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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Sit.”
“Alright.”
“On your knees.”
“Ahem…”
Arwen coughed awkwardly and obediently knelt on the floor.
Thinking about it now sent chills down his spine.
She’d been hiding in his shadow, watching his every move, ever since they left for the North.
It was like his privacy had been invaded, and not in a way he ever wanted to experience.
He shook his head, rubbing his temples.
Where should he even begin?
He vaguely recalled a time in elementary school when a teacher had made him sit in the corner.
He imagined that was how his teacher must have felt.
It was true what they said,
You never know what it’s like until you’re in the other person’s shoes.
He felt a pang of sympathy for his old elementary school teacher.
In any case, he was the one in a position of power now.
Arwen was at his mercy.
“Arwen.”
“…It’s not like I was trying to spy on you or anything. I was just waiting for the right moment to come out, and things just… happened.”
“Is that your excuse?”
“Ugh…”
Arwen blushed, at a loss for words.
He had half a mind to ask her why she hadn’t burst out when he kissed Sylvia.
If she’d been hiding in his shadow the whole time, she must have heard their entire conversation.
Regardless, he needed to hear her opinion on the matter at hand.
He sighed.
“…So, what are your thoughts on all this?”
“My answer hasn’t changed since you brought it up earlier.”
“You’re the biggest problem here, you know.”
“Eh…?”
Arwen stammered, taken aback by his bluntness.
But he was right.
The biggest problem was Arwen… and Sylvia.
The other three were human, so their reactions were somewhat understandable.
But Arwen and Sylvia were different.
They were otherworldly beings with grand titles like “dragon” and “True Ancestor.”
He had been worried from the start about them causing a scene in the capital.
“It’s one thing to fight amongst yourselves, but you’re practically invincible. It’s not like you’ll die from sunlight like those other vampires.”
“I am not to be compared to those lowly creatures. Just because sunlight is unpleasant doesn’t mean I’m weak. I can’t help it if I’m not bothered by it.”
“…Whatever. So, what’s your answer?”
“I don’t mind.”
She was still kneeling obediently, but the way she said it didn’t make her sound very sincere.
He hadn’t given her permission to get up, but she did so anyway, casually slinging an arm around his shoulders.
“All I want is you, Rudrick. It doesn’t matter if there are others.”
“What are you talking about?”
He gently pushed her away.
He wasn’t made of stone.
He was still a young man in his twenties, with all the desires that came with it.
Arwen pouted playfully, as if she knew exactly what she was doing.
He decided to give her a warning.
“This is the Grand Duchess’ residence.”
“And what of it?”
“What if Eileen sees us?”
“I’ve already cast a detection spell. It seems the cold-hearted one is lost in thought. She hasn’t moved an inch from her office all this time.”
“You’re unbelievable. You checked all that already?”
“Don’t call me unbelievable, dear. ‘Thorough’ is the word you’re looking for,” Arwen said, chuckling.
She leaned in and playfully nibbled his earlobe.
He suddenly remembered.
It had been over a week.
It was time to feed his needy vampire.
“Are you hungry?”
“Just a little.”
Arwen nibbled his neck, as if asking for permission.
She was careful not to draw blood with her sharp fangs.
It was progress, at least.
She was waiting for his permission now.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s a strange feeling.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, not strange, exactly… It’s just, you said something similar the first time. Back then, I thought…”
Arwen trailed off, a thoughtful expression on her face.
She buried her face in his neck, her fangs sinking into his skin.
It seemed she was reminiscing about the past, the time before he regressed.
He couldn’t help but let out a groan.
No matter how many times he experienced it, the sensation of her fangs piercing his skin always took him by surprise.
“…Can you do it somewhere else next time? My neck feels weird.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because then, everyone would know.”
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On the way back to the Imperial Capital.
It was an earlier return than expected, but they had achieved their goal.
Abel had abandoned her plan, however infuriating it might have been.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt towards his master, and he couldn’t care less about becoming the Court Mage.
But still… his heart felt lighter on the way back.
He was traveling with Eileen.
As they stepped onto the magic circle, he felt the familiar sensation of warmth spread through his body.
A moment later, the familiar landscape of the capital came into view.
“…Rudrick, there’s something I need to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve accepted your decision, but… Well, not that I don’t agree with it, but…”
“Ah, the other two?”
Eileen nodded slowly.
Three out of the five had agreed to his proposition.
He wasn’t sure if they were genuinely okay with it, but they hadn’t rejected him outright.
But there were still two left, Lassiel… and Elena.
Lassiel might have looked like a playboy, but she was surprisingly level-headed and mature.
Rudrick figured she would agree to the arrangement sooner or later…
“The problem is my dear cousin.”
“What about Elena…?”
“How should I put this…?”
“Let’s just say she’s… possessive.”
“…Actually, she was the most… active, in the previous timeline.”
“That sounds about right.”
Eileen nodded, her expression still grim.
“Elena… she’s always been ambitious.”
“But she wouldn’t start a civil war over this, right?”
“She hasn’t made any moves yet, so I doubt it. In the previous timeline, she would have approached me by now.”
“That’s a relief… but still…”
He felt a headache coming on.
Elena was the final boss, and by the looks of it, she wasn’t going down without a fight.
She was proud and headstrong, and he couldn’t imagine her taking this well.
He racked his brain, but no solution came to mind.
It seemed he had no choice but to face her head-on.
Elena had instigated a civil war against her own sister, the Crown Princess, immediately after the Empress’ death in the previous timeline.
He needed to tread carefully.
“…I don’t know what to do. It’s not easy to predict what she’ll do.”
“I know what you mean. I guess we just have to talk to her and see how she reacts?”
“That’s the only way.”
Arwen and Sylvia, who had been listening intently, chimed in.
“That human princess is crazy.”
“I don’t think she’ll agree to it so easily.”
This was going to be troublesome.
As they made their way to the palace, Rudrick’s mind raced.
There had to be a way to resolve this peacefully.
“I never thought I’d see all of you here together. Did something happen that I’m not aware of?”
Speak of the devil.
Elena was waiting for them, a triumphant smile on her face.
“Oh…”
“What a fascinating conversation this must have been. May I join in?”
That was not the smile of someone happy to see them.
Sylvia and Arwen being there only made things worse.
He could already feel a headache coming on.
What was he going to do?
He threw his hands up in defeat.
He had made his choice, the rest was up to them.
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[Elena boutta start a civil war over a boy XD Taylor Swift moment]
