TIRS 87

Chapter 87: 

Even If I Have to Break the Order of This World
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After a long moment, their lips parted.

Helheim quietly looked down at Luibel, who was still trembling in his arms.

“…….”

“…….”

No words passed between them, yet Helheim’s gaze, filled with a love so overwhelming it was almost unbearable, made Luibel feel slightly shy.

Slowly, Helheim reached out and gently rubbed the reddened corners of her eyes.

“Luibel.”

His deep, subdued voice called her name.

“Luibel.”

It was as if the only purpose of his words was to speak her name; he continued to murmur it over and over.

“Luibel, Azester.”

“Why… why do you keep calling me that?”

Luibel, her face burning with embarrassment, averted her gaze and replied coyly.

Then a low, soft laugh spilled over her head.

Luibel glared at him, her ears turning bright red.

Well… she tried to glare.

If it weren’t for the lips suddenly pressing against her eye…

“Y-you…!”

Her sharp, glaring eyes widened in shock.

Confusion, embarrassment, and a fluttering excitement swirled together, leaving her completely at a loss.

Helheim pressed a kiss to the other corner of her eye, then cupped her flushed cheeks with both hands and laughed brightly at Luibel, who was hopping and squirming.

For a moment, Luibel simply stared at him.

His smiling face… so brilliant, so captivating.

Noticing her inner thoughts, he smirked and asked brazenly,

“Fallen for me again, Your Highness?”

“Again? I-I never said I fell for you!”

Caught off guard, Luibel stammered.

“You kept staring at me from the moment we first met. That’s why I thought you had fallen for me back then.”

“…!”

Guiltily, Luibel remembered their first encounter in the corridors of the Azester Royal Palace.

In a world where Hezen was the protagonist, she had stared blankly at him, who had an even stronger presence than Hezen, out of sheer curiosity.

Technically, she had been fascinated by his striking appearance, so it wasn’t entirely wrong to say she had been captivated.

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

Luibel hurriedly denied it.

“You have such a wild imagination. I’m not the type to fall for someone just because of their looks.”

She lifted her chin with a haughty gesture, making him giggle.

“Really? What a shame.”

Then, lowering his voice to a seductive whisper, he murmured,

“I think I’ve been in love with you since then, Luibel.”

“…!”

Luibel involuntarily held her breath, then let out an indignant exhale.

“That’s a lie! You tried to kill me!”

She still remembered the time in the western garden of the palace when he had attacked her.

Yet now, as he claimed he had fallen for her from the start, she couldn’t bring herself to resent him, instead giving him a grudging glare.

“You’re being unreasonable. That’s just your imagination.”

Helheim spoke in a mock disappointed tone.

Luibel immediately recalled that day’s conversation:

“You fell at first sight, didn’t you?”

“Lies! You tried to kill me at first sight!”

“It’s just how I felt.”

The memory of that encounter was so vivid that she remembered every single word.

“Don’t doubt my love. It hurts if you keep doubting it.”

“What nonsense…”

“…as if my heart would be torn apart.”

Luibel snorted.

“Ha! So your heart really does hurt as if it’s being torn apart, huh?”

“Oh? How did you know?”

Helheim pressed a hand to his chest and blinked innocently.

Though it seemed genuinely sincere, Luibel wasn’t fooled.

“I’m the one whose heart feels torn! I ended up like this with a man who tried to kill me.”

“Now that it’s come to this, why don’t we explore this… and that kind of relationship?”

Helheim gently grabbed Luibel’s wrist and whispered softly, tempting her.

“That… and that kind of relationship? What does that mean?”

Luibel pouted as she looked at her wrist in his grasp.

Helheim suppressed the urge to kiss her lips, bowing elegantly instead.

“Luibel Azester, Third Princess.”

With the same polite, tender voice and manner as their intense first meeting.

“Please allow me to stay by your side, Your Highness.”

Realizing he was recreating that day’s scene, Luibel quietly watched him.

“Stay by my side… forever and always.”

Helheim pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

That day, her heart had almost exploded from fear; today, it felt like it would burst for a completely different reason.

When Luibel couldn’t respond immediately, Helheim lingered on her hand, his lips still touching it, before slowly lifting his head.

