Ryuen sighed and placed himself on the second chair by the window.
"What did I say about staying out of sight, Yuki?"
Yuki pouted. "It’s not fun, and besides, I wanted to see what my master can do."
"Yuki?" Haruka whispered, shifting her thoughts to how cold the touch had been. She put two and two together and gasped.
"Yuki Onna is real!"
"If I wasn’t, would the stories be true, little one?" Yuki answered, whispering into Haruka’s ear.
She then trailed her cold fingers up Haruka’s shoulders, stopping at the spot where her neck t her jaw.
"This is what you call a pure human, Ryuen," she uttered and pointed at him.
"You’re just an abnormal breed."
"This is why I told you to stay out of sight," he scolded, causing her to bite her lips and frown.
He then sighed and silently called her closer, which she obediently did.
"Make sure no one gets in or out of the palace, and see if you can find Yuta and Erina."
"How are you going to handle this one?"
"I handled you. She is not a problem."
"Fine," she humd and patted his head, leaving a thin layer of ice, much to his pleasure.
"Don’t have too much fun without using ... Oh wait, I still have control over myself."
She chuckled softly and instantly vanished into a white mist.
He sighed and moved his attention back to the shocked Haruka.
"Sorry for the intrusion. She’s a bit of a handful."
"H... how did you... et her?" Haruka whispered, still shaken by the little exchange between them.
"She called you master!"
As Ryuen opened his mouth to speak, she interrupted him.
"You have so kind of control over Yuki Onna—the myth known for killing people with her ice powers."
"How did she not kill you?"
"Why didn’t she kill ?!"
"How are you friends with an evil spirit?!"
"Hm?" Ryuen humd and crossed his arms. "She’s not an evil spirit... A spirit, yes, but she’s not entirely evil."
Ryuen paused and sighed. "Well, she’s actually not good... so evil, then."
"And besides," he let his eyes et hers, "the real evil here is you."
"I am not evil! I would never do anything to hurt you. I love you."
Ryuen’s gaze darkened, but he didn’t show his displeasure in his expression, maintaining a neutral look.
"That’s not love. If anything, if Yuki told she loved , I would understand that."
"And don’t get wrong—your case has gone far beyond obsession."
Haruka felt a chill run down her spine.
She lowered her head, clenching her fists tightly until her fingers cut through her flesh and drew blood.
"Why would you accept the affection of an evil spirit? She doesn’t even have a real body."
Ryuen tilted his head. "If she didn’t, how would I have kissed her?"
"You even kissed her," Haruka mumbled and bit her lips hard.
"You started with Princess Aika, then the fox princess... and now you go as far as kissing another girl."
"Correction... Yuki is not a girl. She must have died a year older than you... but who cares?"
"You always give other girls chances, but you always act like I’m not there."
"Is that why you joined hands with the royal family and planned for to be killed?"
"That was the only way to get rid of you and my feelings. I don’t want anyone having what I can’t have."
His brow rose, now realizing he had been blind all along.
"Tell , Haruka, when exactly did you start developing feelings for ?"
"The day you ca for an interview."
"So, you got attracted to looks?"
"No. Everything about you called out to , especially that dark gleam in your eyes that changed when you looked at ."
"That’s nice. You’re observant too."
He watched as she clenched and unclenched her fists restlessly.
She was awfully calm about him discovering what she did, but he knew that, deep down, she was breaking.
She was on the verge of snapping, and he could see it.
He watched in silence as she slowly made her way to where he was and leaned closer to him.
When their faces were inches apart, and he was seconds away from summoning a dagger—
Yurei’s voice ca from the window, followed by a shift in the room’s atmosphere as she stepped in.
"I thought you were going to kill her?" she asked, unimpressed, tilting her head. "Are you that weak?"
"What do you think?"
She rolled her eyes and turned around. "I’ll be with Jun in the throne room. I’m waiting for you there."
"Sure, sure," he replied nonchalantly and shifted his gaze back to Haruka. "Carry on."
