Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 26: First Encounter With the Calamity

Ren didn't know how it was to others but in that moment, to him, Lilith's presence was suffocating.

It wasn't just the way she had stormed into the room, her crimson eyes burning with barely restrained fury.

It was something deeper, something primal.

She was dangerous, that was undeniable. And to make matters worse, his instincts screamed at him, warning that he stood before a being of immense latent power, a force yet to be fully realized.

But instead of tensing, instead of giving in to the natural instinct to brace for impact, he made a different choice.

He smiled.

Lilith opened her mouth, likely to say something hurtful in her anger, but before she could, Ren stepped forward and extended a hand toward her.

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Lilith."

She almost stumbled, shock rippling through her.

It was as if her brain process slowed down as her eyes flickered down to his outstretched hand, and for a brief moment, confusion replaced her anger.

Got you.

Before she could react further, Lord Underwood took control of the moment. "Lilith," he said, his voice still carrying its earlier warmth but with a measure of authority added to it, "this is Terence Ross, your betrothed."

Lilith's gaze snapped back to Ren, her expression morphing between anger and confusion, as if struggling to choose which one she wanted to show.

He kept his hand stretched out, waiting.

The silence stretched between them before she finally lifted her hand, placing it lightly in his.

Her touch was cold, and it was like a buzz of electricity as their flesh touched. A chill raced up his arm and spread through his body, but controlled himself, refusing to let it show.

He couldn't show any emotion or action that could be interpreted as negative. The moment he did, he would destroy the progress he had just made.

Now that he had removed the immediate danger, he needed something to keep Lilith on her backfoot. Something she would not expect in any way.

As the idea popped into his mind, he executed it without any hesitation.

Moving fluidly like this was his intention in the first place, he lifted her hand and pressed a brief, courteous kiss to the back of her fingers. "Please, call me Ren."

Lilith's breath hitched and a blush crept up her neck as her composure cracked for just a second. On her pale skin, the blush stuck out like a sore thumb.

She yanked her hand back, her fingers curling into a fist as if she was unsure of what to do with them. "I– I–"

Then, before she could say anything further, she turned on her heel and bolted from the room.

Ren blinked.

That... was not what he had expected.

Lord Underwood's booming laughter filled the room, rich and amused. "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

Ren straightened, grinning sheepishly. "She is... interesting."

Lord Underwood's mirth settled into something more thoughtful. "She is. And I must say, I am pleased with how this meeting has gone. You handled that well, boy."

Ren inclined his head in respect. "I will do my best to meet the expectations placed upon me."

It was good to stay on the good side of one of the people who had power over the engagement. If it was called off, he'd miss his chance to save the world.

Lord Underwood nodded approvingly before calling out. "Sir Aldric."

The knight stepped into the room. "Escort Lord Ren to his quarters. He'll be staying near his entourage."

Ren followed the knight, his mind mulling over what had just happened.

Even if he hadn't confirmed it before, this would've sealed the deal. This was the true Lilith.

Before she became the Third Great Calamity, before the world pushed her into darkness, she had been just a girl.

A girl capable of embarrassment. A girl capable of surprise.

He would not let fate consume her.

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In the gardens, Lilith stormed along the winding paths, her steps uneven, her eyes wide.

Elias trailed behind her, hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm as he listened to her rambling.

"Who does he think he is?" She burst out, throwing her hands in the air. "Smiling at me like that!"

"No fear, no hesitation! And then— then he kissed my hand! Like some— some noble out of a storybook!"

Elias chuckled in amusement. "Would you have preferred he reacted like everyone else?"

Lilith stopped abruptly, turning to face him, her brows furrowed. "I— I don't know. He was just... different."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "And that bothers you?"

She crossed her arms, scowling. "It doesn't bother me. It's just— he's strange. I don't understand him."

Elias smiled, saying nothing. This was the most lively he'd seen Lilith in years. He wouldn't ruin it by talking too much.

Lilith huffed, pacing again before stopping under a tree, her eyes locked on the rippling surface of the pond ahead of it.

"He didn't flinch." She said quietly. "He didn't even hesitate. Everyone hesitates when they touch me. They realize what I am, and they shrink back. But he... he just acted like it was normal."

Elias nodded, leaning against the tree. "Maybe it is normal. To him."

Lilith frowned. "No one thinks that. Not even my own father. You know how he is. He's always laughing, warm with my sisters. Then I enter, and the air changes. It's always like that. I don't belong with them. I don't belong anywhere."

Elias was silent for a moment before he said, "Maybe that's why your father arranged this betrothal. To give you someone who might belong at your side."

Lilith scoffed. "You think he's different? That he'll actually stay?"

Elias chuckled. "You'll have to find out for yourself."

Lilith tsked, turning back to stare at the pond, thinking.

Just who was Terence Ross?

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She had intended to scare him away, to make him regret ever coming here. But now, he had become something unexpected. An anomaly in her carefully constructed world.

She didn't know if she liked it.

But she would find out.

And she wouldn't leave him until she solved this puzzle.