The Kingmaker System

Davian steeled his heart as he looked at Reina’s adorable face trying his best to not let those large glistening eyes enchant him. It was the day he would have answers to all his questions.

With that determination made, he opened his mouth.

"You-"

"I-"

Both he and Reina spoke at the same time.

"Ah, what..." Reina blinked and then shook her head, "Le-Let me-"

"No, let me go first!" Davian insisted and Reina closed her mouth.

Davian nodded having secured the opportunity.

"I have questions for you," he announced, "But first things first. You will tell me nothing but truth, all right?"

Reina nodded and he inhaled deeply before he asked.

"Did you really love me or is that also some plan of yours?"

"Absolutely not! I am in love with you!" Reina spoke with such determination within a heartbeat of the question that it was only after she spoke did she realise what she said.

Embarrassment crept up Reina’s neck but she refused to back down or avert her eyes. Davian needed to see her sincerity.

Davian stared at her and then looked down for a moment before asking.

"Then when I told you... That I liked Reina... Well... When I told Ocean that I liked Reina why didn’t you tell me about this secret back then? Didn’t you trust me back then?" Davian asked.

Reina lowered her eyes for a moment before saying, "I... It’s not like I didn’t trust you back then... I just thought that it’s a phase and it would pass soon..."

Davian narrowed his eyes, "You thought my love for Reina was just a phase?"

Reina swallowed and then glanced up at him, "Well... It kind of did, right? I mean... Then you came and confessed to me-Ocean."

Davian stared at her incredulously before he released an exasperated sigh.

"Remind me who was it that told me that they would bring the world to my feet? And eliminate all my enemies? And be my sword and shield?"

Reina averted her eyes, she had said all those things to young Davian when he was in trouble.

"And who was it that said that one always has a choice to grow stronger, it only depends on whether one makes that choice or not? Who was it that told me to have confidence?"

That was Reina, it was their very first conversation.

"I made all my choices keeping that in mind, even when I started developing feelings for you or... Rather when I started realising that I had feelings for you... Both." He spoke and Reina hung her head.

"I... I’m sorry."

Davian ran a hand through his hair, "Do you have any idea what I’ve been doing all this time in capital?"

Reina lifted her head, he had to stay in capital because of the Trials. What was he talking about?

Davian seemed to have noticed her thought and he let out a wry chuckle.

"I was researching cases of marriages happened between men," he announced, "I looked through all the historical figures, I even found out that there was one nobleman who married his aide and gave him the status of his wife. But since it was still difficult so, I was planning that we could marry in Denril since they don’t have that strict rules regarding marriages. I was thinking every day of how I’ll bring it up to my parents and how I’ll convince them if they had any problems with it."

Reina just listened to Davian rambling off as his voice cracked in between and then grew high-pitched at times before he looked down at her with his orbs now blazing fiery violet.

"I... I had no idea about all this," she admitted honestly, "I was... going to tell you about this-"

She gestured at herself.

"After the Trials because the Trials were important for that moment and well... I was prepared to pursue you if you decided to dump me after learning the truth..." Reina decided to be truthful here because keeping things that would mean shameful now would only cause harm...

It was better to say everything shamelessly than let the mate she found leave her. But then again, even after she had thought everything through, the conversation wasn’t as smooth as she had expected it to be. And her biggest adversary was her mind and feelings. If she were in her Ocean’s form or rather in her prime form, she wouldn’t have had this much problem, she would have coaxed Davian within seconds but being in a child’s body and with her human emotions in the driver’s seat. It was bound to cause secondhand embarrassment.

"I... respect whatever choice you make... but... I’m sorry, I wasn’t planning on letting you leave me... even if I had to... lock you up."

Davian’s eyes widened, he sat in stunned silence for a long moment before he pointed at himself.

"You thought you would lock me up if I rejected you?"

Reina nodded firmly, the embarrassment crept up her neck but she dared not let it overtake the conversation.

Davian stared at her for another few seconds and then-

"Pfft-"

He burst out laughing.

