579 Autumn Palace
The air hung heavy with tension as Ren, Elena, and Prince Zeroth approached the outskirts of the Autumn Palace. The path ahead was shrouded in shadows, and a sense of foreboding loomed over them.
"There's still a few meters before we reach Autumn Palace," Elena whispered. "Let's keep both eyes out for potential trouble."
"Agreed. We need to proceed cautiously." Prince Zeroth, his features etched with concern, added, "And let's not make any commotion and use any magic. I've heard this place is sensitive to magic. We don't want to give our location away."
The trio moved in silence, their steps light and deliberate. They strained their senses to detect any hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. The silence of the forest was broken only by the sound of their steady footsteps echoing through the dense foliage.
But for Ren, this was his chance to play the 'Accidental Slip.'
Elena was a proud warrior, and she wouldn't tolerate someone lesser than her as her partner.
Ren, determined to lower his relationship level with Elena, decided to play the clumsy card. As they walked together through the forest, Ren pretended to stumble and 'accidentally' fell into the dirt.
But instead, Elena was quick on her toes and caught him. Her eyes sparkled with affection as she held Ren closer, saying, "Geez, why are you being clumsily now? Want me to carry you."
Ren hastily stepped back. He quickly pulled out his "brusque, tsundere" card from his imaginary deck and prepared to play it.
"I'm fine," he snapped, his voice adopting an exaggerated tough-guy tone. "I don't need your help! Stop acting like you're my mother!"
Elena blinked in surprise, her hand frozen mid-air before she broke into tiny peels of giggles. "What do you want me to be then?" she asked, tone suggestive while her eyebrows moved up and down.
Ugh . . . damn this [INTIMATE] relationship. Ren cursed in his head. He had a guess that it was the reason why Elena was talking to him that way like she couldn't find fault in whatever he said and did.
Ren didn't give up, though, and pulled another ace in his sleeves that would surely lower Elena's feelings for him.
Ren thought that playing harmless pranks on the Princess would make her see him as less desirable. He tried everything from silly jump scares to innocent pranks like giving her flowers that spit out poison.
However, each time, Elena laughed, finding his antics endearing and adorable. Her infectious laughter filled the air, and Ren couldn't help but click his tongue, realizing that his attempts were backfiring.
In a moment of desperation, Ren decided to stage a situation where he appeared as the bumbling player who messed everything up. However, as fate would have it, his clumsy actions inadvertently saved Elena from a falling object and a mischievous creature.
Elena, grateful for his "heroic" intervention, embraced him tightly, convinced that he was her knight in shining armor.
Ren's plan to lower his relationship level crumbled before his eyes.
Despite Ren's best intentions, his actions and words always seemed to backfire, resulting in Elena falling even more deeply in love with him. The more he tried to distance himself, the closer she drew, misunderstanding his gestures as expressions of affection.
Each comedic attempt only strengthened their bond, leaving Ren in a hilarious predicament of unintentionally capturing her heart.
No matter what Ren tried, his attempts to lower his relationship level with Elena always seemed to fail, leading to her falling deeper in love with him. Each scene showcased his unintentional charm, making Elena see his actions as adorable quirks rather than deterrents.
Ren found himself caught in a web of misinterpretations, leaving him both frustrated and amused by the system's program for this [Intimate] relationship.
It was like whatever he did, Elena would love him no matter what even if he cursed her on her face. And Ren couldn't help but think who program it like so – he wanted to slap him left and right.
"You really know how to capture her heart." Prince Zeroth couldn't help but comment and gave a thumbs up at Ren.
Ren wanted to wipe the smirk on his face with his fist; maybe then the Prince would realize that his true love is Elena, and they would end up with each other in the end.
It was not like he didn't like the princess or anything; it was just . . . it was not in his nature to have multiple relationships, even if it was just in the virtual world.
And he loved Evie too much to even entertain the idea.
But what could he do now?
Ren was in a dilemma . . . not realizing that they had already infiltrated the Autumn Palace with Prince Zeroth's lead.
As they crept closer to their destination, the atmosphere grew thicker with an eerie stillness. The ancient walls seemed to watch them, the figurines reaching out like skeletal fingers. The air itself held its breath as if holding a secret that refused to be revealed.
"That's odd . . . why there aren't any soldiers?" the Prince muttered.
"Maybe they're still busy searching for us?" answered Elena.
Ren was silent and brooding in the back when they finally reached the throne room without his knowledge.
His mind was occupied with so many thoughts, mostly about how to lower his [Relationship Level] with Elena, even if it was futile.
There's got to be a way.
"You took so long."
Ren's thoughts were disrupted by that familiar voice. Looking over, he saw Russet on the throne, looking down at them with a smirk on her face. Her presence sent a chill down his spine.
Prince Zeroth's hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword as he locked eyes with the malicious queen.
"You sure took your time," Russet taunted, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Did you really think that I wouldn't know that you're coming in here?"
Well . . . it was obvious. Ren thought. This place was the root of it all, so there was no way that they wouldn't go here.
Ren knew that it might be a trap coming in here, but he had no choice but to go along with the storyline and hope for the best.
Anyway, he had Elena and the Prince with him . . . what could possibly go wrong?
