The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 189

Christmas dawn, and Nikita’s surprise confession.

After finishing her confession, Nikita fled the scene as if running away.

Perhaps because her confession was more shocking than I’d expected.

I greeted the morning with sleepless eyes and, before I knew it, had arrived at the academy for work.

Though assistants are usually off on Christmas, this year there was a special event.

Isabel, who had awakened the Wings of the Goddess.

People from all over the country had come to see her.

So, for this Christmas, I decided to stay by Isabel’s side.

In front of the waiting room where Isabel was changing clothes.

I stood there, still dazed, as if shot down by the confession.

Nikita’s confession made me happy.

Of course, it’s a joyous thing to know someone likes you.

Nikita had been my favorite character.

How could I not be happy knowing a character like that had feelings for me?

But an important task had been assigned to me.

So far, three people had confessed to me.

Seron Parmia.

Sharin Sazaris.

Isabel Luna.

Each of them had confessed for different reasons.

And all of them had vowed to restore my emotions.

Now, Nikita had been added to that list.

Four.

Four people had confessed their feelings to me.

I covered my face with my hands.

If I still had emotions, I would’ve talked things through properly with all four of them.

But since I didn’t, even holding a conversation would be deceiving them.

On top of that, my emotions had been fading even more lately.

Losing sorrow had stripped away even my ability to empathize.

Only joy barely kept me moving.

Through my promise with Isabel, I’d decided not to wear the Veil Bandages under normal circumstances.

Today, I wasn’t wearing them.

Of course, I still kept them neatly rolled up in my pocket, but it had been a while since I’d walked around the academy without them.

Lucas had regained his emotions even while using the Veil Bandages.

Surely, I could do the same.

Then—

‘If I get my emotions back, will all these problems be resolved?’

Because I could see things from an emotionless third-party perspective, I found myself thinking even more seriously.

The confessions of four women.

Which of the four would I love?

I covered my face again, then dragged my hands down.

‘What kind of insane thought is this?’

I never imagined I’d ever have to think about something like this.

A sense of self-loathing crept in.

But I had to consider it seriously.

This was a matter of courtesy toward all four of them.

The day I regain my emotions—

To give them all an answer they’ll understand, I have to keep agonizing over it.

Creak—

Just then, the sound of the waiting room door opening reached me.

When I looked up, a girl stepped out.

A voluminous dress embroidered with golden sunflowers.

Lips tinted a soft peach, lightly touched with makeup—perhaps because her natural beauty was already striking.

A hairpin, meticulously crafted with sunflowers, elegantly pinned up Isabel’s honey-blonde hair.

A painting brimming with warmth.

The girl standing there embodied that description perfectly.

The main heroine.

Isabel Luna.

“Miss Isabel, you look absolutely stunning!”

“Goodness, you truly are the star of the party!”

Amid the maids’ enthusiastic praises, she stepped forward, revealing her shoes beneath the hem of her dress.

Isabel’s eyes met mine.

Then, a faint, bashful smile appeared on her lips.

“Hmm, hmm. Well? What do you think?”

She glanced at me repeatedly, asking for my opinion.

As I looked at her, I lightly brushed aside my earlier worries and answered.

“The most beautiful in the world.”

If I knew the answer she wanted, it was only right to give it.

Hearing my response, Isabel’s face bloomed into a radiant smile.

As expected, Isabel was most beautiful when she smiled.

“What a splendid answer. Did you study up on this?”

“I had to prepare if I was going to escort you today.”

“It’s scary how you say things like that so convincingly.”

Covering her mouth as she laughed, Isabel soon turned back to me.

“So, what were you agonizing over earlier?”

Had it shown on my face?

Even if I could fool a ghost’s eyes, I doubted I could fool Isabel’s.

My gaze shifted to the maids.

Noticing, they discreetly bowed their heads, adjusted the hem of Isabel’s dress, and disappeared.

A maid’s survival instinct—knowing when to make themselves scarce among nobles.

“I got confessed to yesterday.”

The moment I admitted it honestly, Isabel’s face stiffened.

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she abruptly leaned in.

As she got closer, the sharp citrus scent of tangerine overwhelmed my senses.

“Who was it this time?”

The fact that she said this time suggested even she thought I’d been getting a lot of confessions lately.

“With your personality, if some random girl you didn’t know confessed, you’d ignore it without a second thought.”

Hearing that, I blinked.

Then, I raised a hand and pressed it to my chin.

Now that she mentioned it, she was right.

Even back in Hanon, it happened occasionally, and after becoming Vicarman, the number of romantic advances had only increased.

Yet, in the face of their confessions, I hadn’t wavered—I’d simply rejected them without a second thought.

But with these four, it was different.

I had clearly listened to their confessions and postponed my answer.

If I truly lacked love, I shouldn’t even need to agonize over this.

What was the difference?

My eyes met Isabel’s.

Then, slowly, my lips parted.

