How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game-Chapter 325: Establishing Relationships .5

But more than that, something about the way Snow had handled the situation didn’t quite sit right with me.

Snow was many things—prideful, calculating, and not the type to lose a bet so easily.

If what Rose was telling me was accurate, then the whole thing didn’t make much sense.

Had Snow planned to lose from the very start?

Snow was an ice mage. If their ridiculous battle had involved nothing but cold sweets, then Snow’s victory should have been practically guaranteed.

After all, the cold was her natural ally—her body and mana naturally resonated with it, allowing her to regulate the effects far better than any ordinary person.

In contrast, while Rose was undoubtedly a talented mage in her own right, she didn’t possess the same affinity with ice magic.

She had no innate resistance to the cold, no way to mitigate the effects like Snow did.

And yet… Rose had won.

’Something wasn’t adding up.’

As we continued walking, Rose glanced at me, her golden eyes flickering under the dim light.

"…Are you mad?" she asked softly.

"Why would I be?" I responded without much thought.

"Well… we just decided something that involved you on our own…"

I let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of my head. "Hm… I can’t say I’m not annoyed, but it’s not like I can bring myself to hate you for it. Let’s just say my two lovers played a game, and you won with me as the price. That’s all."

"L-Lovers…?"

I turned to look at her just in time to catch the way her expression froze.

Her cheeks, which had been pale from all the sweets earlier, were now flushed a deep red.

She looked utterly stunned, as if the weight of my words had just fully settled in.

"Well…" I shrugged slightly, offering her a small, amused smile. "After everything, it’s safe to say we’re in some kind of relationship now, right?"

Rose swallowed, her lips parting slightly. "Y-Yes…" she whispered. Then, after a beat, she hesitantly asked, "Does that mean… I’m Riley’s girlfriend now?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Rose blinked.

And then, just like that, her usual cool and collected demeanor cracked completely.

Her entire face turned bright red, and for the first time in a long while, she looked genuinely flustered.

It was rare—incredibly rare—to see Rose lose her composure like this.

Normally, she was so composed, so in control of herself. But right now, in this moment, she wasn’t the ever-graceful, ever-poised Rose everyone knew her as.

Right now, she was just… a girl.

I exhaled slowly, my own thoughts swirling in my head.

Honestly… I still had doubts.

Not about Rose, but about everything. About what counted as a good decision or a bad one.

About the mess I was inevitably getting myself into with all the girls involved in my life. About the consequences that would come crashing down sooner or later.

But I knew one thing for sure—ignoring it wouldn’t make it go away.

If I kept dodging it, if I kept pretending like I could just avoid dealing with it… it would only come back to bite me in the end.

It was better to establish things now, to define my relationship with Rose properly, before things spiraled too far out of control.

Because if her unexpected appearance here in the imperial had already caused this much chaos…

I could only imagine what ignoring it would do.

Rose’s grip on my hand tightened, her fingers interlocking firmly with mine.

Her golden eyes gleamed with a mix of determination and uncertainty, the moonlight casting a soft glow over her flushed cheeks.

"But will that be alright? Me becoming one of your lovers…? Will you give up on Princess Snow?"

Her voice wavered; the hesitancy clear.

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her concern.

The idea of sharing me with Snow was clearly still a difficult concept for her to accept.

It was… endearing, in a way—seeing Rose so openly selfish when it came to matters of the heart, though it was still a bit problematic...

"I have no intentions of giving up on Snow," I said with a gentle smile. "And besides, I love Snow just as much as I love you."

"Liar…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Do you hate Snow?" I asked, curious.

"...No," Rose admitted after a moment of hesitation. "But sharing you with her isn’t something I’d like."

"Why is that?"

She glanced away, her gaze flickering to the ground as if the answer lay hidden among the shadows. "If the situations were reversed, would you want me with some other man as well?"

"Nah, I’d probably kill him," I replied without missing a beat.

Rose snorted, a small, amused smile curving her lips. "That’s what I thought."

Her expression softened, but the tension in her eyes remained. "I don’t hate Snow entirely, but something about her just ticks me off the wrong way. Even though she acts all high and lovely toward you, the same can’t be said for others, you know? And isn’t she the most complicated person to have a relationship with? The emperor won’t take lightly to such a decision. Per noble and imperial rule, one must—"

"Don’t worry about the emperor," I interrupted gently. "I already have a plan in mind…"

’Though it was a rather direct one, to be honest.’

Rose bit her lower lip, clearly debating whether to push the issue further or let it rest.

Despite the lingering uncertainty, a sense of relief seemed to wash over her, her shoulders relaxing just a bit.

"What about your fiancée? You said she was someone you love as well, right?"

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…Damn.

With all the unexpected situations going on.

I completely forgot Liyana….

’So she remembers….’

When Rose was asking me for advice about love, I had blurted that out Liyana before… Enjoy new chapters from novelbuddy

Much like Rose and Snow, my complications with Liyana were… numerous.

There were too many things to take into account with what I was doing right now, and in all honesty, it was safe to say she had already heard about everything that had been going on.

Sooner or later, I would have to face her as well.

I really didn’t want to see Liyana as the final boss of this world, but… if it really came down to that, then I was fully prepared.

I could feel the blessing the goddess had left within me, a quiet strength humming beneath my skin. If Liyana was going to bring chaos, then I was confident I could withstand it.

Rose tilted her head slightly, watching me with a contemplative expression.

"Is establishing your relationship with me really that important?"

"What do you mean…?"

"I intend to take all of you as my first wives, you know?"

Rose’s eyes widened at my words, her breath catching. "First… wives?"

The sheer absurdity of what I said finally registered with her. She blinked a few times, processing, and then—

"Pfft—"

She let out a disbelieving laugh, her cheeks flushing red.

Letting Rose laugh her heart out I smiled as I notification screen flash before my eyes.

[Note: The harem path will lead to ruin…]

At this point, I didn’t really care anymore.

I had already made my promise to the goddess—to save this world.

I had already voiced my wish before her, and I had already set my purpose: to bring happiness to the people of this world.

Not just characters in some preordained story, but real people, with real emotions and lives that deserved fulfillment.

Even if the fates had written a different ending for me, even if Liyana was meant to be the Great Evil—the chaos destined to devour and destroy everything—I refused to follow that script.

The me that the fates had dictated to die by her hands? He didn’t exist anymore.

The other versions of me had entrusted everything to me.

Their failures were not something to be repeated….

I would carve my own path.

Liyana was supposed to be erased from this world that was what the goddess told me.

A being who had no place in the cycle of existence, someone whose very survival was a contradiction of pure Chaos.

Eliminating her was the best option…

But I had no intention of doing that.

The goddess may have asked me to stop all the evil that was to come… but I would do it in my own way.

If she was destined to bring chaos, then I would be the one to hold her close.

If the world saw her as a monster, then I would be the one to see her as a person.

Because I knew—more than anyone—that Liyana had given up everything, even her own power, for the sake of giving me happiness in that other lifetime.

So, I would do the same for her.

Even if the world turned against her—even if she turned against me—I would find a way to give her the happiness she deserved.

Liyana might be a little crazy.

’But she’s mine~’