The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 191

The gathering, which should have been warm and lively,
somehow continued in an awkward atmosphere.

Thud—

Sharin detached herself from me and dropped down.
After briefly glancing at Isabel, she turned her head away.

“I’m leaving.”

Sharin flew out the window.
I hurriedly stuck my head out after her.

“Sharin, wait. What are you planning to do by leaving like this?”

As I tried to stop her, she turned her head with a hmph and flew off.
Given how heated her emotions were, she clearly had no intention of talking right now.

Eventually, I pulled back from the window—only to see Isabel standing there.
She was quietly staring at the floor.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say to her.
I was the one who had caused this mess.
Taking sides would only complicate things further.
Right now, both of them needed time to cool down.

‘From the very beginning…’

My head spun at the fact that a single kiss had escalated their emotions to this extent.
Honestly, I had no idea how to even begin reconciling them.

My gaze landed on Isabel.
She wiped her face and then turned away.

“……I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

It was clearly an excuse to collect herself.
What was I supposed to do about this?

This was the first time I’d ever seen Sharin and Isabel fight.
While I may have been the trigger, the root of their conflict was their differing attitudes.
No matter how close friends are, it’s natural to have grievances with each other.
This time, those grievances had erupted.

Besides, I knew both of their personalities well.
They’d undoubtedly torment themselves with guilt over what they’d said.

“What’s going on?”

At that moment, Iris approached.
Despite the chaos caused by the First Prince’s bombshell announcement, she seemed to have been keeping an eye on the situation here.

“Isabel just left,” Haniya added, following behind Iris.

“……Sharin and Isabel had a fight.”

“Those two?”

Haniya’s eyes widened in surprise.
She clearly hadn’t expected them to clash.

But Iris simply stared at me quietly.

“The reason is you, Oppa.”

Sharp.
I had nothing to say.

“You take women’s jealousy too lightly, Oppa.”

Iris gazed at me with a pitying look.

“See, you should’ve been satisfied with just one.”

“……That sounds like you’re saying I can’t be satisfied with just one woman.”

“Wasn’t I right?”

Iris tilted her head innocently.
But a mischievous smile played on her lips.
She was clearly teasing me.

“Wouldn’t it be better to resolve this quickly?”

While I was being teased by Iris, Haniya cautiously interjected.

“The Winter Demon Palace is coming up soon.”

She was right.
With the Winter Demon Palace approaching,
the two most crucial fighters in our group were at odds.

“Since you’re the cause, Oppa, you’re the only one who can fix this.”

The Winter Demon Palace.
Before then, I had to reconcile them.

Sharin and Isabel weren’t the type to remain oblivious to their own mistakes.
They cared for each other more than anyone else.
They’d surely make up soon.

＊＊＊

Yeah, there was a time when I thought that.

Before I knew it, nearly a year had passed.

The entire empire, including Jerion Academy, was in utter chaos.

The return of Nia Cynthia, who was supposed to have died in the Demon Palace.
Because of this, the Third Princess’s faction faced an unprecedented crisis.
Even within the faction, a full-scale purge had begun.

If it became known that they had orchestrated Nia’s assassination, the Third Princess’s faction would suffer a major blow.
So, it was a necessary, drastic measure.
This incident would significantly weaken the Third Princess’s faction.

The First Prince’s faction would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to make further moves.

“Iris, I heard the Third Princess’s faction is in big trouble. Are you okay?”

“It is a big deal.”

January 1st.
While everyone else was resting, Iris had come out for morning training.
Having trained regularly in the mornings for a while, she wanted to move her body after a long break.

Despite the chaos in the Third Princess’s faction, Iris remained unbothered.
Or rather, she didn’t seem particularly interested in the faction’s situation.

“But lately, I’ve been thinking…”

Iris stretched her body, bending forward until her torso nearly touched the ground.
Her flexible form and tight clothing accentuated her curves.
Even in winter, she wore such light attire—likely made from magically insulated material.

Her figure was flawless.
If she were from the modern world, she’d undoubtedly be a top-tier model.

“The reason I wanted the throne was for Grandfather’s acknowledgment.”

Iris exhaled as she straightened up, a bitter smile on her lips.

“And that was because I was starved for familial affection.”

Acknowledgment from her grandfather.
That was what Iris had spent her life chasing.

But lately, she had changed.
Family wasn’t everything in this world.
Through her friendships with me and others, she had come to realize that.

Recently, she and Haniya had grown closer too.
Haniya had been beaming all day after their relationship deepened.
I’d never seen Haniya so happy before.

“That’s thanks to you, Oppa.”

Iris rested her chin on her knees and smiled softly.
Her enchanting smile had a bewitching effect on anyone who saw it.

“So, does that mean you’re no longer aiming for the throne?”

“Who knows? It’s not easy to let go of something I’ve chased my whole life overnight. But…”

Her smile was serene.

“At the very least, if I do become Empress, I want it to be by my own power—not Grandfather’s design.”

Iris’s sincere answer.
Hearing it, I couldn’t help but smile back.

“You’d be a tyrant.”

