Minutes passed in a mutual embrace, the two bodies pressed against each other.
Theos didn't say a word, nor did Alice, who kept stroking his head.
Theos' sadness gradually faded, but he never broke away from Alice's embrace, who never wanted to leave either.
It was like an unspoken agreement.
At the same time, Alice's memories flashed through Theos' mind, her fate in the novel and her death.
'She always followed Theos...'
'Alice, a minor character in the novel, had been madly in love with Theos since childhood... so much so that she fought day and night, even without sleep, to have the skills to be chosen by Theos as his servant.'
'In the novel, she never felt worthy of Theos, even when the betrothed broke off the engagement, she made no move. It was Theos who realized her feelings, though Theos was not interested; Alice's deep love for him made Theos love her little by little, slowly, until the two were married as husband and wife.'
But when he remembered what came next, he felt a strong frustration and anger, which turned into determination in his eyes.
He reluctantly pulls away from Alice's arms and looks down at Alice's curious gaze. Theos strokes her hair.
"I will protect you," Theos says with complete confidence and firmness, surprising Alice even more as he draws a smile.
"I don't need Your Highness's protection. Otherwise, I would be the one to give my life for Your Highness," Alice said, lowering her head a little and repeating the words she had been taught over and over again.
But even with her head down, she couldn't hide her smile.
'It can't be, he told me he would protect me, he stroked my hair, and that smile? I've never seen His Highness smile before in my life!' remembering Theos' smile, she couldn't help but blush.
The cold and distant expression of Theos returned, but still, he relaxed when he was close to Alice.
'Being around her makes me unstable' he discovered, but he didn't think much of it.
Will he treat his future wife like a stranger? Of course not, his treatment of others will be special by nature.
"'By the way, Your Highness..." She hesitated whether to speak or not, looking a little embarrassed.
'Shouldn't I have knocked? But he cried when he saw me! What's wrong...'
"I have something in my eye. Please tell me what you wanted to tell me by interrupting my break" Theos ordered with a certain mocking tone that only Alice could detect.
Why could only she detect the slightest change in Theos' tone? Of course, because she is obsessed with him, madly in love, besides being the person who spent the most time at Theos' side in her entire life.
Even Theo's parents don't see it that much compared to Alice.
"Yeah, right," she rolled her eyes and decided to believe that little lie.
But when she remembered why she had come all this way, she suddenly became serious with a stiff expression.
"Master Fallen wants to see you, he's in his office," Alice commented briefly.
Theos nodded silently, without another word; his meaning was clear.
"Lead the way," his eyes said.
Understanding the meaning of his eyes, Alice led the way to the office of the Duke and head of the Fallen family.
Theos followed her in silence, observing the surroundings with curiosity.
Even though he has the memories of the original Theos and is a being with the soul of Theos, this is actually the first time he has seen with his own eyes the luxuries of the family that is now his family.
'Father doesn't usually come to my palace, so this must be an important case' Theos concluded.
Although he was a fan of the novel, it was written mainly from the protagonist's point of view, so he did not know if the novel had already begun, was about to begin, or if, on the contrary, the plot was far from beginning.
"We are here, Your Highness," Alice announced in a low voice, stopping just as she reached a large door.
It was actually two large closed gates, ten meters high, made entirely of wood and steel. There were no guards guarding them. They were 10 meters high and made entirely of wood and steel, there was no guard guarding them.
The reason? Because no one had to guard one of the most powerful beings in the world: the leader of the most powerful family, Matheo Von Fallen.
"I wish you luck, Your Highness," Alice said encouragingly with a smile and stepped back a few steps to wait for Theos.
"Mmm," Theos nodded as he walked toward the large door, pressing lightly on his shoulders with each step.
'I can see why Alice didn't come any closer. It turns out that her presence alone exerts a great deal of pressure that I barely notice... Maybe she was affected long before and didn't mention it' Theos concluded. Actually, that was the right conclusion.
Alice did not want to go any further because of the pressure of the presence in the room.
But Theos, now with the negative energy at his side, was able to withstand the pressure and knock on the door.
*Tock* *Tock*
"Come in."
The answer came immediately after Theos knocked on the door.
Theos took a deep breath and stepped forward, opening the door in front of him.
*squeak*
"Good morning, Father," Theos greeted with an indifferent voice and expression.
"Good morning, son."
Standing before him was one of the most powerful figures on the planet Zeifer, even nominated as the most powerful person of the entire current generation.
Matheo Von Fallen.
~