Chapter 267: Confirmation with Senior Alice~ Interlude


    ?


    Clop!


    Clop!


    Clop!


    The rhythmic sound of the two horses pulling the carriage filled the air, their hooves striking the ground in unison.


    The faint creak of the wheels followed, reacting precisely to themands of the coachman.


    It looked like a simple, unassuming carriage, but its speed was anything but normal.


    Add to that the clearyers of stealth magic woven around it, and it was evident that this was no ordinary ride.


    Despite the curiosity such a peculiar setup might spark, my mind was elsewhere.


    Specifically, on the searing pain still radiating from my cheek.


    I got pped...


    Instinctively, I reached up to touch the stinging side of my face, wincing slightly as the heat from the strike still lingered.


    Hours had passed since Alice''s hand connected with my right cheek, yet it felt as if her indignation was branded into my skin.


    The small reflection in the carriage''s window confirmed it: a vivid red mark in the shape of her hand still adorned my face.


    To make matters worse, there was even a faint swelling where her palm hadnded.


    Did Alice use marker magic or something?


    I sighed, leaning back against the cushioned seat. I couldn''t even muster the energy to be annoyed.


    ''I deserved it...''


    Her furious words from earlier echoed in my mind, clear and biting as ever:


    "J-Junior, you pervert! S-sexual harasser! S-sicko! Degenerate! Weirdo... H-how could you just... And why are you suddenly asking me THAT?!"


    The sharp sting of her usations was almost worse than the physical p.


    "S-Senior, wait! This is—" I had tried to exin, but she wouldn''t let me finish.


    "P-Please don''t talk to me!"


    And then, before I could get another word out, she teleported away.


    Just like that, she vanished, leaving me with no opportunity to exin myself, let alone apologize.


    I groaned, rubbing my temples.


    Fuck me....


    Or maybe I should be cursing him instead-the other me, who conveniently vanished the moment the chaos subsided, leaving me to clean up the mess he left behind.


    I slumped back against the carriage seat, running a hand down my face as frustration gnawed at me.


    How the hell am I supposed to face Senior Alice after all this?


    The image of her flushed, tearful face from earlier shed in my mind, making the sting of my own cheek feel trivial inparison.


    Is my rtionship with herpletely ruined now?


    "I-Is something w-wrong, sir?"


    The voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.


    I nced up and saw her-the shadow knight who had been tasked with escorting me to the emperor.


    Her entire form was shrouded in a ck cloak that swallowed her figure, a hood casting a deeper shadow over her face.


    Only the faint glint of her crimson eyes, visible through the narrow slits of her mask, gave any indication that a human-or something resembling one-was beneath all that darkness.


    The creeping shadows that clung to her like a second skin added an ominous edge, but her voice betrayed her: nervous, hesitant, unsure.


    "No, it''s nothing," I replied tly, leaning back to look out the carriage window.


    "I-I see..." she stammered, fidgeting slightly, though the motion was subtle under all that fabric. "Since it''ll be a couple more minutes before we arrive, would you... like some snacks?"


    .... Snacks?


    This girl...


    It took me a moment to process the absurdity of the offer.


    I turned my gaze back to her, observing how she shifted awkwardly in her seat, her crimson eyes flickering between nervousness and anticipation as she tried to grab something out of the hidden pocket underneath her cloak...


    This girl must have received the same treatment the academy staff had gotten from the other


    me.


    Sigh...


    ''Just how much did the other me traumatize her?''


    Looking at her now, I couldn''t help but feel a pang of guilt.


    No matter how much I tried to downy it, her reaction spoke volumes.


    She always acted so skittishly, so nervously around me, as if expecting to be reprimanded or worse at the slightest mistake.


    "No, I''m fine," I said, softer this time, hoping to ease the tension in her posture.


    She nodded quickly, her hood bobbing slightly with the motion. "O-Okay... Please let me know if you change your mind."


    Her voice was polite, but the way her hands trembled faintly as they clutched the edge of her cloak didn''t escape my notice.


    As the carriage continued its brisk pace, I turned my gaze back to the window, letting out


    another internal sigh.


    Please...


    ''One mess at a time''


    First, the emperor.


    Then, I''d figure out how to salvage whatever remained of my rtionship with Alice.


    All the problems after that cer...


    ...


    "J-Junior... is a perv!"


    Alice''s voice rang out, sharp and indignant, as she paced back and forth on the battlefield littered with the remains of white-armored soldiers and monstrous corpses.


    "Yes Yes - Yes~"


    Cheshire, her mischievous familiar, drawledzily from his perch atop a shattered golem, his


    sleek tail flicking with amusement as he half-listened to her rant.


    "I mean, h-how could he j-just do that?"


    Alice''s face flushed bright red as she clutched her staff tightly.


    "Mhm~"Cheshire''s grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting like tiny crescent moons.


    "We were just supposed to have a small talk! A small conversation! A little bit of confirmation behind his sudden actions that day!" Alice stomped her foot for emphasis, her golden eyes zing. "B-but being suddenly k-kissed that intensely wasn''t part of it!"


