It was a sunny day in the Arkwright Estate as the raven-haired girl excitedly left her room and walked to her destination, the fountain in the middle of the garden. The sun smiled brightly as the sky and the gentle wind brushed off her delicate skin while she moved. It was one of those days that her fiance, the Crown Prince visits her home to have lunch with her.
She was dressed as nicely as ever, almost skipping as she moved forward for she longed to see the young Prince and talk to him again, although she mostly does the talking, at least he responds, unlike Zach who shoos her away.
Her smile became wider when she saw the back of the prince from afar, standing in front of the fountain, waiting for her. She straightened up her dress and fixed her already perfect hair before walking closer, but as she did, a mischievous thought entered her mind. She giggled to herself before running fast towards the crown prince, tackling him with a tight hug.
She was expecting a surprised expression, a cute and flustered one, to be precise. But for the Goddess' mercy, she was wrong.
What she saw was a horrified look on the young prince's face and before she knew it, she was already pushed to the ground. The boy eyed her in horror, stepping back a little as if he wanted to run away that very moment.
Avy couldn't forget the terror visible in him that day.
Her whole body felt the pain of hitting the hard, cold ground, looking up at her fiance in complete shock because of the reaction she got.
She didn't have the strength to stand up by herself, hence she expected him to help her but he only stood there, restless and... hesitant? Her vision became blurry as seconds went by and she was sure that the prince took notice of it just as immediately. She saw him muttering something under his breath and not too long after, servants were running towards her in a hurry. They were yelling, but she couldn't hear anything and couldn't feel her body anymore.
Was she pushed that hard?
The empty eyes of the prince became much colder, and that was the last image she saw before she passed out.
The next day, Avy caught a fever that sent the whole estate into chaos.
They said if her father and grandfather didn't call every single mage in the Mage Tower to stabilize her condition within a day...
... the lady would've already been in a coffin before the sun rose.
"My lady!!"
The maids present screeched in surprise and scurried next to Avy who fortunately grabbed the nearest chair she could reach to support herself because if she hadn't, the ground would have be the one to catch her.
One of the maids helped her to straighten up, "Should we call the young master, Mi'lady?" she asked in worry but Avy shook her head in response.
"It's fine. I just felt dizzy for a second." she implied, brushing off the concern as politely as she could. "Bring in the food, let's not make the prince wait."
The maids hesitated, but after catching a glimpse of their lady's unbothered face, they decided to let it go. Not without throwing the prince a disapproving look though. As much as they wanted to express their bitterness openly, they also didn't want to be the cause of a rift between the Arkwrights and the Imperial Family.
The subtle hostility didn't escape Avy's eyes of course. The maids' attitude match well with their masters' standing in high society, it was amusing to look at. But she can't afford to have their necks flying for disrespecting a prince, so she made them leave to not cause any further commotion.
She finally settled down on the chair, and so did the prince who kept quiet. She didn't hold any hard feelings against what he did, to be exact, against what he didn't do. Because for the second time, she knows the reason why he acts that way and treats her like that. Thanks to him though, she got a new memory. One of the most traumatic ones, to be exact.
It was traumatic for Avy, yes.
But she was talking about the prince.
After all, he almost killed his fiance because she pounced on him and made contact for a couple of seconds.
Yes. That was the reason why he hates being touched.
Not because he's some sort of a dirt hater or a germaphobe, but because he could send someone to the cemetery if they touched him and vice versa.
It was said in the novel that nobles have a higher amount of mana than normal people, in fact, theirs are far more superior compared to ordinary citizens because there were 'blessed by gods' bullshit, as Annie addresses it. The purer the bloodline, the more powerful the magic and more mana they have. And now bringing the royal blood into the conversation. They are the highest of the high and the purest of the pure and it is known that those who are born to a royal are set to be great mages, wizards, witches and warlocks, sorcerers, enchanters o whatever magic-related they want to pursue.
And there was the prince.
Crown Prince Lucifer Virel
Unlike the rest of the royalties, he was more favored by the heavens. It was like when he was born, the Gods decided to have favorites and chose him. But unfortunately, their affection was poured a bit too much, and the gift that was supposed to make the prince blessed turned into a curse that forbidden him from making contact with another human being. He became like a never-ending mana container that could pass on energy to another and make their magic explode.
