This time, my name had sounded different coming from Layda's mouth.
She didn't stutter. She didn't hesitate. She didn't even have to think about it.
Just as I was about to answer her, the temperature in the library began to drop one degree at a time, which to me felt like twenty.
The windows frosted over. Students at nearby tables murmured. Some got up and headed for the coat racks at the entrance where their coats and umbrellas rested.
Lianza was standing at the entrance, one hand behind her back. Her Empero swept through the room in garnet waves that spread across the walls.
"Dariel..."
I didn't wait for her to call me again. I stood up. I walked toward her with stiff legs, hiding it the best I could.
When I got closer, the first thing I noticed was the moisture in her eyes.
"My lady..."
"Walk. Now," she told me, and began to cross the aisle in long strides, walking right past me.
When she turned her back, I could see what she was hiding. It was the letter Ardwyn had given her, with the seal broken and surely reread several times.
I followed her.
As soon as I was beside her, she grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the farthest, darkest, and dustiest corner of the library. The forbidden section.
She raised her hand. She opened her palm. A concentrated blast of garnet Empero struck the locks. The steel froze.
And shattered instantly.
You see, there is a huge difference between the Empero used as an aura for self-defense or mere intimidation, and the one used to deal damage. It's as if there are hundreds of swords floating around you, inert, only reacting to hostility. Now, imagine you can control them at will.
If with enough kinetic force a single sword is capable of piercing armor, dismembering, and even piercing hearts, if we use hundreds of them, all aiming at a single target...
I think with that you can get an idea of the difference between defensive and offensive Empero.
It was natural that the metal had shattered so easily.
Lianza pushed me inside. She slammed the door shut.
Darkness. I could only hear our breathing, along with the now distant murmur of the others.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "I left you alone for half an hour. Half an hour!"
"Shh!" said the librarian in the distance.
Now this old woman was coming to say something?
Lianza lowered her voice.
"And I find you with that... that..."
"We were studying. Vauxol paired us up. I already told you."
"Vauxol didn't force you to sit so close to her."
Her hand brushed my chest as she gestured.
That single touch was enough to make me flinch.
My knees gave out. My head fell against the bookshelf.
"Dariel..." Lianza's voice lost its composure. "Are you hurt?"
"A punishment from the Sys... an Empero ailment. Increased sensitivity. Don't touch me or I'm going to..."
"Increased sensitivity?"
Her fingers rested on my neck. The cold of her touch against my skin. An explosion.
It hurt. But I liked it.
I leaned into her hand. Craving more.
"What an idiot," she whispered. But she didn't pull her fingers away. They traced my jaw, my neck, my shoulders. "An idiot who suffers in silence so as not to cause me trouble..."
"I don't want to worry you."
"Well, you succeeded. You worry me. Always."
The rub of my shirt collar against my increased sensitivity had scraped my throat, leaving a reddish trail of irritation. All it took was the brush of Lianza's hand to stop the burning.
The cold of her Empero numbed my skin.
I leaned forward. I rested my forehead against her shoulder. Her scent of hazelnuts and powdery flowers had overpowered the smell of dust and damp from this unmaintained corner of the library.
Her breath crashed against my chest.
"Dariel," she whispered, her voice somewhat broken.
My hands went down to her waist.
Lianza tensed. Her Empero flickered in the darkness, oscillating between us, tinting the shadows a deep red.
I brushed my lips against the curve of her neck. Just a touch. Skin against skin. She let out a gasp. Her nails dug into the fabric of my back.
The System's screen appeared before my eyes with a blue flash.
[Looks like I'm interrupting something. 😳]
[Well, here's the fourth and final mission of today]
[Mandatory Mission: Invite Layda to the Welcome Ball. You have five minutes. Yes, only five. If you refuse or if you fail, you'll wake up with a neck full of bruises and kiss-shaped lipstick that you won't be able to remove all day. I wonder what Lianza will think when she sees them. 😊]
This System was still forcing me to build a harem. It kept thinking I was in a novel where the protagonist gets all the girls, when it's the exact opposite.
The Throne of Ashes and Thorns was a sappy romance novel, where everything went well for the protagonist and she got the prince.
Why did it keep insisting on giving me a harem in a novel that was clearly a female romance? Did it have a glitch or something?
I cursed under my breath.
Lianza seemed to have heard me. She pulled away a few centimeters. Her eyes searched for mine in the gloom.
"What's wrong?"
I read the screen again. Invite Layda to the Welcome Ball.
The entity behind the System was undoubtedly a sadistic bastard. It just wanted a circus, to squeeze my suffering for its own amusement.
But its arrogance had left a loophole I could exploit.
It ordered me to invite her. It never specified the role.
I took a step back. The friction of my pants against my knee made me grit my teeth.
I coughed a little to clear my throat, looking for a firm tone. I needed to sound as decisive as possible for what I was about to say to her.
"Lianza, what would you do if I invited Layda to the Welcome Ball instead of you?"