NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 85
Three women called me over, and after I heard quite a stir.
I was training with a tangled mind.
‘How did Act 4, Scene 1 end like this…?’
The various events that followed had left my head incredibly complicated.
There was a lot to do going forward.
Problems arose from the most unexpected places.
“Feeling guilty? Try to hide your expression a bit.”
At that moment, I lifted my head following the voice I heard.
There stood Hania, sparring with my opponent.
She and I were fake lovers for now.
So we spent our classes together as much as possible.
Of course, in reality, we had no feelings for each other at all.
Hania was devoted to Iris, while I had lost the feeling of love behind the curtain of the bandage.
The chance of us becoming real lovers was almost zero.
“You seem to be aware that Iris caught us.”
“I was powerless! But the other two aren’t my fault, right?”
Well, that was indeed my doing.
“…Hanon, I think Iris needs you.”
I blinked at her, staring back.
“Iris has grown up lonely her whole life. Unfortunately, being the 3rd Princess is a sorrowful position.”
In Haishirion, there were four princes and three princesses.
In order of age, starting from the 1st Prince.
1st Prince > 1st Princess > 2nd Prince > 3rd Prince > 2nd Princess > 4th Prince > 3rd Princess
Iris, the 3rd Princess, was the last among the royal family.
However, her maternal grandfather was a man with ambitions to consume the royal family.
The Duke of Robliju.
The Duke of Robliju was so determined to elevate Iris, he even made a contract with the Evil Zone.
As a result, Iris pressed down on her siblings before her, vying for the position of 1st Prince and Emperor.
She rose from the furthest position from the throne to the one closest to it.
In the process, no one dared to stand by Iris, who was even called the last evil woman.
Moreover, her only source of love, her mother, had turned into a nightmare.
Iris had no family beside her.
“I can serve as a subordinate, but I can’t become Iris’s family.”
Hania sighed softly.
“But Hanon can.”
With a clear gaze, she fixed her eyes on me.
“Hanon can even help with Iris’s insomnia.”
No.
I merely provided a temporary fix for Iris’s insomnia.
Until her nightmare was resolved, her insomnia wouldn’t be solved.
Thus, there was much to do moving forward.
‘Above all, I’m not actually family.’
I told Iris a significant lie.
Therefore, I shouldn’t approach Iris as family.
“Hania, that’s not true.”
I denied Hania’s words.
“You are the most important person beside Iris.
You’ve been the one supporting and watching over Iris the most.”
I would certainly resolve Iris’s nightmares.
But the rest should be handled by Hania, who was more suited for it.
“You’re Iris’s friend, right?”
As I smiled gently, Hania looked at me silently.
Then for some reason, she grimaced.
“Are you trying to seduce girls this way?”
What is she talking about?
I stared at Hania in disbelief.
Then Hania wrapped her untethered arm around herself.
“Don’t think about including me in your net.”
“……I’ve never even thought about that.”
“Does that mean I’m unattractive?”
Is this Magung?
No matter what I say, a blade flies at me.
Seeing me dumbfounded, Hania chuckled.
“Just joking. I know Hanon doesn’t feel that way. The way Hanon looks at me is different from how regular guys do.”
“Hania, I’m a guy too.”
For some reason, Hania smiled brightly.
“Yes, right.”
Why does that smile feel even sadder?
Suddenly, it hurt my heart.
“No. Rather, isn’t this why more girls keep gathering around Hanon?”
Hania pondered seriously.
To me, it was a bitter thought.
To not see women with romantic eyes, yet still be able to associate with them—what a sad life that is.
‘This is, emotionally castrated…’
I’m sorry, my son.
I’ll try to reclaim it by saving the world.
Until then, I must remain asleep.
“Opening.”
At that moment, Hania dove into my absent-mindedness.
In the end, I had to allow one move and roll on the floor.
＊＊＊
That night.
I came to Iris’s room in the guise of Hania, just like last time.
Now, entering the girls’ dormitory had become extremely familiar.
I breezed past the entrance and headed toward Iris’s room.
Even as girls passed by, I greeted them casually in Hania’s form.
Is this really okay?
I pondered, but there was no way around it since Iris had called me.
Swallowing a sigh inwardly, as I climbed the stairs, I realized someone was standing at the top.
My head slowly lifted.
And soon, I faced a girl with honey-blonde hair standing there.
She stood, arms crossed, silently watching me.
“……Isabel?”
“Hmm, so that’s how you came.”
Isabel left those words and turned away.
Did she wait for me to arrive?
No, more importantly, how did she see right through me?
