By Zephyria 
My cheeks felt warm, and I felt strangely languid. I had pushed even Allen, who I didn’t want to know about, let alone understand, the uneasy atmosphere both inside and outside the country, into the back corner of my mind. I thought I hadn’t been pushing myself too hard, either mentally or physically.
“My dear Noah, how are you today?”
“Get lost.”
No. Just facing that brazen face was enough mental strain. I couldn’t deal with him with simple, short-sighted methods like leaving the house or moving my residence. I don’t know why he’s cramming his existence into a lowly human body just to play with me, but it’s the omnipotent God himself who’s after me. He was kind enough to put me in the position of an equal player, and what I had to use were the rules of this chessboard he designed.
If I didn’t follow the rules, he wouldn’t need to follow them either. If the rules disappeared, it would be disadvantageous for me.
Since the connection with the System was cut off, these realizations, which I didn’t even know existed in my consciousness, would suddenly light up brightly.
“Eung, haven’t I already gotten lost enough? I can’t even knead your cookie dough-like sweet insides anymore. How can I get any further away from you than this?”
“Hah…”
“How heartless. Didn’t you even miss me?”
“Put yourself in my shoes. Do you think I’d miss you?”
“What are you talking about? If you were to adore me with such devotion, there would be no greater joy.”
The System seemed intent on making me explode, coming to see me once a day, saying he was lonely being apart like this. I still couldn’t get used to that smarmy tone. Really, really, you’re the System… What’s inside is really…
I asked him if he was the cause of the strange phenomena happening now, and he answered with a gentle smile. Then he pointed to one side of his face that had flown away piece by piece. It seemed my near-certain guess that he had done something to maintain Allen’s shell was right after all.
If the final boss is here, does that mean this is the eye of the storm? Several capable individuals from the royal guard, as instructed by the Crown Prince, were being selected for the manpower reinforcement. Frederick was one of them. Allen, I, and the Countess, who couldn’t make rational decisions, were the only ones left. Count Hamilton’s residence was indescribably peaceful.
Contact with Lennox was completely cut off. I subtly contacted the magic tower, saying I wanted to see the Magic Tower Lord, or I took the mana stone CCTV he had made before and called his name dozens of times, but there was no news. Without Lennox, there was no one to share opinions with right away. Allen, who came to see me like clockwork, easily saw through my carefully feigned composure and was pleased.
Nicole, seeing me looking more languid than usual, tried to call the family doctor right away, but I lightly waved my hand to dissuade him. I had a hunch about this subtle fever.
“It’s nothing, so don’t make a fuss and go to the temple and get a Suppressant.”
“Ah, Master, could it be.”
“Yes. It’s that could it be.”
It felt like there was still about a week left, but somehow the timing was pulled forward. Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve had a heat cycle completely unrelated to the Crown Prince. Seeing Duke Grachio keeping a low profile, it was presumed that the Crown Prince, who had gone to inspect the distant front lines, was alive and well. Worried? Of course not. There’s no way… Suddenly, my thoughts jumped to the Crown Prince.
‘I will not allow anyone to harm you for my sake. So rest assured and wait.’
The phrase from the message I received last time strangely came to mind from time to time. The Crown Prince is always like this. When you actually meet him and see how he treats me, he just treats me as one of the things he owns that he likes the most, but when you look back later or think about it from a distance, it’s like he’s really worried about you… like he really ‘loves’ me… It made me confused.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Master? Does your head hurt too?”
Nicole was fussing over me, worried that I was frowning deeply when I had told him to get a Suppressant. I shook my head. Right. No matter how much this world, in which God himself intervened, deviated from the shadow of the ‘original work’ that I knew and had experienced so far. Anyway, the Crown Prince was the true hero among the four Love interest. There’s no way his life would be in danger by getting caught up in this kind of incident. So nothing will happen. He’ll come back triumphantly with that arrogant and insolent attitude that he always thinks he’s so great. What kind of attitude that arrogant man, who often confuses me, really holds towards me is a problem to be judged when the time comes.
“I’ll be right back. Please wait a moment!”
“…Okay.”
Nicole, who had quickly run out, soon brought back the Suppressant, and I took it without suspicion. I quickly became sleepy.
‘Do you like him?’
‘Who? Who are you talking about?’
‘The child that the humans have put forward as your partner.’
‘Ah, you’re talking about Adrian.’
I dangled my legs and giggled. The night sky of the estate, where everyone was asleep, was as dark as pitch. The wind blew fiercely on top of the dizzyingly distant clock tower, and if I made a mistake, I could fall and crack my head. But now, as a mere twelve-year-old child, I didn’t know fear and shook my shoulders while giggling on the precarious railing, or dangled my calves like now.
