Chapter 266: Confirmation with Senior Alice~



“Heeya~ Junior! Good morning~!”

Alice’s cheerful voice rang out as she approached, practically bouncing with energy.

Despite her enthusiasm, it was clear she had hurried here; the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead betrayed her effort.

“Good morning, Senior,” I replied, offering a polite nod.

“Hehe~” She scratched the back of her head, an embarrassed smile spreading across her face. “I didn’t want to be late, but, you know… circumstances kinda piled up. I’m sorry!”

“No, it’s fine. I haven’t been waiting long,” I assured her, keeping my tone light.

“T-Then it’s all good!” she said, visibly relieved. “Hehe… ah, here!”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small vial filled with a crimson liquid. She handed it to me with a proud smile.

The bottle was labeled neatly, and a quick glance at the description told me it was a rejuvenating potion.

“It’s a Loca Potion-!” she declared with a hint of pride. “It helps people relax their mana flow and even lets them sleep faster and more comfortably. Since you’ve been dealing with symptoms of Weaver’s Dream, this wonderful senior was thoughtful enough to get you one! I’m great, aren’t I~?”

“Yes, that’s very kind of you, Senior. I really appreciate it,” I said sincerely, holding the vial carefully.

“Hehehe~”

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink at my response, and she tried to wave it off with a nervous laugh, turning her head to glance in another direction.

‘Senior as always was as cute as ever.’

Right now, the two of us were standing in the secret garden behind Killian Hall.

The fresh morning breeze carried a crisp scent, blending with the soft warmth of the rising

sun.

It was an incredibly serene spot, and for a brief moment, it felt like the world had paused just for us.

Technically, I wasn’t supposed to leave my dorm.

The complications surrounding my suspension made it a risk to be seen by other students.

Any encounter could snowball into trouble, and I really didn’t want to deal with that right

now.

Thankfully, this garden was one of the academy’s best-kept secrets-a hidden spot Seo and I often used for private training sessions.

As far as I knew, only a handful of people were aware of its existence, and even fewer would venture here, especially this early in the morning.

‘Besides, I have my mana senses on full alert. If someone does wander in, I’ll know before they get too close.’

I shifted my gaze to Alice, who stood quietly beside me. Her usually bright and bubbly demeanor seemed a little dimmer today.

She looked slightly under slept, her light makeup doing its best to hide the faint dark circles under her eyes.

‘The White Queen must’ve made her move last night,’

The subtle signs were there—yesterday’s tension in Alice’s demeanor and her forced smile, which couldn’t entirely mask her unease.

But more telling than that was Cheshire’s sudden absence.

The whimsical familiar rarely ignored Alice’s summons, no matter the situation.

For him to do so yesterday even though Alice was really serious about it, meant only one

thing: something significant was happening behind the scenes.

Alice was even looking at random from to time here and there.

I sighed internally, resisting the urge to ask her outright. She wouldn’t appreciate me prying, and besides,

I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Considering all the complications I needed to fix at the moment.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked gently, hoping to ease her mind even a little.

Alice blinked, startled out of her thoughts, before offering me a faint smile. “I’m fine, Junior. This powerful senior of yours~… is just a little tired… that’s all~”

‘A little,’ huh? You’re a terrible liar, Senior.’

Even in the game, this selfishness of hers was precisely what led to her death.

That stubborn drive to carry the weight of everything on her own-it was both her strength and her downfall.

I wanted to step in, to interfere directly whenever possible, but her struggle was an essential part of her necessary scenario.

For her to grow, to unlock the potential that lay dormant within her, these trials were unavoidable.

My hands were tied anyway, still occupied with untangling the mess the other Riley had left behind while I was unconscious.

In truth, her facing these challenges wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

If everything went as it did in the game, this ordeal would eventually lead her to acquire the skill [Crimson Sea] a pivotal turning point in her journey.

That skill would awaken after she faced the strongest dungeon boss she’d ever encountered: [Primaris Gawain] a solo event even in the original storyline.

And because it was a solo event, there wasn’t much I could do to help her, even if I wanted to.

The thought frustrated me, but at the same time, I knew she was capable.

She had to be.

For now, I was just relieved she seemed calmer than she had been yesterday.

