of playfulness and mild…. annoyance?
Although she mentioned it, Aether’s gaze had never been lustful or suggestive; it was more of admiration for Empress and Delphine’s beauty. Even Empress and Delphine seemed to understand this, which is why they never made a fuss about Aether’s shy glances as if he had a crush on them… they almost found it endearing rather than disgusting.
If Aether were aware of their thoughts, he might have preferred not to face them again!
‘I want to die…’ Aether thought, not in a literal sense, but rather expressing his deep embarrassment but then, ‘I will do it next time very carefully!!’… He was the Man of Culture!!
“Anyway, once the Academy starts, you will understand the dynamics, and after that, we will discuss who to seduce first,” Princess said, signalling that their conversation was coming to an end.
“Hmmmm..”
“What is it now?” Princess inquired, curious about Aether’s sudden change in demeanour.
“So, they need to fall in love with me?
And I need to fall in love with them?
Are you fine with that?
Then what happens next?
One day they might find out the truth, and they will kill me for playing with their emotions, right?” Aether asked, his curiosity piqued as he wanted to gauge the younger generation’s perspective on such matters, preparing himself accordingly.
“What are you talking about? Love? You just need to seduce them. There is no need for you to love them and all. And even if they found out, all you need to do is eliminate them… since that would be as far as I can show mercy…
and I fine as long as you seduce them” Princess replied with a strict and resolute face, devoid of any hint of pain or guilt.
For Princess Aqualine, eliminating other Arcane Queens was a feasible task (Though It might take time), but she didn’t want to emulate her mother, who resolved everything through bloodshed. Princess aimed to resolve conflicts peacefully, but she was prepared to resort to drastic measures if necessary.
Her ambition was clear, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to hinder her path to achieving it!
“…” Aether stared at the young Princess for a few moments before responding, “I see. I understand, Princess. I’ll take my leave then.” Aether stood up, his mind already working on altering his approach with this ambitious and potentially dangerous girl.
He needed something to flip her switch to make him acknowledge in her heart…
As Aether began to walk away with a disappointed expression, Princess called out, “Hey.”
“Yes” Aether stopped but didn’t turn around immediately.
“Do you think I’m a heartless ‘Bitch’ who doesn’t care about others?” Princess asked with a frown, annoyance evident in her voice. She had been curious for a while about why he had called her a ‘bitch’ that day, not knowing anything about her.
‘Yes’
Aether was really tempted to say that, but he held back and replied instead, “Sigh, I’m not here to judge, Princess. I don’t know much about you or your reasons. I’m sorry, but it did make me wonder…. I mean what if, what if…. if you would discard me once I’m no longer useful to you?”
“…” Princess watched Aether’s retreating figure, she felt his voice a little patty and different as if he was down. She then insisted, “Turn around”
“…”
“Aether!”
“Sigh” With a resigned sigh, Aether turned back around, his expression gloomy with teary eyes. He decided to step up his acting game, realizing he needed to play his cards differently with Princess if he didn’t want her to trample over him.
First, he pretended to be worried and fearful that she might abandon him, subtly making her feel guilty for using him. Aether knew it might seem distasteful to fake teary eyes in front of a young girl, but he deemed it necessary for his plan.
It felt distasteful, but he had to do it if he wanted to survive!! Don’t judge him!!
Then she might try to comfort him, and it was then he planned to do something that would leave a lasting impression on her…
‘Hehehe…’
However, not everything went according to Aether’s plan.
Princess, instead of reacting as he had predicted, furrowed her brows in confusion at his teary eyes. She couldn’t comprehend why he seemed genuinely sad, ‘His he really worried about other women?’ she thought but then,
Princess frowned not understanding why his eyes turned red as if he was sad…. It was then she recollected something…
/”Are you fine with that?”/
‘N-No, No, No way!! He is definitely not thinking about me, right? I mean, he literally only stared at my mother and other older women, and he even called my reek bitch or whatever…’ Princess’s mind raced as she tried to process the situation.
