After the heavy atmosphere had passed and half a day had gone by, Kyle had regained enough composure to crack a satirical joke.
“Can I ask you about that story you said you read?”
I was still perched on his lap, my head resting against his broad shoulder. His unusually cheerful tone annoyed me for some reason, so I shot him a glare.
“Are you already feeling that much better?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be? I was just wondering why, out of all the countless characters, you chose me.”
When he added a question about who the protagonist was, I buried my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. Somehow, speaking about the novel in front of him made me feel guilty.
Kyle, as if to console me, planted kisses all over my face. When I couldn’t hold back a ticklish laugh and lifted my head, he seized the moment to press a light kiss to my lips before pulling away.
“Shu, I’m asking why you fell in love with me.”
The way he phrased it made it impossible not to answer.
‘You already know the answer.’
I quietly slipped off his lap and lay down beside him.
Kyle chuckled and lay down next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. He even made sure to tuck the blanket securely around us.
“Belial and Sen were the protagonists. It sounds strange now since fate has changed so much, but originally, Sen was supposed to become Serena. And Your Highness was mistaken for having feelings for Sen.”
“That’s absurd.”
Kyle snapped in protest.
“How could anyone think I liked Sen when I have you? Anyone with properly working eyes wouldn’t spout such nonsense.”
“Well… as Your Highness knows, I wasn’t human—I was possessed by a hamster. Technically, a northern field mouse. So, you know, it’s kind of…”
“…….”
As a brief silence fell, I cautiously turned to look at him.
…Ah, I shouldn’t have looked. That was full-on sympathy in his eyes.
“How on earth did you end up becoming a beast instead of a human…? You must have had a hard time.”
“I’m glad you finally acknowledge my struggles. At first, I could only turn into a human for about thirty minutes. That was brutal…”
Even now, it’s only temporary, but at least I can stay human for sixteen hours a day. That’s a massive improvement.
I shifted slightly, pressing myself against him.
“So, you’re curious why I didn’t choose Prince Belial, the male protagonist, or Sen, the female protagonist, but instead picked you, who died halfway through the story?”
“Exactly.”
“Well… you just looked lonely?”
Kyle fell silent as if lost in thought. With my eyes closed, I slowly continued.
“I knew it was supposed to be an intense romance novel, but for some reason, I couldn’t get attached to it. I couldn’t immerse myself in the story. The only thing I could relate to was Your Highness. I felt sorry for the loneliness surrounding you.”
Maybe I read Heart of Winter while wishing for Kyle’s happiness.
But, of course, a story completed by the author’s hands wouldn’t unfold according to my wishes. Kyle was forced to meet a miserable end as dictated by someone else’s intent.
I hated that. It made me sad.
I didn’t want Kyle to die alone, and I was grateful that my presence in this world meant I could change his fate.
“I kept thinking… If someone had stayed by Your Highness’ side until the very end, maybe your life could have been different.”
“And that someone ended up being you.”
Kyle let out a deep, satisfied chuckle.
He looked genuinely happy. That much was clear from the way he started kissing my face all over again.
‘Even when I was a hamster, he did this!’
What a damn kissing fiend!
I pushed against his face, signaling him to stop, but Kyle paid no mind and instead pressed kisses onto my palm. With each soft smooch that echoed, my heart tingled with a strange sensation.
“Did you know? There was a time when you asked me why I was helping you.”
“…Did I?”
Feigning ignorance, I turned my head away.
Kyle immediately saw through me and smiled quietly.
“Yeah. And I told you then… that you looked lonely.”
A strange kind of similarity between us. In the end, it meant we saw our own loneliness reflected in each other’s. It was fascinating how simply being together made that feeling disappear.
“Anyway, that’s just in the past.”
I cut the conversation off firmly.
“Do you really think I would ever let Your Highness die? Absolutely not. And there’s no way I’d let the North fall, either.”
Down with Nox. Down with the Mage Corps.
As my voice started to drag with drowsiness, Kyle gently patted my back.
“Alright, alright. Let’s just sleep for now.”
“I was going to read the reports… Those are all valuable bits of intel Your Highness painstakingly dug out from the Tower.”
“Unless those reports suddenly sprout legs, they’ll still be sitting neatly on my desk tomorrow morning. So stop worrying and get some rest.”
He was getting better at coaxing me. Seeing how I didn’t even feel like resisting meant I had gotten completely used to him.
Fine. I’ll do it tomorrow.
I pulled him close and nodded drowsily. Without resisting the sleep that overtook me, I let myself drift off, savoring the warmth of his embrace.
***
The next morning.
After finishing breakfast and parting ways with Kyle, I headed to the lab—only to be greeted by Nox’s casual remark.
“Seems like things went well with the Grand Duke. The atmosphere was quite affectionate.”
