Kael spent the rest of the day with his mother.

  Just like in the previous loop, she watched him train in the Style of Chaos, a fond smile on her lips, without asking any questions.

  Then she left to buy dinner. He already knew what she was going to bring back.

  And just thinking about it… he smiled.

  Delicious pizza… you’ll miss me when I’ve finished the Trial. But know that I will never forget you. And I will pray to see you again one day, in reality.

  He went to take a bath and dressed just like last time — the same clothes, the same gestures. Everything was similar, and yet… everything had changed.

  In the kitchen, his mother was preparing the famous pizzas.

  Kael watched her hands spread the dough with methodical precision.

  I should learn how to do that… that could really come in handy one day.

  As he sipped some fruit juice, she asked casually,

  “I never asked you, Kael… but how are things going with girls?”

  He nearly choked, coughed, and straightened up.

  “Uh… I… it’s fine, yeah. I’m not doing too bad.”

  “‘Not doing too bad,’ huh?” she teased without looking up from the dough.

  Kael felt she knew. That she could see straight through his half-truths.

  “You girls aren’t easy to understand, you know.I struggle sometimes, honestly.”

  She stopped abruptly.

  “Oh yeah? Elaborate.”

  “I met a girl. A few weeks ago.”

  A princess.

  She looked up, amused.

  “A princess? Nothing less? You don’t do things halfway, do you?”

  Kael nodded gravely.

  “At first, it was weird. She looked at me like she expected me to kneel in front of her. Like, seriously. You know the type — rich girl sizing you up from above?”

  She nodded silently.

  “Well, that kind of thing really pisses me off. A lot. So one day, she went too far… and I slapped her.”

  His mother froze mid-motion, both hands buried in the dough.

  “You hit her?!”

  Kael raised both hands, ready to bolt.

  “It’s not what you think! She said something so disgusting that… that you’d understand! I swear!”

  She resumed kneading the dough slowly.

  “Alright… go on.”

  “Then… we climbed a cliff together.”

  She tried to open a jar of tomato sauce, failed, and sighed.

  “Seriously? Climbing a cliff now? Is that how you flirt?”

  Seeing her struggle, he grabbed the jar and opened it with a quick twist.

  She winked at him, amused.

  “Thanks. Go on. Your story’s getting interesting.”

  Kael settled back down, his eyes shining.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “You should’ve seen her. She’d never climbed in her life, but she had style. Real style. Another time, she got attacked…”

  He stopped, cleared his throat.

  “… by a girl. Knife to her throat.”

  His mother paled.

  “And you know what she did?” he continued, eyes wide.

  “She grabbed a knife and cut off her own hair in one motion. Just like that. So the other girl wouldn’t have anything to grab. And then she pulled off this insane disarm.”

  He mimed the movements enthusiastically, arms flying everywhere.

  His mother, meanwhile, stared at the dough in silence.

  “Cutting her hair… that must’ve been awful for her. Hair matters to a girl, you know.”

  Kael waved it off.

  “Not for Althéa. And she’s even prettier like that. Short white hair, just below her ears. And her eyes… amethyst. Ice-cold. She looks like a warrior goddess.”

  His mother flushed.

  “Well… she doesn’t seem to leave you indifferent, this young lady.”

  “Wait, that’s not all! One night, while we were camping—”

  “You were camping?” she cut in. “I didn’t see you leave to go camping.”

  “Well… you must not have noticed. Anyway! One night, we were by the fire… I said something I shouldn’t have… and then she starts chasing me. With a knife.”

  “What??” his mother breathed, pale.

  “And after that, we fought. For real. She beat the hell out of me. But I didn’t go easy on her either.”

  She rubbed her forehead, exasperated.

  “And the next morning… we both woke up. She was sleeping on top of me.”

  She froze, a handful of chopped vegetables suspended above the dough.

  “Kael… are you sure I need to hear this?”

  “Of course! The next part is even crazier!”

  “I’m not entirely sure I want to—”

  “Too late. After that, she wouldn’t stop hitting me or sticking close to me. One time, while I was eating, she kept doing something weird with her leg. Like, she wouldn’t stop shaking it. And she didn’t want other girls looking at me.”

