Meet Ren 2.0

The castle library was suffocatingly quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against your ears and made every tiny sound echo like a thunderclap. I leaned against the windowsill, staring outside at the sprawling gardens, but my attention kept shifting back to the source of my growing irritation.

Xyra Eldarion.

She stood at the center of the room, her arms crossed, her expression as icy as ever, dictating what sounded like the most absurd list of rules I'd ever heard.

"No physical contact of any kind," she said sharply, her voice slicing through the silence.

I arched an eyebrow, glancing over my shoulder at her. "Are you serious?"

Her glare could have frozen the sun. "Dead serious."

I sighed and turned back to the window, pretending to admire the scenery while she continued her ridiculous tirade.

"You are to maintain a distance of at least two meters from me at all times unless my safety is directly threatened. No eating in my presence unless it's during a formal meal. No unannounced appearances in my personal quarters, no—"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted, spinning around to face her. "Let me get this straight. You think I'm going to randomly show up in your personal quarters? Why would I—"

"Let me finish," she snapped, her tone icy. "No speaking to me in a casual manner. You are to address me as 'Your Highness' unless otherwise stated. And under no circumstances are you to touch me. Ever."

The last part was emphasized with such venom that I couldn't help but smirk. "What happens if I accidentally brush past you in a crowded hallway? Do I get exiled?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you have to ask, then maybe you shouldn't be my bodyguard."

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "This is ridiculous."

"No, what's ridiculous is having you as my bodyguard in the first place," she shot back. "Do you think I've forgotten everything that happened between us?"

I stiffened slightly but quickly masked it with a shrug. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Her gaze hardened. "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. You're probably waiting for the perfect moment to get revenge."

I rolled my eyes. "You're giving yourself way too much credit, Princess."

"Am I?" she said, taking a step closer. "You've been smirking since you got here, like you're just waiting to rub something in my face."

"That's just my face," I replied dryly.

She scoffed. "I don't trust you, Khasar. You think this is some sort of game, don't you?"

I didn't bother denying it. "If I wanted revenge, don't you think I'd be a little more... obvious about it? I'm not exactly subtle."

"You don't need to be subtle," she shot back. "You're infuriating enough as it is."

There was a pause, the air between us crackling with tension. Her icy demeanor hadn't thawed a bit, and honestly, I was starting to enjoy pushing her buttons.

"You know," I said, leaning casually against the windowsill, "you could always hire someone else to babysit you. I'm sure there's a line of knights just dying to keep you company."

Her expression darkened. "If it were up to me, you wouldn't even be here. But my father insisted."

"Lucky me," I muttered.

Her glare deepened. "Don't you have anything better to do? Aren't you supposed to be out on some mission, saving villages or slaying monsters or whatever it is knights do?"

I smirked, an idea forming in my mind. "Actually..."

Raising my hand, I summoned a flicker of red fire, letting it grow until it took shape. Within seconds, an identical version of myself stood beside me, its form shimmering with heat and power.

"Ta-da," I said, gesturing toward the clone. "Meet Ren 2.0. She'll handle all my missions while I stay here and follow your very reasonable rules."

Xyra's eyes widened, her usual icy composure cracking for just a moment. "What—how—?"

The clone gave a perfect mock bow, mimicking me in every detail, down to the smug grin. "Your wish is my command, Your Highness," it said in a voice identical to mine.

Xyra blinked, clearly struggling to process what she was seeing. "That's... disturbing."

I shrugged, the fire clone dissolving into sparks with a snap of my fingers. "Problem solved. Now I can dedicate all my time to making sure you stay two meters away from me."

Her expression hardened again, the brief moment of surprise replaced with her usual frostiness. "You're insufferable."

"Thanks," I said, flashing her a grin. "It's a gift."

She turned away, clearly done with the conversation, and I let the silence settle between us. I had to admit, for all her icy arrogance, Xyra was entertaining. Annoying as hell, but entertaining.

And if she thought I'd spend my days tiptoeing around her ridiculous rules, she was in for a surprise.

Xyra turned on her heel, her gown swirling around her ankles, and stormed toward the nearest bookshelf, pretending to be engrossed in the spines of dusty old tomes. It was an obvious attempt to ignore me, but I wasn't about to let her off so easily.

"You know," I said, leaning against the windowsill again, "if you're going to force me to be your bodyguard, you might as well try to enjoy my company."

"Enjoy?" she said, her voice sharp as a blade. "I'd rather enjoy a blizzard than tolerate you."

I smirked. "Well, considering you just froze half your room last night, I'd say that tracks."

Her shoulders tensed, and she spun back to face me, her icy glare in full force. "Do you ever stop talking? And how do you even know that?"

"Nope," I replied, popping the "p" for emphasis. "It's part of my charm."

"If that's what you call charm, I pity the women who fall for it," she muttered, crossing her arms.

I feigned offense, clutching my chest dramatically. "Careful, Princess, you're going to hurt my feelings."

"Good," she said coldly, but there was a faint twitch at the corner of her lips.

Before I could press her further, the heavy library doors creaked open, and a servant peeked inside. "Your Highness, the king requests your presence in the throne room."

Xyra sighed, her regal mask slipping back into place. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

She strode toward the door, her head held high, and I followed at a lazy pace.

As we walked, I couldn't help but think: if this was going to be my life for the foreseeable future, annoying Xyra might actually make it worth sticking around.