    "Oh my, is that so~?" Cheshire''s tone was light, almost teasing, as he rested his chin on his


    paw.


    "A-and asking for my hand in marriage! A-all of a sudden! When he already has the princess... Don''t you think Junior is being too unreasonable, Cheshire?!"


    "Hm- Maybe?"


    "If he was going to ask me for marriage, why second ce?!"


    Alice jabbed her staff into the ground, her voice rising in pitch making the 4 red knights that surrounded her flinch.


    "He was being rude!!! right, Cheshire? J-just because I pay a bit more attention to him, care for him a little, doesn''t mean Junior can just do that! Right?!"


    She let out an exasperated huff.


    "He even looked so cheeky and confident when he kissed me... His kiss was t-too intense and aggressive! S-seriously, Junior has gotten everything over his head just because he kissed me


    once!"


    Cheshire''s glittering violet eyes narrowed in amusement as he tilted his head. "You don''t


    seem like you hated it though~"


    "W-Wha-! Of course I hated it!!!" Alice whirled on her familiar, her face practically glowing


    with embarrassment.


    "Really now~~~"Cheshire''s words were a slow, sing-song tease that only made Alice''s blush


    deepen.


    "I-I did! I hated it! He''s a degenerate! A pervert! Aplete idiot!"


    Alice''s voice cracked as she waved her staff in a poor attempt to silence the mocking glint in


    Cheshire''s eyes.


    The ck cat yawned dramatically, stretching before hopping off his perch.


    He began grooming himself, utterly nonchnt, as he added, "You''ve been talking about his


    kiss for quite a while, Master. One might think it left an impression~"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Alice froze mid-step, her lips twitching as she tried toe up with a retort.


    Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her cloak.


    "I-It''s not like that!" she stammered, her voice quieter now, though the crimson in her


    cheeks betrayed her.


    "Of course, of course," Cheshire purred, his toneced with mock sincerity. Alice let out a frustrated scream, turning to vent her remaining embarrassment by sting a


    stray monster corpse into smithereens. "Why are you like this?! I trusted you to be my


    confidant, Cheshire!"


    "And I am~" Cheshire replied smoothly, his tail swishing as he watched her with amused affection. "But you''re making it too easy, Master~"


    With a groan, Alice flopped onto a nearby boulder, burying her face in her hands. "I hate


    Junior..." she mumbled into her palms.


    "Sure, you do~" Cheshire replied, a smug grin stered across his face as he curled up at her feet, his soft purring the only sound in the otherwise deste battlefield.


    Seeing Cheshire''s unhelpful reaction, Alice sighed deeply and sank onto a white boulder, her bodynguage a mixture of frustration and confusion.


    Her fingers clenched tightly at her chest as if trying to physically calm the erratic beating of


    her heart.


    -Thump!


    -Thump! -Thump!


    Her heartbeat was running wild, so intense that she felt like a hundred horses were galloping


    inside her chest.


    No matter how much she tried, no matter how many deep breaths she took, her heart refused


    to listen.


    "Senior... would you like to be my second wife?"


    The words echoed relentlessly in her mind, each syble reying with maddening rity.


    ''He understands the meaning behind his words r-right''


    The memory of his serious yet inexplicably soft tone, the weight of his gaze, and the way the


    words rolled off his lips-it all refused to leave her.


    And the kiss...


    She pressed her fingertips against her lips, her cheeks flushing crimson as the memory surged


    back with vivid intensity.


    She couldn''t stop the warmth that spread through her as she remembered their lips meeting,


    the way his breath mingled with hers, soft and yet overwhelming.


    Her skin tingled at the thought of their tongues entwined, dancing with a passion she hadn''t


    been prepared for.


    As someone with the ability to see the very essence of people, she had seen Riley''s colors


    during that moment-clear, untainted, and undeniably genuine. Those hues had confirmed his honesty and the sincerity of his actions.


    Their first kiss should have told her everything she needed to know.


    He wasn''t lying.


    He wasn''t acting.


    He was just... Riley.


    He was her junior, mysterious and unpredictable, yet somehow someone she had begun to


    rely on without realizing it.


    Somewhere deep down, she had always felt he was destined to be important in her life no


    matter how much she tried to deny it with all her weird confirmation antics..


    It was an unshakable truth that she''d quietly epted.


    But now, that truth had transformed into something infinitely moreplicated. She exhaled shakily, her hand still pressed against her lips, her thoughts a chaotic whirlwind.


    For someone as inexperienced in love as Alice - a young maiden grappling with emotions she barely understood-this was far from simple.


    Her mind told her that trusting him should be easy.


    Her powers confirmed that his actions were earnest.


    But her heart, that uncontroble thing, was consumed by uncertainty, excitement, and


    embarrassment all at once.


    "What should I do now..."


    Cheshire who watched all this shook his head in amusement.


    "Well~ Well this is quite the bummer, to think I would miss such an unexpected development.


    Maybe I should''ve let the knights handle the threat~"


    He was rather disappointed at not being able to see such unexpected chaos live...