Imagine an ordinary person with an ordinary amount of mana in them as a ball of glass with water inside and the prince as a pressure spray that could transfer water to them without either party's consent. A human body wouldn't refuse the mana that enters it and would try to shelter the mana until it bursts and kill that person.
That also explains why he looks tired all the time, like a walking corpse with those dark circles decorating his exhausted eyes and pale skin like that of a vampire. The mana circulation inside his body is like drugs and caffeine that don't let him sleep at night. It keeps him awake even though he really wants to sleep. He could only sleep for a short time because he has power that his own body couldn't take.
An overpowered character wasted to be the second lead of a romance novel.
Avy likes criticizing everything she finds wrong, and she thought it was such an inconvenience even though she finds it amazing for him to be able to kill someone by merely giving them mana, unintentionally, that is.
He was just around thirteen years old when the accident happened, meaning he still wasn't that well versed with his power yet, hence he sent too much mana to Avy out of shock and almost killed her. Poor prince was traumatized and never wanted to be associated with her ever again, but what can he do? They were engaged.
"Thank you for visiting, your highness." Avy was the first one to break the unsettling silence. Her voice was flat, but she put in a little effort and made it sound cheery even though it wasn't that enthusiastic.
"I heard you were in the North to escort the royal families for the summit." she tried to start a conversation but to no avail, she got nothing in return.
No nods. No yes. No answers. No shit, little mermaid.
Avy was starting to give up on acting all sociable and proceed in a staring contest, or maybe take on the no-talk challenge that the prince was trying to win. She is not the type to entertain quiet people. If someone was quiet, she would be thankful she doesn't have to bother answering and interacting.
Maybe that was one of the reasons why Demi was able to start conversations with him. Because she can't seem to keep her mouth shut even for a second, even the walking stick who doesn't know how to speak couldn't do anything against her prying. Good for her, she earned his affection.
Yes. Affection. Not love. Not the same thing.
Demi doesn't have any ounce of mana in her, like a normal animal, she was immune to his literal touch of death. Being the only person who could receive his touch, the touch starved prince's first nature was to be desperate for her presence. Talk about the 'main character cheat'. He mistook his desperation and affection for love because, for the first time in years, he finally found a person who wouldn't die if they made contact with him.
He was wrong though.
To make him less pathetic because he wasn't chosen in the end, it was said that all he felt was longing for someone's warmth. Which was, to be honest, more pathetic. Well, at least it was acceptable.
The walking statue doesn't have the concept of love in his vocabulary.
As the silence became more unbearable, she noticed the prince pushing a small box on the table towards her. It was there all along that she wondered what was inside it, luckily, it seems like it was for her.
'What's this? A peace offering?'
She looked at the box nonchalantly before opening it. Her brows raised in silent surprise when she saw what was inside. It was a strawberry cake.
She glanced at him in approval. Not bad.
It was Avy's favorite dessert. Or so it was, her so-called favorite one.
"How did you know?" she asked, almost sounding a little informal.
"You told me." the prince's voice was not loud enough, but thanks to her attentive nature and a pair of good ears, he was able to catch what he said. It may sound really nice, but no, his tone made it somewhat cold and rude.
Avy chuckled internally. It wasn't really the original Avy's favorite dessert. She just said that because the prince likes strawberries and Zach, her childhood crush likes cake. What a pretentious bitch. She kind of intentionally told them that she likes strawberry cake to make her look attractive. Thanks to their misunderstanding though. Because it is her favorite dessert.
"How thoughtful," she said.
The maids arrived shortly after with food with them, letting Avy breathe from the suffocating atmosphere caused by the silence they gave each other. The both of them started eating, still silent, but this time, it wasn't that awkward because their attention was directed onto something else although they were alone once again.
After they finished eating, they shared the cake that the prince bought, due to Avy's persuasion. They were engulfed in a comfortable air that felt strangely comforting.
