“Wesley, are you ever going to stop? Didn’t your father order you to return to the capital this week?”
Kate made no effort to hide her disgust. After she had run him through with her spear last time, the Duke had personally warned her. If not for that, Wesley would have died countless times over by now.
“My dearest Miss Kate, how could a single decree from my father possibly compare to the importance of seeing you?”
Wesley dramatically brushed back the blond hair on his forehead and held the bouquet out toward her. “Miss Kate, these are premium red roses I personally selected from Camonis County, famous for its roses. I traveled a great distance to bring them to you. Please, you must accept them…”
Smack!
Before he could finish, Kate slapped the roses out of his hand. Bright red petals scattered across the floor.
Any normal person would have been mortified enough to want to dig a hole and bury themselves. But Wesley wasn’t normal. He was the kind of man who would keep shamelessly confessing even after nearly being stabbed to death. A little humiliation like this meant nothing to him.
“Are you in a bad mood today, Miss Kate?”
Wesley smiled as if nothing had happened. He simply bent down, picked up the scattered roses, straightened them out a little, and held them up again. “It’s all right. As long as it helps you vent your feelings, these roses have served their purpose.”
Kate seemed to have built up an immunity to his antics and showed no discomfort. Eileen, however, was suffering behind her.
Ugh…
Eileen nearly threw up the breakfast she had just eaten. At the same time, she couldn’t help but admire Kate’s ironclad mental fortitude. How could anyone endure this? If it were her, she would have already vomited all over the floor.
“Miss Eileen, I… I feel a little unwell…”
Atia gently tugged on Eileen’s sleeve. Her face didn’t look good either. “I think I’m going to be sick…”
Atia didn’t understand much about romance, but her body wasn’t lying. Encountering this greasy creature was enough to overpower even garlic.
“It’s fine. It’ll pass soon,” Eileen whispered to comfort her.
She also felt like vomiting, but the thought of the dragon meat she had eaten—a rare delicacy even among nobles—stopped her. If she threw it up now, wouldn’t that mean she had eaten it for nothing?
“I’m not in a bad mood. On the contrary, I’m in a very good mood right now.”
The moment Kate said that, Wesley’s eyes lit up and his heart began pounding wildly.
Could it be? Was Kate finally opening her heart and accepting him? After five years of effort, was he finally going to succeed?
In that instant, Wesley had already started thinking about what to name their children.
But before he could fully sink into the fantasy, Kate reached behind her, grabbed Eileen, and pulled her forward into a tight embrace.
“Last night, I found the lover I had been separated from for five years. And we’ve reconciled.”
“Huh?”
Wesley froze, staring blankly at the hooded girl in rough linen clothes now held in Kate’s arms.
It wasn’t just Wesley. The watching crowd was also stunned by Kate’s words.
Five years?
Lover?
Did that mean the girl in Kate’s arms was the person who had abandoned her five years ago?
No one had expected that Kate, who had searched the entire Navora Principality and several neighboring countries for five years, would finally find that person here in the small city of Crisel. And no one had expected that person to be a girl.
“Wait… Miss Kate, you’re not just making this up to trick me, are you?”
Wesley refused to accept reality. The other party had disappeared without a word five years ago. During that time, Kate had searched almost every corner of the Navora Principality and nearby nations without finding a single trace. That was exactly why he thought he finally had a chance, and why he had kept pursuing her for five years.
And now she was telling him that person had been found?
What kind of joke was this?!
“You really think I’m messing with you?”
Kate carefully lifted Eileen’s hood, revealing her stunningly beautiful face. She looked exactly the same as she had five years ago. Not a single change.
“It’s… been a while, Lord Wesley.”
Eileen awkwardly raised a hand and greeted him.
Wesley had been an important NPC that stood in the way of romancing both Kate and Cassandra. Eileen had spoken with him before, and he had always treated her as a romantic rival…
The moment he saw Eileen’s face, Wesley’s fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
You disappeared for five years, and now you’re back?!
“Eileen, you came back just to interfere between me and Miss Kate, didn’t you? You vanished for five years—why are you showing up again now?!”
Eileen felt incredibly bitter inside.
Did she want to come back?
She didn’t want to at all!
If she could find a way home, she would leave this world immediately. Did he really think she enjoyed being chased across the continent by her ex-girlfriend while constantly fearing for her life?
“Wesley, who gave you permission to speak to Eileen like that?”
Kate let out a cold snort and drew her golden knight’s spear from behind her back, pressing the tip directly against Wesley’s forehead. The weapon still carried traces of Minotauros blood, radiating clear killing intent.
Wesley’s body trembled as unpleasant memories flooded back. The last time he had been stabbed was because he had made Kate forget about Eileen during one of his confessions. He had nearly died right there…
“Miss Kate, that’s not what I meant… I was just saying that after five years without seeing Miss Eileen, I didn’t expect her to still be as beautiful as before…”
He had no choice. Staying alive came first. Only by surviving could he have any hope of stealing Kate away from Eileen later.
“But that’s not what you said just now, is it?”
Kate pushed the spear tip a little closer.
“It was a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! I was simply too excited to encounter Miss Eileen in this remote little city. I spoke without thinking.”
Wesley’s combat ability might not compare to his father’s, but when it came to lying with a straight face, even his father couldn’t hold a candle to him.
“You know you said the wrong thing, so why aren’t you leaving yet? Do you want me to stab you a couple more times?”
Kate gave him no face whatsoever. Right now, all she wanted was to get this annoying pest as far away as possible so he wouldn’t disturb her and Eileen’s time together.
Wesley nodded repeatedly and immediately turned to leave. But before he did, he couldn’t help glancing back at Eileen with a provocative look in his eyes.
His meaning was clear.
Just you wait!
[New Game+ Extra Plot Triggered]
[Wesley Carlyle’s Affection Restriction Unlocked]
[Current Affection: 20 (Rivals)]
[Wesley Carlyle is provoking you. What is your choice?]
[A. Retort: Kate is mine now. Get lost, you loser!]
[B. Withdraw: Choose to exit. (Kate Affection -10, Wesley Affection +20)]
[C. The three of us living happily together is what truly matters.]
[Reward: When Affection reaches 50, receive the blue-quality weapon “Starfall Staff”.]
Eileen: “…”
Wait, you can actually romance this guy too?
In the first playthrough, Wesley had been a pure tool NPC with no romance route whatsoever. She never expected New Game+ to unlock one for him. This second playthrough really did have some surprises, and the reward weapon wasn’t bad either.
The Starfall Staff was a mage-exclusive weapon. Even though it was only blue quality, it would be a massive upgrade for her current situation.
But…
She didn’t like men. How could she possibly force herself to pursue Wesley just for a reward? His greasy vibe alone made her physically uncomfortable just looking at him. No matter how good the reward was, she had zero interest in him. This was a matter of principle.
Besides, if she showed even the slightest bit of interest in Wesley, Kate would probably chop him into mincemeat on the spot. There was no point at all.