Against my wishes, I had temporarily become a part of the hero’s party. Today was supposed to be our first day with me as their new member. Adrian was quite happy about having me, his enthusiasm was spreading throughout the party. Unlike Adrian, Ciela kept staring daggers at me, her suspicion towards me was quite blatant.

As for Feon and Riam, they were acting quite unconcerned, busy in their own thoughts. Amongst these beautiful people, I certainly stood out with my shrouded attire, as if I was a weed among roses.

Currently, we had taken a quest to procure some mystical herbs within the dungeon. The herb was called Lefereuge and it was located within some mid-level dungeons. The herb mentioned was some bioluminescent purple herb usually used as an alchemic catalyst. 

As of now, we were heading to one of those said dungeons. The party wanted to take things a bit easy due to the recent events which Adrian had been through, so they went with one of the easier requests within the guild. It also worked out since they wouldn’t want a newbie to be pushed into some harsh environment all of a sudden. 

The dungeon was said to consist of some chimaera creatures, most notable one being the Tusker, a monster with the body of an ogre and head of an elephant. They were considered something along the lines as the guardians of the dungeon with a strength higher than that of ogres as well as strong resilience to accompany it.

They were troublesome monsters in general so most people avoided this dungeon. Well, that was the case for most parties. If it’s the hero’s party I believe they could make quick work of them.

While I was deep in my thoughts Adrian interrupted me.

“Riela are you nervous?” Adrian asks while staring into my face.

“Well I am indeed a bit nervous but I believe within your capabilities.”

“It’s okay Relia, I also believe in your capabilities. Please protect me as you promised me.”

Adrian ended up reminding me of the time I promised to protect him, remembering that I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. Riam looked inquisitively at us while hearing our conversation. “You guys almost look like a married couple,” Riam said with a smirk on her face.

Adrian ended up looking flustered upon hearing that, probably due to being put into an uncomfortable position. “No, no, it’s nothing like that, Adrian is just a good friend of mine.” I quickly correct her before the situation managed to devolve further. I looked towards Adrian only to see a neutral expression on his face, except his eyes seemed to have become dimmer than usual. 

Did I give the wrong response? I had become a bit worried upon seeing Adrian like that.

“There’s nothing going on between Riela and Adrian, right Riela?” Ciela says in a strict manner, almost as if hinting me to say yes. “Yes, ma’am!” I quickly went along with her words which only ended up worsening Adrian’s reaction. His eyes looked blank as if in contemplative thought, yet giving off a despairing feeling.

“Don’t call me ma’am, I don’t like it when you talk to me in such a formal tone.” Rebuked Ciela. “Yes…” I could only agree with her. “Good” she replied, making a satisfied smile after hearing that. I couldn’t help but make the connection with Adrian and Ciela, it seemed there might be some form of affection from Ciela’s side.

Before I realized it Adrian approached up from behind me, tugging my sleeve. I peeked back at him only see those hollow eyes of his. He was giving a very unnerving vibe at that moment, I couldn’t help but sweat when looking at him.

“Hug me…” a soft but desperate voice came out of his lips, a bit of desire hidden within his voice. The party hadn’t heard it thankfully but it was still quite a brazen act by Adrian’s behalf. Did my answer towards Riam and Ciela affect him so much?

“We can’t… Your party members are watching, we can’t do something like that.” I quickly whisper towards Adrian. “Hug me…” Adrian responds to my pleadings, unwilling to listen to its reasoning. His voice sounded lonelier than before, almost fragile. 

It felt if I didn’t do something right now Adrian’s emotions might take a turn for the worse. I quickly abandon all thoughts of precaution and hugged him immediately. He similarly tightly clasped his arms around me, unwilling to let go.

The party had already started heading forward only to notice our missing existence. Their footsteps come to a pause as they turn around to look back at us, only to see us hugging. Shock and confusion were showed in their expression. But none of them try to disturb us after seeing Adrian’s expression. Concern soon replaced their faces.

I pat Adrian to calm him down, his soft breathing pushing against my ears. I could feel his breathing slow down a little, my actions seemed to pacify him a bit. I was confuddled as to what led him to break down. Is it because I had a position in his mind greater than that of a friend, perhaps as a saviour or…

Though I didn’t want to admit it, he did indeed show signs of being a yandere… I am not sure if it was due to the effects of the curse but regardless of that, I needed to fix him quickly. Though I did like Adrian, it was more in a familial sense. It was possible that Adrian was desiring me through some sort of parental love which he sought.

If that was the case then it that would provide me with some relief. I wasn’t sure if I could accept his feelings, especially so if he was a boy. 

The party kept looking at us with uncomfortable gazes, especially so for Feon and Ciela. I thought it’d be best to stop now otherwise the quest might be compromised at this rate. I tried to part away from Adrian but he suddenly clutches onto my clothes tightly. “Don’t leave me,” he says in utter panic.

Seeing his desperate pleads I once again complied to his wishes. He starts pushing his face into my chest. I helplessly accept his antics. “Riela?” he squeaks out a wavering voice. “Yes?” I answer, waiting for what’s about to come.

Silence permeates the area as I awaited his reply, but he didn’t say anything...