"You might not need this, but this is the only way I can set my mind at ease. Would you please grant my little wish?"
The blonde-haired youth knelt on one knee, extending a hand toward Baimeng, his tilted head leaning with a charming, boyish air. Yet, coming from him, the gesture felt entirely natural.
Too bad the only person in a position to appreciate it found herself mentally complaining before she could feel any charm.
*Whoa, does someone actually say lines like that? It's cute, but in reality—ah... no, this is another world, just like in novels and mangas...*
*Well, then I suppose it's not strange.*
*He's got that whole prince persona going on, and his smile is pretty cute too...* A faint flutter stirred in Baimeng's chest.
So, before her brain could issue any commands, her honest body betrayed its master and reacted first.
Her hand rested upon the youth's open palm, which radiated a reassuring warmth.
The smile on Lumine's—*Aether's* face deepened. With utmost care, he lifted the God of Dreams' smaller hand, bestowing a hand-kiss. With practiced restraint and politeness, he paused his lips just shy of her knuckles, his warm breath ghosting over the back of her cold hand and leaving a flush in its wake.
The entire sequence of gestures was gentle and natural, as though this was the exact role he was meant to play—not the lonely prince upon a throne, revered by all, but a devoted and single-minded follower who cherished a single person.
A faint smile lingering on his lips, the blonde prince led her deeper into the shadows.
Even as she sat before the dining table, a sense of unreality still clung to Baimeng. Whether it was how he deliberately slowed his pace while walking to match hers, or how he pulled out her chair beforehand, every single action Aether took was just right.
He was far too attentive!
"I hope these dishes are to your liking."
A multitude of delicacies lined the long table, accented by flickering, scattered candelabras that illuminated the entire hall.
The God of Dreams inwardly wept as she swallowed a mouthful of the exquisite food, even beginning to suspect whether this control skill came with built-in perfect butler training. How else could she explain why a prince was so remarkably skilled at taking care of people?
"Do you have any requests? Please let me know at any time, Your Highness."
Seeing Baimeng pause her meal, Aether, who had been standing by in attendance, hurried to her side. He positioned himself perfectly—close enough to catch her softest command, yet far enough not to make her feel constrained.
Baimeng praised him in her heart once more.
"It's nothing. You should sit and eat too."
"As you command."
Baimeng was pleased to see Aether offer no empty hesitation, instead readily pulling out the bench to her left and taking a seat. His back was held straight as he picked up his cutlery with effortless grace.
The black-clad blonde youth against the backdrop of the archaic palace looked as pleasing to the eye as a classical Western oil painting.
Further away stood a group of Abyssal Monsters, including several Abyss Heralds, Abyss Lectors, and a handful of Abyss Mages. Since the classification of Abyssal creatures was far too complicated, Baimeng simply referred to them collectively as "Abyss Lectors" for the sake of convenience.
Right now, these bad actors who usually stopped at nothing and were used by parents to frighten children were cowering like quails. With their backs practically pressed against the walls, they hung their heads in trembling fear, not daring to disturb the pair's mealtime.
Baimeng looked over the numerous plates of food, thought for a moment, and spoke again.
"You all should come eat too."
"B-But Your Highness, this isn't..." one of the Abyss Heralds stammered, but before he could finish, a clear, crisp voice cut him off.
"Her Highness said you should join."
Aether pinched his table knife, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously.
The Abyss Herald immediately fell silent. His companions babbled out hurried expressions of gratitude, shoving past him as they swarmed toward the table in a rush.
They ended up filling the long table completely.
"You usually eat together like this, don't you?"
Baimeng fiddled with her knife and fork, asking with a casual air as she glanced to her right.
Seated there was the very same Abyss Herald who had spoken first—or perhaps an Abyss Lector. Whether out of ostracization or bad luck, his companions had eagerly snatched up all the other seats, leaving only the empty spot directly to the God of Dreams' right. The unfortunate fellow had no choice but to accept his fate and sit down, the fire within his eye sockets dimming quite a bit.
"Ah, y-yes." At first, the unlucky fellow hadn't realized the God of Mechnical... the God of Dreams was speaking to him. It wasn't until his colleague felt the prince's death glare and delivered a heavy elbow to his ribs that he scrambled to put down his cutlery and stammered his reply.
"Don't be nervous. I was just asking casually," the God of Dreams offered with a gentle, reassuring smile, and predictably heard the chime of an increase in favorability.
[Level up. Current favorability: Level 2.]
It seemed that even though the game interface was gone, the favorability system was still operational. That was simply grea... oh, for crying out loud!
Which decent favorability system only notifies you when it goes up, never when it drops? Plus, once favorability hits level six, it stops giving any notifications altogether—how inconvenient is that!
It was manageable back when the system interface existed; if you wanted to check someone's favorability, you just had to open a window. But now, not even the gods knew where that wretched window was hiding, hey!
How was she supposed to figure out what their actual favorability rating for her was? Maximum love and utmost hatred looked exactly the same without a display, didn't they?!
*Crack!* The silver fork in Baimeng's hand let out an overwhelmed groan and snapped into two pieces.
The entire dining table fell instantly quiet. The room dropped into a dead silence, devoid even of the sound of breathing.
"Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
Aether was the first to break the stillness. He lunged to Baimeng's side in a single stride, drawing the broken cutlery from her grasp.
"Pardon my offense."
The youth's hands, naturally warmer than hers, wrapped around her wrist to inspect it thoroughly. Only after confirming there wasn't a single scratch did he finally relax.
"I'm not that fragile," Baimeng said awkwardly, unaccustomed to receiving such treatment.
"Of course I know how powerful you are, but please still allow me to worry about you. Alright?"
Those golden eyes gazed straight into hers, devoid of the slightest trace of hypocrisy, containing nothing but pure, unadulterated concern.
Yet Baimeng felt herself on the verge of being crushed and nearly suffocated by this overwhelming tide of goodwill. Guilt and self-reproach crept outward like ivy.
*Did I go too far before? He doesn't really seem like a bad person, does he?*
Such a thought merely flashed across Baimeng's mind before reason raised a pointed question:
Aether's favorability rating hadn't changed at all.
At least, she had never heard the system prompt chime.
In that case, how much genuine sincerity was there in the concern of the person before her?
Or perhaps... was even being controlled just another part of his acting?
At this realization, a chill ran down Baimeng's spine. She felt as though she had been suddenly cast into an ice cellar, even the hand he held stiffening against his palm.
"Aether."
"I am here, Your Highness." The youth's smile was carved upon his features—so perfect, so distant, and so... false.