This morning, Elara forced me to shed my boring academy uniform. In its place, she gave me a formal black suit made of giant spider silk—light, strong, and probably priced equivalently to the annual tax revenue of Baron Grey's territory.
"You look... passable," Elara remarked, straightening my collar. She herself wore a deep blue silk gown that matched the color of her eyes. Her wide-brimmed hat partially obscured her face, yet her aura of arrogance radiated nonetheless.
"Passable? You forced me to wear a suit that costs as much as this castle just to be 'passable'?" I retorted sarcastically.
"Silence, assistant. Today you must accompany me to the city center. I need magical ingredients... and I need fresh air that doesn't smell of Prince Julian," Elara linked her arm tightly with mine, as if letting go even slightly would cause me to evaporate into the wind.
The Solstice city center was bustling. Luxurious horse-drawn carriages clattered along the cobblestone streets. However, Elara's presence remained a magnet for attention. And because I was with her, I became the target of envious glares from men and adoring gazes from several women captivated by my "dangerous" aura.
"Look at that man... he's so handsome with his cold expression."
"Who is he? Is he the Heist family's new knight?"
I felt awkward. "Elara, could you not cling so much? People are staring."
Elara's grip tightened until I could feel her nails pressing into my arm. "Let them stare. Let them know that this man already has a very jealous owner."
We stopped at a luxurious teahouse. As I was about to pull out a chair for her, a drunk young noble from the next table whistled at Elara.
"Hey, Beautiful! Why are you with that poor servant? Come over here, I have more gold coins than your donkey can carry!"
My world instantly fell silent. I knew what was going to happen.
Elara didn't scream. She didn't respond with words. She simply turned her head slowly, and in an instant, the temperature in the teahouse dropped drastically. Frost began to creep across the teacups.
"Elara, don't—" I said, attempting to hold her hand back.
"He touched my pride with his filthy eyes, Alex," Elara whispered, her voice sounding like the scrape of a knife on ice.
Without lifting her magic staff, Elara snapped her fingers.
CRACK!
The chair the drunk noble was sitting on froze instantly, locking his legs to the floor. Then, the air around the man's neck condensed into an incredibly thin blade of ice. One move, and his head would tumble to the floor.
"M-Mercy! Please forgive me!" The man instantly sobered up, his face ashen with terror.
"You should be grateful my assistant is here," Elara walked closer, glaring at the man as if he were an insect. "Otherwise, I would freeze the blood in your veins and let them burst one by one."
Elara returned to me, her sweet smile back as if nothing had happened. "Let's sit, my Alex."
In the afternoon, as we walked through a quiet alley toward the carriage park, my instincts screamed.
"Stop," I said, pulling Elara behind my back.
From the darkness of the alley, a shadow emerged. Not human, but something resembling a human with pale gray skin and wild, glowing red eyes. The smell was putrid, the stench of forbidden black magic.
"Alex... I've finally found you," the voice was raspy, but I recognized it.
"Julian?" I narrowed my eyes.
Prince Julian stood there, but he no longer wore a crown. His robes were tattered, and his mana circuits were protruding prominently on his neck skin, a deep pitch-black. He had performed the Soul-Severing Ritual, selling part of his sanity for demonic power.
"You took Elara from me! You took my future!" Julian screamed, and a wave of black energy exploded from him, shattering the surrounding walls. "Today, I will show you who the real prince is!"
Elara stepped forward, her face full of rage. "You dare appear before me in such a disgusting form, Julian?!"
"Stand back, Elara," I said, stepping in front of her. "He's no longer human. He's a failed black magic puppet. Let me finish this quickly."
Julian lunged with a speed far beyond human limits. His sword was now enveloped in black fire that consumed the surrounding oxygen. "DIE!"
BOOM!
I blocked his sword with my bare hand. Not because I'm invincible, but because I compressed the mana in my palm until it became a protective layer harder than diamond.
"Your speed has improved, but your technique is still garbage," I stated flatly.
I twisted my wrist, snapping his black sword as if it were just a dry twig. Then, I slammed my palm into his chest.
"Mana Purge."
I didn't intend to kill him. I injected my pure mana into his black circuits, brutally forcing the demonic magic out.
AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!
Julian was sent flying into a pile of wooden barrels, coughing up a thick black liquid. His demonic magic faded, leaving him weak and broken. He lost consciousness, his eyes wide with terror.
I cleaned my hand with a handkerchief. "Truly ruined my date."
Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around my waist from behind. Elara rested her head on my back, her breath feeling warm on my shirt fabric.
"You were so cool when you fought for me, Alex," she whispered. I could feel her body trembling—not from fear, but from overflowing excitement. "The way you crushed that prince... it makes me want to lock you in my castle dungeon so no one else can see your power."
"Oi, don't start with those crazy thoughts again," I grumbled, though I didn't pull away from her embrace.
"I'm serious," Elara turned, standing in front of me, cupping my face with both her hands. Her eyes glinted with deep obsession. "Julian is broken. Clarisse has no one. Now, nothing can stand in our way. You will be my husband, Alex. You will be the king of my world."
She kissed me again, longer this time, deeper, and full of a thirst that seemed to want to swallow my soul. Under the emerging moonlight, I realized one thing:
In this game world, I might have defeated monsters and demon princes. But I would never be able to defeat the crazy love of this Villainess.
'Oh well,' I thought, returning her kiss. 'At least the bed is soft and the food is good.'