Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

“Huh?!”

W-Why is big brother Xia suddenly here?!

When Tiya heard that familiar voice coming from outside the door, her petite body shuddered instinctively.

Just moments ago, she had been struggling to break free from Lynn’s grip, but now she was sitting on the floor in a daze, disbelief etched across her face.

What had transpired tonight was just not something a demure saint should be doing—meeting a strange man privately or even having physical contact with him.

Under normal circumstances, Tiya would have spent the night repenting before the statue of the goddess.

But her curiosity about the twelve years of lost memories led her into the trap laid by Lynn.

However, everything seemed on the verge of exposure.

Especially the worst-case scenario—being discovered by the very person Tiya fiercely wanted to hide this from, to avoid misunderstandings.

In that moment of sheer panic, her little head ceased to think clearly.

The things that had once troubled her deeply, like why she had saved him and why she hadn’t felt disgusted by their physical contact—those thoughts were all thrown aside as unimportant.

It appeared she had forgotten that she’d come in disguise, making it relatively easy to remain unnoticed.

Yet the approaching footsteps felt like a countdown, echoing ominously in her chest.

As the door creaked open, it marked her utterly inescapable “doom.”

N-No, I can’t let this happen!

I have to do something!

In the next moment, Tiya regained her composure, intending to shove this irritating guy aside and escape.

But then she realized that if she used her extraordinary powers to flee, it would definitely cause a surge of moonlight energy.

And with brother Xia’s beast-like senses, he would probably immediately recognize that it was her aura.

Besides, he was still right there, which would undoubtedly lead to an unavoidable misunderstanding.

What should I do?

Tiya was flustered, her mind in disarray.

The usually doll-like girl, who was always unresponsive, now showed a rare hint of panic.

Watching this scene unfold, Lynn felt a bittersweet sense of irony.

It wasn’t about the deep emotions between the original male and female leads—after all, it had nothing to do with him.

It was simply that the correction forces of the world’s will were so glaringly present in his case.

According to the novel’s pitfalls, the female lead meeting a strange man in private and having physical contact was absolutely unforgivable.

Thus, as Lynn attempted to escalate the plot divergence this way, the omnipresent, yet seemingly absent, will of the world swiftly intervened, adopting the most reasonable method to stir the pot, preventing him from steering the plot towards an irretrievable ending.

For Lynn, not being struck by a lightning bolt on the spot felt like the gentlest handling of the situation.

But it was a pity.

This was a golden opportunity to elevate the plot divergence, and there were still many moves he hadn’t gotten the chance to showcase.

With that thought, he sighed internally.

For now, it was best to wrap things up.

Gazing at the utterly flustered Tiya, he didn’t let go of her resistive little hand; in fact, he tightened his grip a bit more.

“You don’t want him to find out?”

At that moment, Lynn wasn’t wearing a mask, so the expression of hesitation and struggle was clear in Tiya’s vision.

But Tiya was too anxious to figure out what to do and had no time for his chatter.

“Y-You let go of me.”

The first word slipped out, but immediately she felt it was too loud; she quickly covered her mouth, shooting Lynn an annoyed look, then whispered, “Let go of me.”

“Letting go means you’ll be discovered.” Lynn’s voice was unreadable, “Your makeup’s smudged a bit, and isn’t the usage time of that extraordinary item about to run out?”

Looking at the gradually returning light brown roots of Tiya’s hair and her ears slightly becoming pointed, Lynn spoke slowly.

At his words, Tiya instantly panicked, wanting to confirm her state but realized she didn’t have a mirror and fell into despair.

Green eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

With a stubborn tilt of her head, she fixed her gaze on the guy who had brought her to this state, regretting for a moment why she’d saved him in the first place.

But the next second, she noticed a strange smile appear in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Wiya. Since it’s your wish, no matter what, I’ll help you realize it.”

“Even if it means covering for my former lover just to avoid misunderstandings with the one she currently has feelings for, it’s all fine.”

“Even if this is the cruelest thing for someone who loves her deeply.”

For some reason, at that moment, the boy before her was smiling, but it broke her heart completely.

Even Tiya hesitated in that instant, as if she had done something terribly wrong.

Tiya suddenly found herself dazed.

Then, under her bewildered gaze, that guy she should despise wrapped her gently in his arms.

The expected jolt of disgust didn’t come.

On the contrary, it felt even broader and warmer than she had imagined. What am I thinking?!

Tiya snapped back to reality, her eyes revealing unmasked revulsion.

Moreover, the surging moonlight came crashing in like a tide, coalescing into a hazy blade, pressing forcefully against his chest.

But Tiya ultimately underestimated the determination this boy had for her.

Or perhaps, the resolution needed for the Witch Miss to break her seal.

In the next moment, ignoring the sharp blade at his chest, the boy leaned forward slightly, bringing his lips closer in an instant.

At the same time, there was the sound of the door being pushed open from behind.

[S-rank plot character “Tiya Youhest’s plot deviation has increased to 2.55%.]

In fact, when Xia had just reached the door, his keen hearing made him aware that someone was whispering on the balcony.

However, he didn’t shy away; rather, he sensed the female voice sounded a bit familiar.

Tiya?

Xia frowned.

The distance was too great for him to discern it clearly.

It felt like that deliberately lowered voice was somewhat like hers, yet something didn’t add up.

