MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

"How does he treat you?" Rider asked from the side as he gazed at Tiara with calm eyes, a faint flicker of pity visible behind his black pupils. After all, as the son of the Titan King, he knew no hardship, nor anything remotely comparable to what Tiara was currently passing through, making her circumstances feel distant and almost incomprehensible to him.

His life was simply... blissful.

Just waking up, training in the ways of cultivation, training in the way of Royal matters, and that was all. There were no hidden struggles, no suffocating expectations forced upon him beyond what he could easily bear. He was practically allowed to do whatever he wanted, with no restrictions or chains placed upon him, a level of freedom that most could only dream of but would never attain.

"Who?" Tiara asked.

"He means your soon-to-be husband," Bringer stated before Rider could speak.

Tiara simply shook her head as she spoke, "with the way I talk about him, you would think he was some evil, arrogant vampire, right?" she asked as she met everyone’s gaze, her expression composed, yet carrying a subtle layer of irony beneath the surface.

Everyone simply nodded, even Anthony. The way Tiara spoke about the man painted a clear image in their minds, that he didn’t value the marriage or engagement either, that he was likely indulging himself with other women, arrogant, dismissive, and condescending toward those around him.

"But surprisingly, he isn’t arrogant, he doesn’t talk down on people, nor does he go about sleeping with others or anything of that sort," Tiara continued to speak, her tone steady and unembellished, "I wouldn’t lie, honestly, the Blood Queen’s son is simply a nice guy. He prepares the rarest type of blood he can find every morning for me, every single day for the past five years without fail, without even missing a single morning. Blood that, by the way, boosts my cultivation speed significantly. He buys clothes, jewelry, basically anything that I might need without me ever asking, then spends the rest of his time training and cultivating," Tiara stated with an exasperated sigh, clearly unwilling to tarnish someone’s name simply because she desired sympathy from those around her.

"Well... that is odd," Bryan couldn’t help but say after listening, "I had imagined negative and unpleasant traits, but the guy only seems to have positive qualities and a rather admirable attitude," he stated with a calm expression.

"Which, in a way, seems suspicious, right?" Rider asked as he turned to Bryan. Bryan didn’t answer, but the moment his gaze met Rider’s, a silent understanding passed between them. To them, this so-called soon-to-be husband was most likely putting on an act, one that had been carefully maintained over the years.

In a world like theirs, no, in a reality like theirs, being excessively kind was not normal, it was suspicious. Kindness to such a degree often hid ulterior motives, and this vampire’s behavior, when viewed from that perspective, was undeniably questionable.

"You think he is faking?" Bringer asked as he turned to face his twin brother and Bryan, his curiosity evident, his brows slightly raised.

But Bryan and Rider didn’t speak. They simply turned their eyes toward Tiara. Although it seemed as though Tiara disliked the man, it didn’t give them the right to openly criticize him without certainty, as at the end of the day, he was still engaged to her, and certain lines were not meant to be crossed lightly.

Tiara sighed, "at a point, I too thought he was faking it, putting on a show and all that, and I was ready and waiting for him to end it when he saw his efforts were being wasted, but the guy has been consistent for the past five years," she explained, her tone carrying a hint of reluctant acknowledgment, as though even she found it difficult to reconcile that level of consistency.

"Tiara," Bryan began to speak, "although I can’t speak for your man, as I’ve never met him before, but as the Crowned Prince of the Dragon Domain, I can tell you that people, especially Royals like us, would go to any length to accomplish our goals when it comes to matters concerning our respective Domains," Bryan stated without hiding his thoughts or words, his voice steady, grounded in experience and observation.

"Although he might genuinely be a good person, you are simply being too naive, Tiara," Rider interjected from the side, "he could simply be on a mission, one given to him by his mother, the Blood Queen. After all, they might need an overpowered heir for whatever plan they have in mind. You have to remember that we have thousands of years in our lifespan, Tiara, five years within those thousands of years is insignificant, barely even a moment in the grand scheme of things," he shook his head as he finished speaking, his reasoning cold, logical, and difficult to refute.

Tiara fell into her thoughts at Bryan and Rider’s words. She frowned slightly, wondering if she had overlooked something crucial. If her soon-to-be husband had truly been acting for five whole years, then at the very least, his mask should have cracked at least once, even if only for a brief and fleeting moment.

She sighed as she turned to Anthony, as she spoke, "do you think the same thing?" she asked, clearly valuing Anthony’s opinion above the others when it came to matters like this.

"Why aren’t you also asking me for insights? I’m a Crowned Prince, you know," Bringer stated as he looked at Tiara, feigning mild offense, though there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Tiara simply glanced at him and ignored him entirely. Bringer was the last person she would ever consider taking advice from.

"Has he ever said he loved you?" Anthony asked, completely ignoring Tiara’s question, his tone calm and direct.

"He has, countless times, he even said it this morning," Tiara replied instantly, without the slightest hesitation, as though the answer required no thought at all.

"Then tell him if he loves you, he should cancel the engagement," Anthony suggested calmly, his voice even, his gaze steady.

Tiara sighed weakly as she spoke, "I’ve done that, but he said his mother refuses every single time he brings it up," her voice carrying a deep, lingering exhaustion that seemed to have built up over the past five years, refusing to fade no matter how much time passed.

Anthony simply shook his head and said nothing else.

"But if the Blood Queen wanted an overpowered, extremely talented grandchild, wouldn’t it be more efficient to simply capture Tiara, forcefully get her pregnant, and call it a day?" Bringer spoke as the thought suddenly crossed his mind, his tone casual despite the severity of the idea he had just voiced.

"While that could theoretically work, the chances are extremely low. We all possess ridiculous control over our bodies, especially vampires due to their ability to manipulate blood. Even if Tiara were forcefully impregnated, she could terminate the pregnancy within her womb if she wanted without even moving an inch. Even if some kind of power or ability prevented her from doing that, she could still create numerous complications for the child by cutting off nutrients or blood supply," Rider explained with a calm expression, his voice analytical and composed, "hence why the Blood Queen and her two-faced son cannot employ such a crude and unreliable method," he added in finality, his conclusion firm and unwavering.

His words settled heavily in the air, adding yet another layer of complexity to an already complicated situation, one that none of them could resolve through simple reasoning alone.