Although he didn't quite understand where things had gone off track, the whole pretty girl feeding play didn't feel bad, even if Linen was the one doing the feeding.
Thanks to Linen's efforts, the sweet strawberry shortcake gradually disappeared from the plate, piece by piece making its way into Teresia's mouth.
But since the two of them weren't exactly in perfect sync, and Linen's mind wasn't fully on the task, busy turning over possible scenarios for what might happen next, there were a few times when the spoon inevitably went in at a bad angle, poking her cheek instead.
So when the last bite was gone, a faint smudge of fresh, milk-white cream clung to the corner of Teresia's mouth.
"Hey!"
Hesitating for a second, unable to bring herself to do something like lick it off in front of Linen, Teresia had no choice but to ask for help.
"Wipe it for me."
"Mm."
He answered absently—then, to her shock, cupped her cheek in one hand, swiped away the cream with his right index finger, and brought it to her lips.
He had to admit, her cheeks felt quite nice—smooth and soft, just a little warm.
It was only after he'd finished rubbing her face that Teresia registered what had just happened.
Never mind the random face-touching—what was this now, expecting her to lick his finger?
Did he actually think she was a pet?
"Don't you have a handkerchief?!"
Her voice was cold.
"I do, but that would feel like a waste. Tell me, Miss Teresia—when you drink yogurt, do you just throw away the cap?"
She opened her mouth… and found nothing to say.
Alright fine—she might be a heartless assassin, but you still lick the cap.
Watching Linen casually lick the cream from his finger, she suppressed her irritation. Before he could drag her back into that little side room, she quickly asked about something that mattered far more to her:
"When do you plan to let me go?"
"Let you go?"
Seeing the slight shift in his expression, she nodded as if it were only natural.
"Mm. Our agreement was—you'd ruin the Tower's plan to prove you truly have the ability to oppose them. I've acknowledged you now, so you should uphold your part and release me, right?"
She watched his face, forcing a smile.
"You do realize, don't you, that leaving a trained assassin outside is far more dangerous to your enemies than having her stuck in a cramped room eating cream, hahaha…"
Her laughter faded.
Not because Linen hadn't joined in—on the contrary, because he had.
And with some people, the moment they smiled… you knew someone was about to have a very bad day.
Of course, Linen wasn't going to be the one in trouble. And in this room, the only other person was her.
"You're not thinking of breaking our deal—"
A finger still faintly scented of cream pressed to her lips.
"Wrong, Miss Teresia. I don't go back on my word,"
He shook his head, looking almost regretful.
"I'm always clear about rewards and punishments. The cake was your reward for not sneaking off—but confinement is your punishment for trying to assassinate me. And that part… isn't over yet."
"Besides, if you think about it, I never promised I'd release you. That was all… your own assumption."
"You mean…"
Her eyes widened.
"I mean—starting now and for quite a long time—"
He finished for her, speaking slowly:
"You will only, can only, must stay in this room. The only person you'll see will be me. How does that sound?"
Linen abruptly pulled his hand back, thinking close call.
Because for a moment there, Miss Teresia—who'd just been debating whether to lick the cream from his finger—had been about to bite it clean off.
But that clearly wasn't enough to vent her fury.
She glared at him, the bloodthirst and savagery of a blade-licking assassin finally unmasked.
"You bastard—I'll kill you, Linen Norton! Don't let me get the chance, or I'll do it with my own hands!"
And to her threat—Linen was thrilled.
Sure, for some reason, this raw, boundary-breaking rejection wasn't as much XP as tickling her feet had been, but finally, finally, a heroine had reached the point of truly hating him.
For once, it felt like his hard work had paid off.
So much better than Elena or Hysteria—those two ingrates.
Of course, keeping Teresia here wasn't just for XP farming.
As she herself had said—a hidden assassin ally could be far more valuable.
But that was assuming she could actually stay hidden.
In reality, thanks to the Terminal Bullet, she'd long been on the radar of many high-ring mages in the Tower.
One in particular was the very person who had caused her father's tragedy.
In the original story, no matter her choices, every route ended with her and the Tower turning on each other, and her choosing to break with forbidden magic.
Now, after the Tower's Eden operation had been wiped out, if she alone walked away unscathed, the Tower would never let her go.
And in the routes where she wasn't a heroine, her endings weren't much better than his as the "villain prince."
But Linen would never tell her he was keeping her for her own good.
This was the only heroine who'd never betrayed him. He would fight to keep her.
So he only shut the door slowly, face expressionless, under her glare of fury and despair—and spoke that classic line:
"Hate me, foolish Miss Teresia."
Bang!
The door shut. Teresia was alone again.
But once they were separated, and she heard the sounds of bathing, confirming Linen's focus was truly elsewhere, the anger in her eyes melted like snow.
Yes—at first, she had been angry enough to bite his finger.
