If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 100

Chapter 51.1

Ariel heard the vibration of her phone while facing Skylar. It was a sound she’d heard countless times before, but for some reason, it made his face seem different. The emotions she had chosen to overlook suddenly became strikingly clear.

His dazed eyes, slightly parted lips, and the faint flush around his eyes—every detail on Skylar’s face laid bare his emotions. Feelings he had never voiced. The jealousy, the impulsive behavior, and the quiet kindness he sometimes showed. The things that even the title of ‘prince consort’ couldn’t fully define had finally taken shape before Ariel.

It was something she could no longer dismiss as simple affection.

Ariel felt her own tension rise as she met his direct gaze. The cool indifference that once lingered in his expression was gone. Every part of him radiated heat.

Even his eyes.

Blue was supposed to be a color that evoked coldness, like the ocean or a lake. But his eyes, despite their striking shade, burned with unmistakable warmth.

Although he hadn’t spoken a word, his face had already confessed everything.

Seeing his emotions laid bare, Ariel felt her composure slip away. Her fingers curled into a fist as she blinked, struggling to steady herself.

The moment the phone vibrated… was the moment his feelings shifted from admiration to love.

Skylar said nothing for a long time. He just stared at Ariel.

Slowly, he knelt down before her, closing the distance between them. As his upper body leaned forward, his eyes grew hazy, almost dazed, as if intoxicated. When his hand, which had been lingering near her ear, finally brushed against her skin and cupped her cheek, Ariel could feel that he was completely entranced by her.

“Skylar?”

She called his name, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he tilted his head and moved even closer, just like Devoncia once had. A brief wave of fear washed over her.

Although she instinctively leaned back, he closed the distance again.

“Your Highness the Prince.”

This time, she addressed him by his formal title. Her voice was stiff. She knew she had to push him away—this couldn’t go any further.

His deep blue eyes, which had seemed unfocused, as if drowning in deep water, suddenly sharpened. He blinked twice, dazed, as if waking from a dream. His movements, which had been bringing him closer, finally came to a halt.

Ariel looked at him, hesitation in her gaze.

“You’re… too close.”

“….”

“You don’t need to look at me so closely. I’m fine.”

Ariel acted oblivious to the emotions Skylar had just revealed, redirecting the conversation.

That was when clarity returned to his expression. Skylar sprang to his feet like a coil snapping back. At the same time, his hand shot up to cover his mouth, hiding half of his face, which had turned a deep shade of red. It had only just dawned on him what he had almost done.

“…Sorry.”

His voice came out rough. He quickly added,

“Just forget it.”

With that, he hurriedly distanced himself from her, almost as if he were running away.

Left alone beneath the tree, Ariel didn’t even have a chance to respond. Her gaze lingered on Skylar’s retreating figure before she finally lowered her head, pressing her face against her knees. The tension in her chest, which had been tightly wound, still felt suffocating.

A soft breeze ruffled her hair before drifting away. The world around her remained calm as though nothing had happened.

Sitting alone in the expansive dormitory garden, Ariel pulled her phone from her pocket. The system window on the screen greeted her with Skylar’s heart, now at two and a half.

Only half a heart left until she reached three. Once she hit that point, Skylar’s route would be complete.

“What should I do now…”

She murmured, her face still buried in her knees.

His rapidly increasing favorability was about to throw her entire strategy off balance. Worse yet, once he hit three hearts, his ending could trigger at any moment.

‘It’s only been a few months, and I’m already nearing the ending?’

That couldn’t happen.

The moment Skylar’s heart reached three, she’d be forced to navigate everything under the looming threat of triggering his ending at any moment. To avoid that, she needed to maintain a steady pace while delaying the inevitable third heart for as long as possible…

Ariel’s expression darkened, cast in shadow by the tree above her.

It had only been two weeks since she arrived at the academy, yet Skylar had already begun to move ahead on his own, not allowing her any time to adjust.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

There were no attendants or maids by Skylar’s side.

At that moment, he couldn’t bear anyone’s gaze. He needed somewhere to hide the heat rising to his face. Making his way straight to the dormitory, he moved so quickly it was almost a sprint, determined not to be seen. Forcing himself to resist breaking into a full run, he finally reached his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

He pressed his back against the door, struggling to steady his unsteady breath. His heart hammered in his chest, each beat sending a swell of emotion through him. This wasn’t simple admiration anymore.

Impulse, or desire.

What had once been a faint, hazy affection had now gathered into something dark and heavy. That black tide surged inside him, drowning out all reason with ease. His turbulent emotions finally solidified into a single, undeniable thought.

Ariel.

He wanted to see her. To be with her. To touch her. And, more than anything, he wanted to keep her away from Devoncia’s grasp.

As soon as that thought took hold, he bit the inside of his cheek. He could feel himself spiraling, inching toward a line he couldn’t afford to cross, so he bit down harder, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh until he tasted blood. The sharp sting grounded him, dulling his desires just enough.

He was drowning in painfully vivid, destructive urges, suffocating under the weight of his own self-loathing. His eyes darted around, desperate for an escape, until they froze on his reflection in the mirror.

“Crazy…”

The curse slipped from his lips as he stared at himself.

His face was still flushed, burning as if set ablaze. His emotions weren’t just visible… they had erupted.