"Alisia, you are very kind,"

Zeph remarked, his voice soft and appreciative as he looked towards Alisia with a smile.

"Guess I should leave now,"

Alisia calmly regarded him upon hearing his words before standing and making her way out, noticing a girl approaching in the distance before glancing at Zeph for the last time, "I hope you will fulfill your promise, Zeph."

Zeph, looking towards her, nodded as he turned his gaze in a particular direction and observed a caramel-haired girl heading in his direction. ’She could have waited’

Looking at Thalia approaching him, he couldn’t help but think about the affection she showed towards him until now, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that her feelings might be tied to the fact that he had saved her.

But for him, it was complicated. Even if Thalia showed such alignment towards him, he couldn’t just reciprocate her feelings.

Her emotions didn’t align with his own experiences. It was not like this was his first time being close to any girl; he had many girlfriends in his previous life, making him at least aware of how complicated a woman’s emotions are.

As Alisia disappeared from his view, he turned towards Thalia and narrowed his eyes, noticing her sweaty face as she ran towards him, making him surprised due to her state. ’Is something happened?’

"What happened, Thal—"

Thud

Before he could finish his sentence, Thalia threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, her fingers clenching his shirt.

Due to this sudden overflow of emotions from Thalia, Zeph was taken aback before he heard her voice, "Nothing, just missed you."

His eyes widened before relaxing as he sighed. ’This girl’, He embraced her gently, wrapping his arms around her. "Didn’t we just meet in the classroom?"

His hands moved toward her head to caress them before abruptly stopping in mid-air as he heard her next words. She shook her head and murmured, "No, it’s just... I love you."

"I love you too—"

He stopped in mid-sentence as the moment those words registered inside his mind, he suddenly felt inexplicable emotions due to all the memories assaulting him.

After coming to this world, he found himself entangled in this engagement with a woman who could have killed him, still he was unable to distance himself from her due to the presence of Alexios.

Even though Thalia’s behavior created trouble for him, he endured it only because he knew what he had to face in the future is not something that can be faced alone — he needed strong individuals, especially Heroines.

Instead of Heroes, he chose heroines just because they would be easier to make loyal to him, if he made them fall in love, making him tolerate everything Thalia did, knowing her advantage beside him.

After he saved her from the black dragon, that was his inner intent to save her. He didn’t know why he saved her, neither did he care — either it was his knowledge about her personality through the Novel or her part in his future’s crucial plans.

After noticing her behavior after he saved her life, he decided to use her growing interest to his advantage.

Though after spending a year with her at the Academy and trying to reduce his interaction with her, he expected her affection to wane, but he still didn’t find any changes in her behavior, as if she had chosen him for eternity.

Of course, he didn’t believe in these useless things.

For him, love wasn’t eternal; it is human nature to move forward and forget the people they once cared about, their memories clouded by the dust of time making them forget the ones they loved above all else.

Even after all this, when he didn’t notice any changes in her behavior, it was unclear whether he was a brilliant actor or she was deeply smitten.

What he knew was that he had someone strong and loyal by his side, which made it all worthwhile.

Even if he had to act like a lovestruck person, he would just do that, as there is nothing more loyal than love.

"Want to sit?"

He retreated and separated her head from his body as his golden pupil met her emerald orbs before she nodded and sat beside him.

.....

Thalia’s POV

As I watched Zeph taking longer than expected, I couldn’t help but wonder what was causing his delay.

He had gone with that third-year idiot, and that was making me confused as I couldn’t fathom any good reason for him to be held up by someone like that.

Zeph was more than capable of putting someone like that idiot in his place.

’Should I check once?’ I considered going to check on them to see what was really happening.

Leaving the classroom, I started to move in the direction Zeph had gone. Of course, I will not enter the Men’s Toilet, but I still needed to at least see if he is fine.

SWISH

I abruptly halted in my path as I sensed someone’s presence near me,"Tell me, Brother," suddenly, Alexios materialized in front of me as if he had deactivated some kind of invisibility.