Reina watched him nearly double over laughing loudly as her heart pounded in her chest, her idea of locking him up was an extreme solution that she had thought. She hadn’t expected to blurt that out but she had and she wouldn’t take it back.

Still, watching Davian laugh so much made her uneasy and moreover, embarrassed.

"Y-You’re laughing too much." She spoke in a feeble voice, her fingers involuntarily clutching at the fabric of her dress.

Davian ran his hand through his hair, his laughter slowing down and he looked at her.

"You... You’re really resorting to this? You think it’ll please me that you want me to lock me up all for yourself?" He asked.

Reina gulped, "Yes."

Davian scoffed and then shook his head, staring off into the space.

Under the meagre light that gleamed off of the leaves of the World Tree Reina noticed something. The tips of Davian’s ears along with his neck were bright red, he had his head turned so, Reina surmised that maybe even his face was all red.

Davian took a few seconds while Reina craned her head to have a look at his face, if he was blushing it was a good sign, wasn’t it?

Davian released a deep sigh and then looked back at Reina with a serious expression, no blush.

"Another question." He announced and Reina prepared herself.

"How old are you?"

Reina tilted her head to a side and answered, "19."

Davian’s eyes narrowed, "You’re lying."

"I’m not."

"You are. Dragons are thousands of years old, how come you’re only 19? You’re not a human."

This time Reina narrowed her eyes, "I was born human... My Dragon’s Heart was bestowed to me when I was 10."

Davian’s eyebrows furrowed as his jaw grew tight, "Then what about that story that you told me about your past of working as an agent, your family and how you had to leave that place?"

Reina paused, she hadn’t expected it to come back like this.

She had told Davian about her past life without giving it much thought back then, it didn’t ring any alarm bells back then from the system for any penalties because it was simply told in a form that could have matched Ocean’s mysterious past but having to clarify it did arouse the system’s warning notification that flashed before her eyes.

Davian stared down at her and Reina lowered her eyes.

[Warning!

Disclosure about the terms of system, your past life and your mission will lead to penalty.]

[Dragon God’s blessing is in effect.]

[System override. Dragon God’s blessing is ineffective in case of breaking of core system rules.]

Reina pursed her lips as the notifications kept appearing.

[Goddess of Wisdom warns you against telling Davian the truth.]

[Defender of Divine Glory advices you to be careful.]

[Giver of Gifts prays for your safety.]

"You were just trying to save yourself while trying to give them a happy and warm home."

Davian’s words from back then echoed in Reina’s head.

He had came to a conclusion back then that since Ocean’s family was broken and he was left alone by everyone, he tried to project himself in every kid he saw and hence tried to provided for them in every way he could.

Reina hadn’t realised that she had been doing that subconsciously back then, for her it was simply because she had to resources and the kids needed saving so, she took that role. There was no grand reason.

Still, that story had come up again.

"Was that story just a lie? Or are you lying to me now?"

Reina licked her lips and then spoke in a feeble voice.

"It wasn’t a lie."

[Warning!]

"But... I can’t tell you much about it... It’s just... none of it was a lie... What I said back then... And what I’m saying now... It’s all truth."

Davian stared right into Reina’s eyes, as if looking for signs of false in her words, but with her meeting his eyes firmly was enough answer.

It really was the truth.

Davian’s eyebrows twitched, "But... How? Are you... not Duke Aurelius’s real daughter?"

Reina gulped before she shook her head, "Real Reina is dead."

Davian froze.

The warning signs kept flashing but Reina continued.

"I... I can’t tell you everything clearly." She spoke, "Real Reina died when she was 10... And I came to senses after that."

[Warning!

Disclosure about the terms of system, your past life and your mission will lead to penalty.]

Davian’s mouth opened and then closed before opening again but he couldn’t say anything.

"Who... Who are you then?"

Reina’s lashes lowered, what was her real name again?

She couldn’t remember anymore.

"It doesn’t matter anymore..." Reina spoke.

Davian was at a loss for words, he had only been angry at the fact that he was lied about Ocean’s identity but now that he learned that even Reina wasn’t real then, what was real?

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