Yeah, not so bad after all~

"...whew…"

It wasn't as if Zane was holding his breath, expecting carnage and destruction, but he still breathed out in relief, seeing no dust clouds or heavy smoke and hearing only the expected sounds of the Academy within the city borders, not cries of despair or, worse, complete silence.

Believe it or not, he trusted Melinda's self-control and that she wouldn't fly off the handle with just any provocation.

He didn't trust other students or the staff of the Jade Academy, who, for whatever reason, decided it was a good idea to test Melinda's patience and even make some attempts at bullying her.

Zane himself would make sure to address the issue whenever it occurred, each time acting more and more strict in hopes that this time it would be the end of it, but no matter how he acted or what he said and done, there always was some ne wannabe bully popping up like a wild mushroom after rain.

"..."

Actually, the more Zane thought about it, the more suspicious it was…

It's not like there was something in the water that randomly made people have the urge to bully someone of Melinda's social status.

Not so openly, at least.

It would make sense if that happened to the heroine during scripted events, but that shouldn't be the case.

To the extent of research Zane did on the subject of the heroine, whether she even existed in the current world or not, he found nothing.

Well, the people he hired found nothing, at least.

But even so…

"...who's there…?"

"!!!"

Before he knew it, the white-haired man had already knocked on the door to Melinda's room which resulted in him being startled by the weak voice coming from inside.

Not the immediate busting open, not the excited, playful call disregarding the time and place.

A weak voice, slightly hoarse even.

"Mel…? It's Zane. Are… are you feeling alright…?"

Zane gulped down his saliva, feeling worried and confused.

"...no… but wait a bit, okay…?"

"!?!?"

When Melinda's pitiful response reached Zane's ears, he experienced a dreadful feeling that could only rival the moment when Melinda's ability awakened, and she accidentally threw him through the wall of her family mansion.

Immediately, his head filled with the worst-case scenarios.

Not the deadly kind, but the ones in which some bully actually managed to get to Melinda.

TO MELINDA!

SOMEONE!

UPSET!

HIS!

MELINDA!

*CRACK*

Zane's body reacted the way one would expect from a monster in a horror story, it twisted as his limbs changed size independently of each other while his mouth hung agape sprouting jagged teeth the size of combat knives.

Within a blink of an eye, the hallway could not contain the contorted body of the wicked white-haired monstrosity and…

*click*

"...phnph…"

The key was turned in the lock, and a miserable gold-haired girl with her eyes swollen from the night of crying released a quiet whimper as she opened the door.

"Mel!"

Before she raised her head and caught a glimpse of the unholy creature, Zane returned to his human-ish form and hugged her while calling out with a voice full of worry.

"~!"

The girl didn't say a thing, but she leaned into the embrace, nuzzling into the white-haired man with all of her being.

Despite how tightly he held her, Melinda felt as if some heavy burden was lifted off her chest, and she could finally breathe again.

"Mel…"

Zane repeated, whispering into her ear as he effortlessly picked her up and carried her back into the room, closing the door behind her.

"...nnn…"

The gold-haired girl let out a cute voice, shifting in his embrace, trying to climb higher so that their faces would be as close as possible.

"Our little one looks safe… Mel, what happened?"

"...!"

As Zane carried her to the bed, he glanced at the brownish egg resting on a pillow in a nest of gold, pointing out and unintentionally causing Melinda to flinch.

"Our little one is fine… but… But…"

The gold-haired girl's chin trembled, and she explained everything that had happened during the tea party to Zane.

"To be honest. That Lidia sounds quite level-headed. I will not call her nice or anything, considering that it still might have been a part of some larger plan, but still. Her uncle is one of the Cardinals, one of the good ones, so there's hope."

As the two lay together with their bodies intertwined so much that an onlooker wouldn't be able to tell them apart, the monstrous man pointed out with a rather pleased expression.

"...just call me stupid for losing control over my emotions like that…"

Still, the gold-haired girl wasn't feeling well enough to catch the subject change of a lifeline she was given and muttered, nuzzling her forehead against Zane's chest.

"Mel…"

"What happened was horrible, but my reaction was simply shameful. I don't even have any excuses since my period is running late anyway…"

Zane spoke up, but Melinda shook her head, snuggling up to him even more.

"Cut yourself some slack. It's the first time you are affected by something so personal. Or maybe not? You do act unhinged from time to time."

The white-haired man breathed out and moved to pat the gold-haired girl's head.

…while doing so, it really did seem as if his arm developed not one or two but actually a couple of additional joints just to allow himself that one simple action…

"I love you too~"

Melinda was feeling better enough to let out a playful chuckle.

"...let's stay like this for a bit longer…"

"Of course. I wasn't going to get up in the first place. Only wondering whether I should let them know I'll kill them so that they would experience some dread before the end."

Zane ended up shifting his position to which Melinda reacted instantly, trembling and clinging up to him as she sniffled to which he responded with reassurance before explaining.

"Hmm? Where is this change coming from? You aren't the type to torment your target."

The relieved gold-haired girl furrowed her brows and asked in confusion.

"You know me the best~ The thing is, the filth that upset you deserves to experience despair before being granted the privilege of death. I was thinking that I should kill the family members they're closest to. The problem is that you like the old man Sigurd and to my knowledge, that midget bitch loves him the most."

"...ooohhhh…! You were talking about Bjorki and Magnus."

Zane hummed before his expression grew cold as he started into the distance, making Melinda let out a gasp of realization.

"Hmmm… Can I give some suggestions on how to get them punished?"

"...you don't want them killed…"

Melinda let out a thoughtful grumble before asking, making Zane notice the particular intonation of her voice.

"What you said has made me come up with an idea fit for the spoiled, childishly cruel villainess the original Melinda was…"

"Ohhh? I'm listening."

*chuu*

She smiled softly, looking away bashfully while he leaned in and murmured before kissing her neck.

"What if I steal Bjorki's place as the Emperor of Emperors' favorite grandchild?"

Melinda asked with an evil grin.

"..."

Zane closed his eyes for a few moments while frowning before shaking his head.

"That does sound childish, I'll give you that."

"...I think it's fitting…"

He finally pointed out with a sigh, making Melinda pout and grumble into his chest.

"I hope you'll have fun with it. Remember to contact me if you will need my help."

"...!"

The white-haired man let out an amused sigh and said while patting the gold-haired girl's head, which caused her to flinch, but not in the way she usually did around him.

She actually flinched and tensed up, clenching her fists on his clothes and clinging to him not lovingly but desperately.

"Don't go…! Don't go yet… Please… stay longer… even just a little bit…"

She cried pitifully, not even trying to look up at his face.

"Oh, dear… Now I feel so bad for wanting to tease you. The mighty Villainess sure is a big softy today~"

"...sh-shut it… stupid…"

Zane raised his brows and whistled, barely holding himself back from chuckling, causing Melinda to relax… or rather causing her anxiety to be replaced by embarrassment as she relaxed her grip, although she did not pull away even by a fraction of an inch while grumbling at him.

"I love you too~"

*chuu*

In response, the monstrous man hummed happily and kissed the top of her head.