True to her word, Princess Elizabeth must have spoken to the colonel, because the next morning he arranged for me to join the troops led by a different captain with my brother and my fiance.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Good morning, Lady Valentina.”

Oscar was back to his typical aloof self, though perhaps his gaze towards me was softer. We merely exchanged polite greetings, but I secretly relished in the memory of our kiss. The ring I’d sent him wasn’t on his hand, but I glimpsed a necklace tucked under his shirt, and anyways it was the thought that counted.

“My sweet Val! I’ve missed you so much!”

Damian shot Oscar a venomous glance and rushed to embrace me. I smiled, hugging him back. It was too early in the day for insanity, but the recollection of our last conversation sent a chill down my spine.

“You should’ve come home for the summer, then! We’ve missed you too.”

“Oh, I wish I could have, but I was busy developing these special magic bullets. You’ll be able to see them today!”

His eyes glinted with the delight and pride of a child and the devotion of a true workaholic. Representing the Mages’ Association, Damian and about two dozen of his friends had crafted a large supply of these bullets, and they’d all come to help with the subjugation. They were spread out so every team had one or two, and Damian was ours.

“I look forward to it very much.”

We mounted our horses and headed into a different part of the forest than I did yesterday. Though the arrangement was much the same, I’d learned my lesson and stuck with the main forces. I didn’t like the tension hanging between Damian and Oscar, so I distracted Damian with pleasant conversation and we had a nice time. I wanted to confront Oscar about the opera, but that could wait.

Soon, the first wave of demons appeared. Damian lifted his rifle, a weapon he’d had specifically crafted to best amplify his magic. He aimed at the center of the pack and fired.

“Oh.”

My gasp was not an appropriate response to the demons blowing up one by one. The bullet struck the first beast and buzzed with the light of magic, before the animal bursted into a horrific mixture of dark blood and flesh. The magic bounded from one demon to the next, faster than they could react. It grew weaker with more leaps, with some of the last kills imploding, collapsing, and spitting blood instead of spilling insides everywhere, which I was grateful for.

Nevertheless, by the time it fuzzed out completely and only made the last demon stumble, half of the pack was unrecognizable, and we were in a field of gruesome remains. In my sheltered life, it was the most revolting scene I’d ever seen.

“What do you think, my precious Val?”

Damian’s voice was eerily calm and almost serene, and he watched me with amusement.

“It’s… certainly effective. Regardless, Damian, I don’t like it. It’s too ghastly.”

“Is that what you think?”

I held perfectly still, blood rushing through my veins. He chuckled and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“Then you should know that’s what will become of anyone who dares to come between us.”

For a moment, I had the urge to stab this lunatic and demand that he give my real brother back. Yet if I had learned anything from our last encounter, it was that this was how Damian felt, even when he was rational. This was my brother, both the psycho yandere and the sweet boy I’d grown up with. My heart sank with hopelessness.

“Are you afraid? Don’t be. I’d never hurt you. After all, I’m on your side-”

A voice cut in.

“Lord Damian, I congratulate you on such a creation. However, as you certainly know, Lady Valentina dislikes violence. I would appreciate it if you stop distressing my fiancee with such sights.”

I was almost as surprised as Damian to see Oscar standing up for me. The furious glint in my brother’s purple eyes made me shudder.

“Oh? I would think that I know my own sister better than you do, Your Highness, especially considering that you never pay her any attention.”

“Enough, Damian.”

The last thing I wanted was for him to lose control and kill Oscar, ruining everything I’d spent the past decade building up. Thankfully but also alarmingly, Damian grinned. Seemingly, my dear brother was back.

“Whatever you want, Val, though I think we can all agree this bastard ought to treat you better. Now, don’t you want to see the other types?”

I snuck a glance at Oscar to make sure he wasn’t offended by being called a bastard to his face, but he was expressionless as usual. I also checked that no one else heard my brother refer to the crown prince as an illegitimate child, basically offending the whole royal family. That done, we continued our ride and Damian showed me a variety of magic bullets as we cleared waves of demons.

“This one makes them slow, see? And this one makes them fall asleep! I actually modified it from a prank that made Kyle fall asleep and snore in front of our friends, and it was real fun. This one stuns them and stops them from moving for a few seconds. Another prank on Kyle, to be honest. Oh, they’re all dead already?”

It quickly became clear that Damian had chosen the first bullet to be the most abhorrently impressive one. His other bullets were rather fascinating, and not in a completely revolting way. One set the demons on fire, one encased them in ice, and one made vines sprout from the earth and wrap around them. It was interesting and somewhat entertaining, like the video games of my past life. Though if this were a game, I would’ve preferred an otome game with me as the protagonist.

I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn’t been constantly wondering if Damian was going to have another outburst. It reminded me of my past life, walking on eggshells around my old parents and praying with every little thing that I wouldn’t set them off. I couldn’t relax not knowing what tiny thing could trigger his other side, and I despised the memories it brought back. I hated the feeling.

“This one stops time. It’s a tricky bit of spellwork, since we can’t really tamper with time. It simply holds everything still, creates a barrier around the area, and pauses the minds and senses of all living creatures within range, except those I exempt. It was difficult, but brilliant, if I do say so myself. This switch here automatically enchants shots to have a larger range…”

He flipped the switch on his rifle and fired towards the sky. The bullet exploded into magic dust, which fell in an instant, and everything stopped. All was still, including our forces, and I knew something was wrong. Before I could react, Damian swirled around and fired again, aimed right at my fiance’s chest.