“Wouldn’t following a tyrant like me make people happy?”

“They’d love it to death.”

Even tyrants had their own appeal.
If Iris became a tyrant, she’d have no shortage of worshippers.

I understood Iris’s mindset now.
She was stepping out of the Heavenly Duke’s shadow and standing on her own two feet.
And helping her with that was my role.

“Even if you become Empress, our relationship won’t change.”

“I appreciate that.”

Iris stretched her back and stood up.
Then, she turned to look at me.

“So, have Sharin and Isabel made up?”

Her question made me freeze.
When I averted my gaze, Iris sighed.

“Still not, huh?”

As she said, Sharin and Isabel still hadn’t reconciled after the Christmas incident.
I’d gone to see them multiple times to mediate,
but neither showed any signs of backing down.

‘Bel told me to do whatever I wanted.’

Sharin was still fuming.

‘It’s Rin. If I apologize first, she’ll just get even more upset.’

Isabel, knowing Sharin’s personality well, refused to apologize.

Because they understood each other so well, reconciliation was even harder.
At this point, they were sharing the same room without exchanging a single word.

“So, what did they fight about?”

Iris didn’t know the reason for their fight.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain.

But a third party’s perspective could be valuable.

“Isabel kissed me, and Sharin wouldn’t let her.”

Reluctantly, I explained the cause of the incident to Iris.

“Sharin had every right to be angry.”

Sharin was validated.

“And Isabel had every right to refuse.”

Isabel was validated too.

“The one in the wrong is you, Oppa.”

I was not validated.

“……You’re right.”

I had no choice but to admit it.

Iris stared at me silently for a while before tilting her head.

“You shared such intimate skin-ship with someone else and didn’t even tell me, your friend? How cruel.”

Wait, was she the one wronged here?

After pouting for a moment, Iris glanced up at me.

“I’m curious—are you dating either of them?”

“One of them is my fiancée.”

“That’s what’s confusing. Isabel isn’t the type to make moves on someone who’s taken. Even before Sharin, there was Seron.”

Iris had my entire social circle figured out.

“To anyone watching, it’s obvious you’re the problem.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t told Iris about the Veil’s Bandages.
Explaining it would only make her worry.
But if I didn’t, I’d just look like a complete scumbag.

Even trash has its limits.
I’d rather be regular trash in Iris’s eyes.

“Iris, I lost some of my emotions because of the Veil’s Bandages, which I used to change my appearance.”

“Huh?”

Iris, who had been listening quietly, raised her head.
She stared blankly for a moment before slowly blinking,
as if replaying all our past interactions in her mind.

After a while, she looked up again.

“Don’t tell me one of the emotions you lost was… love?”

“Yeah.”

Iris’s expression finally showed understanding.

“Don’t worry. I’m trying to recover now—I’ve even removed the bandages.”

I pulled my collar aside to show I wasn’t wearing them.
Though my scars were visible, Iris already knew about them, so it was fine.

I didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily because of my emotional numbness.

“Can you get them back?”

“I’m working on it.”

Personally, I sometimes wondered if it mattered whether I had emotions or not, but this was the Veil’s Bandages’ doing.
Since the people around me were trying so hard to help me recover, I kept reminding myself of that.

Iris let out a short breath and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Even though I told her not to worry, she still seemed concerned.

“……No wonder your reactions have been so muted lately.”

Iris’s beauty was undeniably mesmerizing.
Even though she was a princess men were supposed to revere, it was only natural for them to desire a beautiful woman.
She was well aware of the meaning behind the gazes men directed at her.

But I had never shown any such emotion toward her.
At first, she might have assumed it was because we were cousins.
But now that she knew I was Vicarman, she understood that wasn’t the reason.

Iris stared at me quietly.

“Oppa.”

Then, she spoke again.

“Even after you regain your emotions… if we sleep together, will it still be the same as now?”

Iris found comfort in sleeping beside me.
To her, I was like a security blanket.
If that “blanket” started harboring lust for her, it would obviously be a problem.

“……Sorry, I can’t promise that.”

Of course, love isn’t just about physical desire.
It’s a complex emotion.
But physical attraction is a significant driving force in love.
So, when I lost love, I likely lost that desire as well.

Once I regained my emotions, would I really feel nothing when looking at Iris?

I’m sorry, but I don’t underestimate a man’s libido that much.

Hmph.

When I answered honestly, Iris let out a playful hum for some reason.

Our eyes met.
Iris blinked.
She looked like she didn’t even know why she was suddenly in a good mood.

Gasp!

Just then, Seron appeared with Aisha after finishing their training.
She skidded to a stop, panting heavily.

“Haa… Prince Sweet Potato!”

As she grabbed my clothes to steady herself, she suddenly froze.
Her eyes locked onto Iris, and she stiffened before looking back and forth between us.

Then, she abruptly yanked my collar.

“What? What’s going on? What did you two do while I wasn’t here?”

“We didn’t do anything.”

Seron bit her lip and stepped in front of me, as if shielding me.
The red weasel was inexplicably bristling.

Iris and I could only exchange bewildered looks.