He pressed his cheek to her hand, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Hmm? You won’t allow me?”

“…….”

“I want to be in that… and that kind of relationship with you, Your Highness.”

“T-then, I’ll specially allow it!”

With that mischievous charm, Luibel, staring dumbly at his face, answered in a shrill voice.

Satisfied, he smiled lazily and pressed a kiss once more to her palm.

Although his lips touched her hand, her chest tingled in a way that was nearly unbearable.

It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced months ago when she became his lover after Hezen’s confession.

“By the way… when did you realize I’m not Ancelot Luenhart?”

Helheim straightened his bent posture and toyed with her hair as he asked.

“At first, I thought people were talking nonsense. You were originally such a gentle, sunny prince, weren’t you?”

“Why’s that?”

Helheim tilted his head, genuinely puzzled, but Luibel lightly ignored the comment.

“Also, so many ladies lined up to dance with you. Do you realize that? I thought you were so bad at dancing that you were planning a new way to kill me.”

“I did put my heart into it… but that’s harsh.”

Helheim said this in a voice devoid of any resentment.

In truth, he found her sharp, critical words and the way her lips moved when arguing irresistibly cute.

“Well, rumors and reality rarely match. I was willing to let it slide, but Arbella’s portrait of you looked nothing like the face I knew. Usually, royal and noble portraits are idealized…”

Luibel frowned and muttered, but Helheim suddenly burst into laughter.

“Huh? Why are you laughing…?”

Blinking, she wondered if she had said something wrong.

He looked extremely pleased.

“Because I realized it… I’m just too handsome.”

It was true, so she couldn’t argue, yet his self-confidence was… a bit much.

‘Should I call him shameless…?’

Luibel shook her head.

“Anyway, the way others see you and the way I see you… is quite different.”

“Only you can see my true self, Your Highness.”

Helheim clicked his fingers. Above his head, a blue nameplate appeared:

Prince Ancelot of Luenhart Kingdom

“Others see me as ‘Ancelot Luenhart’.”

“Then… I can’t see this nameplate?”

“It’s a fake name to deceive the system. But, unlike other players, Your Highness subtly exists outside the system’s order, so you can’t see it.”

Luibel finally understood. Previously, it was hard to comprehend why the nameplate didn’t appear, blaming it solely on a bug.

“Then what happened to the real Prince Ancelot?”

“He died. On the battlefield.”

Luibel silently nodded at his calm answer.

So the Ancelot who went mad over Arbella and the man in front of her now were different people.

Honestly… she had been a little resentful after hearing the rumors of Arbella.

The fact that he had shown her another woman, and that he had been so dramatic over his first love, had truly upset her.

“We really had nothing between us…”

She muttered like a sigh. Helheim chuckled.

“Even so, I never lied to you, Your Highness.”

“Then… what should I call you?”

“Hmm…”

Helheim slowly closed his mouth and looked at her.

If he revealed he was the Draconic Helheim, Luibel would…

‘Have a hard time.’

His eyes twitched slightly.

Being a player and I being the final scenario’s target, we couldn’t be together. Not yet.

The God of Light, Luth.

My brother, who stole my darkness and became the sole ruler of this world.

The reason he hunted me was simple:

Because I was still alive, he could not fully absorb the stolen darkness.

Thus, he had long been enacting prophecies and moving people to eliminate me, even establishing the new world order he called the [System].

So, even to be with Luibel, I must destroy that system.

Thinking this, Helheim suddenly gazed at Luibel with deepened eyes.

“I need more time.”

“……?”

“To find a way to be with Your Highness.”

It was not an appropriate answer to her question about what to call him.

Worrying that she might be upset or disappointed because he still couldn’t reveal his name, his mouth went dry.

“Until then… will you wait a little longer?”

“How long?”

Understanding his meaning, Luibel didn’t question him. With a voice full of deep, unwavering trust, she asked:

“Until this scenario ends.”

Helheim, in a serious, unamused voice, swore to her:

“I will find the answer by then.”

I will, without fail.

A way for you and I to be together.

Even if I have to break the order of this world, even if I must give everything I have.

“So, Luibel.”

I can’t show you everything right now, but still…

“Please… wait for me.”

Please.