Auren's POV:
I stared at the golden pendant in my hand, fingers brushing over the engraved emblem of Kael's house. It was the only thing he left behind for me when he departed days ago. Said something about "protecting what's mine," shoved it into my hand with a soft growl, and left me there a stammering, lovesick idiot.
I should be ashamed. I am ashamed. But more than anything—I am fucked. Not metaphorically. Literally. Emotionally. Romantically. All of it.
Because I, a poor transmigrated bastard that I am, have absolutely fallen head over heels for my towering, blood-stained, war-hardened, probably-a-dictator soulmate.
...Okay, not soulmate. Because I don't have one. Right? Right. I have a system. I have missions. I have survival to worry about.
I have no time for the way Kael looks at me like I hung the damn moon, nor for the way he holds me like his entire world would shatter if I slipped through his fingers.
But gods, the way he holds me–
My fingers gripped the pendant tighter.
I hadn't even realized how deep I'd sunk into Kael until he was gone. Until every step in the echoing halls felt hollow. Until every quiet hour felt stretched and thin without his low voice curling around me. Until every one of his damn soldiers gave me those looks that said: "You're the one he spoils, huh?" and I'd walk away hiding a blush like a teenager.
He made me weak. I didn't want weakness.
But damn me, I wanted him.
*****
The night settled in with a cold breeze curling past the stone walls, and I wrapped the cloak tighter around me. I sat near the arched window of Kael's quarters, where I'd taken to staying during his absence. It smelled like him. Smoke, steel, and the hint of leather. The bed was still ruffled from where he last cradled me. I hadn't let the maids touch it.
"Pathetic," I murmured to myself.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION - INTERNAL DIALOGUE MODE ENABLED]
SASS MODE: ACTIVATED.
SYSTEM: Oh, look who's romantic now. Want me to cue the violins, host? Should I summon rain clouds too while you pine like a Victorian housewife?
ME: Shut up. He'll be back tomorrow.
SYSTEM: So you admit you miss him. Interesting. Logging emotional dependency. Calculating the likelihood of Kael becoming a permanent soulbound anchor–
ME: STOP. Don't you dare finish that sentence.
SYSTEM: …Filing under 'Not My Problem' folder. Right under 'Host keeps getting dicked instead of doing his job.'
ME: I am doing my job.
SYSTEM: Speaking of.
SYSTEM WARNING: FINAL DAY BEFORE MISSION TIME LIMIT.
MISSION STATUS: PRIMARY OBJECTIVE 1: 97% COMPLETE Progress: Noble informant identified. Pending: Evidence collection.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Investigate the power structure of Solvanyr. Progress: 40%.
TERTIARY OBJECTIVE: Don't get railed into political puppetdom. Progress: In Progress (Orally Compromised.)
ME: ...what the fuck does that mean?
SYSTEM: Nothing. Nothing at all.
Also, reminder: Kael has been informed of your... let's say, enthusiastic success rate.
ME: WHAT.
SYSTEM: He's on his way back, Host. With expectations.
ME:…fuck.
SYSTEM: Good luck~
The wind howled outside.
I sat back in the chair, heart thudding. Kael was coming back. The mission had to be wrapped clean. No loose ends. No blood on my hands this time. Just....completion.
And maybe... maybe a kiss to say hello again.
[SYSTEM NOTE: Tomorrow. Everything changes.]
*****
I sighed… for the fourth time in less than two minutes.
"I miss him," I muttered, laying dramatically across the plush couch in my assigned quarters like a rejected lover in a tragic opera. "His voice, his touch… the way he threatens people like it's foreplay."
System Notification: "HOST, THIS IS YOUR FIFTH SIGH. YOU'RE AT RISK OF EXPIRING FROM SIMP SYNDROME. PLEASE BREATHE."
I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, face smushed into a pillow that suspiciously smelled like leather and war crimes. Odd.
"Shut up," I mumbled into the cushion. "You don't get it. He's… Kael. Tall. Brooding. Dangerous. Hot enough to give the sun a crisis."
System SASS Mode: ON
"Oh, I get it. I get it SO HARD, Host. You're so far gone, I could play your heartbeat in Morse code and it would spell out 'RAIL ME, COMMANDER.'"
I choked on air.
"I hate you."
"Lies. You love me. You love Kael even more. I swear, if I had a credit for every time you mentally swoon, I'd have enough to retire from this transmigration hell and run my own spice tavern. And it's only been your first- FIRST world!"
I buried my face deeper.
God, why did I miss him so much? It's only been four days. And yet–
I found myself remembering the way his fingers had gripped my waist, the gravel in his voice when he'd said my name. How his gaze burned when it lingered too long, and how soft his touch had been post-carnal chaos, like I was porcelain and not a man who'd punched someone square in the throat just days ago.
He was a paradox, Kael. Fire and frost. Brutality wrapped in velvet. Power shackled to restraint. And when he touched me like I was his entire world. How could I not fall?
System Diagnostic: Host's vitals indicate an 89.2% plunge into emotional instability. Romantic deterioration imminent. Prepare tissues and/or more lube.
"Ughhh, you're so dramatic," I grumbled. "I'm not that far gone."
"You named your left hand Kael's. You kissed it goodnight."
"Shut. Up."
"Right after you whispered, 'Just one more day.'"
I screamed into the pillow. Internally. Externally. Emotionally.
[Later That Night – In the Study Room]
I flipped through the mission reports I had sneakily acquired from the archive earlier that day. Kael had mentioned suspicions of someone feeding the Queen intel. So far, two names had shown up in odd places far too often. Both nobles. Both were recently promoted.
And both coincidentally in the Queen's favor.
System Notification:
[MISSION REMINDER]
Objective 1: Investigate the power structure of the Kingdom of Solvanyr.
Objective 2: Survive.
Objective 3: Don't get railed into a political puppet.
Deadline: 1 Day Remaining.
System Analysis:
New theory forming…
One of the two nobles has filed multiple private meetings with the Queen during Kael's campaign absence. Suspicious. Needs tailing.
I jotted the details down, lips pressing into a thin line.
Tomorrow was the last day. I had to move. Had to act. Had to–
Thunk.
My head hit the table.
"…I'm tired."
"You're lovesick, you absolute marshmallow. Pull it together. Kael's not here to cradle you in his demon war arms. Yet."
A tiny smile tugged at my lips.
Yet.
I was falling for him.
Falling hard.