Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 136 – Sylvia: How Did It End Up Like This?

Chapter 136 – Sylvia: How Did It End Up Like This?

The two of them ended up sleeping straight through to the next day.

Xia Ya woke to the morning sunlight streaming in.

The bed was still a mess, with every trace of what happened last night clearly visible.

Little Ai had gotten up about half an hour earlier than him.

That girl’s face was just too thin-skinned. Even though she’d loosened up a bit last night and taken the initiative, once she woke up, embarrassment immediately took over again.

Under the pretense of “making breakfast,” she tried to sneak off quietly.

Of course, this was the most luxurious high-end hotel in all of Lokiah, and naturally, it offered room service.

But Little Ai insisted on going out herself to buy ingredients and cook breakfast for the two of them.

Her excuse? “Outside food’s unhealthy, it’s all made with gutter oil. You can’t trust it—it’s safer if I cook it myself.”

For some reason, that line sounded awfully familiar.

Xia Ya had wanted to savor the morning sweetness a bit longer,

But during their playful tug-of-war, he made a startling discovery.

One that left the man speechless and the woman in tears.

This girl’s resonance with the Holy Spear had deepened yet again.

And from the Soul Pact feedback… it looked like she’d broken through to the Sixth Ring.

“Your man had to risk life and limb in a Historical Echo, fighting tooth and nail just to hit Sixth Ring—and you just caught up like that?”

Well… to be fair, Xia Ya knew he was kind of lazy.

Aside from developing new abilities, he barely trained at all.

Little Ai, on the other hand, spent nearly every waking moment either cooped up in the Meditation Room or out on missions for the Military Department...

So, all right. Fair enough.

“You’re forgiven. After all, you’re my precious little wife.”

Xia Ya stretched with a contented sigh, feeling utterly refreshed.

He’d always thought of his life like a long, slow-burn beautiful girl raising sim.

Back when he was still living in Ceylan in the Northern Lands, even as a kid,

He saw Little Ai’s potential to become a total knockout.

So he put in the effort—grinding Favorability day after day, head pats and grilled fish offerings one after another…

Even in the harshest times in Ceylan, he never once abandoned her.

In the end, he’d maxed out that Favorability bar.

And earned himself a stunning girl who belonged to him, and him alone.

Now, his little wife whom he’d raised since childhood was finally paying back some dividends.

Even though they hadn’t taken that final step yet, as the saying goes: where there’s a first time, there’ll be a second.

Now that Little Ai had been willing to suppress her tsundere tendencies and get affectionate with him,

There was no doubt his “snuggle frequency” was about to see a serious uptick.

“Mm… only a few months left until Little Ai’s officially of age.”

“Once that gorgeous wedding is all planned out, and I get the atmosphere juuuust right… that same night, I can seal the deal.”

Xia Ya finished brushing his teeth and freshening up in the hotel’s luxury suite washroom.

Then, he plopped onto a lounge chair, newspaper in hand,

Dreaming blissfully about his happy, uh, married life ahead.

“…But before any of that, I’ve got to fix this messed-up timeline first.”

Xia Ya’s Mental Energy stirred, brushing over the newspaper in his hands.

Arcane City was a neutral, all-inclusive zone.

So, the newspapers published within its borders tended to be more objective—an outsider’s perspective on things.

Even so—

Almost every article about the Fresta Empire, now known as the Crimson Empire, carried an unmistakably negative tone.

It had once been a thriving, prosperous nation.

But in the end, it had been warped—twisted beyond recognition—by the obsession of its Immortal King.

That was the prevailing view among most in the Order faction today.

An ideal ruler, they said, should be rational and pure, never shaken by personal emotions…

But the one who had once been the Knight King, now the Empress, had walked the exact opposite path.

Under her influence, even the once-holy city of Camelot had become lifeless and cold.

In this rewritten timeline, the Eight Oathbound Families no longer eyed the throne.

After all, if their heads were screwed on straight, they knew they stood no chance against a Throne-tier ruler who had survived since the Old Era.

But a fixed, unchanging reign also meant stagnation and decay.

Of course, if the monarch was wise enough to lead the empire forward with centralized power, none of that would be a problem…

Unfortunately, it was clear that the current Empress had long since stopped caring about such things.

“This won’t do.”

“I was planning to hold my wedding in the cathedral at the Imperial Capital,

But the Empire’s in this state? No way.”

“And sure, I’d love to become a Prince of the Empire, not gonna lie…”

“But I’m not looking for some Empress doomed to be erased by Historical Correction.”

“What I want is a healthy, vibrant Imperial Princess who can chase dreams with me.”

Xia Ya murmured softly to himself.

He hadn’t known back then in the Historical Echo that Artoris was actually the Second Imperial Princess in disguise, across time and space.

But just thinking about it now…

If he were Isadella, how deep would that kind of love have to run? How devastating must it have been?

Since this whole cross-time emotional mess was his fault, he’d have to own up to it.

Besides, he already had some feelings for that princess.

Sure, his red eyes + white hair fetish as a fellow countryman played a role,

But even though Xia Ya was definitely a bit of a perv,

He’d never been the type to let his downstairs brain overrule the upstairs one.

More importantly, after spending years with her across both the real timeline and the Echo…

He’d come to realize something.