Although he hadn’t spotted Tiya throughout the evening, Hilrina had received her invitation, meaning she had actually attended.

How utterly perplexing.

She was clearly at the banquet, so why act as though she were missing?

Or perhaps she had undergone disguise?

But for what reason?

Xia, who had always been close to her, never thought Tiya would have anything to hide from him.

Thus, that voice drew his attention instantly.

If it was indeed Tiya, meeting a strange man privately at this time and place—what on earth was she doing?

Though Xia believed Tiya wouldn’t ever betray him, recalling the earlier events at the Teleportation Array, a seed of doubt began to stir in his mind.

Unexplainable feelings arose, and his heart started racing.

Hopefully it’s not what I think it is.

With that thought, Xia pushed the balcony door open without hesitation.

In the next moment, an unexpected scene appeared before him.

Above the night sky, a bright full moon cast down serene light, making the balcony incredibly dreamlike.

At that moment, there was a figure standing at the edge of the balcony, back turned to him.

The boy’s silhouette appeared tall and slender, with black hair softly swaying in the breeze, standing still with his head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Xia furrowed his brow.

Then he suddenly sensed that, aside from the boy before him, there seemingly was another presence.

A woman.

Observing the delicate small hands wrapped around the back of the boy, Xia immediately realized they were kissing.

“Tiya?!”

Though he knew the chance was slim, Xia called out softly.

As expected, there was no response.

Moreover, perhaps lost in the moment, those hands that should have been around the boy’s back were now deeply gripping his skin, trembling slightly.

The woman’s nails even broke his skin, leaving bloody scratches.

Even from over ten meters away, Xia could see blood gradually seeping from the boy’s back in the moonlight.

Xia breathed in sharply.

How deeply in love must these two be, and how intense must their feelings be, to unconsciously act so crazily during a passionate kiss?

Love to the extreme really does lead to mutual harm.

Xia had always scoffed at that saying, but now felt it had some truth to it.

At least this pair of dangerously passionate lovers seemed to embody that notion.

But with that realization, the weight in Xia’s heart suddenly lifted.

Although from this angle, he couldn’t see the woman in the boy’s arms, he was certain she was not Tiya.

The doll-like girl, whether harboring intense feelings or not, would only bury them deep within her heart.

How could she ever show such an intimate side to any other man besides him?

Especially since he hadn’t even gotten Tiya’s first kiss himself.

So the answer was simple.

Tiya actually hadn’t attended tonight’s banquet.

The reason she had requested those two invitations was probably just to give to a friend.

With that thought, Xia stopped focusing on the two people on the balcony kissing.

He had never been very interested in other people’s affairs.

With this in mind, he prepared to turn and leave.

Though the extent of his interactions with Tiya had thus far remained limited to holding hands and leaning on each other, and each time she felt discomfort with that, Xia remained unperturbed.

He wasn’t some desperate pervert; physical intimacy was merely one way for couples to deepen their bond.

Besides, the Moonlight Sanctum of the Silent Church would be coming up in about ten days.

At that time, Tiya would actively pray to the goddess to break her curse and officially become his partner.

With that thought, Xia descended the stairs in a good mood.

He planned to leave this boring banquet and see if Tiya had already returned home.

The door was gently closed once more, and footsteps gradually faded away, causing the previously tense atmosphere to dissipate.

Tick, tick, tick.

At that moment, on the silent balcony where even a pin dropping could be heard, the sound of liquid dripping onto the ground became clearer.

If only Xia had stayed a little longer, or hadn’t thought so deeply about complicated things with his sharp senses, perhaps he might have caught on to the clues.

At this moment, a beam of moonlight, sharp as an icicle, condensed into a physical form and pierced deep into Lynn’s chest.

Blood gushed from the wound, dripping continuously onto the ground, pooling into a bright crimson puddle.

Tiya stared blankly at this scene.

For some unknown reason, she couldn’t utter a single word.

Earlier, when Lynn had pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her, out of instinct, Tiya had reacted defensively.

But the boy hadn’t flinched, allowing that beam of light to stab into his chest.

Yet the kiss never fell; it merely brushed against her ear instead.

Or perhaps, from the very beginning, the boy hadn’t intended to kiss her.

The entire act was just to create a façade of a couple, aiding her in quickly sending Xia away to help her resolve the crisis.

Seeing Tiya’s dazed expression, Lynn didn’t show a hint of blame or resentment in his eyes.

“To avoid misunderstandings from that guy, I can even endure the act of ‘assisting my rival’ and sacrificing my pride; how could I ever do something you wouldn’t want?”

The boy smiled, as if the injury to his chest didn’t exist at all.

Yet even Tiya could detect a trace of bitterness in his eyes.

The hands that had been gripping his back were unknowingly clutching the fabric of his clothing tightly.

The atmosphere fell into a strange silence.

Until Lynn coughed violently, spitting out blood, pulling Tiya back to the harsh reality.

Realizing they had maintained this position from earlier on, she felt a wave of panic, instinctively loosening her grip on Lynn’s back, wanting to push him away.

But seeing him bleeding, Tiya couldn’t bear it and instinctively withheld ninety-nine percent of her strength.

Thus, rather than pushing him away, her palm seemingly caressed his chest instead.

And with the distance between them already so close, Tiya’s action brought her crashing forward into his embrace.

It was akin to a playful flirtation between couples.

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