Haruka bit her lips, her eyes welling up with little drops of tears before she wiped them away.
"You’re also involved with her too."
"I really don’t see why who I’m involved with bothers you. I’m dead, right?"
Haruka scoffed and moved away from him.
She walked back to her desk and sat down, picking up the paper she had been writing on.
"If you’re here to kill , just get it over with."
Ryuen rose from the chair and strolled over to her.
"Kill you? Now, why would I do that?" He stopped behind her chair, leaning down, his voice teasingly close to her ear.
"You still have so much left to explain."
Her hand trembled slightly, but she quickly masked it, dipping the quill into the inkwell.
"I don’t owe you an explanation."
Ryuen chuckled, reaching past her to pluck the paper from her hands before she could react.
He examined it lazily, scanning the rushed writing.
"You were going to warn them about my return? How thoughtful."
Ryuen crumpled the paper and tossed it to the corner of the room.
"Perhaps. But tell , Haruka—why did you do it?"
"I did what I had to."
"Not good enough."
He grabbed the back of her chair, twisting it to face him fully.
She gasped at the sudden movent, but he only leaned down, his expression calm—almost playful.
"You gave them information—my information. You sided with them over , after everything I taught you."
"I favored you more than the others. I spent more ti with you because you reminded of my sister."
"I disrespected the first king because of you and almost got into a fight with this one."
"You were actually the reason I retired, Haruka."
That was partly true. The day he had gone for an interview to see if he could find a day job,
He t her and was instantly reminded of his sister. Her smile made him feel warm inside.
Before he t the others.
"Did you really think I wouldn’t co back for answers?"
Haruka’s lips parted as if to speak, but she hesitated.
That hesitation amused him.
"You hesitated back then too," he uttered, tracing a slow circle on the armrest of her chair.
"When I told you to leave the Princess and alone at the hot springs."
Haruka gulped. "I thought—"
Ryuen lifted a finger, pressing it against her lips.
"Choose your next words carefully, Haruka."
Silence stretched between them. A long, heavy silence filled only with the sound of their breathing.
Then, a whisper—soft, barely audible.
"I didn’t want you to die, I wanted to make you an enemy to them so they would send you away before the raid."
Ryuen’s smirk faltered. Just a fraction.
Then, he let out a quiet chuckle. "Well, I suppose that makes one of us."
Haruka lowered her head. "I’m sorry, Sir."
He frowned, "Sorry change the fact that I died in that dungeon that day, can it?
"Imagine I actually died, would sorry bring back?"
"I bet you told them I had my guard down and that they would be able to strike if I had my mind focused on Yuta."
"You also told them I had a weak spot at my side."
Haruka tightened her fists on her thighs and bit her lips. "It’s all your fault."
"Really?"
"If you had just agreed to go out with and treated like you would treat your girlfriend and not a kid, all this wouldn’t have happened."
"But I don’t see you as a girlfriend."
"That’s why I did it. You never acknowledged my feelings for you, so I had to cut you off."
Might as well cut you off too, he thought and rose to his feet.
"I’m sorry I made you feel that way. This is the end, so do you have anything to say to ?"
"I hate you."
"That’s not a new thing."
"I hope you die and rot in hell," she raised her head, revealing her teary eyes and quivering lips.
"You’re evil and heartless. I hate you!"
"The feeling is mutual, Haruka," Ryuen replied calmly and clenched the arrow that had silently appeared in his hand.
"I’ll be on my way now. I hope you find peace, Haruka."
He said and walked to the window. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye,
chuckled softly, and leaped out.
Haruka let out a relieved sigh, glad he hadn’t done anything to her.
She had even been about to stab him with the pocket knife Yuta had given her.
She exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Stupid Ryuen, letting off so easily like I wouldn’t find my way back into your life."
She laughed and placed her hands on her cheeks.
"You would obviously accept back, and maybe then I’ll get you to love like you’re supposed to."
But then she froze, feeling that sa temperature drop in the room.
"I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you, human."
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