Argh...
The sunlight streaming through the windows along the sides of the hall forced my eyes open.
"What time is it now?"
The hall remained silent. It seemed no one would answer me, but it didn't matter; by looking through the windows and seeing the sun high in the sky, I could deduce it was noon.
'When I visited Lisa's room yesterday, it was around this time. That means I've slept on this throne for an entire day...'
I slowly rose from the throne, noticing there was no change in my body. My muscles weren't stiff, and my back didn't ache—it was almost as if I hadn't spent a whole day sleeping on a hard, uncomfortable throne.
'Yesterday I didn't think much about it when Lisa slapped me and I didn't get hurt. Thinking about it now, it must be because of Kael's indestructible body, a body forged through battles and bathed in the blood of a dragon.'
After recalling yesterday's events, I decided to do some basic stretches. Even though it wasn't necessary with this body, it was still a habit from my previous life.
A few minutes passed; I finished all the stretches, and yet, I wasn't hungry.
'Just like in the tale, Kael doesn't eat often, but when he does, he needs to consume a huge amount of nutrients.'
I leaned back onto the throne again, thinking about my next step:
'In the tale, Kael's downfall is due to many factors, but the main ones are the commoners, the nobility, traitors within the revolutionary army, and of course, the princess and the hero.'
'The commoners aren't a problem, since they love the princess. By controlling the princess, I'll also control the people. The traitors can be dealt with in time—I already know who they are thanks to the tale.'
'The princess is at my mercy, so I don't need to worry about her for now. That only leaves the hero and the nobility. But the hero is protected by the fairies, and that old woman's warning about them only makes me more cautious.'
'That's it. I'll deal with the nobility first. It'll be complicated, since threatening them will only make them more likely to betray me, and giving in to their interests isn't viable either, as that would only increase their power and influence in the kingdom, which is far from ideal.'
'As for diplomacy... Forget it. Those cunning nobles can and will betray me for sure. That leaves me only one option—to play their game of interests. I'll let them think I'm easy to fool and manipulate, so they won't even notice my real objective.'
I rose from the throne, finishing my thoughts and quickly putting together an improvised plan.
I rang a bell several times, producing a Dim-dom Dim-dom sound. Drawn by it, the head maid rushed into the hall, knowing that if she delayed answering this call, she would be executed.
"Lord Kael, what is the reason for your summons?" She bowed and spoke breathlessly, using a sweet tone of voice that sounded unpleasant to my ears.
My eyes locked on the newcomer, scanning her from head to toe: she had fair skin, brown eyes, and long brown hair, along with a curvy body accentuated by a maid's outfit that clung tightly to her frame, especially around her chest and rear.
Her bowed posture revealed a deep cleavage, provocative, as if she were trying to seduce me. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't working on me.
'Do I look like some horny teenager who's easily seduced?' I kept those thoughts to myself, but her seductive act was starting to irritate me.
This woman was Aveline. I didn't know much about her, but what I knew was enough to make me want to kill her. In the tale, she was a sly maid who collected and sold information to the nobles. Her past was never revealed, and in the tale she was personally executed by Kael for selling secret information.
Looking at her now, I could easily deduce she had reached the position of head maid by selling her body to the previous king—the very one I killed. For now, I didn't have a suitable replacement for this position, so she still had a few days left to live.
'Tch, lucky her.'
I put on an indifferent smile, hiding any thoughts from my face, and ordered: "Aveline, prepare a great banquet and invite all the nobles to the castle. In the invitation, make it clear that it is a business banquet where cooperation will be discussed. Those who do not attend will be politically alienated and slowly excluded from the nobility."
"I'll do my very best, my lord!" she said with a sweet smile, adjusting her neckline slightly to give me a better view of her assets.
I didn't like her relaxed attitude, so I looked at her one last time and added: "If that banquet isn't ready within three days, I'll rip your head off."
I noticed her body stiffen. She saw the seriousness in my words and immediately left after bowing, seeming eager to fulfill my orders.
'What a dedicated maid... too bad she'll die.'
Leaving those matters aside, I decided to focus on the more urgent problem at hand—how to make Lisa fall in love with me.
'I already have her hatred. Now I need to win her heart.'
Honestly, it will take a lot of work and be tedious, but what can I do? I don't want to die.
After rising from the throne, I made my way through the dark corridor to Lisa's room, ignoring any trembling servants along the way.
The elite knights guarding the door were the same as yesterday, which displeased me, since it could interfere with my plans and create undesirable variables.
"Hey, you two."
Both knights straightened up, trembling and sweating coldly, fearing that my next words would seal their fate.
