Ludwig must have sensed I was scheming, because his voice turned sharp. "Don't even think about trying anything funny."
I forced an awkward smile and gently stroked his arm, as if trying to soothe a wild animal. "What are you talking about? My mind is completely blank right now. I can only think about you."
I am so fucked.
"You really don't remember, do you?" Ludwig's grip tightened again. I shook my head frantically, pulling his arm and pressing it to my cheek.
"No, I'm sorry, my mind's a blank because you were just... choking me…" I looked up at him with the most pathetic, sorrowful expression I could muster. A flicker of something—doubt?—crossed Ludwig's face. I took the chance and smiled as harmlessly as possible. "But I've made so many mistakes. If you could just give me a little hint…"
Ugh. Ludwig bit his lip, his posture stiffening. "No. Absolutely not. You will figure it out yourself. That was our promise."
"You really can't recall?"
"No, no, I remember! I remember…"
"You—!" Ludwig's furious voice echoed in the bedroom. I flinched. My mouth was completely dry from nervousness.
"You said you would give me your answer the next day."
"Uh, huh?"
"You said you would answer my proposal the next day," Ludwig repeated, his face contorting as if he were about to cry. The corners of his eyes twitched. "And then, the day after my confession… you vanished. Did you… did you hate the idea that much?"
"…"
And just like that, the dream I'd had before waking up came flooding back.
'Lee Hyun… be my companion.'
I also remembered the exact words of my reply.
'I… I wasn't expecting this… It's so sudden. Can you give me just one day to think?'
I had smiled shyly as I said it, implying that my answer would be yes. Ludwig's expression, which had been tense the whole time, had instantly brightened.
'Of course.'
'Thank you, Ludwig.'
And the very next day, I enlisted in the military.
* * *
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.
I remembered. I remembered everything. A wave of shame washed over me, and I couldn't meet Ludwig's gaze. I should have just rejected him back then. You absolute idiot, I cursed my past self. Why did you do that?
"Ah, so you remember now," Ludwig said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I thought you needed time. A week, perhaps. Becoming the Empress of an empire is a decision that requires careful thought, after all."
"…"
"A month later, I issued a nationwide wanted order. By then, I was certain something terrible had happened to you. I could barely breathe."
"Ludwig…"
"I searched the back alleys every single day. I felt like my blood was drying up as I searched through slave markets and brothels! I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw your face." His voice cracked. "You were crying, begging me to save you. I haven't slept a single peaceful night since you left."
Ludwig's mouth was twisted in a painful grimace. He lowered his head and took a long, shuddering breath, as if trying to contain an overflowing dam of emotion. I inadvertently reached out and gently stroked his cheek. He flinched but didn't pull away.
His cheeks were tragically sunken. His once-smooth face was now covered in rough stubble, as if he hadn't bothered with basic grooming in years. I remembered how his skin had always been as flawless as a peeled egg, even when he was covered in grime on the battlefield. Seeing him now, I could finally begin to grasp just how much he must have suffered.
A pang of guilt, sharp and deep, stabbed me. To be honest, after I enlisted, I barely thought about the game. I was too busy with basic training, then adapting to military life, then getting hit with the reality of my future. The game and its characters kept getting pushed further down my list of priorities. And if I'm being really honest with myself, my plan at the time was probably centered on my stream.
If he really loves me, he can wait two years, I had likely thought. If I reject him, he might end up with someone else in the meantime. It's better to just leave things ambiguous. That way, it'll make for better reunion content when I come back.
I was such an asshole…
To the man who had waited five agonizing years for me… what was the first thing I said?
'Big bro is back, you bastards!'
Thinking of the words I'd had emblazoned in the sky, I squeezed my eyes shut. For the first time, I thought that maybe I really did deserve to be killed.
"It took me three years to finally admit to myself that you hadn't been kidnapped," Ludwig continued, his voice hollow. "You always had a habit of disappearing and reappearing."
