Chapter 153: What’s wrong with kissing??
A shining light, a colorful scenery, a bright path, a comfortable warmth…
Ever since she met Riley, Rose began to experience emotions she thought she’d long forgotten.
In her colorless world, where everything felt mundane and unremarkable, Riley was the one anomaly, the vibrant thread that stood out against the dull fabric of her existence.
He wasn’t just different; he was the only one who could bring meaning to her nothingness.
That was why, from the very beginning, she had meticulously planned everything. Every move, every word, every glance was calculated to make him hers.
Rose had done her best to ensure her plans would set into motion once she became the student council president.
With that position, she would have the influence, the authority, and most importantly, the time to mold Riley’s world until everything about him—his thoughts, his emotions, his very essence—belonged to her.
That was the initial plan.
This was why, all this time, she had refrained from interfering with him. She didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention or stir up rumors.
Riley wasn’t particularly fond of being the center of attention, and Rose knew this all too well.
So, she remained subtle, a quiet presence in the background, allowing him the freedom he seemed to cherish.
It was a delicate balance, giving him the space he desired while ensuring he never strayed too far from her grasp.
‘He’s cuter when he’s unrestrained…’
In the end, once she ascended to the position of president, she could have all the time she wanted with him.
She could afford to be patient because she knew that once her plans were in place, Riley would have nowhere else to go but towards her.
She was confident that in her world, a world she was carefully crafting for the two of them, Riley would be the only one who could light up her path, just as he had done when they first met.
‘Professor Selah and Senior Luna are the only ones left to convince…’
Sitting alone in her classroom, Rose methodically reviewed her checklist.
The pen in her hand moved with precision as she crossed off another name from her list.
With only two more influential figures to persuade, Rose felt a surge of confidence about the upcoming elections.
Despite Princess Snow’s seemingly insurmountable lead among the candidates, Rose was sure that securing Professor Selah’s endorsement and Senior Luna’s market share would seal her victory.
Once these two key figures were on her side, her path to becoming student council president would be set in stone.
She smiled inwardly, a quiet satisfaction warming her as she stood up from her chair.
The steps she’d taken had been careful and deliberate, allowing her to move closer to her goal without drawing unnecessary attention.
‘Father also said he already made his own move…. so, I’ll just have to wait and see.’
In her mind, everything was falling into place.
As she gathered her belongings, the buzz of excited conversation from the other students filtered through the classroom. The chatter was louder than usual, filled with whispers and gossip.
“Hey, did you hear about what happened yesterday?”
“Yes, it was such a surprise! My friend said the princess suddenly confessed to him yesterday!”
“So, it was true?”
The voices grew more animated as the rumors swirled around the room. Rose, however, paid little attention to the gossip.
She assumed it was just another baseless rumor involving Princess Snow, the kind of nonsense that often distracted the student body.
With her focus on the election and the plans she had meticulously laid out, such talk seemed trivial to her.
But as she walked out, a small seed of curiosity began to take root. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but wonder what had really happened.
Considering the recent buzz about the incident involving the princess, Rose initially dismissed it as just another exaggerated tale circulating among gossip lovers.
She figured it was simply another baseless rumor blown out of proportion.
However, her casual stroll came to an abrupt halt when she overheard the next words that left the mouths of two nearby students.
“They say the princess made the first move and kissed him~ how lovely!”
“Fufu, I guess even princesses can’t hold back their love.”
“Riley, was it? I wonder what’s going on in his mind right now.”
“Hehe, I’m sure he couldn’t sleep properly.”
“That’s true~”
“But is it alright for the princess to publicly state her love like that?”
“It’s the princess so I’m sure she has something in mind hehe”
As the two girls chuckled, clearly amused by the absurdity of the rumor, Rose’s mind raced to process what she had just heard.
‘K-kiss???’
‘Riley and the princess?’
‘Why? How? When? Huh?’
Before she even realized what she was doing, her body reacted instinctively.
A surge of mana coursed through her, spreading out across the academy grounds as she unconsciously cast the celestial magic, [Spacial Wave].
This spell allowed her to detect the position of anyone within the academy with almost perfect accuracy.
Driven by a mixture of panic and worry, she expanded her mana, searching frantically for the distinct signature that belonged to the young man at the center of this rumor.
[Teleport]
WHOOOSH!!!
As her mind raised with the convoluted mixtures of her surprised emotions, she didn’t even care about the consequences of her actions as she used celestial magic in academic grounds.
….
“A black rat being sneaky won’t do any good, you know?”
Rose’s declaration was laced with venom, and the atmosphere around us shifted dramatically.
The mana in the air buzzed, intensifying to the point where it felt suffocating.
It was as if the very air was being compressed, bearing down heavily on us—no, specifically on Seo.
The pressure was immense, almost palpable, as Rose’s gaze locked onto her with icy precision.