But calm was an assassin's baseline.
Her mind cooled quickly.
She'd already learned a lot about this cunning prince.
Simply put, Linen never made a losing trade.
Any move he made likely hid other motives.
So what benefit did keeping her locked up bring him?
Her hand went to her waist—only to grasp at nothing.
It was habit—checking on the origin of all her tragedy, the curse and nightmare she could never shake, the thing that drew danger yet was her greatest trump card: the Terminal Bullet.
When thinking, she would silently count how many remained, like fighting alongside her father again.
But now—all of them had been confiscated.
Damn him.
Let him take not just the precious weapon, but all the malice and curse it drew as well!
And then—her expression shifted.
Could it be…
If not letting her leave the academy was to protect her, fine—that was possible. But keeping her completely from seeing anyone else?
That didn't add up. Not at all.
She sank deeper into thought.
What possibilities am I missing?
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Recalling how he'd deliberately fed her strawberry cake, she shook her head hard—almost as if convincing herself, fiercely rejecting a certain possibility.
...
The next day, after waking, interacting with her as usual, and leaving the dorm, Linen stepped into the once-again bustling campus.
Seeing the young women and ordinary passersby, his mood was lighter than it had been in ages.
Thanks to his work, the Tower's spikes in the academy—or with reach into it—seemed to have been pulled.
Without that arrogant Tower's threat, perhaps Imperial Mother wouldn't be so obsessed with turning every child into a useful chess piece. Maybe… he could actually enjoy a peaceful school life.
At least, for now, the shadow had lifted a little.
But the moment he stepped into class, the fantasy ended.
"Look, it's His Highness Linen! I heard he got first place in the artificer's exam yesterday!"
"As expected of His Highness—not only gifted in Arcana, but in artifact crafting too!"
"No way, I won't believe it unless he makes a life-size figure of himself for me!"
"The drooling girl up there—your abacus sparks are hitting me in the forehead."
First place in the artificer exam? What the hell?
Before he could puzzle it out, he spotted Elena and Hysteria waving at him—both wearing odd expressions.
"You two also think I got first?"
He went straight to the point.
"No—actually, we remember what happened yesterday,"
Elena waved her hands quickly.
"It's just… after you left, all the examinees were brought to see a few Mental Mages from the Shadow Knights. And after that, everyone's story suddenly matched—that there'd been an accident during the exam, and you'd won first place."
He nodded at the explanation.
If one or two examiners turned out to be moles, that was a win. But all of them? That was a scandal.
The Empire had its pride—plus, they'd want to keep the capture of high-ring infiltrators quiet to buy interrogation time. So, the cover story made sense.
He was, however, curious how Elena and Hysteria had avoided the hypnosis.
As if reading his mind, Hysteria snorted.
"Because of that weird imperial sister of yours. She was drinking tea with us all day—so the Shadow Knights didn't dare bother me or Elena. Better than a certain someone who left without a word."
He only gave a bland "Mm" and went to his seat.
If it was Quinn, it made sense.
Though, rather than sparing him a favor, he suspected she just didn't want the memory of "under-table matters" erased—there'd be no fun left in reminiscing.
Might've accidentally taught her something dangerous there…
Hysteria, ready to lob her usual jab and get one back, suddenly felt like she'd punched cotton when he ended the conversation flat.
Not right. Very not right.
Had the annoying prince just… yielded?
"Hey, you don't have anything to say to me?"
"Oh—then thank you, Princess Hysteria."
He didn't even look at her.
Even more wrong.
Hysteria's sense of dissonance spiked.
Linen would never just give up—he had to be plotting something bigger.
"Don't think I can't tell what you're planning. I'll be on guard all day—you won't get me!"
"Mm."
Normally, he'd be itching to smack the bratty little princess just to rack up his daily points.
But yesterday, after harvesting half a bar of XP and several rewards from Teresia, he was in full "sage mode," completely uninterested.
Compared to a tsundere princess who only mouthed off and might backstab him any time—Miss Teresia, who truly wanted him dead, loathed him to the bone, and delivered steady rejection rewards every day—was practically an angel.
She'd almost shaped his XP bar into her own likeness. Hysteria? Don't know her.
Maybe next important plot point.
Next to them, Elena sighed in relief.
"That's great, Hysteria—looks like Linen-kun's decided to get along with you. You two should try to get along."
Hysteria could only force a smile.
She didn't know why—Linen yielding should have made her happy. But it didn't.
In fact, it was worse—like he might have "someone else" outside.
She was about to press the issue when the homeroom teacher, Milian appeared at the door.
"Is Linen here? Someone wants to see you."
"See me?"
He stood, curious.
"Can you say who it is?"
"Sorry—they just said they're an acquaintance."
Milian looked awkward.
Got it—someone from the palace.
Linen understood immediately.
Could it be… after seeing his "value," Imperial Mother was having second thoughts?