"…"
"And today, your grand entrance confirmed it for me. It wasn't a kidnapping. It was simply that I meant nothing to you."
"No, that's not true! You could never mean nothing…"
"Then you wouldn't have left me like this."
"…"
I had nothing to say. This AI was way too good at arguing.
"I thought about it constantly," he said.
"Th-thought about what?"
"The reason. Why did you leave? Did you think your job was done now that I was emperor? Or was the burden of my title too much for you? I would have given it all up, you know. I would have abandoned the throne for you."
"…"
"I even considered that you'd gotten proposals from all four of us… and simply lost interest in this world."
A shiver went down my spine when he got dangerously close to the truth. Ludwig's eyes narrowed suspiciously. I forced a cough to distract him. "Kolok! My throat… it still hurts from before…"
Ludwig stared at me for a long moment before the corners of his mouth pulled into a chilling smile. "I thought I would die if I never found out the truth. But luckily, I found you while you were still alive."
"Uh, huh?"
"Tell me. Why did you leave me?" he whispered, his voice dangerously soft. "And it had better be a reason that I find convincing."
The hand on my neck tightened again. His eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot. My face went pale.
I am so, so screwed.
"No, wait, you have to let go for me to talk! I-I'm so flustered right now, I can't even think straight!" I babbled, tapping his arm. To my surprise, he actually loosened his grip. I wrapped my own hands around my throat, coughing theatrically while I frantically tried to buy time. What can I say to get out of this?
"You know what's interesting?" he murmured. His cool index finger gently traced the bridge of my nose.
"Wh-what?"
"You get a little frown right here, between your eyes, just before you lie."
"…Haha."
"The only reason you're still alive is not because I believe you'll tell the truth. It's because I'm morbidly curious to see what kind of masterpiece of a lie you'll concoct for me this time."
Is that so? I really hate AIs that are this advanced… I made a silent vow that if I ever got out of this, I would never touch a game with advanced AI again.
"But I don't know how long my patience will last," Ludwig added, his voice dropping an octave.
"You're lying," I blurted out. "You're lying about waiting for me all this time."
"And why do you think that?"
"Because if you really waited for me… why would you try to kill me the moment you saw me?"
A dry, mocking laugh escaped Ludwig's lips. He tilted my head back. "Do you know what I used to think, during all those years of searching the back alleys?" he asked. "I begged the gods every day to let me find your body. Or, if not that, just a strand of hair, or a fingernail."
"…"
A fingernail? That's way too creepy.
"I decided then," he whispered, his eyes boring into mine. "I would rather kill you and keep you by my side forever than lose you again and live with the regret."
"W-well, wouldn't it be better to have a living Lee Hyun than a dead Lee Hyun?" I tried, attempting to sound cute by referring to myself in the third person. Ludwig chuckled, as if my efforts were pathetic.
"We disagree on that point. A pity."
He finds my pathetic attempts funny? Then why not just kill me and get it over with?
Just then, a sharp knock echoed through the silent room. Ludwig and I both turned our heads toward the door.
"Your Majesty, General Cromhart is here to see you."
"Tell him I will finish soon."
Finish? Finish what? A wave of terror washed over me. I looked up at Ludwig like a cornered animal.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The servant's footsteps receded, and Ludwig's gaze returned to me. He radiated the aura of an apex predator, and I was his prey. If Ludwig was a lion, I wasn't even a mouse. I was an ant, an aphid, something he could crush without a second thought. I felt death breathing down my neck. In a final, desperate move, I grabbed Ludwig by the collar and pulled him down to me.
"!"
His back muscles tensed as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel his hot, surprised breath near my ear. I half-expected him to fling me across the room, but to my shock, he remained still, held in my desperate embrace.
It was time to perform the masterpiece of my life.
"You can't do this to me, Ludwig," I whispered into his ear, my voice filled with manufactured sorrow. "Not without knowing what I went through."
"…What are you talking about?"
"Exactly what I said."