Chapter 76: Greed of the Heart
“Riley, why don’t you teach me about love?”
Teach her about love, she says… Haha, I couldn’t be a more wrong person to ask such a thing.
“I don’t think you’re asking the right person for that, Lady Rose…” I tried to deflect, feeling increasingly out of my depth.
“Hmm~? But didn’t you just say you have someone you love? So that means you have experience, right? You know what it means to love and to be loved, and you also know the feeling of it… What better teacher could I possibly have?”
I wanted to scream that she didn’t understand the full meaning of the words she just said.
The situation was becoming more complicated and surreal as our conversation veered into unexpected territory.
‘How the heck did she even come to that conclusion?’
I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. “Love isn’t something you can just learn from someone else’s experience. It’s deeply personal and unique to each person. My experience won’t necessarily apply to you.”
Rose tilted her head, looking genuinely curious. “But that’s precisely why I want you to teach me. Your perspective and your feelings are what make it real. I want to understand love from your point of view.”
“Love is about more than just feelings, Rose,” I said, attempting to clarify. “It’s about trust, respect, and understanding. It’s about sharing your life with someone, supporting them, and being supported in return.”
She leaned in closer, her golden eyes locked onto mine. “That’s what I want to learn, Riley. I want to know what it feels like to trust someone completely, to share my life with them. I want to experience all those things.”
I sighed, feeling the weight of her words.
“Rose, Love isn’t something that can be taught like a magic spell or a combat technique”
She smiled softly; her expression more sincere than I had ever seen. “Then let’s start this journey together. Teach me what you know, and I’ll learn the rest on my own.”
As stubborn as ever…
Rose had always been the type of character to relentlessly pursue anything that piqued her interest, seeing it through to the end with a fervor unmatched by any other.
Her drive to understand things completely and her tenacity in doing so were traits that made her stand out.
In the game, every time you followed her route, the intensity of her feelings and outbursts upon finally understanding what something truly meant was overwhelming.
It was a defining characteristic of her storyline. Her emotions were so intense that they overshadowed even Liyana’s deadly yandere tendencies.
Rose seemed like a character deliberately designed to ensure that the harem end could never be achieved when she was involved.
But even then, she wasn’t so stubborn that she would completely ignore my points. I’m sure she knows herself that I can’t possibly teach her about love.
I’m no love expert, and even back in my previous world, my knowledge about love was far below her expectations.
In this world, my encounters with genuine love have been limited and complicated.
The only thing that came close was that kiss from Snow, and even that seemed suspicious.
And Liyana… well, Liyana had her own version of love for me that I don’t even understand myself.
It was a love so intense and possessive that it could practically kill me.
All in all, I was the worst possible teacher for Rose.
“Rose, I appreciate your curiosity,” I began, trying to choose my words carefully. “But I’m really not the best person to teach you about love. My experiences are… complicated, to say the least.”
“But I want YOU to teach me though…?” she insisted, her eyes gleaming with determination.
“I’m sorry, Rose, but I can—” I tried to fully deny her request, but she interrupted me again.
“Don’t worry, Riley. I know it’s a bit odd, suspicious, and even confusing to accept such a request. I can see the complications it brings, but I promise you I’ll make it worth your while.” She grabbed my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine.
Her touch was soft, yet her grip was firm.
“I’ll give you anything you ask for in return… You teach me the one thing I’ve always been curious about,” she whispered, pulling me closer towards her. The proximity made my heart race.
“It’ll just be our little secret if you want to… so teach me about love, okay~?”
The moment her soft breath brushed against my ear, I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
Once again, I had gone ahead and followed her flow without even realizing it.
Cheers and loud, surprised mutters surrounded us, and I hadn’t even noticed the girls and some of the couples looking in our direction, going wild.
Everyone looked at us as if we were celebrities caught in a scandal at a mall. Although, I might just be overthinking this.
Everything about this situation felt deliberate and planned to pin me down into an absolute “Yes” in my answers—a way to completely disrupt whatever relationships I had with others.
As Rose finally let go of me, she returned to her seat, smiling gently.
It was at this moment that I quickly realized just how messed up of a situation I was in right now.
[Special Abilities]
[Crazy Magnet]
[Description: Evil people will have a certain liking to you]
[Number of people affected: 1→2]
‘Rose… I thought you weren’t supposed to be that type of person….’
Looking at her lifeless eyes, which held a strange obsession, my body flinched with an intense déjà vu.
It was a feeling I wholeheartedly wanted to forget and a realization I never knew existed within those bright golden eyes.
The intensity of her gaze, coupled with the unsettling obsession, sent chills down my spine.
It was at this very moment that I knew—the lines between what made them a heroine and a villainess were about to blur.
…
Spending time with Riley, Rose felt one overwhelming sensation: ‘Comfort.’
Throughout her life, isolated from the harsh world she was born into, Rose had finally found something she could truly put her interest in—a color in this world filled with overused and reused theatrics, a world where everything had become bleak and repetitive.
He was the only one who shone.
In the grayscale of her existence, Riley stood out as the sole vibrant hue, the only burst of color that illuminated her life after the longest time of isolation.
It was a magic she neither understood nor anticipated, a surprise that defied all her expectations.
Every time she heard his calm and composed voice, it soothed her ears. Every time she looked at him, a bittersweet taste of relaxed comfort washed over her.
Every time she caught the fresh scent he brought with him, it felt like spring had arrived in her life.
Throughout her entire existence, Rose had never felt something like this.