Magic circles materialized behind Rose, and the light swords she had summoned earlier now crackled with a volatile mix of elements, swirling with dangerous energy.
‘She already knows how to use [Spell Synergy]?’
This was bad—worse than I had anticipated.
Rose’s mastery of such advanced magic was beyond what I thought she was capable of at this stage.
The situation was escalating far too quickly, and I was caught in the middle of it.
“Rose, what are you doing?”
I shouted, trying to break through the thick tension that hung in the air.
But instead of replying, she turned her gaze to me, her expression a tumultuous blend of emotions.
Beneath the coldness in her eyes, there was something else—hurt, betrayal, as if she couldn’t believe I had let this happen.
Seo, on the other hand, was not one to back down from a challenge.
In response to Rose’s threat, her body crackled with blue lightning, the air around her humming with energy.
Her blade, still sheathed, gleamed with a dangerous aura, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.
‘If these two fight, then… I’m actually going to die.’
“Why did you suddenly attack us, Rose?”
“The fact that you’re asking shows you really have no shame, Miss Seo…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“You were just about to kis— no assault Riley just now, right?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“…”
“…”
The silence that followed was suffocating.
The two of them exchanged only a few words and glances, yet it was enough to chill the already freezing air around us.
It felt as though the very atmosphere had turned to ice, pressing down on me from all sides.
Cold sweat dripped down my back as I began to expand the mana within me, preparing for the worst.
I only had one chance to defuse this situation peacefully.
If it didn’t work, I’d have to rely on my skills to get us out of this mess—no matter how dire things might become.
As I took a step forward, the pressure around me intensified.
The two of them were poised to clash, their mana swirling and colliding in the air like two titans about to engage in battle.
Each movement I made was excruciatingly painful, like trying to walk with a mountain on my shoulders.
‘I feel like throwing up…’
My body screamed in protest, my stomach churned, and I felt the overwhelming urge to vomit.
My insides felt like a thousand blades were churning, slicing through my gut.
‘Being sandwiched between two mana reactors would’ve immediately made B-Class students to faint right now….’
The pain was overwhelming, yet somehow, a subtle smile formed on my lips as the red warnings from the system flashed before my eyes.
[Warning!]
[Warning!!]
[FATE: A DRAGON’S SACRIFICE IS SHAKING!!!!!]
[WARNING!]
The urgency in the messages was clear, but my focus was elsewhere, lost in the chaos of the moment.
[Note: User under high mana density zone]
[Note: Escape area immediately!]
“You two…”
The world seemed to turn black and white, the colors draining away as everything came to a standstill.
Time itself felt like it had paused, only to snap back into motion in the blink of an eye.
[Note: Conditions have been met!]
[Skill: Monarch’s Will (Unique)]
[Unlocked!]
[Effects Applying]
[Effects: Absolute Command] [Active]
[Effects: 90% Stat Reduction] [Active]
[Note: All enemies in the user’s presence will now have their stats reduced!]
[Note: All enemies in the user’s presence will now have their wills subjugated!]
The suffocating pressure that had been crushing me vanished in an instant.
Instead, the faces of the two girls, who had been ignoring me just moments ago, were now fixated on me, their expressions filled with shock and confusion.
“Calm down…”
My voice carried a weight it hadn’t before, an undeniable authority that forced this chaos around me to still.
“But I don’t want to….”
‘Huh?’
My mind froze as I processed Rose’s words. Her voice was cold, sharper than I’d ever heard before.
‘What was going on?’
‘How is she moving…. under my authority?’
Before I could react, I felt a sudden spike in her mana, so intense it nearly took my breath away. In an instant, a blinding spell shot from the tip of her wand, hitting Seo with light speed precision.
BOOOMMMM!!!!!
The impact created a pressurized explosion, the force of which sent shockwaves around us.
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
[Note: A presence with higher will than user has been detected!]
[Note: Effects of Monarch’s Will will now be rendered null in front of the presence]
[Effects: Absolute Command] [???]
[Effects: 90% Stat Reduction] [???]
[Note: User is advised to leave area immediately!]
I barely registered the alerts flashing in my mind before I felt her cold gaze lock onto me.
Her golden eyes, usually so warm and alluring, were now piercing dark, filled with a terrifying intensity.
Her hand reached out, gripping my cloak with a strength that made it impossible to pull away.
“This is all your fault, you know, Riley~” Her voice was sweet, almost playful, but the undercurrent of malice was undeniable. “Even though I gave you the freedom you liked.”
“What are you talking—”
“From now on, you’re going to stay by my side, Riley….”
Her words were gentle, accompanied by a smile that might have seemed soft to anyone else.
But to me, there was nothing gentle about the way she spoke.
Her every action, every word, radiated a possessiveness that sent a chill down my spine.