But she wasn’t naive or even an idiot to not understand as her mind slowly joined some dots….
/”So I thought Princess was also including herself”/
‘T-That must be some kind of teasing or something…’ Princess reasoned with herself, trying to dismiss any thoughts of Aether’s sincerity. But then, another memory surfaced… something that she hid inside her mind:
/”How can I win your heart?”/
‘Ba-dump’
Princess’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Aether’s sad and lonely face…. She recalled reading in novels about characters who never express their feelings directly, using teasing or annoying words instead. These characters often harbour deep affection for the main character…. the classic “Tsundere” archetype.
‘Tsundere…’ Princess thought, her eyes widening in surprise as the pieces clicked into place. She began to see Aether’s behaviour in a new light, realizing that his previous actions and aloof demeanour might be a cover for deeper feelings.
As she observed Aether’s pitiful eyes, a sense of understanding and curiosity welled up within her. She wondered if there was more to Aether than met the eye, and her perception of him began to shift.
Princess’s mind raced with newfound realizations, ‘S-So he had been doing this to grab my attention? And he must be so shy to even look at my face, that’s why he didn’t check me out,’ she thought, her expression filled with shock as she processed this revelation.
In her mind, memories began to rewrite themselves to fit her newfound understanding:
/”How can I win your heart?”/ transformed into /”It’s not like I want to win your heart or anything”/
and
/”So I thought Princess was also including herself”/ turned into /”It’s not like I wanted Princess included or anything”/
Princess finally understood why Aether had praised her mother’s beauty and behaved the way he did. It was all an attempt to make her jealous….
‘How cute…!’ Princess thought, her expression softening as she looked at Aether with a new understanding and affection.
[+100 Affection]
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 7.5%↑]
Meanwhile, Aether was taken aback by Princess’s sudden change in demeanour. ‘What the fuck happened? Why is she looking at me like that?’ Aether couldn’t help but scream inwardly, utterly bewildered by the situation unfolding before him.
“‘Deep exhale’… I never thought I would see someone really this in the real world,” Princess muttered under her breath, her mind racing with thoughts and emotions.
‘What the fuck is going on in her mind?’ Aether wondered, feeling completely lost in the whirlwind of Princess’s weird face.
“Hmm,” Princess nodded, her understanding evident in her expression as she looked at Aether with a small, gentle smile. “I know, I know…”
‘What the fuck do you know…?’ Aether screamed inwardly, feeling perplexed by Princess’s sudden change in demeanour. However, he decided to shrug off whatever she was thinking, realizing that he needed to act quickly when the opportunity presented itself.
“Princess!!” Aether exclaimed, dropping to one knee like a knight and taking hold of her hand.
“!!!” Princess flinched at his bold action, caught off guard by his sudden display.
“I will d-do my best to protect you,” Aether said, his voice weak and pitiful.
But in Princess’s mind, those words morphed into: /”It’s not like I will do anything for you”/
[+200 Affection]
Princess stared blankly into Aether’s eyes, her thoughts swirling with confusion and surprise.
‘Well… Something is better than nothing, right?’ Aether thought, trying to calm himself.
“What’s going on?” The sudden interruption broke the moment, causing both Aether and Princess to turn their attention towards the unexpected visitor.
“S-Selene?” Princess withdrew her hand from Aether’s grasp, her expression shifting to one of surprise as she looked at Selene entering the room with a frown and…. blank eyes.
“What are you doing here…” Selene directed her question at Princess, but then her gaze shifted suddenly to Aether, “Ether?”
It was evident that Selene wanted to address Princess, yet there seemed to be a hint of lingering sanity in her words and respect.
‘Why me….’ Aether cried inwardly!
_______
[Author’s Note: I am sorry guys but there won’t be chapters for tomorrow since I will be busy (I may try to post one chapter .i.e. If possible!!! ??)]