When I arrived at the dining room, I noticed my family staring at me as if they had seen a ghost. Confused, I touched my cheek and realized it was red, burning from the slap I'd received earlier. My mother rushed over, her voice filled with concern.
"What happened? Who did this to you?" she asked, her worry obvious.
Without a word, I took my seat, and she followed closely behind. Once I settled, I began recounting everything that had happened, not skipping any details. When I finished, I sighed and took the blame.
"I know I shouldn't have interfered… I'm sorry."
Immediately, my father, who rarely showed anger, spoke up in a tone I hadn't heard since my childhood.
"What do you mean? You did exactly what I'd expect from my son! If I ever see that hag, I'll have a few words with her myself."
The rest of my family nodded almost in unison. I had nearly forgotten what kind of people my family was. In hindsight, I realized they would've probably been even less forgiving than I was. I almost laughed at how lucky that woman was to have encountered me instead of the others. After that, we continued eating our now-cold lunch.
Once we finished, we all went our separate ways. Each of us had our own plans: my parents wanted to walk through the gardens, my grandma and aunt were heading to the kitchen to cook—something they both loved—while my cousins and uncle planned to watch the guards train behind the palace and try to learn something from them.
As for me, I had my own mission. I was determined to follow the trail of Seraphira, the red-haired woman I had encountered before. I had a plan, albeit a risky one. If anyone questioned me, I would claim I was infatuated with her beauty and simply wanted to see her again. It sounded foolish, but in a place like this, maybe it wouldn't raise too many suspicions.
I followed my parents out of the palace, walking with them for a few minutes before making the excuse that I wanted to explore the gardens further. Once we parted ways, I retraced my steps to the spot where I had first met Seraphira. In the distance, I could see the grand palace she had entered before. I set off toward it, determined to figure out more about her.
As I walked, an idea struck me. I could make myself appear less suspicious by carrying flowers. I glanced around and spotted some beautiful light-blue blossoms nearby. Using a skill from my list called Wind Cut, I carefully sliced through the stems, though I fumbled the first few times. By the fourth flower, I had gotten the hang of it and managed to gather six cleanly cut flowers. Carrying the bouquet made me feel a bit more confident, thinking it would make my story of infatuation more believable.
After walking for a while, I arrived at Seraphira's palace. It was massive, with a golden and burgundy exterior that dwarfed the palace my family was staying in, which now seemed like a mere cottage in comparison. A tall fence surrounded the grounds, guarded by soldiers who looked much more formidable than the ones at our own residence. I considered using Invisibility to sneak inside but quickly dismissed the idea—if Seraphira was inside, it could spell trouble if I was caught.
I was pondering my next move when I saw her exit the palace. This time, she wasn't alone. Walking beside her was the tall, muscular black-haired man with horns, who I had seen before. He seemed like a bodyguard of sorts.
I panicked. I wasn't prepared to face her again so soon, but before I could even come up with a plan, she was standing right in front of me. Her expression was indifferent, but the man behind her had a more menacing look.
"You're Raphael, right?" she asked, her tone as cold as before.
"Y-yes," I stammered, completely caught off guard.
In my panic, I decided to execute my ridiculous plan. I fumbled for the flowers I had hidden behind my back and, with a shaky voice, offered them to her.
"I… I got these for you. You reminded me of the sky," I said, the words sounding even more absurd out loud than they had in my head.
The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. The sheer embarrassment was overwhelming. For a brief second, both Seraphira and the man behind her looked genuinely shocked. The man, whose name I now heard was Mariks, grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground as though I weighed nothing.
Meanwhile, Seraphira bent down and picked up the flowers I had dropped.
After a few tense moments, she spoke.
"Mariks, let him go," she commanded.
"Princess, this human was disrespectful to you. The only fitting response is for me to kill him and avenge your honor," Mariks growled, his voice cold and dangerous.
My heart raced. Was this really how I was going to die? At the hands of some overprotective bodyguard? I considered using one of my abilities to escape, even if it meant exposing myself. Dying here wasn't worth keeping my secret. But before I could act, Seraphira spoke again.
"Mariks, I said let him go," she repeated, more firmly this time.
With a scowl, Mariks relented and dropped me unceremoniously onto the ground. I hit the floor hard, struggling to catch my breath. As I tried to compose myself, Seraphira's voice cut through the haze.
"Do you have feelings for me?" she asked, her tone now more scrutinizing.
Despite the absurdity of the situation and my burning desire to survive, I instinctively responded, "Yes."
She studied me closely for a moment before speaking again, her voice as detached as ever.
"Very well. I shall accept your courtship. But beware—if you are lying to me, you will pay with your life."
I swallowed hard, barely managing to reply. "I… I understand."
She continued, "Good. Then I expect you to meet me here tomorrow morning. I want to know more about the man who supposedly fell for me after a single conversation. And perhaps I'll tell you more about myself. Now, go."
Without another word, I scrambled to my feet and nearly ran back in the direction of my palace, barely daring to glance behind me. My heart was pounding, my mind racing. The plan had gone completely sideways. Not only had I learned nothing about her, but I had somehow ended up in a "relationship" of sorts. Everything felt surreal, as if I had completely lost my mind.
By the time I reached the palace, I was out of breath and drawing stares from the other nobles in the garden as I sprinted by like a madman. Nothing could calm my nerves—I felt like I had just dug myself into a hole, and the only way out was to dig even deeper.
When I arrived back at the palace, the scene I stumbled upon was even more disturbing. My parents were at the entrance, engaged in a heated argument with the woman who had slapped me earlier. Dina stood by, looking anxious.
I rushed to their side, not fully aware of what was happening.
"There he is," the woman sneered. "The cause of all this trouble. If you had raised your son properly, maybe none of this would have happened."
My anxiety quickly turned to anger. Insulting me was one thing, but talking down to my parents was something I couldn't tolerate. Without fully understanding their conversation, I intervened.
"And who do you think you are, going around slapping people just because you feel like it? Does that make you feel powerful, you old hag?"
Her face twisted in fury. "How dare you! Your family is truly irredeemable. I cannot fathom how someone in this world decided to grant your family a noble title."
My father, clearly done with her nonsense, shot back, "I don't care about that title. But clearly, someone made a mistake granting power to someone as foolish as you. Now, why don't you stop bothering us and go ride a broom somewhere?"
At that, my mother grabbed my shoulder, guiding both me and my father inside. We walked in silence toward the dining hall, which had become our unofficial family meeting spot. But as soon as we stepped in, we were greeted with an unsettling sight.
My oldest cousin had a black eye, my aunt was covered in flour, and the rest of the family was engaged in what looked like a heated argument. As we entered, all eyes turned to us, and the air grew thick with tension.
Something was terribly wrong.