Considering how chaotic things got-especially with the sudden confirmation of my relationship with Snow-it was a small blessing to see her more composed.

Still, that incident clearly weighed on her.

The way her expression faltered when Snow’s name came up, the subtle tension in her voice-

it was obvious.

But whether it was jealousy or frustration at me for keeping it a secret, I wasn’t entirely sure.

This was Senior, after all. With her, it could very well be some playful, childish anger.

The kind of irritation born from the belief that friends shouldn’t keep secrets from each other.

A harmless grudge that would fade with time.

But then there was the possibility that it was something more.

If she did have feelings for me if this was born from something deeper than mere friendship –what was I supposed to do?

I glanced at her.

The morning sunlight caught the strands of her pink hair, giving her an almost ethereal glow.

Her expression was neutral now, but the weight behind her gaze was impossible to ignore.

Walking deeper into the garden, we eventually arrived at the center where an open field stretched out below us.

The ground bore the evidence of countless training sessions-scarred with sword marks, and littered with the remnants of shattered wooden and metallic training dummies.

‘A perfect secret training ground indeed.’

Alice led the way down the gentle slope of the hill, her steps light and deliberate.

She came to a stop and, with a small flick of her wrist, conjured a magical blanket seemingly

out of nowhere.

It shimmered briefly before settling onto the grass, and she sat down with a relaxed smile. “Finally, it’s just the two of us now, Junior-,” she said, a teasing lilt in her voice. “We can finally talk about that, as promised~. Although I’m a bit late, I’m sure our talk won’t take too

long-.” “It’s fine, Senior,” I replied, sitting beside her. “I’m free all morning.”

“Morning?” she asked, her brow arching suspiciously. “Why? Are you doing something this

afternoon?”

The intensity in her gaze made me pause for a second. I could feel her eyes probing, trying to uncover something I wasn’t ready to share.

“No… not really. Just something involving my suspension process,” I answered, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

I couldn’t exactly tell her the truth-that I was due to be taken to the imperial palace later today to meet the emperor.

The emperor himself had demanded an audience regarding the deal that transpired during my trial, and, frankly, the entire situation felt like a tightly coiled spring ready to snap. Thinking about it made me grimace, especially recalling the night I was informed about this

arrangement.

The Shadow Knight had appeared out of nowhere, her figure barely visible in the faint moonlight. There was an eerie presence about her an unsettling stillness that sent a chill

down my spine.

“A-As per the emperor’s order student and noble of the empire Riley Hell, you are hereby to be informed of your summoning t-tomorrow, -heek!-“

She delivered the emperor’s message without ever looking directly at me, her posture rigid,

her voice clipped and formal.

She stayed far away, keeping a notable distance between us as if my very presence unsettled her, and even shrieked here and there whenever we established eye contact…

“T-This is to remain in t-top secrecy-“

It was written all over her actions, from her unwillingness to meet my gaze to the way she

spoke in hurried, concise sentences.

She was scared of me.

But why? And if she was going to deliver such important news, why choose the dead of night? Couldn’t

she have picked a more normal time?

The memory lingered as Alice tilted her head slightly, her curiosity evident.

She clearly wasn’t convinced by my vague response.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how our conversation was going to play out, especially given that I

had zero recollection of whatever happened between us. What exactly did I do to Senior?

Alice, on the other hand, seemed to have her own agenda. She tilted her head with a knowing

smile, her tone teasing as always.

“Hmm~ it’s not because you’re going on a date and getting all chummy with that

GIRLFRIEND of yours, Junior-?”

“No…”

The flatness of my response didn’t seem to convince her entirely.

Her golden eyes lingered on me, still skeptical. But instead of pressing the matter, she sighed

softly and turned her gaze toward the sky.

Her fingers lightly touched her lips, a fleeting gesture that carried a strange weight.

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, but then her eyes flickered with mischief, and a sly

smile crept onto her face.

“You know, Junior-,” she began, her voice playful, “you’re more of a womanizer than I originally thought. And here I was, thinking I was really your first kiss…”

Her words hit me like a thunderbolt. First kiss? What?!