Though the facade of the bandage may not be perfect, my appearance should be flawless.
There was no way anyone could recognize me unless it was Sharine, with her celestial body.
Was it a coincidence?
Or did she test the waters?
I stared blankly at Isabel’s retreating figure, my expression in shock.
Isabel truly said nothing more.
I knocked on Iris’s door, feeling a strange unease.
“Come in.”
Hearing Iris’s reply, I opened the door.
Iris sat by the window, quietly gazing at the sky.
The evening sky was overcast, shrouding the moonlight.
Perhaps because of that, the room, lit by only a small lamp, was quite dim.
“Iris?”
As I called her, Iris turned this way.
“I heard you helped with the recent boycott incident.”
Was she calling me to interrogate on this?
I slowly closed the door with a bitter smile.
“Yes, I did.”
“Why?”
I couldn’t tell what the answer Iris wanted might be.
I just knew she didn’t want decorative words.
“It was necessary for what I aim to achieve.”
A vague answer.
But since it was the truth, I stood there calmly while Iris tilted her head.
Her jet-black hair slipped down with the motion.
Although it was still autumn, glimpses of her bare skin could be seen peeking through her thin clothing.
In the darkness.
Only her ruby-like red eyes glistened brightly.
In the future, as a vessel for the Evil Zone, her eyes would undeniably contain an alluring power.
“If it’s about the goal.”
“To graduate Jerion Academy safely.”
The moment the Jerion Academy ends.
That point would be the ending of the Flame Butterfly arc.
After that, I wouldn’t know how the world would turn.
Therefore, I planned to make the best of my knowledge in the meantime.
‘Or I might just be sent home after watching the ending.’
I didn’t expect that much.
By then, going home would feel more awkward.
Iris slowly tapped her hands on the table.
After a good while of doing that, she looked back at me.
“Then, was this incident related to your graduation?”
“Having been in the student council, I became aware there were corrupt individuals among the professors.
It was best for Jerion Academy to keep moving forward, so I decided they needed to be removed.”
“And what about Senior Nikita’s case?”
“That also falls under the same category.”
To progress Jerion Academy, it was a necessary act.
So I carried it out.
“Right.”
But a hint of disappointment flashed through Iris’s eyes.
Reading that, I tilted my head briefly.
Did Iris want a different answer?
“Then it wasn’t for me, huh?”
Soon after, I understood the loneliness that danced in her eyes.
Hania’s words from earlier today resurfaced in my mind.
The solitude that made up her being was something she couldn’t escape from herself.
‘……The one to liberate Iris from her loneliness is Lucas.’
Iris, who was forced to target the throne like a puppet because of the Duke of Robliju.
In her life, Lucas was an incredibly unique individual.
He wouldn’t tolerate injustice, and when danger arose, he would be the first to step up.
Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he offered his body willingly.
Thus, once, Iris had found interest in Lucas.
Although it was a fleeting interest that vanished after Lucas’s death, Iris certainly found Lucas fascinating at that time.
With the flames of determination in his heart, Lucas was the key to solving Iris’s nightmares.
Every night, he remained by her side, unable to sleep.
In the process, Iris gradually began to feel comfort, peace, and warmth she had never experienced before, opening her heart to him.
On the day Lucas finally rescues her from her nightmares.
Iris truly falls in love with Lucas.
That was the story of the heroine Iris Haishirion.
It was a story far removed from me, who lacked the flames of determination.
Thus, I couldn’t play the main role alongside Lucas.
But that alone wouldn’t solve Iris’s fundamental loneliness.
Her loneliness continued to gnaw at her.
And that directly influenced her nightmares.
‘I am.’
I came here in the guise of her cousin, Hanon Irey.
And Iris desired the warmth of human affection she had never experienced.
‘I can do it.’
If Iris were to be okay, I could willingly play the part of her cousin, Hanon Irey.
But would that truly be enough?
Is it alright for Iris to feel familial affection through my portrayal of Hanon?
No.
Absolutely not.
That’s not truly caring for her.
What I want is not a fictional happy ending, like merchandise.
But a real happy ending where everyone is genuinely happy.
“Iris.”
“Hmm?”
“From today, let’s train together in the mornings.”
“Huh?”
The affections of a false family.
Let it all go to waste.
“Iris’s nightmares.”
Iris flinched at my words.
Everyone knew she struggled with insomnia.
But no one knew she had nightmares.
Thus, Iris’s round eyes widened in shock as she looked perplexed.
Seeing this, my lips curled upwards.
“I’ll solve that for you.”
I’ll forcibly create a life free from insomnia for her.