"From today on, I don't want to see any familiar faces guarding this door. If I do, that man will be killed on the spot... Are we clear?"
"U-Understood," they stammered, letting out a silent sigh of relief, as if spared from a terrible fate.
"You're dismissed. And I don't want to see you guarding this door tomorrow." I said before entering the room. The two guards nodded in fear and quickly left as I passed them.
'Perfect. Now the knights guarding Lisa's room will be rotated daily, eliminating the chance for her to form bonds with them, keeping her isolated from everyone so that she can only interact with and rely on me.'
'I feel like trash for manipulating her like this... but what choice do I have?'
Lisa hadn't woken yet. She was wrapped in the sheets, her hair messy and spread across the pillow. Her expression was serene, but deeply sad.
Seeing her so vulnerable brought a smile to my face, but knowing the reason she was still asleep made it vanish.
'She probably cried all night, just like in the tale. Forcing a kiss on her yesterday must have made things worse.'
I sat beside her, gently caressing her face, dragging my fingers through her messy hair, slowly aligning it.
It didn't take long for Lisa to wake. She opened her eyes slowly, releasing a sigh of satisfaction at being caressed. She seemed happy, as if dreaming of a place where she could ignore reality and be at peace.
But when her eyes opened fully, her body stiffened instantly. Her eyes filled with disgust and she pulled away abruptly, fleeing my touch.
"Don't touch me, you bastard!" she shouted in a sharp voice.
"Why did you pull away? You seemed to be enjoying it..." Seeing her react so intensely, I couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
"How did you get into my room?!" she blushed and said through clenched teeth, frustrated with herself for letting someone see her in that state—especially me.
"Hahahahah." I couldn't help but laugh at such a naive question. Is there any place I cannot enter?
"What are you laughing at, y-you monster!" she stammered at the end, seemingly struggling to find an insult with her limited vocabulary.
"You're cute." The soft words slipped from my lips. She looked so adorable it felt impossible to feel lust for her—only the urge to hug her, to touch her, to kiss her, to lock her away in a room and never let her out.
'Oops. That last thought must've been the original Kael's dark instincts... though it does sound like a good idea.'
'No! Focus on your main objective—winning Lisa's heart. Put those dark thoughts aside.'
"What did you just call me?" Lisa asked hesitantly, incredulous at what she heard.
"I called you cute. And Lisa... I love you!" I suddenly blurted out, shocking even myself.
'Why the hell did I say that!?!? What about the slow manipulation plan I made!?!?'
Lisa froze for a few seconds before replying with a grimace, looking nauseated at the thought: "You love me?"
'FUUUCK!!!'
Trying to regain control of the situation, I forced a teasing smile and said: "Look at that face of disgust... Do you really hate me so much that you feel sick at my feelings? That hurts my heart."
Anger flared in Lisa's eyes, and a sharp retort followed: "You sadistic bastard! Do you actually enjoy tormenting me?"
'Nice. Now she dismissed my love confession as just another provocation.'
I grinned broadly, pleased with my quick reaction, but Lisa took my smile as confirmation of her accusation.
In her fury, Lisa grabbed a pillow to hit me with. But if even swords can't hurt me, what could a pillow do? Absolutely nothing.
'Looks like my little princess is still rebellious. I'll have to knock some sense into her.'
I slapped the pillow away and lunged at Lisa with a dark expression, grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head while pressing her body into the bed. Her body was tiny against mine, yet the feel of her curves pressed to my muscles was delightful.
I almost did something that would have completely ruined my plans, but I regained my senses when I saw Lisa's eyes shut tightly, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind. She seemed to be bracing herself to be violated right then, crying silently in regret for provoking me.
But what she expected never came. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was my gentle gaze and a comforting smile.
"Lisa... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to tease you a little."
'Well, I really did want to scare you... but like hell I'd admit that.'
Lisa ignored my words of comfort and whispered softly: "Please, get off me."
Her tearful tone was enough to make me obey silently. I truly was starting to feel bad for doing this to her.
'Please... That was the first time she's ever said that to me... But I wish it hadn't been in a situation like this.'
A heavy silence lingered in the room. Neither of us wanted to speak. Lisa's silence only made me more anxious. I had ruined everything... What if she never forgives me? What if she never loves me because of this?
'Why am I thinking about love right now? Staying alive should be enough for me, even if she hates me... But why does that thought hurt so much?'
"You know... you're different from before..." Her soft words froze me, and I turned to look at her.
"What do you mean?" I asked curtly, gazing deeply into her blue eyes. To my surprise, she met my stare without fear.
"You're not Kael."
Her words made my pupils dilate. Of all the possible responses I imagined, that one was definitely not among them.