Page 192

It was a meeting that was supposed to be cheerful.

But for some reason, the atmosphere remained cold.

Thud—

Sharin pulled away from me and stepped back.

She glanced briefly at Isabel, then turned her head away.

"I'm leaving."

And with that, Sharin flew out the window.

I quickly leaned out after her.

"Sharin, wait. You can’t just leave like this."

I tried to stop her, but she turned her head with a huff and flew off.

Her emotions were clearly running too hot for a conversation right now.

As I stepped away from the window, I saw Isabel.

She was quietly staring at the floor.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say to her.

After all, I was the cause of all this.

If I tried to take one side, I’d only make things worse.

Right now, both of them needed time to cool off.

‘To think...’

The fact that a single kiss could stir up such intense emotions between them made my head spin.

Honestly, I had no idea how to get them to reconcile.

My gaze turned toward Isabel.

She brushed a hand over her face and then turned away.

"…I’m going to the bathroom for a bit."

Clearly, she was trying to cool her head.

What a mess.

I’d never seen Sharin and Isabel fight before.

Even if I was the trigger, their argument ultimately stemmed from their differing attitudes.

No matter how close you are as friends, it’s only natural to have complaints about each other.

And this time, those buried frustrations had exploded.

On top of that, I knew both of their personalities well.

They’d both be wrestling with guilt over what they said.

“What’s going on?”

Just then, Iris walked over.

Despite the chaos following the First Prince’s bombshell announcement, she’d been keeping an eye on us.

“I saw Isabel leaving just now.”

Hania, who had followed Iris, added her comment.

“…Isabel and Sharin had a fight.”

“Those two?”

Hania looked genuinely surprised.

She clearly hadn’t expected them to ever clash.

But Iris just stared at me silently.

“It’s because of you, isn’t it?”

Sharp as ever.

I had nothing to say to that.

“You really underestimate how serious jealousy can be between women.”

Iris gave me a pitying look.

“That’s why you should’ve been satisfied with just one of them.”

“…That makes it sound like I can’t be satisfied with only one woman.”

“Isn’t that true?”

Iris tilted her head innocently.

But her lips were curled in a mischievous smile.

She was clearly teasing me.

“More importantly, you should fix this quickly, don’t you think?”

While Iris was poking fun at me, Hania spoke up quietly.

“The Demon Dungeon event is right around the corner.”

She had a point.

With the Demon Dungeon so near, it was a bad time for two of our most important allies to be at odds.

“Since this all started because of you, you’re probably the only one who can fix it.”

The Demon Dungeon.

I had to make sure they reconciled before then.

Sharin and Isabel both weren’t the type to be unaware of their own faults.

They cared about each other more than anyone.

I was sure they’d make up soon.

＊＊＊

Yeah, that’s what I thought back then.

As the year came to a close—

The entire empire, including Zerion Academy, was thrown into chaos.

Nia Cynthia, who was believed to have died in the Demon Dungeon, returned.

Because of her return, the Third Princess's faction faced an unprecedented crisis.

They even began openly cutting ties and scapegoating people within the faction.

If it came to light that they orchestrated Nia’s assassination, it would be a devastating blow.

So they had no choice but to make bold, ruthless decisions.

As a result, the Third Princess’s faction lost a significant amount of power.

The First Prince’s faction would no doubt seize this opportunity to act even more aggressively.

“Iris, I heard the Third Princess’s faction is in serious trouble. Are you alright?”

“It’s bad.”

January 1st.

While everyone else was resting, Iris had come out for morning training.

She had been training in the mornings for a while, so she just wanted to move her body again.

Despite the chaos within the Third Princess’s faction, Iris seemed unbothered.

More precisely, she didn’t seem particularly interested in their situation anymore.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking.”

Iris stretched her body out long and straight.

She bent forward so far that her torso nearly touched the ground.

Her tight-fitting outfit emphasized her figure.

Seeing that she could wear something like that even in winter, it was probably made with some kind of magical insulation.

Her body was flawless, without a trace of excess.

If she lived in the modern world, she might’ve become one of the world’s top models.

“The reason I wanted to become emperor… was to be acknowledged by my grandfather.”

She let out a slow breath and raised her body again.

A faint, bitter smile played at her lips.

“And I guess that stems from a longing for familial affection.”

Recognition from her maternal grandfather.

Iris had spent her whole life chasing that.

But lately, she had changed.

She’d learned that family bonds weren’t everything in this world.

That realization had come through her friendship with me.

Recently, she had also grown closer to Hania.

With their deepening bond, Hania walked around grinning all day.

I had never seen Hania so happy before.

“That’s all thanks to you.”

Iris rested her chin on her knees and gave me a gentle smile.

That smile, laced with charm, had the power to steal a person’s heart.

“So, does that mean you’re no longer aiming to be emperor?”

“Well, who knows? It’s not easy to let go of something you’ve pursued your whole life. But—”

Her smile this time looked truly at peace.

“At the very least, if I become emperor, I want it to be by my own will—not my grandfather’s.”

“At the very least, if I’m going to become Empress, I want it to be by my own strength—not my grandfather’s intent.”

A sincere answer from Iris.

Hearing that made it impossible not to smile along.