I responded flatly.
“Thanks to a certain wraith, I had a rough time. I’ll be sure to charge you interest for it later, so be prepared.”
I settled onto the now-familiar experiment table.
“This little secret game is getting old. Why don’t you just be honest with me? You’re stalling under the guise of research while preparing to attack the North, aren’t you?”
Nox crossed his arms, leaning lazily against the shelf.
“If you want an answer, you’ll have to use today’s question token, kiddo.”
“Wow, that’s petty. Fine, I’ll use it. I was going to ask anyway.”
He narrowed his eyes and smirked.
“Correct.”
Then, as if he were doing me a favor, he added:
“I’m not one for waiting, but apparently, war requires justification.”
Lorenz’s doing, huh.
So they were planning to launch a full-scale attack on the North and absorb the territory. They had even promised not to invade, but who knew what kind of excuse they’d cook up to break that promise?
Dealing with soldiers was one thing, but if mages and mutated beasts joined the fray, things would spiral out of control.
That meant…
I have to steal the Heart of Winter.
Not only to drive a wedge between Lorenz and Nox, but also to raise the Deviation Interference rate—I needed to get my hands on it.
Kyle had agreed to help with the Heart of Winter experiments. While I kept Nox occupied in the lab, he would…
“Quit daydreaming.”
Nox tapped my nose with his index finger. I shot him an irritated look, but he only smiled smugly.
“Your mind’s stuck on the Grand Duke, huh?”
“Obviously. He’s my lover. Why would I waste time thinking about you when I have a handsome and kind prince right by my side?”
“I could.”
“What nonsense. Moving on to the next question.”
I shot him a cold glare before asking,
“The Heart of Winter. Is it stored in this tower?”
His gaze sharpened slightly. He was trying to gauge my intentions. But perhaps realizing that I wouldn’t answer so easily, he simply replied,
“Yeah.”
I hesitated for a moment before carefully asking my third question.
“The power contained in the Heart of Winter—is it similar in principle to the cores of those mutated creatures you released into the hunting grounds?”
“It’s built on more refined and complex magic, but at its core, yes, it’s the same.”
Perfect.
I quickly sent a message to Kyle through the Messenger of Love.
[It’s in the tower.]
[If you can, try to find it.]
His response came shortly after.
[Got it.]
[I’ll head down as far as possible.]
[Buy me some time.]
He must have practiced overnight—his messages didn’t have any typos this time.
I wanted to reply again, but if Nox caught on, he’d either interrogate me or try to eavesdrop.
Instead, I lifted my head and looked at him casually.
“Your turn to ask a question.”
Without hesitation, Nox fired his next one.
“Is Kyle Jane Meinhardt the protagonist of this fantasy?”
“It’s not a fantasy, it’s a novel. And to answer your question, no.”
He shrugged, as if he found that amusing.
“So, you didn’t pick the protagonist. Interesting.”
“Is the main character the only important person? If I felt a connection, then that person is the protagonist to me.”
“Then my second question—was I one of the key figures you knew?”
“I’m not sure what you were hoping for, but unfortunately, no. Your name was never properly mentioned. Maybe a vague title at most.”
I deliberately laced my words with as much spite as possible, making it clear that he was insignificant. But Nox remained unfazed.
“My third question. Kid, do you know how this story ends?”
“……”
He wasn’t just asking out of curiosity about the novel. He had an ulterior motive.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but he only grinned, baring his teeth slightly.
“Answer first.”
“No. I stopped reading midway. After His Highness died, I lost interest.”
“I see. So, prolonging the life of someone fated to die is how you achieve a ‘miracle,’ and by accumulating those deviations, you can return to your original world. You picked someone who died young. Smart choice.”
There was something irritating about his tone.
Tilting my head, I asked,
“Are you implying I used Prince Kyle just to go back to my world?”
“Didn’t you?”
“As if. What do you take human emotions for?”
Scoffing, I waved my hand dismissively.
“Ah, whatever. Let’s just say it’s your loss for not understanding the beauty of love.”
Even the system chimed in, getting carried away.
[*Poor you, for not knowing the beauty of love! ヾ(￣▽￣) *]
Since Kyle needed time to search the lower levels of the tower, I decided to stall as much as possible.
Casually, I let my gaze wander around the lab.
Maybe I should say that I’ll cooperate, as long as it’s not a dangerous experiment…
But before I could even voice the thought, Nox gave me an eerie smile.
“Unfortunately, I have some business to attend to today. Let’s just exchange one secret each and move to another location.”
A sense of unease crawled up my spine.
And then, the bomb dropped.
“The Emperor has discovered that Belial Serena Meinhardt is alive. And he plans to use that fact as justification to subjugate the North.”
