How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 325: Establishing Relationships .5

Chapter 325: Establishing Relationships .5



But more than that, something about the way Snow had handled the situation didn't quite sit right with me.

Snow was many things-prideful, calculating, and not the type to lose a bet so easily.

If what Rose was telling me was accurate, then the whole thing didn't make much sense. Had Snow planned to lose from the very start?

Snow was an ice mage. If their ridiculous battle had involved nothing but cold sweets, then Snow's victory should have been practically guaranteed.

After all, the cold was her natural ally-her body and mana naturally resonated with it, allowing her to regulate the effects far better than any ordinary person.

In contrast, while Rose was undoubtedly a talented mage in her own right, she didn't possess the same affinity with ice magic.

She had no innate resistance to the cold, no way to mitigate the effects like Snow did.

And yet... Rose had won.

'Something wasn't adding up.'

As we continued walking, Rose glanced at me, her golden eyes flickering under the dim light.

"...Are you mad?" she asked softly.

"Why would I be?" I responded without much thought.

"Well... we just decided something that involved you on our own..."

I let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of my head. "Hm... I can't say I'm not annoyed, but it's not like I can bring myself to hate you for it. Let's just say my two lovers played a game, and you won with me as the price. That's all."

"L-Lovers...?"

I turned to look at her just in time to catch the way her expression froze.

Her cheeks, which had been pale from all the sweets earlier, were now flushed a deep red. She looked utterly stunned, as if the weight of my words had just fully settled in.

"Well..." I shrugged slightly, offering her a small, amused smile. "After everything, it's safe to say we're in some kind of relationship now, right?"

Rose swallowed, her lips parting slightly. "Y-Yes..." she whispered. Then, after a beat, she hesitantly asked, "Does that mean... I'm Riley's girlfriend now?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Rose blinked.

And then, just like that, her usual cool and collected demeanor cracked completely.

Her entire face turned bright red, and for the first time in a long while, she looked genuinely flustered.

It was rare-incredibly rare-to see Rose lose her composure like this.

Normally, she was so composed, so in control of herself. But right now, in this moment, she wasn't the ever-graceful, ever-poised Rose everyone knew her as.

Right now, she was just... a girl.

I exhaled slowly, my own thoughts swirling in my head.

Honestly... I still had doubts.

Not about Rose, but about everything. About what counted as a good decision or a bad one.

About the mess I was inevitably getting myself into with all the girls involved in my life. About the consequences that would come crashing down sooner or later.

But I knew one thing for sure-ignoring it wouldn't make it go away.

If I kept dodging it, if I kept pretending like I could just avoid dealing with it... it would only come back to bite me in the end.

It was better to establish things now, to define my relationship with Rose properly, before things spiraled too far out of control.

Because if her unexpected appearance here in the imperial had already caused this much chaos...

"I intend to take all of you as my first wives, you know?"

Rose's eyes widened at my words, her breath catching. "First... wives?"

The sheer absurdity of what I said finally registered with her. She blinked a few times,

processing, and then-

"Pfft—"

She let out a disbelieving laugh, her cheeks flushing red.

Letting Rose laugh her heart out I smiled as I notification screen flash before my eyes.

[Note: The harem path will lead to ruin...]

At this point, I didn't really care anymore.

I had already made my promise to the goddess-to save this world.

I had already voiced my wish before her, and I had already set my purpose: to bring happiness

to the people of this world.

Not just characters in some preordained story, but real people, with real emotions and lives

that deserved fulfillment.

Even if the fates had written a different ending for me, even if Liyana was meant to be the

Great Evil-the chaos destined to devour and destroy everything-I refused to follow that

script.

The me that the fates had dictated to die by her hands? He didn't exist anymore.

The other versions of me had entrusted everything to me.

Their failures were not something to be repeated....

I would carve my own path.

Liyana was supposed to be erased from this world that was what the goddess told me.

A being who had no place in the cycle of existence, someone whose very survival was a

contradiction of pure Chaos.

Eliminating her was the best option...

But I had no intention of doing that.

The goddess may have asked me to stop all the evil that was to come... but I would do it in my

own way.

If she was destined to bring chaos, then I would be the one to hold her close.

If the world saw her as a monster, then I would be the one to see her as a person. Because I knew-more than anyone-that Liyana had given up everything, even her own

power, for the sake of giving me happiness in that other lifetime.

So, I would do the same for her.

Even if the world turned against her-even if she turned against me--I would find a way to

give her the happiness she deserved.

Liyana might be a little crazy. 'But she's mine~'