TREMBAB Chapter 141

 

 

 

Lyat’s steps toward Shekina felt heavy.

 

It was no wonder, as what he had to say to Sherina was far from pleasant.

 

Lyat recalled the contents of the letter from the imperial family.

 

Once the overly long greetings and trivial words were stripped away, the main point was clear:

 

 

<To broaden the prince’s perspective, we request your cooperation in the North.>

 

 

In short, they were notifying him that they intended to send the prince here.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

Lyat paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

 

The intention behind sending the prince was obvious. They wanted to tie the prince and Shekina together somehow to bring her under their influence.

 

‘Humans…’

 

If demons still possessed their original power, humans wouldn’t dare to pull such schemes. They wouldn’t even conceive such ideas. After all, demons are great beings, while humans are nothing but a lowly species.

 

Still, it wasn’t enough to simply feel anger and contempt. Shekina’s existence weighed on his mind. Shekina was neither human nor demon but a homunculus.

 

Shouldn’t she be regarded as an even more inferior being?

 

But to Lyat, Shekina was no longer a lowly being. She had become something more—something difficult to describe in detail but undeniably lodged in his heart.

 

Until now, he had avoided recognizing his feelings for Shekina, pushing them aside, but he could no longer do so.

 

 

– I thought you said you’d leave Shekina behind when you returned to the demon realm.

 

– You said as much when creating the homunculus.

 

 

Arthur.

 

That bastard stirred things up, making it impossible for Lyat to pretend any longer that he didn’t have feelings for Shekina.

 

‘Shekina…’

 

No, he also needed to think about the other homunculus. How they should be treated.

 

Originally, homunculus were meant to be disposed of…

 

‘This is a headache.’

 

Haaaa. Lyat let out a long breath and hastened his steps.

 

‘I’ll need to talk with the others, too.’

 

What would the Demon King say about all this? The king never reversed his decisions, so he might insist on proceeding with the original plan. That would make things even more complicated.

 

‘Might as well…’

 

Lyat’s gray eyes settled into calmness.

 

He no longer wanted to hold onto his throbbing head. It was at that very moment when thoughts he shouldn’t consider began to surface in his mind.

 

“Uncle?”

 

A small hand tugged on Lyat’s sleeve.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

It was none other than Shekina.

 

“Were you on your way to my room? Why? To see me? Because you missed me?”

 

“…….…”

 

Lyat widened his eyes and gazed quietly at Shekina, who was looking up at him.

 

The thoughts that had filled his mind just moments ago vanished. His headache was gone, too. The suffocating anger and frustration no longer surged within him.

 

All he felt was overwhelming affection for the child before him.

 

“Yes.”

 

Lyat smiled gently and placed his hand on Shekina’s head.

 

“I was on my way to see you because I missed you.”

 

It was time to admit it.

 

Shekina, who had entered his heart,

 

Was no longer something he could define as a homunculus.

 

***

 

The world bathed in the faint glow of the setting sun.

 

Shekina, who had been quietly watching the sun go down, soon closed the window, sensing the encroaching cold.

 

And with a thud, she flopped onto the bed.

 

Her expression wasn’t great. To be precise, her face was filled with irritation.

 

“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

 

Ugh!

 

Shekina hugged a pillow and rolled around on the bed, flailing.

 

“Why is that prince coming here?!”

 

That’s right.

 

The reason Shekina was so upset was none other than the prince, Benita.

 

According to what Lyat told her, the empress had unilaterally written a letter saying they were sending Benita to the North. He was expected to arrive in about a month.

 

It had been fine when they were invited by the empress to the capital. Back then, it was merely a matter of ‘meeting face-to-face and gauging each other’s intentions.’

 

Even if they brought up engagement, she could easily accept it. Forming a connection with the imperial family would benefit Shekina’s future.

 

But now, the situation was different.

 

In the capital, they went to visit the imperial family, meaning they could ‘walk away’ if needed.

 

But if the prince came to the North?

 

Since he would be the one ‘visiting,’ proper hospitality would be required, and Shekina couldn’t just ‘walk away.’

 

‘This is troublesome.’

 

She wanted to refuse, but it was hard to oppose the imperial family’s decision, which had already been made.

 

‘And if I make things unbearable and drive him away…’

 

That would just give them an excuse to throw a tantrum.

 

So, it seemed she had no choice but to bend to the prince’s wishes and accommodate him.

 

“There wasn’t a scenario with the prince in the game, so I don’t even know what kind of guy he is.”

 

According to Yuriel, he was timid and introverted, but who knows? People’s attitudes change depending on whether they’re in a position of power or weakness.

 

Shekina let out a deep sigh and sat up.

 

In this frustrating situation, there was only one way for Shekina to extract the information she needed.

 

“Hey, system. Show yourself.”

 

Ring!

 

 

[SYSTEM]

I’m not your pet! Why don’t you talk to Sera instead?

 

 

“Sera is a cat. Cats don’t listen.”

 

Shekina casually picked her ear and stared at the empty air where the system window appeared.

 

“Hey, do you know much about the prince?”

 

Ring!

 

 

[SYSTEM]

I know everything.

 

 

“For someone who claims to know everything, you’re pretty useless… Based on what you’ve done before…”

 

 

[SYSTEM]

Ha. Ha. Ha.

That was when I was weak!

 

 

Watching the trembling system window, Shekina chuckled.

 

“Anyway, spill some information. About the prince or the imperial family. All of it.”

 

Ring!

 

 

[SYSTEM]

For free? No way!

 

 

At that moment, the edges of the system window quivered.

 

 

[SYSTEM]

Since I’m useless, I’ll give you an even more useless quest! Ha. Ha. Ha!

 

 

You little…!

 

“Hey! Are you seriously doing this?!”

 

It felt like she could hear the system saying, Yes, I am. Damn thing.

 

If the system had a physical form, Shekina muttered that she would’ve punched it more than a hundred times. She then glanced at the quest window floating before her.

 

 

Sub-quest: Win the Prince’s Favor!

 

The prince, filled with excitement at receiving his first assignment, is heading to the North.

 

You should treat this eager prince kindly, shouldn’t you?

 

Try to earn the prince’s favor! (Favorability: 0/100)

 

(Hint: None! Figure it out yourself!)

 

Reward: A Collection of Imperial Family Secrets

 

Failure: Death

 

 

“You little…”

 

Shekina clenched her fists, trembling with frustration, and shouted.

 

“You stingy, insane god wannabe!”

 

Wannabe, wannabe, wannabe…

 

Her voice echoed through the spacious room, but the system vanished, leaving only one last remark.

 

 

[SYSTEM]

Good luck~!

 

 

I swear, I’ll destroy you.

 

Shekina gritted her teeth.