  He threw his arms up, exasperated by his own memories.

  “I swear, she was going crazy. So at some point, I grabbed her thigh so she’d stop. And then… she looked at me like she was about to kill me.”

  He paused, grimacing.

  “So I took my hand away. Obviously. And she goes, ‘Who gave you permission to remove your hand?’”

  He looked at his mother, utterly lost.

  “See what I mean? I just can’t understand her.”

  Silence.

  Then his mother burst out laughing. A full, ringing laugh — almost childlike.

  “Oh… my poor Kael. You’re doomed.”

  “What? No, I’m not!”

  “I think you don’t understand, my son.”

  Kael looked up, curious.

  “If she doesn’t want other girls looking at you… it’s probably because she likes you.”

  He made a face of pure confusion.

  “Huh?”

  “I’m not saying it’s obvious, but… I’m a woman. I can feel it. That girl — she carries you in her heart.”

  Kael waved the air dismissively, irritated.

  “That’s nonsense. She’s always glaring at me, I swear.”

  He paused for a moment, then added,

  “One time, I passed out…”

  His mother stopped moving entirely.

  “What? You passed out?! And you’re telling me this so casually?”

  “No, no, don’t worry, it was nothing. Anyway, I wake up… and there she is, leaning over me, both hands pressed against my chest.”

  He leaned slightly toward his mother, as if he feared Althéa might appear behind the door at any moment.

  “I swear, I thought she was going to kill me. Or even eat me — the look she had…”

  He shuddered.

  “And do you know what she did?”

  “I’m not sure I dare ask…” his mother said, setting the knife down.

  “She slapped me! I had just regained consciousness!”

  His mother let out a deep sigh, slid the pizzas into the oven, and wiped her hands before turning to face him.

  “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I’m sure she likes you. Really likes you. And you like her too. Very much.”

  Kael flushed immediately.

  “That’s… that’s nonsense! I’m doing much better now that I’m away from her.”

  He crossed his arms and looked away.

  A few minutes later, the oven chimed.

  Kael jumped to his feet, his heart swelling with almost childlike joy.

  “My turn, divine beauty…”

  He took the pizza out as if it were a sacred treasure, placed it carefully on the table, sat down in front of the television, and took his first bite.

  “Haaa… I missed you…”

  And just like in the first loop, he couldn’t help commenting on every detail of the show he was watching.

  “No way he’s going to open that door? It’s obvious there’s a trap behind it…”

  “There! What did I say? People never learn, do they?”

  “Oh! There she goes, drawing her saber. That’s it, it’s over for them. Come on, slice them clean!”

  He spoke out loud, sometimes to the TV, sometimes to himself.

  Mouth full, gestures wide, emotions right at the surface.

  “Wait, wait, she betrayed him?! They’ve been together since the beginning!”

  “I knew it. I could feel it. There was something off in her eyes back in episode three.”

  Another slice disappeared every few minutes.

  He took another drink, launched into another commentary.

  “That kid… he’s got the same look Lucanis gets when he acts like he knows what he’s doing, but actually he hasn’t thought anything through. You’ve got to watch out for guys like that…”

  The television continued pouring out its stream of images and drama.

  Kael kept going — critiques, muffled laughter, genuine indignation, loud reflections.

  Meanwhile, tired of the spectacle, his mother slowly left the room.

  “I’m going to bed, Kael…”

  “Hm? Good night.”

  Without turning around. Without even pausing his commentary.

  “This is ridiculous! Why are they fighting when they could just run away together? Honestly… you deserve to lose at this point.”

  His mother entered her room, resigned.

  She knew he would keep talking until the very last scene, just like the previous time.

  Kael, meanwhile, couldn’t care less.

  A slice of pizza in hand, legs tucked beneath him on the couch, eyes shining with simple pleasure.

  “Come on. Give me the final reveal. I’m ready.”

  And just like in the previous loop…

  Night fell over a room warmed by the smell of pizza, a glowing screen, and a voice that never tired of commenting on everything.