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.

then it meant that my every move

the logical direction that I should take would be to heal my

my soul? ...but if it was truly like that, why would he reveal to me that he had purposely damaged my

'This...'

started thinking, the greater the

he was, he was definitely trying to mess

so that I finally realized why I had never been able to

he had everything planned, but it was just that he

Just like now.

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

heal

tightly. This

looks quite tired, I think we need to

suddenly heard a sweet voice from the distance.

brief moment neither one of us spoke. Then, turning

his name

"Ren."

The queen answered.

her to face me one more time. Or rather, before that she glanced in Amanda's direction before looking back at me with a strange look on her

Her gaze felt weird.

Ren, there are many things that I want to say to you, but it looks like you're in

head slightly, she

Thank you for what

Raising my head and seeing that she still had

fine. You don't

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

fact that you were willing to dispose of something so precious in order to heal me, but after seeing

"It's fine, really."

feeling a little

eyes paused on Amanda for a good while. Then, with a

head back now. You should definitely get some

"...What about her?"

to leave, the elven queen pointed in Angelica's direction.

I had no idea about what had happened whilst I was

I was about to

"Leave her be."

"Huh?"

escaped from my

wasn't the only one that reacted this way as almost everyone in the room

the shock,

"How come?"

the elven queen, Amanda's mother shook her

contracted to that boy, I mean Ren, all

would've never have happened had it not been for her. We

Amanda's mother's words. Her displeasure was understandable. Being a queen, she naturally had to be more ruthless than others, and as a sovereign, being lenient towards enemies was a big

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

begin with. She was just following orders. The people

she looked in Angelica's direction. Her brows furrowed

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

eyes and letting out a sigh, she

for being careless. Had I been

a soft smile on her face, Amanda's mother took a step out of the room and

displeasure on her face, but it didn't look like

words I said to rebuke her, she only gave me a casual look

who

get

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

Clank—

the only people that remained in the room were Angelica and I. Lifting my

"Rough day, huh?"

***

Issanor, infirmary.