"Fuck, this time I really went too far... one could almost say that the real madman in this whole story is me..." murmured Kaiser, walking slowly.
He had tried to explain to Katrina that Isaak was a bastard involved in slave trafficking. But strangely, for some reason, his responses had been completely opposite. Making me wonder what the hell I'm doing.
His face might have been expressionless, but in his mind, it was nothing but chaos, even ignoring the furtive glance Ariana was giving him.
'I just hope this really works and that she didn't misunderstand anything, otherwise I'll be in deep shit...'
In the chapters of the original work, Katrina was depicted as a crazy yandere, ready to do anything to get what she desired. After Isaak's death at the hands of Kris, that's when her madness activated, and she tried to kill him several times. Until she succumbed to the protagonist.
Kaiser knew he could trust the plot of the original work, but he couldn't help thinking about the worst. From the simple discussion he'd had, she didn't seem like that devilish woman from the novel... anyway, at first.
"She's so cute. If I explain why I killed Isaak, because he was a scrupleless man committing immoral acts. She'll understand, she probably won't try to kill me, since I even provided proof."
'Stop thinking about it, I first need to finish my objectives for today... after that, I'll just have to monitor if things are going in the right direction to adjust my next moves.'
'Speaking of objectives, let's go greet that old fox.' thought Kaiser, heading toward Duke Donoghan, who was talking with two other nobles.
But what Kaiser didn't know was that Katrina wasn't just a yandere. But rather a schizophrenic. The second Kaiser had said he killed his brother to protect her. The entire end of the conversation had been altered in her mind.
And in the murderous gaze she was giving him, she had misunderstood things....
'That possessive gaze... That mad desire to appropriate my body for himself. He killed his own brother to possess me?' Katrina was a bit dubious, thinking about the fictional kiss Kaiser had given her and the sensation of his hand on her neck.
She swallowed slightly, biting her lips....
***
Red hair, black eyes, and a rather imposing body, even under his garnet red suit, Duke Randal Donoghan was a warrior mage who had reached the third magical circle.
He was an S-rank warrior with wind affinity, and also one of the rare people to have mastered the four movements of the Donoghan family's flaming lion art. An existence that was not yet within Kaiser's reach.
"Lord Kaiser," with a deep voice, Donoghan was the first to speak, seeing Kaiser approach. "My condolences for your loss. It's distressing to see the young sprouts of the empire leave so early." His face was stern but nevertheless showed the sincerity of his words.
Still with his little smirk, Kaiser responded to the duke with a certain reverence.
"Your presence honors us, Duke Donoghan."
He simply nodded slowly in response, letting Kaiser finish.
"Life has never been fair, Duke. That's why we should work hard to put all the odds on our side... In the end, the strong are the ones who survive."
Hearing the young lord before him, the duke merely acquiesced. He knew it; perhaps to ease the grief of the Paragon family, others might blame fate.
'But in the end, if Isaak had been stronger than his brother, he would never have ended up in a coffin underground in the heir struggle.' Randal thought about this ruthless young man before him, not knowing that his own son was the culprit.
"I see you've matured well, Lord Paragon. Your words couldn't be more accurate."
Kaiser smiled slightly. Duke Donoghan was known for his relentless training; he despised lazy people who relied only on the work others had accomplished, from the depths of his being. Moreover, seeing Kris Donoghan, one could clearly guess his father's mentality.
Kaiser had greatly risen in the duke's esteem. After all, he too had only average magical talent for a noble. Seeing Kaiser, who didn't have extraordinary talent like his peers but used other means to succeed, reminded him of his own youth.
These two similarities had made the duke, known for his severity, much more talkative than usual. He continued discussing with Kaiser, appreciating every exchange with the young boy before him. He even started giving him some advice on politics and other subjects.
This strange chemistry hadn't gone unnoticed. Kris, who was on the other side of the room, couldn't contain his anger. He who knew the truth, the exact circumstances of Isaak's death and the illegal activities the two Paragon brothers were involved in. His sense of justice couldn't accept that this bastard was still alive, and moreover, that his father seemed to like him quite a bit.
His only desire was to jump on this hypocritical asshole and massacre him like he had done with Isaak... but unfortunately, for now, he had to hold back.
Meanwhile, in the garden.
Katrina was still in shock from what had happened earlier with Kaiser. She was trying to understand, to dissect, to make sense of the behavior of her deceased fiancé's brother.
*Katrina Lancaster's POV*
"What the hell just happened? That bastard Kaiser... I still remember the first time Isaak took me to the Paragon mansion.
That's where I met him, Kaiser Paragon. He had nothing attractive about him. Besides, why would I have been attracted to a weak, pathetic bastard who was nothing without his family's support?
It was the first time we met, but I already hated him. As a result, we didn't exchange much. I didn't really know him, but from what I'd learned, he didn't even have decent talent, so naturally, I didn't linger on him.
But the Kaiser I met today was completely different; it was like a whole other person. Time had passed since the last time I saw him, but that didn't explain this change.
The only option was that he was hiding his game... yes, he had stayed under the cover of the good-for-nothing of the Paragon family until the right moment to strike."
The more I thought about it, the more my headache increased. I started gently massaging my temple in a desperate attempt to calm the pain.
"I've been too negligent, damn it! And now Isaak is dead, without me being able to do anything."
That's not true; I loved him. It was true that he was neck-deep in illegality, but that was precisely why I loved him.
I tried by all means to convince myself that I loved him; I believed it, but something was wrong. Why did I have this feeling... impossible to put words on it, but it was definitely there.
The words spoken by Kaiser kept looping back, accompanied by this pinch in my heart and butterflies in my stomach.
"It's because he loved me, to have me all to himself that he killed his brother..." I murmured.
"The fact that he killed the man I loved, the one I was going to marry, that should have driven me into a mad rage... but why was my hatred fading? And why did I feel a sudden excitement when he grabbed my neck? Am I just a whore?
No... no... no... I'm not that kind of person; that bastard must have used a spell."
Unconsciously, I delicately placed my finger on my mouth, thinking back to that kiss...
"I liked it... or rather, my body loved it... I had never felt such a strong emotion with Isaak, even when we fucked."
"What the hell is happening to me..." I murmured, totally confused.
I was fighting against this feeling, but in the end, I knew it; deep down, I wanted to do it again with him, and go even further.
In just one day, this bastard had completely captivated my attention.
End of POV