In her colorless world, Riley seemed like an exception, an abnormality that defied all the rules she had come to know.
His presence slowly carved out a special place in her maiden heart, making him extraordinary to her.
Riley was becoming a beacon of light in her otherwise monotonous life, a source of comfort and fascination she had never known before.
That was why she wanted to know more about him. She wanted to learn everything she could about Riley, to understand what made him so special.
Why was he the only exception in her colorless world? What was the reason behind this magnetic pull she felt towards him? Was there even a meaning behind it all?
Questions swirled in her mind.
All her life, she had been called a genius, capable of solving and understanding anything with just a whim, a touch, or a sight.
Yet, looking at Riley and the mysteries he brought into her life was like staring at an unsolvable, mystical formula.
He was more enigmatic than any form of magic she had ever encountered.
Understanding the concepts behind celestial magic seemed easier compared to comprehending him.
Riley was an enigma, a puzzle she couldn’t piece together no matter how hard she tried.
This challenge, this inability to decipher him, only heightened her curiosity and fascination.
He was a mystery she was determined to unravel, a complex equation she was compelled to solve.
The more she thought about him, the more she realized that Riley was not just a person in her life but a profound conundrum that brought color and meaning to her otherwise monochromatic existence.
Rose was accustomed to everything falling into place, to understanding and mastering any challenge with ease.
Yet Riley defied this pattern.
He was an anomaly, a singularity in her perfectly logical world.
This was what drew her to him, what made her desperate to know every facet of his being.
The more she delved into her thoughts, the clearer it became: Riley was not just another person to her.
He was the key to unlocking a new dimension of her life, one filled with emotion, intrigue, and perhaps even the answer to her most sought-after question…
She was sure that he was the key to almost everything she could have asked for—a mystery to solve her own mystery.
Getting closer to her key was essential, right? Building a connection with someone of importance was necessary to draw them closer to you, but that would require time and a lot of effort.
Patience, something she had in abundance when it came to mastering magic, was not something she extended to real-life pursuits.
Her entire life, she had always been someone who got what she wanted. After all, she was destined for greatness.
Conversations with Riley solidified one thing in her mind: “He’ll become mine in the end.”
It was a cold-hearted fact she accepted.
Riley was not just a passing interest or a fleeting curiosity, Afterall the signs thrown at her there was now way that was the case.
He was a challenge, a goal, and she was determined to achieve it. She saw him as a puzzle that, once solved, would bring her a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her.
She couldn’t afford the luxury of time, nor did she want to. She had to act decisively, employing every bit of her charm, intelligence, and persistence to make him hers.
As she pondered this, a new resolve formed within her.
She would break through his barriers, learn his secrets, and make him see that she was the one he should be with.
No matter the obstacles, she was determined to succeed.
“So, you have a fiancée, hmm~”
Upon learning a truth about him, something tugged inside her—an annoyance that she did not know, an annoyance that she didn’t expect to happen.
It was an intriguing thought about him that she found somewhat distasteful, something that bothered her even though it wasn’t supposed to.
Her actions towards Riley so far had been to find out the truth about him, so there was no need to be annoyed.
That was basically the reality of things.
Her reasons for getting closer to him weren’t of that nature, so why was she perplexed and annoyed right now?
The thought crept up inside her every time she looked at his face, an annoying scene brewing up in her mind.
“Do you prefer tea or coffee?”
“Tea.”
“Do you like to read?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a morning person?”
“Sometimes?”
“Do you enjoy sports?”
“Not particularly.”
“How about physical activities?”
“Yes, I tend to train every morning.”
“Do you think you’ll be a good husband?”
“P-probably?”
Asking all sorts of questions to learn more about him and distract herself, she tried to ignore the tugging feeling, inside her.
But even that thought didn’t seem to let go.
It was a conscious question that lingered in her mind, one she couldn’t quite fathom:
‘Why am I annoyed?’
‘Why do I care?’
She doesn’t even see Riley in that way, and yet, for some reason, hearing him talk lovingly about his mysterious fiancée pricked something inside her, like a lovely rose in a garden minding its business, suddenly plucked by a passing gardener and discarded.
She didn’t know why she felt this way, nor did she have any justification for it, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.
Minutes passed, their conversation continuing to unfold, and Rose finally found the reason behind her unease.
‘I see…’ she murmured softly to herself. It was only after looking at the colorful person in front of her one last time that she realized why she was so irked by the fact that he had someone he liked, someone he loved, and someone he was betrothed to.
As Rose sat there, grappling with her newfound emotions and understanding, only one conclusion emerged in her mind to solve the predicament she was facing.
‘If I can’t have him… I’ll just have to make him mine, right?’
‘Easy!’
It wasn’t the first time she had contemplated such a notion.
Throughout her childhood, Rose had possessed the ability to acquire whatever she desired.
Whether it was from her sisters, her peers, or anyone else, she had a knack for obtaining what she set her sights on.
It was a skill she had honed and enjoyed, even in the past, where she would assert her dominance over situations and bend them to her will.
Although there were other ways to learn about Riley and integrate herself into his life without causing a commotion, that wasn’t what she wanted right now.
She wanted him—all of his colors and mysteries—solely for herself.
“It’ll just be our little secret if you want to… so teach me about love, okay~?”
In her mind, if she could make him hers, all the confusion and annoyance she felt would dissipate.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
MCPG
He just made another Liyana….. anyways Updates will be a bit slower than usual as I have to head back and write on my other novels, I’ll try to post double chapters a day but no promises…
And also Rose arc coming up soon!
