"Bahahaha!! That look on their faces when the bastard blew up! I want to see it again!" Helena was having the best time, laughing her ass off.

"Helena, what unladylike behavior is this?" Alyson said so, but she couldn't help herself from subtly smirking all the same.

"Wow, you can be mean too, Alex."

'What the heck is this punk talking about?'

"Hey, he started it, Howard. And I did pull my punches. It's not like his life is in danger or anything." I refuted the claim.

Helena, who heard her brother, stepped forward and said in disdain. "What the hell? Whose side are you on, huh, Howard? Are you feeling sorry for that idiot?"

"I'm just surprised that it is Alex that did this. I mean, don't you all?" Howard further asserted his point.

"I am a bit shocked by my brother's action. He is docile most of the time, so seeing him bullying a kid is a new sight, indeed..." Muttered Alyson with an intrigued look.

"That idiot bastard got what he deserved. Besides, there's always something off about Alex. There's nothing new about this."

'There's always something off about me?' I wondered what that was...

"Alexander! Alexander!?"

'And here goes the troublemaker yet again.' I sighed inwardly at Giselle, who came running, panting out of breath.

"Is everything okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I was so worried about you!"

'Seriously, she should be an actor. It is impressive how real her performance is.'

"Let me check...Ah, you seem to be fine." Out of the blue, she reached out and cupped my cheeks with her hand, completely catching everyone off guard. To be fair, I did pull my neck back to try and dodge her hands, but I could only do so much while strapped tight into the wheelchair.

"L-Lady Heliard? What kind of behavior is this? You are in front of my brother's fiance, I remind you." Responded Alyson, yanking the wheelchair back.

"Oh! Pardon my impertinence, but I was so worried something might happen to Alexander that my hands just moved by themselves...Earlier, I had been watching in bathed breath, wanting to rush out time and time again whenever I saw Alexander barely holding on to Sir Rotter's spells."

A sound of a deep breath. There was someone who was on the brink of exploding, and we all know who that someone was.

"I am fine, Lady Heliard. So there is no need for you to do that."

"I'm relieved to hear that, but are you sure you're really fine? How about I take you inside and find the healer and have them take a quick look at your body, Alexander?"

"He's not going anywhere." Helena's chilling voice rang crisply.

"...Are you going to keep being stubborn even in this situation, Fifth Princess? People said Alexander's health has always been a major point of House Dawson's concerns. As a host and a person who sees Alexander in a favorable light, I just want to make sure nothing happens to him. Is that so wrong of me?"

"We have a healer at home too. There will be no problem if we go now and check him there."

"Home? Do you want to bring Alexander to the Royal Palace? Without the consent of Duke Dawson himself? I don't think that is a wise idea."

Clearly, Helena was someone who could fight just fine using her tongue. But Giselle was a different breed altogether. Nah, this girl was a damn genius at flipping your words around. Moreover, Helena always got a bit ticked off way too fast whenever she was facing Giselle.

"I mean his home!" Said Helena harshly, raising her voice.

"Helena, enough." Howard pulled his sister. His face was cold.

"Ah, pardon my short thoughts. So you meant Alexander's home. Then the fault surely lies with me. But I do think you need to be careful with your words, Helena. Your home is not his home. It is the Royal Palace. People might get the wrong idea if you say it like that since everyone clearly knows that the engagement between the two of you is nothing but a verbal agreement at this point."

"Y-You! You Bitc-" Couldn't take it anymore; Helena had already started to rouse her mana and was this close to giving Giselle a taste of her newly learned Martial Magic.

"Lady Heliard! Please cease this at once!" Reacted Alyson sharply.

"Lady Dawson. It is merely in good spirits that I speak as such. Since the Princess is still young, we, as the older ones, must set a good example. I firmly feel that most people here share the same sentiment."

'Well, yeah. Most of them are the people who want to brown-nose you...Of course, they would parrot after you.'

"Although the motive might be noble, you can't simply overlook the consequences of the measures, simply in the name of goodness. You are cornering her, and I do not, for a second, think that it is the right thing to do."

"What do you mean by cornering her, Lady Dawson? Your harsh words sadden me. All I want is to ensure nothing is wrong with Alexander and help prevent Helena from making a mistake. How could you paint me in such a despicable way?"

Her face reddens. Tears were pooling, attempting to fall from her beady eyes.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

'Ha...This is taking forever...I'm going crazy at this rate.'

"Um, Lady Heliard? Can we go there? Alone." Since what she wanted was me. I'd say let us get her what she wanted and be done with it. It was so annoying I couldn't take it anymore, honestly.

"Alex...?" Called Helena, surprised.

I grabbed the wheel and pushed myself forward, finding Helena's hand was tightly clutching the handle, preventing me from moving forward.

"Helena,"

She blinked dazedly.

"I'll be back."

And I pushed her hand away before turning around to face the orange-haired witch.

"After you, Lady Heliard."

----------------------------------------

"Can I call you Alex? It seems like that's what they call you, and I want to know you better. You can say no, but I really hope you won't..."

Before, she might have been subtle, but the minute we were far enough from the curious crowd, Giselle turned totally unhinged. I mean, the way she acted was one of the most coyest shit I've ever seen.

You know what I'm saying. The faint twirling, playing with your hair, embarrassed glances. I know it was all an act, but still...It was too much...

