The Author's POV

'Ugh, I just woke up and this is the situation I find myself in.'

Melissa alone was enough to give me a headache, but the fact that almost everyone was here increased the pain in my head. Leaning back on the bed and dully staring at the ceiling of the room, for a moment I wished to slip back into a coma.

Would rather have that than be in this type of situation.

Unfortunately, this was only wishful thinking on my part as following Melissa's words, everyone's head snapped in my direction.

I could only bitterly smile at the sight.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Raising my hand, I pointed in Melissa's direction.

"Don't listen to anything she says. Especially when she's part of the harem."

"Huh?"

This time it was Melissa's turn to feel what I felt as everyone turned to look at her with strange looks on their faces.

Opening her eyes widely, Melissa glared at me.

Sensing her gaze, I slowly mouthed with my mouth.

'Trying to ruin me? I'll drag you down with me.'

As soon as I said those words, I could vividly see the side of Melissa's cheeks tense. I smirked when I saw this.

'That's right, I may have lost the battle, but I won the war.'

Like hell, I would ever let Melissa one-up me.

"Khh..."

Just as things were getting heated between Melissa and me, yet again, a throbbing pain coursed through my body, prompting me to let out a groan.

This instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.

As she was already seated next to me, the first one to help me was Amanda who worriedly asked.

"Are you okay?"

"...Somewhat."

I replied with a forced smile. To be honest, I was anything but fine. Although I had survived, the damage that my soul took was significant.

'I need to find something to heal my soul.'

Though extremely rare, there were definitely ways to heal someone's soul.

The damage to my soul wasn't to the extent that it would affect me in any way, but looking back at what just happened, I felt that I needed to somehow find a way to heal my soul.

The sense of discomfort that it brought wasn't something I quite liked.

Just as I was about to make my mind up about how to heal my soul, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

'Wait, what if this has also been planned by him?'

At this realization, my body froze completely.

Ever since meeting the other Ren, or to be more precise, the entity inside of my body, he had always been acting in a way that made it seem as though everything was going according to how he planned.

...and so far, it seemed to be true.

Everything that had happened to me seemed to have already been planned beforehand by someone. From the incident back at the hotel with Matthew to the dome incident. Everything just felt so warped and altered that made me think of the possibility of it being something that the other entity had planned.

It was only a hypothesis for now, but it wasn't one that I was willing to discard.

truly like that, then it meant

direction that I should take would be to heal

if he wanted me to heal my soul? ...but if it was truly like that, why would he reveal to me

'This...'

thinking, the greater the throbbing sensation in my head

or whoever he was, he was definitely trying to mess up

realized why I had never been able to get the upper hand

it was just that he was

Just like now.

I

I heal

fists clenched tightly. This was definitely

I think we need

from the distance.

one of us spoke. Then, turning her head,

was his name

"Ren."

The queen answered.

face me one more time. Or rather, before that she glanced in Amanda's direction before looking back at

Her gaze felt weird.

want to say to you, but it looks like you're in no condition for it, so I will

her head slightly,

Thank you for what you did

room. Raising my head and seeing that she

fine. You don't have

Ren's doing, but that didn't mean I wasn't ever planning on helping her.

like to thank you. I was already grateful for the fact that you were willing to dispose of something so precious in order

"It's fine, really."

back, feeling a little bit awkward about the

on Amanda for a good while. Then, with

back now.

"...What about her?"

pointed

everything to them, I had no idea about what had happened

I was about to say something, Amanda's mother spoke

"Leave her be."

"Huh?"

from my

as almost everyone in the room

shock, the elven

"How come?"

answering the elven queen, Amanda's mother shook

is no point. Since she's now contracted to that boy, I mean Ren, all I

never have happened had it not been for her. We

displeasure was understandable. Being a queen, she naturally had to be more ruthless than others,

elven queen, Amanda's

demon, to begin with. She was just following orders. The people I should be angry about should be the ones behind her. Not

in Angelica's direction.

forgiven you. Had it not been for my daughter, I would've loved nothing more but to have followed Maylin's

her words, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh,

my fault for being careless. Had I

a soft smile on her face, Amanda's mother took a step

on her face, but it didn't look like she would

leave was Melissa. Still mad about the words I said to rebuke her, she only gave me a

was Kevin who left after a simple

should get some

whether to leave or not, but as soon as her eyes paused on Angelica, she quickly

Clank—

doors closed, the only people that remained in the room were Angelica and I. Lifting my head up with

"Rough day, huh?"

***

Issanor, infirmary.