‘What are you talking about when you say you like him?’
‘I mean, is he good enough to stay by your side, at least for the duration of your human life?’
‘The adults said so. I was born with a Divine Mandate to be the partner of a precious being. That it must be Adrian. So I have to marry Adrian.’
‘…’
‘You have to love each other to get married, right? But I don’t know if I love him.’
It was a surprisingly innocent view of marriage, even for someone born as the child of a high-ranking noble like Count Hamilton. Adrian, who had been designated as my fiancé since I was in the womb, loved me very innocently and faithfully, and on the surface, the relationship between my father, the Count, and my mother, the Countess, was as warm as the spring sun… For me at that time, that was truly the truth.
‘Love is not allowed. It’s just a temporary entrustment until my precious butterfly finally sheds its skin and flies away. Love is not allowed, I cannot allow it.’
‘Tch. Then how do we get married?’
‘There’s plenty of time. Think about it slowly. Ah, even after you’ve grown up, you may not still want to marry that guy, so we should pick another suitable candidate.’
The hair of the one who smiled softly shone like starlight even under the dark night sky. I wished the wind would blow harder. The sight of the long hair fluttering in the wind was like a meteor shower, or a Milky Way. It was an ideal of beauty that was too much for a mere twelve-year-old child to accept. I thought he was a little harsh. Until he appeared, I had no doubt about the life I would live, being loved by Adrian and holding Adrian’s hand for the rest of my life. But he stubbornly appeared in my life. I was very clumsy, overly immature, and, of course, not a wise young master of a noble family. I had never not gotten what I wanted. I had never learned the patience to have to have something I didn’t want.
But he stubbornly appeared, bewitched my entire soul, and then subtly drew a line that he would not be responsible for my entire life.
I swear I had never lied to my faithful fiancé in my life. He was the one who poured flawless, sun-like affection on me, more than my parents or my blood-related siblings.
The absolute being in front of me, who suddenly appeared in my world and shook my whole heart, was the first secret I ever had.
The grumbling that I didn’t want to marry someone I didn’t love was actually a clumsy plea to give you to me. It was the result of a childish plea to at least take me if you weren’t going to give yourself to me. There’s no way you didn’t know that fact back then. You and I were connected from the beginning, soul to soul… deeply…
‘Can’t you at least tell me your name? What should I call you?’
‘Well. It’s not difficult to tell you my name. However… it would be too much for your soul, which is still only human, to fully digest that level. Later. After you shed your shell. Then I’ll tell you.’
‘You always say things like that… Later, later.’
‘Everything has its time. Ah, then how about you give me a name? A kind of nickname that you, as a human, can call me.’
‘Me? Directly?’
‘Yes. You’ll be the only one who can call that name.’
‘Hmm…’
Even to my young ears, that was a pretty sweet and tempting offer. I giggled excitedly and racked my brains, then suddenly lifted my head at a thought that came to mind.
‘Allen!’
‘Hmm?’
‘I’m going to call you Allen. My parents said so, they originally intended to name me Allen. But suddenly a Divine Mandate came down, and my name came down with it, so I had to change my name.’
To dare to refer to the absolute being with the combination of vowels and consonants that were originally intended to call me. I was childishly excited and giggled, and he muttered Allen, Allen, a few times and smiled back, saying it was good.
Allen.
I, so, you…
“Hic…!”
My whole body was hot. Deeply asleep, I was kicked out by a dream that I couldn’t even remember and thrashed my legs as I jumped up. My whole face was just wet with tears.
“Ah, you seemed to be having a good dream, but it’s a pity?”
“Ah, Allen? Why are you, why are you in my bedroom…”
I didn’t even have the time to finish my words. My back bent over as it was. I couldn’t believe it. My whole body was trembling. I had definitely swallowed the Suppressant, and I could never mistake that familiar taste and scent… The heat that shouldn’t be felt all over my body was running down my spine in an unusual way, trying to run through my whole body.
Step, step, step. Unlike me, who was only wearing a thin nightgown, Allen, who had grown into a stylish frock coat and a shirt with frills, came into my room with his boots without hesitation.
“Did you think that a few sips of that kind of drug would calm everything down?”
I was grabbed by the collar as it was. My head, which was forcibly pulled up, was stiff.
“Oh dear… You have to enjoy it, Noah.”
“Heuk, you, you…!”
“You mustn’t forget. This was the ‘Blessing’ I gave you.”
The light green eyes that smiled coyly sparkled strangely.