Chapter 13: The Time Stopper

Waking up again to the familiar ceiling, the bright sunlight, no different from yesterday’s breakfast, streamed in through the gaps in the window screen.

My head throbbed slightly; the alcohol concentration in my blood was perhaps a bit high.

I might have drunk too much at the party following yesterday’s coronation battle, so much so that I collapsed onto my bed the moment I returned to my room.

Li Ruoyi stroked the black vortex undulating on his chest, thinking in a daze.

He pulled back the heavy curtains and finished dressing in the rare, piercing sunlight.

Walking downstairs into the kitchen, Li Ruoyi was taken aback; Rhein, who usually needed Galena to call her multiple times, had actually put on an apron, tied her hair into a ponytail, and was preparing breakfast with Galena.

The two graceful figures busy in the sunlight were like a pair of sister flowers growing toward the sun, beautiful and captivating.

“Heh, I wondered who it was.”

That was a laughter like silver bells; Rhein turned around with a smile, still holding a freshly peeled potato in her hand.

“What are you making? Russian dumplings or a vegetable salad?”

“Neither; Her Highness Rhein is making Hungarian beef stew,” Galena answered in a monotone.

“If you’re free, you can bring that beef over there.”

“Mhm, alright.”

Li Ruoyi carefully handed the sliced beef from the counter to Galena.

“But does Rhein even know how to cook? Isn’t that a bit too much sauce?”

Watching Rhein, who possessed a near-manic interest in cooking, the King in Black rested his hands on his hips helplessly.

The deep-colored, rich broth churned in the pot, splashing against the edges of the ladle.

“Galena, Ruoyi, come and taste this!”

After a simple stir, Rhein spoke excitedly, scooping up a ladleful to feed Galena.

Li Ruoyi was reminded once again of the first time he went to a bar with his old man and the first time he drank a cocktail called a Bloody Mary.

Just like then, the color was good, but the taste was too strong!

Because he didn’t want to hurt the girl’s pride, Li Ruoyi forced himself to swallow.

“What’s wrong? You two have terrible looks on your faces.”

“It’s nothing! Your Highness Rhein, but you must be tired; let me finish preparing breakfast.”

In the end, it turned into Rhein and Li Ruoyi being pushed out of the kitchen, with Galena finishing the breakfast preparations alone.

Returning to the living room after cooking, Galena poured the heated soup into the bowl in front of Rhein and pressed a freshly brewed cup of black tea to her master’s lips before Rhein could complain, effectively silencing that delicate little mouth.

“You’re always like this, Galena!”

“Yes, yes, I am willing to cook for Your Highness Rhein for the rest of my life,” Galena replied lazily.

“When did you learn to be so glib!”

“Perhaps from spending too much time with Your Highness? Besides, the point of today’s breakfast isn’t to show off cooking!”

Galena suddenly stood up and left Rhein’s side, pulling out a third chair at the round table that had been prepared for someone unknown.

“Where’s Seaweed?”

Rhein took a comfortable sigh after sipping the warm tea.

“Not enough sugar.”

“Present~! Would you like some granulated sugar?”

A young girl with pure, stainless azure eyes and porcelain skin appeared on the chair in front of Galena, a sugar spoon in her left hand.

Li Ruoyi, who was chewing bread, nearly choked in surprise, but the two women before him seemed to find it perfectly ordinary; Rhein even took the spoon and thanked her warmly.

“Miss Haidai, please do not use time-stop for such boring things,” Galena complained slightly, though she still politely and methodically placed the utensils in front of Haidai.

“You said you can stop time?!”

Li Ruoyi found the words he heard unbelievable; his hands, which were peeling an eggshell, stopped mid-motion in shock.

“That’s right. Is something wrong, handsome Human King brother?”

Haidai stirred the sugar cube in her black tea while flashing a small grin at Li Ruoyi.

“No, it’s just that I heard something that transcends my common sense.”

After drinking some warm milk, Li Ruoyi got over his choking sensation and felt a bit better.

“Do you like that sandwich?”