It was a pity. If only he didn't have too much mana that could kill, he would've gotten a better girl to marry. Avy knew that. The prince wasn't all that bad, he was just given the fate befitting of a lonely second lead. If it was not for it, he could've lived normally, or maybe he would've loved normally and not just drown himself in desperation in disguise of love. The author sure is cruel.
Wait.
Overflowing mana?
Avy stopped eating when the realization hit her.
Didn't Ares just turn her into a walking black hole? Then that means she can benefit from him if he can throw away mana. Remembering that, she did feel comfortable and less tired with him around. If her hypothesis was right, if she hang around him, she wouldn't be as tired and hungry as normal because she would be fed with the mana he could give.
She looked at him like how the real Avy would. She could take something from him, but she could lessen his burden by stealing some of his overflowing power. That would be a fair deal right?
He just doesn't need to know.
~~~
The rest of the day flew by quickly. Avy and prince Lucifer spent the day together just like usual, reading books in the library, eating lunch, and walking in the garden. But oddly enough, it wasn't uncomfortable even though they didn't talk much. It was the type of silence that didn't make Avy feel sick to her stomach.
When the night arrived, Avy went back to her room to rest and so did Lucifer. It was strange, her body usually feels like it could collapse by the end of the day due to exhaustion, but that day, even though she moved more compared to her daily routine, she was just tired, the tired sensation she used to feel like a normal human. She kind of missed that feeling.
She was already laid on her bed, staring at her ceiling when a voice interrupted her for the first time that day.
"Get up there and go to your fiancé."
Ares' voice almost gave her a heart attack. Fucking snake couldn't really warn her.
"What? Why would I? And where in the world did you go?" she sat up and Are in his snake form appeared in front of her. He first cast a spell on the room before speaking again.
"You used your magic last night and forced me into hibernation you stupid woman," he hissed at her, literally.
Avy raised her brow, "I thought I needed to read some kind of book to use the magic?" she said, confused.
Although Ares couldn't show it because he was a snake, he expressed his reaction through his tone. "Where did you learn that? Some kind of human-made stupid rumor?" he told her, the insult rolling off his long tongue smoothly.
Avy shrugged off his attitude and opened her mouth again. "So? You just said you're supposed to be in hibernation, why are you disturbing me now?"
The snake servant shook his head. "I was also wondering why, since the last time my owner released her potential, I was asleep for more than a month until she finally gathered enough mana to wake me up."
"Then the prince really is a walking power supply," she confirmed.
"Yes, I thought so too." Ares agreed, "That's why I need you to sleep next to him to take as much as you can get." he added.
Avy scoffed. "What am I supposed to do? Barge inside his room and snuggle close to him like a creep?"
Hell no, she won't. She was even prideful enough to not ask the prince to touch the tip of her finger since direct touch would be better than by just being in his presence, and this bitch of snake really had the audacity to tell her to sleep next to him? She didn't know his intelligence would be based on the size of the creature he mimics.
"Then sleep in the room next to his! Just take advantage of him!"
Avy stared at him like she was looking at something disgusting.
"Okay, that came out wrong," Ares admitted, what he said finally sinking in, "But as I was saying. Use this opportunity to get yourself a treat. This is free mana, just reminding you."
After a few minutes of nagging, Avy finally surrendered and quietly walked out of her room to go to the prince. She didn't erase her presence nor did she completely conceal his mana since there are so many skilled mages currently present inside the manor, and that would affect her the opposite of what it is for.
She just erased the sounds she makes and walked cautiously in the hallway, wearing her nightgown and a small piece of scarf dangling on her shoulder. The manor was dark and not a single light except the shine of the moon seeping through the windows was guiding her path. Although it should be cold, her fire magic kept her body warm hence she didn't have any troubles walking in just her pajamas. Everything was fine.
Until she felt someone pointing something at her neck.
"We don't accept visitors at night, I'm afraid."
Hearing that comment, Avy shivered as death waved at her again.
For fuck's sake, again?
~~~
This chapter is boring, kill me. Just kidding, here you go.
I really want to upload as often as I can so that I can finish this first part before my birthday. Wish me diligence, and maybe some luck. Ciao.