I racked my brain for any memory of such an event, but came up with nothing. It was like a

cruel joke―getting cockblocked by my own lack of memory.

“You were the one who said I looked really lovely, Junior. You even said you liked me~,” Alice

continued, her tone light, but with an edge that made me squirm. “Your words were so sweet, you know~. And then you suddenly kissed me, too! So, in the end, did all of that mean nothing, Junior-?”

She leaned in slightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief and something else I couldn’t quite

place.

“…”

‘Did I… actually do all of that?’

Every fiber of my being screamed that this had to be some elaborate prank.

But the faint flush on her cheeks, the way she kept glancing away between sentences-it all

pointed to the possibility that she wasn’t lying.

“You said our fates were intertwined, Junior~,” Alice murmured, her voice soft but with a sharp edge that sent a chill down my spine.

Her delicate hand rested lightly against my chest, her touch both gentle and unnervingly

intense.

Her golden eyes, usually so playful, seemed to pierce right through me, searching for answers

I wasn’t sure I could give.

“So then why…” she trailed off, her gaze unwavering, “why are you going out with the

princess, Junior?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came.

The weight of her question pressed down on me like a storm cloud, and my mind scrambled

for some sort of explanation, some excuse that wouldn’t make things worse.

She continued, her tone shifting into something dangerously sweet. “You’re not telling me… that you’re trying to date the two of us at the same time, are you?”

I was about to explain myself, finally deciding to try being a bit more honest about what had

happened that day.

But before I could utter a single word, a sharp, searing headache struck like a bolt of

lightning, making me stagger slightly.

The world around me seemed to slow down, as though someone had pressed pause on reality.

Ringing notifications from the system bombarded my consciousness in a rapid, jumbled

mess:

[Note: Emergency foreign interference detected!]

[Note: Ego corruption imminent!] [Note: Current user soul threshold damaged-]

[NOTE: EMERQAEF!@#!””!@#!@#$#!] And then, amidst the chaos, a strange silence.

[…Sigh… I gave you the path to a free road, and yet you’re still so indecisive… I wonder if it’s

because you’re the last…]

“What-” I tried to form a thought, but that voice… It was unmistakable.

It was him. The other Riley.

[You know Alice is weak in upfront battles, don’t you?]

“What are you talking about? Why are you-” I tried to question him, but the voice

interrupted me again.

[It would’ve been good if you inherited the second’s boldness…]

And then, before I could grasp any answers, the voice faded as abruptly as it had appeared.

The world began moving again, but something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

I could feel it-the sensation of my body moving, yet it wasn’t entirely my will guiding it.

It was a bizarre duality, as though my decisions were both mine and not mine at the same

time.

My body carried me forward, closing the distance between Alice and me.

Her eyes widened in shock, confusion flashing across her face as she processed the abrupt

shift in my demeanor. “Alice…” I tried to warn her, but the words never left my lips.

Instead, my right hand moved, capturing the back of her head with a firm yet gentle grip.

Her breath hitched, but before she could react further, I leaned in.

Our lips met.

Soft, warm, and completely unexpected. “Hmn-?” she let out a muffled sound of surprise, her golden eyes growing wide.

Yet, even in her confusion, she didn’t pull away.

It was as if the shock paralyzed her, or maybe…

Maybe part of her didn’t want to stop it.

I didn’t know if this was me or him, but in that moment, time seemed to stretch endlessly as

the warmth between us lingered.

“Haah~”

“Hnn~!”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity compressed into a single moment, our lips finally

parted.

A faint, glistening bridge of saliva connected us briefly before it broke, disappearing as quickly as it had formed.

Her warm, shallow breaths caressed my face, and I couldn’t help but notice the flush of red

creeping up her cheeks, making her resemble a ripened tomato.

‘Did I really just French kiss…. Alice?’

Her golden eyes, now clouded with an intoxicating haze, locked onto mine, her expression

dazed and overwhelmed.

She looked… unnecessarily erotic.

That kiss-it was far too intense.

My heart thundered in my chest as my mind raced to process what had just happened.

Yet, before I could fully regain control, words escaped my lips-words I hadn’t even consciously formed.

“Senior… would you like to become my second wife?” ‘What in the actual fuck am I saying right now!!!!????’

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