Arthur didn’t quite grasp what had happened to him.
He knew he had run toward the roof, but he hadn’t sensed any presence.
However, by the ti he opened the door to the flat rooftop, he heard the sound of a gunshot.
He instinctively dodged the first one. And since he didn’t know when the next would co, he dodged again.
He continued to evade the following shots, and only after his Authority had been exhausted did the bullet finally break through.
Even with the damage reduced, he was still seriously wounded.
He was on the verge of Death.
...
Ellie took a step back from the masked man, her fists clenched at her sides. ’Why did he do it for ? Why did he risk his life?’
Her eyes stung with tears.
Not only had he spoken to her like a normal person, not as the daughter of a disgraced Duke—but he also offered to help repay the money she had borrowed from him.
She’d laughed for hours that night, thinking about how ridiculous and absurd he was.
Part of her had felt a warmth she hadn’t felt in years, while another part braced for the next day, expecting him to spread rumors.
But he didn’t. He genuinely helped her, asked for nothing in return, and never gave her those leering stares that most n did.
Even when he followed her, in that brief ti, she saw him running errands for people far beneath him. And the warm feeling inside her only grew stronger.
She wanted to reject it.
He was a liar.
He already had five wives.
Why would he even want you?
You’re just a fool falling for another woman’s husband in under a week.
But now...
She clenched her teeth. "You bastard!" she shouted, fury blazing in her eyes.
"Ellie..." the man said in a somber tone. "Why are you mad at , Ellie? Is it because he’s good-looking? No, no... My Ellie isn’t that shallow. Did he seduce you?"
Ellie’s eyes narrowed. "What do you an your Ellie?"
The man smiled behind the mask, then removed it—revealing a familiar senior among the second years.
A young man with dark hair and eyes. "You rember , right? It’s Noah, your childhood friend."
Ellie knew exactly who he was. That was why she’d tried to escape.
After she and Arthur entered the modeling guild, and she stepped into the changing room, she’d sensed a vaguely familiar presence.
But once she confird who it was, she fled to the only place she thought was safe.
At that mont, she even suspected Arthur of being involved and ran without him.
’Stupid. So stupid. If you’d stayed with Prince Arthur, maybe he wouldn’t be dead,’ she cursed herself, blood trickling down from her clenched fists.
Noah was the son of one of their vassal families. His father had once been close to hers.
Because of that, his father tried to force an engagent between them—one her father refused repeatedly.
In the end, they betrayed her family and allied with the current Duke, helping bring about their downfall.
’If they hadn’t been involved—’ She bit back the thought.
The past was the past. That had been her mantra.
But clearly, even now, she was still stuck in it.
’Thank you, Prince Arthur. Because of you, I rembered my vow.’
"Co, Ellie. Let’s go ho and start a family," Noah said, arms outstretched. "That bastard’s gone, so we can finally be together."
Ellie looked at him with contempt. "I don’t know where you got the nerve to say that..." She shifted her stance, her orange core pulsing. "But my heart already belongs to the prince."
Noah’s expression twisted. "How can you say that about a dead man? Do you want to live as a widow—"
"Hey..."
Noah turned toward the rooftop entrance, dread flashing across his face.
"Why does everyone keep calling dead when I’m standing right here?"
Noah’s face contorted in disbelief while Ellie broke into a smile.
"Arthur..." she breathed.
Arthur clutched his chest inwardly. ’Damn, why is my heart so fragile these days? How am I falling in love again?’
He smiled as he stood. ’Well, there’s no guy alive who wouldn’t fall for her after that confession... or maybe it’s just my excuse for being weak to beautiful won.’
---
(Two minutes earlier)
BANG! BANG!
As Arthur’s consciousness faded after the successive shots, the system chid in his mind.
『 You have used one of the Rune of Life’s revivals. 』
His eyes flew open as his wounds slowly began to nd, and he picked up on the conversation happening nearby.
’Damn, dying doesn’t feel good at all,’ he relaxed his posture. ’Before I step in, let copy that concealnt spell he used.’
He spent the next two minutes learning the spell and figuring out how to counter the gun.
------
(Back to the present)
"How... How are you still alive, you bastard?"
Arthur cracked his neck, his gold and black horn gleaming beneath the sun. "What’s it to you?"
He glanced toward the teachers’ office and smiled. "Looks like I made my wives worry." His gaze remained fixed on the building. "So... do I have your permission?"
He waited for a response, then heard soft telepathic replies. Not just one, but four distinct voices.
Then, a final muffled one chid in.
Arthur nodded before his expression darkened. "But let tell you what does concern you."
Noah stepped back.
Arthur’s colour flared, blue and golden light dancing around him. "You had the audacity to lay claim to what’s mine."
He raised a clawed, dragon-like finger. "Let explain one of my rules. What’s mine is mine, and if you touch what’s mine, you’re touching ." He added with a grin, "And you did hurt . So I could treat this as a declaration of war."
"But since I’m such a generous guy, why don’t I just take your life?" He took a calm step forward. "It’s still not enough for what you put my wife through."
When he reached Ellie’s side, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Isn’t that right, wifey?"
Ellie flushed crimson. "Yes, my delicate skin almost got damaged."
"I think you’d make a great villainess."
Ellie giggled. "Then will you be my prince?"
He smiled warmly. "Always."
Noah’s face warped grotesquely. "What did you do to my Ellie!!!"
He lunged forward, casting a basic wind spell.
Before Arthur could react, Ellie summoned her own wind spell and fired it at Noah, then grabbed Arthur by the collar.
Their lips t in a soft, tender kiss, her tongue twirling around his.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening it.
Arthur’s mind went blank for a second before she gently pulled away.
"I’ve always wanted to do that in this kind of mont."
She stepped back from his embrace. "Let show you—and my seniors—that I’m no pushover. I, Ellie Reinhardt, will compete to be your favorite."
She pointed straight at him with a wide grin. "Watch , baby."
─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───
Reviews
All reviews (0)