Maybe it was because she saw me as a poor, disabled kid who was thirsty for love. If it was, then good...

I could use that against her.

"Why are you being mean to Helena? Do you hate her?"

"Hate? No, no, Alex-"

"Please call me Alexander or Sir Dawson, Lady Heliard. I was taught that we must be in our best manners as nobles, especially against the older ones. Only my family calls me by that name."

"I understand, but what about Helena? Why does she get to call you that?" Complained Giselle, pouting.

"Because she is my fiance?" I tilted my neck as though I was oblivious to the nature of her question.

"She is your fiance, but only in name, Alexander. Like I said, it is nothing but a verbal agreement."

"I don't understand, but you did say she is my fiance." I smiled, playing the fool.

A ripple of disdain flashed in her eyes. It was short, but I was able to catch that expression nonetheless.

Sighing, Giselle went on. "...Yes, but there's more to that. You see, fiance-in-name means that your marriage with her is not fixed. It is not set in stone yet. She can still leave you and find someone else she fancies, and you can marry another woman who you like."

In the end, Giselle purposely dragged her words, and her eyes were swimming around bashfully as if to implicate something.

"Oh, I get it! So, Helena will be my fiance until she doesn't like me anymore, right? But that means she is still my fiance right now...And that also means she can call me by that name...? Then it's good!"

"No, but...Ha...Can we talk about something else, Alexander?"

"What do you want to talk about, Lady Heliard?" I could see she was trying to hold herself back tremendously.

Giselle then opened and closed her mouth, obviously appearing as if she was hesitating about something.

It felt like she was waiting for me to ask what it was, but to hell with that. If she ain't going to say it, I ain't gonna ask.

So, we just stood there, staring at each other, while Giselle did her thing, squirming like a worm that stood up from the ground.

It was kinda funny, I won't lie.

Giving up, she finally opened her mouth with a tinge of irritation.

"...It is more of a favor rather than talking..." Sounded her.

"Favor? You want me to do something?"

"Not per se. I want to ask for your permission, Alexander." This time, she had abandoned her pure and naive facade, fixing her gaze firmly on me.

"Permission?"

'Damn it...Can you like speak faster?' As much as I hate to admit it, I was losing patience, too, wishing for all this to be over with.

"I want to ask whether I can...Um, touch your hair for a bit? It is so beautiful and fluffy, like a cloud. I fell in love with it the moment I saw you from afar." Giselle casually tucked her wavy and smooth hair behind her ear, eyeing me with her inviting eyes.

To be honest, I could see why so many teenagers were going crazy for her. I mean, she was flirting like she was breathing. It was crazy.

"No, you can't, Lady Heliard. You'll get pregnant." I shook my head and replied to her somberly.

"...Preg-, pardon? I will what!?" Taken by surprise, all that earlier facade had come crumbling in an instant.

"Pregnant." I asserted once again, as clearly as I could.

Beffudled, she could only stare in silence for a while before she could gather her mind back. "Why would I get pregnant?"

"You will if you touch me. You know how I look nothing like my Father and Mother, right? People said if I touch someone, they'll be stuck with me for life."

"Are you an idio- Uhum! I mean, are you a kid? People don't get pregnant when they touch someone. I touched your cheeks, didn't I? Look, I don't get pregnant. Don't speak about something you don't understand, Alexander." She twirled to the side and pressed her dress to try and prove her point to me.

"Yes, I am a boy. And yes, they do get pregnant that way. Why would people lie to me? You must be pregnant because you touch me. I think you better check with the healer about the child. The faster, the better...But lady Heliard...I'm still young, and I don't want another child. So please don't touch me."

Losing her shit, Giselle's face began twisting unsightly. "I told you it doesn't work that way! I am not pregnant!"

"Yes, you are...Yes. You. Are."

What was the best way to handle someone good at talking like her? You just need to be the stupidest person ever was and never ever back down. You push through, no matter how fucked up and absurd you might sound.

Oh, yeah...You can't fight bullshit with sound logic. It never works and never will.

You deal bullshit with even more bullshit.

I know it, god knows it, everybody who is well versed on the internet from my previous life knows it.

So, yeah. She was throwing logic and whatever, trying to explain things, but I kept my face straight the whole time and just repeated myself, becoming the most stubborn brat ever to exist over some stupid shit.

She has a deadly tongue, that's for sure, and she could actually tear down my defense and win. But as of now, the witch was still weak and wet behind her ears in the art of bullshitting. She had far less experience than a seasoned warrior such as I...

Anyway, that's that. Nearing the end, I believed she had caught on to the fact that I was being intentional in this charade. I mean, how couldn't she.

Then again, it didn't matter if she caught me or not.

The fuck do I care if she thought I was rude and whatnot.

"Forget it...I don't care anymore..." Muttered Giselle, surrendering at the end. She seemed to have lost a piece of her soul altogether, drowned in the sea of nonsense I've plunged her into. She walked away weakly, back to the comfort of her fans and suitors alike.

Honestly, I was just trying to buy enough time to let Helena cool down while also waiting for the damn party to be over so we could leave without causing a scene. It was surprising how hard she was trying to win me, to the point of sacrificing a bit of her sanity and dignity in the process. Then again, it felt good...Obviously, it was petty as fuck, but regardless, it felt damn good...