Haidai pointed toward the thick, stuffed sandwich in front of Rhein.

“I can’t say I dislike it,” Li Ruoyi answered honestly.

“Rhein, remember what I told you when we went to Japan before the Era of Destruction?”

“The human manga artist you said could actually perceive the essence of your ability?”

Rhein was clearly interested in these questions.

“I remember… what was his name? Hirohiko Araki?”

“Yes, yes, yes! The author of JoJo!”

Haidai raised her teacup with an adoring expression.

“That Dio in yellow can also stop time; I think his lines are just so imposing!”

“What are you two talking about…?”

Li Ruoyi was a bit dazed; regarding Japanese anime, he only knew it existed.

The two magicians before him seemed like ordinary girls he might have seen in a classroom during his childhood, discussing hot-blooded plots from manga.

He didn’t hate anime; he just hadn’t had the time to learn about it before he died.

Perhaps because he had read classics by human authors like Alexandre Dumas since childhood, he held the highest respect for writers who could weave interesting stories.

“You haven’t seen JoJo, have you!”

Haidai’s gaze was like looking at a child who had never eaten candy.

“N-No… I haven’t!”

Faced with Haidai’s pressing approach, Li Ruoyi felt somewhat flustered.

“Then I must let you experience its charm!”

Haidai said with a huff.

“Your next line is: ‘How did this sandwich suddenly end up in my mouth?'”

Haidai spread her arms and shouted, “ZA WARUDO!”

Li Ruoyi was somewhat confused; the phrasing was unlike any language he knew, almost like a random combination of sounds, but undoubtedly, it was the incantation for Haidai’s magic.

The sound of a clock’s mainspring being forcibly stopped and snapped seemed to ring directly in Li Ruoyi’s mind, and the world came to a halt.

When he came to his senses, the sandwich Haidai had pointed to earlier was forcibly stuffed into his mouth.

“How did this sandwich suddenly appear in my mouth!”

Li Ruoyi said with a mouthful of chewed food, his words slurred by surprise.

“This is one of my abilities: Time Stop!”

Haidai struck a playful pose, while Rhein and Galena, watching the two, burst into laughter.

As if some strange switch had been flipped, Haidai’s face flushed slightly as she grinned mischievously.

“You’re named Li Ruoyi, right?”

“Yes, that is indeed my name.”

Li Ruoyi took the sandwich out of his mouth.

Clearly, the magic performance just now had made him extremely curious about the girl before him, and he waited eagerly for her next words.

“I see your relationship with Li Ruoyi is quite good,” Haidai said to Rhein with a wicked grin.

“What are you talking about?”

Rhein instinctively stepped back.

Looking at the grinning Haidai—the girl known as the “Prank Magician”—she felt a chill run down her spine.

“I was just curious; the usually dignified and steady Rhein has been showing quite a variety of expressions lately.”

“So it’s because of him!”

The moment she finished speaking, Haidai teleported in front of Rhein, her delicate hands resting on Rhein’s shoulders.

The sound that had previously stopped the world rang out once more.

Li Ruoyi’s face turned as red as a sheet of rice paper stained with crimson ink; the scene before him left him so shocked and embarrassed that he couldn’t utter a single word.

The lips of the two girls met.

In that instant, Rhein’s mind went blank.

This was a sensation she had never experienced; not knowing what to do, she could only pull futilely at Haidai’s clothes.

After an unknown amount of time, Haidai straightened up and shouted at the stunned Li Ruoyi:

“Li Ruoyi, have you and Rhein ever kissed? You haven’t, have you!”

The girl pointed her thumb at herself and declared loudly:

“Rhein’s first kiss wasn’t with you, Li Ruoyi—but with me, Haidai!”

The flushed girl laughed wantonly.

She looked around as if searching for something, her gaze finally settling on a puddle left by the rain in the garden.

“Rhein, look! There’s some mud—”

Failing to sense the chill creeping up her spine, the overexcited girl was struck on the head by a heavy punch from Galena, who had reacted first.