In this era, compared to the Church or the Noble Alliance,

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Isadella was, without a doubt, the superior ruler.

Her ideas and vision were far ahead of her time—and even ahead of her class.

If they ever wanted to bring that dreamlike utopia from his dreams into the real world,

She was the one most suited to make it happen.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted her invitation to become her Swordbearer,

And he wouldn’t have sided with the Knight King in the Historical Echo.

They say a man’s pride is worth its weight in gold—and now was the time to cash in.

But hey, who you cash it with is still your choice, right?

Meow—

A soft meow came from the window.

Xia Ya paused his thoughts and turned his head.

There, a white cat was lying by the window, looking at him with pitiful eyes.

It tilted its head slightly, clearly wanting cuddles and pets.

Oddly enough, even though Sylvia herself was here in person,

She hadn’t recalled this cat to her Soul Pact Space—

Instead, it had been sticking around him all the time.

And maybe it was just his imagination, but…

Xia Ya swore he could see dark circles under the white cat’s eyes.

Like it hadn’t slept well all day yesterday.

“…Sorry. Did me and Little Ai keep you up last night?”

With a tinge of guilt, Xia Ya reached out and patted the cat’s head.

Then, seeing how desperate it looked, he scooped it up into his arms.

Even though he’d activated a Soundproof Barrier,

This cat was a Summoned Beast belonging to Sylvia—

Its Tier was probably quite high.

And Summoned Beasts had far sharper senses than humans.

It was possible it still picked up on what was going on, despite the barrier.

But oh well.

Not his fault Little Ai’s first aggressive move turned out to be that spicy.

“…And as for your master—”

Xia Ya continued to stroke the cat, murmuring softly.

“I really do want to see Sylvia dressed in a pure white wedding gown… walking toward me as my bride.”

“She must look breathtaking.”

Xia Ya’s voice carried a dreamy tone, and even the white cat curled up in his lap seemed to relax along with it.

Wearing a wedding dress… becoming Xia Ya-ge’s bride?

Meanwhile, in the suite next door—

The Argent Witch lay sprawled on her bed, her silver-blue eyes shimmering faintly.

She hugged tightly onto her body pillow—shaped like a certain black-haired boy, conjured using the glow of Twilight—

And rolled over under the covers with a soft shuffle.

But just as Sylvia was about to savor the giddy warmth blooming in her chest—

Xia Ya’s next words froze her in place.

“Little Ai, Suren, Syl-Bao, Her Highness the Imperial Princess… Oh, and I wonder if I’ll ever get to be the rebel disciple who steals a kiss from his Master…”

“With that many brides, I’m not even sure if the Imperial Capital’s grand cathedral will be big enough to fit them all.”

Meow—!

The white cat let out an aggrieved cry and tried to bite Xia Ya.

But just before its teeth reached him, it hesitated—

Then instead, gently stuck out its tongue and licked Xia Ya’s cheek.

…

Tap tap—

The knock on the door echoed through the suite.

Still hugging her body pillow in a daze, Sylvia quickly pulled herself together.

She gave a light cough, composed her expression, and got up from bed.

Walking to the door, she opened it.

Standing there was the blonde girl.

Seeing Sylvia, she calmly held out one of the three bento boxes she carried in her hands.

“Your breakfast, Tower Master.”

Ailora was, of course, well aware of the relationship between Sylvia and Xia Ya,

So while preparing breakfast, she’d thoughtfully made an extra serving.

As for the third bento box, that had originally been for Suren—but now that the Saintess of Dawn had returned to the Church, it was conveniently available.

“Thank you.”

Sylvia nodded gracefully, accepting the sandwich-filled bento box.

Even though she had spent the entire night being a sour little lemon cat thanks to the girl in front of her,

She still maintained the elegance and poise expected of the Tower Master of the White Chalk Tower—even in front of a love rival.

Maybe Xia Ya-ge just liked this “mature big-sister type”?

But then—

Sylvia’s gaze abruptly froze.

Her eyes had shifted to the other hand Ailora was holding something in.

More precisely—to the alchemical potion bottle she was carrying.

She must’ve picked it up earlier while out shopping for breakfast,

Likely passing by a Magitech Alchemy Shop—with the Black Tower’s headquarters located in Lokiah, a wide range of rare alchemical potions were available here.

The label on the bottle bore a few ancient characters.

Difficult to read, yes—but with her Throne-tier knowledge, Sylvia immediately understood what that potion was.

“Safety Elixir”

A ridiculous-sounding name. But its effect was simple, blunt, and unmistakable—

Birth control.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, Your Excellency Sylvia, I’ll be heading back to my room.”

The blonde girl offered a polite farewell, turned, and left.

Moments later, the soft click of the door unlocking echoed from the suite next door.

Leaving only the white-haired witch…

Standing in stunned silence, disheveled in the wake of the storm.

Last night, she’d stayed next door.

Tried to peek, but every time she extended her Mental Energy, she grew too flustered and pulled back—

In the end, she simply sat there, listening to the muffled sounds through the soundproof barrier the entire night.

“I was the one who took Xia Ya-ge’s first kiss…

And according to the timeline, I was the one who met him first, too…”

Sylvia’s eyes lost their luster.

“Then why… why did it end up like this?”