Stop Hypnotizing Me, Antagonist Princess!

Not only that, it even felt more generous and warmer than imagined... What am I thinking about?!

Tiya immediately snapped back to reality, the disgust in her eyes unmasked.

Not only that, the surging moonlight, like a tidal wave, rushed forward and congealed into a phantom sword blade, forcefully pressed against his chest.

Yet, Tiya ultimately underestimated the determination the young man had made for her.

Or rather, the determination made to break through the Witch's sealing.

The next second, ignoring the sharp blade at his chest, the young man leaned forward slightly, then lowered his head, and instantly closed the distance between their lips.

At the same time, the sound of a door opening came from behind.

[S-grade Plot Character "Tiya Yohusti"'s Plot Deviation has risen to 2.55%.]

...

Actually, when Xiya had just approached the door, his keen hearing let him detect that someone was whispering on the balcony.

However, he did not avoid them; instead, he found the female voice among those speaking vaguely familiar.

Tiya?

Xiya couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Due to the distance, he couldn't make out the words clearly.

He only felt that the deliberately lowered voice seemed a bit like hers, but rationally, it didn't seem right.

Although Tiya's presence had not been detected throughout the entire banquet, Hillena had received her invitation card, signifying that she had actually been there.

This was simply baffling.

She had obviously attended the banquet, so why pretend to be missing?

Or perhaps, she had disguised herself?

But why?

As someone who had always been close to her, Xiya couldn't think of any secrets Tiya might be keeping from him.

It was for this reason that the voice on the balcony immediately raised his suspicions.

If it really was Tiya, what was the purpose of meeting secretly with an unknown man at such a time, in such a secluded place?

Even though he was well aware that Tiya wouldn't do anything to betray him, remembering the scene that had occurred at the Jump Transition Matrix, a seed of doubt in Xiya's heart began to stir.

An indescribable emotion suddenly rose within him. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

He couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken.

Hopefully... it wasn't the situation he had envisioned.

With this thought in mind, Xiya no longer hesitated and immediately pushed open the balcony door.

The next second, an unexpected scene unfolded before him.

Above, under the night sky, the bright round moon cast down its serene light, making the entire balcony look as beautiful as a dream.

And at that moment, at the edge of the balcony, was a figure with his back to him.

The young man's figure appeared very tall, his black hair fluttering gently in the breeze, his head bowed, standing still, not knowing what he was doing.

Xiya couldn't help but frown again.

Then he suddenly noticed, apart from the young man in front of him, there seemed to be another person.

A... woman.

Looking at the pair of slender hands wrapped around the young man's back, Xiya realized in an instant that the two were kissing.

"Tiya?"

Although he knew it was unlikely, Xiya still called out softly.

As expected, there was no response.

Not only that, perhaps due to being too engrossed, those hands that should have been wrapped around the young man's back were now clawing deeply into the skin on his back, trembling slightly.

The woman's fingernails had even broken his skin, leaving trails of blood.

Even with a dozen meters apart, aided by the moonlight, Xiya could see that the young man's back was oozing blood.

Xiya couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

How deeply in love must two people be, and how intense must their passion be, for them to make such crazy gestures unconsciously during an affectionate kiss?

Love to the extreme is hurting each other.

Xiya had always scorned this saying, but now he suddenly felt there was some truth in it.

At least, the crazy couple before him seemed to fit the bill.

Though having realized this, Xiya felt a heavy weight instantly fall from his heart.

From this angle, it was impossible to discern the features of the woman embraced in the youth's arms.

But he didn't need to confirm it, as he was certain the person in question was not Tiya.

That doll-like girl, regardless of the burning passion within her heart, would only silently hide it away.

Besides himself, how could that posture possibly bloom for another man?

Moreover, even he hadn't received Tiya's first kiss.

Not to mention this stranger of dubious origin.

So, the answer was simple.

Tiya hadn't actually attended tonight's banquet.

Perhaps, her only reason for requesting those two invitations was to give them to a friend.

With this thought, Xiya no longer focused on the couple kissing on the balcony.

He had never been much interested in others' affairs.

At this realization, Xiya prepared to turn and leave.

Although his contacts with Tiya had been limited to hand-holding and shoulder-leaning, which invariably distressed her, Xiya was ultimately not in a hurry.

He wasn't some sex-starved ghost; after all, sexuality was merely one way to escalate intimacy between lovers.

Besides, there were about ten days left until the long-awaited Moonlight Holy Scripture at the Silent Church.

At that time, Tiya would pray to the goddess to lift the curse from her, becoming his partner officially.

Thinking this, Xiya descended the stairs in good spirits.

He planned to leave this dull banquet and check on the Silent Church.

To see if Tiya had perhaps already gone home.

...

Accompanied by a soft sound, the door closed once more.

Footsteps gradually receded, and the previously intense and heavy atmosphere began to dissolve.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

At this quiet moment, on the silent balcony, the sound of liquid falling to the ground became increasingly clear.

Had Xiya lingered a moment longer, or had he not been preoccupied with complex thoughts, his keen senses might have detected something amiss.

At this instant, a moonlight beam, sharp as an icicle, materialized and pierced deep into Lynn's chest.

Blood spurted from the wound, ceaselessly dripping to the ground, pooling into a glaring pool.

Tiya stared blankly at the scene before her, inexplicably unable to utter a word.

When Lynn had drawn her into his arms, intent on kissing her, Tiya's instinctive reaction was to retaliate.

Yet the youth did not dodge or evade, allowing the light spear to pierce his chest.

Still, that kiss never landed; it only came close to her ear.

Or perhaps, from the start, the youth never intended to kiss her.

All this was just to create the illusion of a couple, to make Xiya leave sooner and help her extricate herself from the situation.

Noticing Tiya's stunned expression, not a hint of blame or resentment surfaced in Lynn's eyes.

"To avoid any misunderstandings on his part, I can endure actions that forsake my pride, like 'assisting a rival in love'," the youth said with a smile, as if his chest wound didn't exist.

But even Tiya could sense a touch of bitterness in his eyes.

Her hand, which had been clutching at his back, had unconsciously gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly.

The atmosphere fell into an odd silence.

It was only when Lynn started to cough violently and spit up blood that Tiya was jolted back to reality from her turbulent thoughts.

Realizing they had been maintaining this position for some time, panic set in, and she instinctively let go of her embrace around Lynn's back, intending to push him away.

But seeing him cough up blood softened her resolve, pulling nearly all her strength from the action.

So the hand that should have pushed him away now gently lay on his chest, lightly grasping his shirt.

It was like the affectionate bickering between lovers.