For some sick reason, Damian didn’t freeze Oscar like the rest. The instincts he’d developed from his training as the crown prince allowed him a brief moment to back away, nearly sliding off his horse, but I could see that it would be no use. Damian was terrible at shooting without magic, so his rifle had an enchanted targeting system that made sure he never missed. A scream rose in my throat, ready to sound at the sight of blood, but there was none.

A shield of white light materialized in front of Oscar. The bullet struck it and fell to the ground. He clutched his chest, and when he pulled his hand away, he held the ring I’d given him, cracked into pieces, and a section of the necklace it had hung on. The divinity had seared a small hole through his shirt, but he was alive.

“I’m wounded that you gave him a ring too, Val! I thought I was special to you. That was a normal bullet, by the way. If I’d suspected, I would’ve enchanted it to break through. No offense to your priest, but I’m sure I could have done it. We’re related, after all, and I know you’re as smart as you’re beautiful.”

Damian shot me a cocky grin, laying on flattery like he didn’t just try to murder my fiance. I stared at him, my eyes wide and my nails digging into my palms. I trembled with fury.

“What the hell are you thinking?! That’s the crown prince of this kingdom!”

“And a wholly unfit fiance for my wonderful sister.”

“Let me take care of my own business, Damian! We should have this conversation in private.”

“That can be taken care of.”

He lifted his rifle again, but Oscar held his ground on his frozen horse, looking at him with an intensity in his golden eyes and without flinching. Damian laughed and waved his gun.

“Relax, I merely jest.”

Oscar did not appear amused, but he somehow remained emotionless.

“For the sake of Lady Valentina, I trust that you won’t try this again. Are you going to wipe my memory?”

“Certainly, if you intend to tell someone, though I suppose that wouldn’t be so bad. You’ll sound insane and be locked up for the rest of your life. I’d prefer not to, so you can remember this as a warning. You’re only alive because of my sister, so you must devote your life to her, though I don’t even like you saying her name.”

“I won’t forget, Lord Damian. Please come to an arrangement quickly so we can carry on with the subjugation.”

Damian twisted his hand, and Oscar froze in place like the others. I was still wondering how he dealt with the situation so ridiculously calmly when my brother turned to me with an innocent smile. We were the only ones not under the effect of his magic, and the silence was unsettling.

“Isn’t this nice, Val? No one else but us. Don’t you want to stay like this forever?”

“Not particularly.”

I got off my horse and stomped back and forth to keep myself from slapping him. He dismounted and joined me cheerfully.

“Are you mad at me? I promise I won’t try to kill him again, if that makes it any better. But if you really cared about him so much, you’d stay with me and not go near him again so I’d stay away from him too. Everyone’s happy!”

I laughed. If I actually cared about him, I would’ve stayed out of his destined true happiness with Catherine, though I supposed it would’ve been too late anyways. Damian couldn’t give me a crown, not without destroying half the country and risking the whole world and himself.

“I don’t know how I can possibly make this any clearer, Damian, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Why not? It’s all I ever think about. What are you thinking? I hate that I can never be sure, for all our years together. Are you even paying attention to me?”

It was ironic that he should complain about the same thing towards me as I privately complained about Oscar. Fate was not kind to us.

“Of course! In fact, I’m presently thinking that this thing reminds me of you.”

I pointed towards a demon carcass. Damian laughed and wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m more handsome, right?”

“It’s the inside that matters. But be serious, Damian. Have you ever considered the possibility of mana madness?”

My voice was hollow and void of emotions, but his grip tightened. His voice was soft in my ear, making my anger melt away.

“Ever since I was a child. I didn’t want to talk about it or to tell you, but I knew you were bound to suspect, with how marvellous I am.”

He tried to laugh, but the sound was broken.

“I know there’s no cure, so it’s why I want to spend as much time as possible with you. I don’t want to leave you, Valentina. I’ve heard about the terrible things other mages have done, but I don’t care. I love you.”

“Can you… give up your magic? Theoretically, if you had a chance to live a normal life without it?”

“No, even if that were possible. I’m sorry, but I’m nothing without magic. It’ll be the legacy I leave behind, and twenty years that go down in history is better than eighty years as a nobody. You understand, don’t you?”

I nodded, knowing far too well the lure of ambitions. It made me feel slightly better about my dilemma regarding Catherine, though I also felt a rush of overwhelming sadness. His own acknowledgement made it seem more final and hopeless.

“Please, Damian, don’t give up. Father, Mother, and I are all looking for a cure. What can I do?”

“Her Highness told me you were going to get married. Don’t. Stay with me.”

So that was why he went so far today! I would curse the princess later, when I was done feeling guilty. I could make Damian’s last days happy and satisfy his obsession, probably prolonging his life as much as possible. Yet it would be giving Oscar to Catherine, because God knew I didn’t trust him by himself. It would be losing everything I’d wanted.

“I… I can’t.”

“Then you leave me no choice.”

I looked at him, alarmed.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve asked Lady Catherine for a courtship. You seem to have special interest in her, so if this is what it takes, so be it. I gave you a chance, Valentina.”

I sighed. In the end, this was still what it came down to. I slid my dagger out of its sheath and stumbled, leaving a slight cut down his arm. He let me go.

“I’m so sorry! I thought that the demon behind you was unfreezing.”

“It’s fine. You know, for a holy dagger, I’d thought I might feel something. God, maybe.”

Oh. So he knew what I was trying to do. I was too desperate to be embarrassed.

“You don’t?”

“Nothing special, I’m afraid.”

At his sad smile, my heart sank.