He gazed at me intensely before letting out a sigh, his expression full of concern,"Thalia, is he really interested in you?"

Confused by the question, I tried to understand his meaning, "What do you mean?" but seeing his blank expression, I can’t help but doubt myself, "He—, I don’t know."

I don’t understand why Zeph loves me, even though he said so, but it was always a lingering question inside my mind.

Why would he even love me when I’ve caused so much trouble for him?

I remembered how I had initially pursued Zeph even after he tried to reject our engagement.

I knew he was avoiding me for some reason, but my determination to climb the noble ranks, following in my father’s footsteps, had only made things more complicated.

Seeing his obese condition, I thought to atleast treat him better. If I married him and got the county, I could have just handled all the stuff, and he needed to sit and just eat. But I wanted him as a cute thing, not a life partner.

After he saved me, I felt guilt, and my emotions, bound by my fate to him, overtook me, making me fall deeply for him.

He, too, accepted my love, but seeing how he kept a suitable distance from me, it hurts.

It had already been a few months since he had been in a proper conversation with me.

I thought he had lost interest in me and fallen for Valeriana, but I still didn’t lose hope.

After all, he is mine. I will never let him be taken from me, either by Valeriana or anyone else.

But when he himself started to avoid me, it was confusing.

My intuition always told me about his lies, but they were not that bad.

I clenched my dress as memories of his lies of loving me and all, kept me at least assured that there is something I have that he needed, and until he gets that, he will not leave me.

At this moment, I decided, I turned towards Alexios who was calmly waiting for my reply. "I will make him fall for me." With a determined look, I told him, Zeph is mine, and I will not let him leave me.

"I will support you, Sister."

I saw Alexios smiling as he hugged me and put his hands on my head before continuing,"But, I am not going to let him steal my precious sister this easily, got it?"

’What the’,

I wanted to protest but held it in, after all he still cared about my interests, even though I never asked him about where he was and how he lived until now.

It’s embarrassing, now that I realize all this.

"Y-yes, you can do whatever you want."

I pushed him away as I averted my gaze, not letting him find my embarrassed face.

After all, he will tease me for days, just like he used to be, every time after defeating me in chess, teasing all day until I cried, and then only giving me a candy, ’How embarrassing.’

These memories are really embarrassing. "but still Alexios, you better stay aw—"

Badump

’?!?!’

’What was that?’

I suddenly felt all my senses ringing as my eyes widened, trying to understand what happened.

thump thump

’No, It can’t be?’

"Alexios, where is Zeph!?"

I clenched his shoulders as I inquired about Zeph, "W-what happened, Thalia? Why are you crying?"

’No!, where is he,’

I swiftly ran towards the exit of the hallway towards the garden finding him using my intuition, my heart was beating at a rapid speed.

My intuition was ringing like it never did, not even when I stood in front of that dragon due to insurance of Zeph there. It was not that intense, but right now.

’Zeph’s life is in danger!’

I ran with all my might, not caring about students standing and noticing my state as right now; his safety was most important for me.

"Haaa...haa...."

’No, come on,’

As always, due to not having a large mana capacity, my mana as always depleted the moment my ability kicked in.

It took more amount of mana the more the risk was; it was the drawback of my intuition that I never let anyone know.

My physique, as always, didn’t support me after my mana ended.

Normally, I used mana to enforce somewhat stamina to my body, but it was all in vain right now.

"Stop it, Thalia" I heard Alexio’s voice as he suddenly appeared in front of me, "A-Alexios."

"See your state, Thalia, are you gonna look like this? What impression Zeph will have," ’What,’ but I need to save him, but my appearance.

As I put my hands on my face, it was wet. ’Did I cry?’

I didn’t realize when my tears started to fall, but right now, ’wait,’

I realized Alexios was here. "B-brother, please save Zeph; he is in danger."

I hurriedly informed him, ’Why is he smiling at this moment?’ Zeph is in danger, and he is like,

"S-sister, I will definitely save him; you just wait here!"