“You’ll become a tyrant.”

“Wouldn’t you be happy following a tyrant like me?”

“Everyone would die from joy.”

Well, tyrants come in different flavors.

If Iris were a tyrant, she’d have no shortage of worshippers.

I understood where her heart lay.

She was finally stepping out from under the shadow of the Duke, standing on her own two feet.

And it's my role to support that.

“Even if you become Empress, nothing will change between us.”

“That’s such a comforting thing to hear.”

Iris straightened her back and stood up from her seat.

Then she turned to look at me.

“So, have Sharin and Isabel made up yet?”

That question made me freeze.

I quietly lowered my gaze, and Iris let out a sigh.

“They haven’t, huh.”

As she said, Sharin and Isabel still hadn’t reconciled since Christmas.

I’d visited them multiple times, trying to mend things.

But neither showed any signs of wanting to make up.

“Belle told me to do whatever I wanted.”

Sharin was still clearly upset.

“It’s Rin. If I try to step in first, she’ll just get more sulky.”

Isabel, understanding Sharin’s personality well, hadn’t apologized.

It was because they knew each other so well that it made reconciliation even harder.

To the point that they were still sharing a room without exchanging a single word.

“So what exactly did they fight about?”

Iris didn’t know why Sharin and Isabel had quarreled.

I hesitated, unsure how to explain it.

But a third-party perspective could be important.

“Isabel kissed me, and Sharin tried to stop it.”

So I ended up explaining the cause of the situation.

“Well, no wonder Sharin was mad.”

Sharin got her moment of justice.

“And Isabel had a good reason to push back too.”

So did Isabel.

“You’re the bad one here.”

I wasn’t so lucky.

“...You’re right.”

I could only admit it.

Iris stared at me silently for a while, then tilted her head.

“You did something that intimate with someone else and didn’t even tell your friend? That’s pretty bad.”

Maybe she was the one I wronged.

Iris pouted briefly, then glanced up at me.

“Let me ask—you're not dating both of them, right?”

“I’m engaged to one of them.”

“That’s what’s puzzling. Isabel’s not the kind of person who’d go after someone already taken. And before Sharin, there was Seron too.”

Iris had a full grasp of my tangled relationships.

“From any angle, it’s you who’s being unclear.”

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t told Iris about the Veil Bandages.

But if I explained it now, she’d probably worry.

Still, if I didn’t, I’d come off as complete trash.

And even trash has levels.

I at least wanted to be everyday trash in her eyes.

“Iris, I lost a few emotions because of the Veil Bandages I used to change my appearance.”

“What?”

Iris, who had been listening quietly, lifted her head.

She stared blankly for a moment, then slowly rolled her eyes, as if replaying everything that had happened between us.

Eventually, she raised her head again.

“One of the emotions you lost—was it love?”

“Yes.”

Her expression showed that now, finally, everything made sense.

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken off the Veil to start recovering.”

I tugged at my collar to show I wasn’t wearing the bandages anymore.

There were scars, but Iris already knew about them, so it should be fine.

I just didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily.

“Can you get those feelings back?”

“I’m working on it.”

Sometimes, I wondered if it really mattered that I didn’t have emotions.

But I keep reminding myself—this is because of the Veil.

My friends are trying to help me recover them, and I’m constantly reminded of that.

Iris let out a short breath and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Even though I told her not to worry, she still seemed concerned.

“…Geez. No wonder you’ve been so unresponsive all this time.”

Iris had a dazzling beauty anyone could admire.

No matter how noble she might be, a man would naturally desire a beautiful woman.

She knew exactly what the looks she received meant.

But I had never shown any emotion toward her.

At first, she probably thought it was because we were cousins.

But now she knew I was a Vikamon—and realized that wasn’t the reason.

Iris quietly stared at me.

“Onii-chan.”

Then she opened her mouth again.

“After you regain your feelings, would sleeping next to me still feel the same?”

When Iris sleeps beside me, she feels at peace.

To her, I’m like a comfort doll.

If that doll were to suddenly develop desire for her, it would be a problem.

“…Sorry. I can’t promise that.”

Of course, love isn’t all about lust.

Love is a deeply complex emotion.

But it’s also true that desire plays a key role in driving it.

That’s probably why, when love disappeared, so did my desire.

But when I regain love, and desire along with it…

Can I really say I’ll feel nothing when I look at Iris?

Sorry, but I don’t underestimate male desire that much.

“Heehee.”

So, when I admitted it honestly, Iris let out a strange little giggle.

Our eyes met.

She blinked.

She looked like even she didn’t understand why she suddenly felt pleased.

“Eep!”

Just then, Seron appeared with Aisha, returning from training.

She came to a skidding stop, gasping for breath.

“Whoa, prince sweet potato.”

She tried to stand by grabbing my shirt, then froze.

She locked eyes with Iris, flinched, and then looked back and forth between the two of us.

Then, out of nowhere, she gripped my collar tightly.

“What’s going on? What did you two do while I was gone?”

“Nothing much.”

Seron bit her lip and stepped in front of me, as if shielding me.

The red badger was strangely on edge.

Iris and I could only glance at each other with equally confused expressions.