Chapter 1588 - 224 - Titania’s Regret (3)
Up until now, I hadn’t really done anything to completely conquer Titania. That was mostly because I never felt like there was any real reason to go out of my way just to accomplish it.
Honestly, for the most part, I hadn’t even bothered trying to conquer anyone anymore. I already felt strong enough with everything I had now, and chasing after every possible ability simply didn’t seem worth the effort anymore.
The thing that continued increasing my life force was having sex with them, so I never really felt the need to focus on fully conquering them through my ability alone and copy their abilities.
Still, something about this situation felt different enough to make me stop and think for a while.
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Name: Titania Bethlan
Race: Human
Requirements to dominate Titania:
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10. Comfort Titania
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That was the final requirement needed for Titania to be completely dominated by my ability.
At first, I honestly had no clue what that requirement actually meant. I always assumed it simply meant I had to comfort her whenever she felt down, but she never really seemed like someone who needed comforting. Because of that, I never made any serious effort to complete it.
Like I’d already told myself countless times before, I wasn’t really interested in conquering women anymore through my ability. If I ever decided to finish someone’s requirements, it would only be because I genuinely needed whatever ability they could offer me afterward.
Things were different now, though, and I could finally feel where all of this had been leading.
That requirement had been unlocked such a long time ago that I’d practically forgotten about it.
Did my ability somehow know that something like this was eventually going to happen?
Honestly, I had absolutely no idea how something like that could even be possible.
Even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Lilith had somehow influenced this in one way or another.
Whether she had planned it herself or whether my ability simply carried part of her will, I couldn’t tell.
Either way, the timing felt far too convenient for me to simply brush it off as a coincidence.
Right now, I was flying through the sky toward Bethlan.
Flying was simply much faster than traveling by land, and wasting precious time right now felt like a terrible idea.
If everything went according to plan, I’d arrive in Bethlan well before Titania managed to make it back herself.
The castle eventually appeared on the horizon, growing larger with every passing second until I could clearly make out its walls.
I descended from the sky before landing directly inside the castle’s courtyard.
Apparently, I hadn’t exactly chosen the gentlest way to announce my arrival.
One of the maids had been quietly sweeping the courtyard when she suddenly noticed someone falling from the sky.
She jumped so hard that she almost dropped the broom she was holding.
For a brief moment, she honestly reminded me of a startled cat that had just discovered a cucumber sitting behind it.
"S-Sorry," I said with an awkward smile before my expression gradually became serious again. "I’ve come to see the King."
The maid stared at me for several long seconds, looking as though she was trying to figure out whether I was actually standing there or if she’d somehow imagined the whole thing.
Without saying another word, she quickly hurried back inside the castle.
I quietly remained where I was and waited patiently for her return.
Several minutes passed before she finally came back.
"I’m terribly sorry," she said with a respectful bow. "His Highness instructed me that you are not permitted to meet him unless you are accompanied by the Princess. Because of that, His Highness has asked me to escort you to a room where you may wait until the Princess arrives."
So he wanted me to wait until Titania came back before seeing him.
Honestly, I couldn’t really blame him for making that decision.
If he truly believed these were going to be his final days, then it made perfect sense that he’d want to see his daughter before anyone else.
She was his only child.
She deserved that much.
Thinking about it like that somehow made my chest feel even heavier than before.
I guess things were finally starting to feel real now.
The first time the King told me about his illness, I hadn’t reacted very strongly.
Back then, it simply felt like another problem that needed attention eventually.
Sure, it sounded serious, but it never really felt like the end was already approaching.
Things felt completely different now that I was actually standing here.
Reality had a funny way of catching up to people when they least wanted it to.
For some reason, I couldn’t help feeling sad.
Even though we hadn’t spent all that much time together, I’d grown to respect him quite a bit.
He was a good ruler.
More importantly than that, he was an even better father.
If someone like him had somehow become my own father, I honestly believed I would’ve looked up to him without the slightest hesitation.
While all those thoughts continued running through my head, the maid eventually led me to the room that had been prepared for me.
The moment I stepped inside, something immediately caught my attention.
The entire room smelled like Titania.
Admittedly, that sounded like a pretty strange thing to think.
After all, who walked into a room, took a deep breath, and immediately thought, Yep, this definitely smells like Titania?
Then again, I had spent enough time around her that I’d naturally become familiar with her scent.
Looking around the room, another possibility immediately crossed my mind.
This was probably her room.
It wasn’t especially luxurious despite being located inside a royal castle.
Instead, it felt surprisingly modest and comfortable.
The room was roughly the same size as the one she’d used back in the academy dormitory.
Several dresses and neatly folded outfits were arranged throughout the room, making it feel lived in instead of looking like one of those fancy rooms that nobody actually used.
My gaze eventually settled on a worn teddy bear sitting quietly near the bed.
It had obviously been repaired several different times over the years.
The stitching wasn’t exactly pretty.
Honestly, it looked like someone with almost zero sewing talent had stubbornly refused to give up until the job was finished anyway.
That thought actually made me smile just a little.
Maybe the King had been the one who stitched it together before giving it back to Titania.
Somehow, that felt exactly like something he’d do.
"Right now..." I quietly muttered to myself while letting out a slow sigh. "I honestly feel like complete crap."
The words escaped my mouth before I even realized I was saying them out loud.
I didn’t want the King to die.
More than anything else right now, I didn’t want Titania to have to cry because of it.
If I could choose how things turned out, then I’d want both of them to stay together for a little while longer.
Unfortunately, wishing for something and actually making it happen were two completely different things, and reality rarely cared about what people wanted.