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.

it meant that my

would be to heal my soul, but what if that was also part of the

was truly like that, why would he reveal to me that he

'This...'

thinking, the greater the throbbing sensation in my

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

finally realized why I had never been able to

that he had everything planned, but it was just that he was playing a

Just like now.

everything that he had said, I no longer had any idea

heal my

This was

I think we need to

voice from the distance. Turning my head, my eyes with

met, for a brief moment neither one of us spoke. Then, turning her head, she looked toward

his name

"Ren."

The queen answered.

Amanda's mother turned her to face me one more time. Or rather, before that she glanced in Amanda's direction before looking

Her gaze felt weird.

there are many things that I want to say to you, but it looks

head

you. Thank you for

of time, silence enveloped the room. Raising my head

don't have to mention

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

of something so precious in

"It's fine, really."

a little bit awkward about

Amanda's mother's eyes paused on Amanda for a good while. Then, with a soft

back now. You should definitely get some

"...What about her?"

leave, the elven queen pointed

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

I was about to say something, Amanda's

"Leave her be."

"Huh?"

my mouth as

only one that reacted this way as almost everyone in the room aside from Melissa who had no

the shock, the

"How come?"

answering the elven queen, Amanda's

Since she's now contracted to that boy, I mean Ren, all

for her. We don't have to kill her, but

queen replied, obviously displeased by Amanda's mother's words. Her displeasure was understandable. Being a queen, she naturally had to be more ruthless than

the direction of the elven queen, Amanda's mother merely shrugged

orders. The people I should be angry about should be the ones behind

in Angelica's direction. Her

wrong, just because I'm not acting up doesn't mean that I have forgiven you. Had it not been for my daughter, I

eyes and letting out a sigh,

careless. Had I

mother took a step out

displeasure on her face, but it didn't

their disappearance, the next one to leave was Melissa. Still mad about the words I said to rebuke

who left after

should get

left. She looked uncertain about whether to leave or not, but as soon as her eyes paused on Angelica, she quickly made up her mind and also bid

Clank—

that remained in the room were

"Rough day, huh?"

***

Issanor, infirmary.