“Isabel, I think I’ve been valuing you more than I realized.”

Isabel, who had been glaring at me, flinched.

Her eyes darted around before she twirled a lock of her hair around her finger.

“Hmph! Took you long enough to figure that out?”

She feigned indifference.

“Yeah. Even without my emotions, my care for you hasn’t changed. That’s why I’ve been thinking so seriously about your confession.”

“Hah, hmph, heh.”

Isabel’s eyelids fluttered before she looked up at me, her face completely red.

She bit her lower lip hard, then exhaled a sweet breath.

“S-seriously, stop tempting me like this.”

She lightly tapped my shoulder, as if trying to hold herself back.

There was no real force behind it.

“……So, who confessed to you?”

The conversation had looped back to the beginning.

But Isabel’s eyes were much softer now.

At this point, she was in kind, attentive Isabel mode—ready to listen to anything I said.

“Nikita.”

And just like that, all emotion vanished from Isabel’s eyes.

She stared at me with a chillingly calm gaze.

Those eyes were so terrifying, even I couldn’t read them.

“When.”

Her voice was flat.

We’d all been together until dawn.

So when exactly had this confession happened?

“Last night, at the assistant dorm……”

“On Christmas night, at the assistant dorm.”

Isabel’s lips curled up.

Then, quietly, she gripped my collar.

The strength in her grip was a far cry from the playful tap she’d given my shoulder earlier.

“Were you together the whole time?”

“She left after confessing.”

“Just a confession?”

Persistent.

And sharp.

My eyes flickered to Isabel’s lips.

In that instant, her pupils dilated slightly before she yanked my collar hard.

As I was pulled forward by the sudden force, Isabel didn’t hesitate—she stole a kiss.

My eyes widened.

When I tried to move, Isabel only deepened it, her soft lips pressing firmly against mine.

Our breaths mingled.

Isabel’s sweet exhale felt intense.

When her lips finally parted, a faint smudge of lipstick was left behind.

Her cheeks were flushed even redder than her lips.

Isabel exhaled sharply, then looked up at me with steady eyes.

The provocative look in them was the polar opposite of the gentle, kind Isabel I knew.

“Forget about that. I’ve overwritten it.”

She smiled—the bold grin of a woman brimming with temptation.

This girl… Ever since that first kiss, it’s like her limits have been completely erased.

Isabel’s finger tapped lightly against my chest.

“You’re mine. Don’t even think about giving yourself to anyone else.”

Today, I realized one thing for certain.

If nothing else, Isabel’s possessiveness was dangerous.

After her unexpected, provocative act.

Isabel, now thoroughly embarrassed by her own actions, hastily fixed her makeup and headed toward the venue.

She walked forward without once looking back.

The tips of her ears remained red—seemingly still flustered by what she’d done.

Honestly, adorable.

As she strode ahead, we soon arrived at the venue entrance.

“Presenting Lady Isabel Luna.”

Only after reaching the entrance did Isabel finally regain her composure.

A gathering of dignitaries from around the world.

Isabel suppressed her nerves and stood tall, back straight.

Creak—

A moment later, Isabel stepped through the open doors into the venue.

The scene inside immediately came into view.

“Oh, is that her?”

“To awaken the Wings of the Goddess at such a young age…”

“A pride of the Empire’s youth!”

“As expected of one chosen by the Goddess—she’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

The moment Isabel appeared, nobles of the Empire burst into admiration.

But among them were also those who watched her in silence.

They were figures from outside the Empire.

Isabel was a strategic asset on a global scale.

But Isabel was a citizen of the Empire.

A wielder of the Goddess’s power, raising her sword for the Empire.

For other nations, that was undeniably concerning.

Many of them had come not just to meet the one who’d awakened the Wings on Christmas, but to assess the Empire’s strength with their own eyes.

Conversely, for the Empire, this was an opportunity to imprint Isabel’s existence onto other nations.

A tangled web of international interests.

Isabel was caught right in the middle of it.

All eyes were on her.

Gazes like hyenas, eager to latch onto even the smallest advantage.

In such a situation, Isabel’s nervousness was only natural.

But that was exactly why I’d deliberately followed her.

Thud—

Soon, footsteps echoed from outside the venue.

Normally, no one would pay attention to anyone but Isabel, but this time was different.

“Huh?”

The announcer at the entrance momentarily froze in surprise.

Then, regaining his composure, he called out louder than anyone else.

“Her Highness, Third Princess Iris Hysirion!”

Iris was currently enrolled at Jerion Academy.

So the nobles had no reason to be puzzled.

“His Highness, First Prince Luke Rysen Hysirion!”

But the next name was different.

The nobles’ eyes widened as they turned toward the entrance.

The simultaneous appearance of the two figures competing for first and second in the line of succession.

The arrival of those who could each split the Empire in half.

Isabel’s panicked eyes turned to me.

I responded with a grin.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

For every bit of attention, even more in return.