How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 749: A Goddess’s Advice to Godhood 6

A white sky stretched endlessly overhead, bathing everything beneath it in a soft, pale glow.

Below, a dazzling city stood proudly, its streets filled with crimson-armored knights patrolling in perfect order while villagers with bodies resembling stone golems quietly went about their day.

Alice’s realm was changing with every passing day.

The once empty world of endless white had slowly become something far greater.

Buildings grew taller and more elegant, grand castles reached toward the sky, gardens bloomed where there had once been nothing, and new streets seemed to appear overnight as if the realm itself was dreaming them into existence.

Since it was built upon the Authority of Reality and Imagination, change was simply part of its nature.

Nothing here truly stayed the same for long.

Compared to the lonely white world it had once been, the realm now felt alive.

Even if only a handful of people could enter this place and truly be considered living beings, the city no longer felt empty.

The knights marched with purpose, the villagers laughed among themselves, merchants opened their shops every morning, and children ran through the streets chasing one another.

They were all creations born from Alice’s authority, yet each possessed enough personality to make the city feel real.

Sitting atop one of the tallest towers, Alice quietly looked over the city she had created.

Her long pink hair danced gently in the wind while her golden eyes reflected the city below.

For just a brief moment, those beautiful eyes glowed with a crimson light before slowly fading back into their usual golden color.

She let out a quiet sigh.

For days now, an unsettling feeling had refused to leave her.

It wasn’t fear.

Nor was it danger she could clearly sense.

It was more like... a warning.

Something was wrong.

Something was approaching.

Yet no matter how many times she searched through her realm, she couldn’t figure out what it was.

”...You know, Cheshire,” Alice suddenly spoke, resting her chin on her knees. ”Don’t you think things have been getting a little weird lately...”

”Whatever do you mean, Master~?”

A thick gray mist drifted beside her before Cheshire appeared, or rather, only his floating cat head did. His familiar grin stretched from ear to ear as he lazily spun through the air, leaving trails of gray fog behind him.

Alice kept staring at the city below.

”I don’t know...” she admitted after a moment. ”It’s just a feeling. Like someone’s watching... or like something is changing without me noticing.”

”Hmm...”

Cheshire tilted his head thoughtfully before floating upside down.

”Weird, you say...” he muttered. ”I can’t really feel anything unusual.”

”...Really?”

”Really.”

He slowly looked across the endless city beneath them.

”The realm is perfectly stable. The knights are following their patrols, the citizens are living their lives, and your authority is flowing exactly as it always has.”

His grin widened.

”If anything strange was happening inside your realm, I’d be the first to notice.”

Alice frowned.

”That’s what worries me.”

She trusted Cheshire’s senses more than almost anyone else’s.

If even he couldn’t detect anything...

Then why wouldn’t this uneasy feeling disappear?

As the guardian of her realm, Cheshire was the only other being capable of sensing even the smallest changes within it.

If anything disturbed the balance of this world, he would usually notice it immediately.

Seeing him act as carefree as ever made Alice pause before speaking again.

”...You know,” she said after a moment, ”I keep having this strange feeling. Like... an instinctive warning, maybe. Don’t you feel anything unusual?”

Cheshire’s grin remained unchanged as he floated in the air, his tail lazily swaying through the gray mist surrounding him.

”Hmm...”

He actually stopped to think this time.

For nearly a minute, his playful expression became unusually serious as his golden eyes slowly scanned the entire realm.

He looked across the city, the skies, the endless plains, and every corner his senses could reach.

Eventually, he let out a small scoff.

”No... not really.”

”...Nothing?”

”Nothing that would make me worried, at least.” He shrugged. ”Maybe you’re just unconsciously worrying about something.”

Alice remained silent.

Cheshire continued.

”Of course, since you’re the master of this realm, if something really is wrong, you’d naturally be the first one to notice. So I wouldn’t casually ignore that feeling.” His smile softened slightly. ”But there could be plenty of reasons why you’re feeling like this.”

He suddenly raised one paw and pointed toward the horizon.

”For example... there.”

Alice followed his gaze.

Far in the distance stood what could only be described as a mountain.

Or rather...

A mountain made entirely of trees.

Towering countless meters into the sky, an impossible amount of roots, trunks, and branches had intertwined together to form a colossal mass of greenery.

Golden leaves shimmered beneath the white sky while traces of divine energy quietly drifted around it like glowing mist.

It was the place where Riley had left behind a portion of his divine power.

Even after all this time, Alice still hadn’t completely absorbed or cleaned up the overwhelming energy it had released into her realm.

”You still haven’t fully dealt with Master Riley’s divine power,” Cheshire explained. ”Even now it’s subtly changing parts of your world.”

He then lowered his gaze.

Rather than looking at the city...

His eyes settled on Alice herself.

More specifically...

On the small but noticeable curve beneath her dress.

”...And there’s also the future young master~.”

His usual teasing smile returned.

Alice instinctively placed both hands over her slowly growing belly.

A warm smile appeared on her face without her even realizing it.

”...That’s...”

She gently rubbed her stomach before letting out a quiet sigh.

”...Maybe. I hope you’re right.”

If it was because of Riley’s lingering divinity or the child growing inside her...

Then perhaps there really wasn’t anything to worry about.

Even so...

That uncomfortable feeling still lingered deep inside her heart.

It refused to disappear.

It was faint.

Almost impossible to notice.

Yet every now and then, it whispered the same warning over and over, making her feel as though something beyond her understanding was slowly drawing closer.

Alice closed her eyes for a brief moment before shaking her head.

”...I guess thinking about it won’t solve anything.”

She stood up from the rooftop, smoothing out her dress as the wind carried her pink hair behind her.

”I should finish my work for today.”

A gentle smile returned to her face.

”I’m sure Riley and everyone else are waiting for me.”

”Indeed they are~.”

Cheshire floated beside her with his usual carefree grin.

”And if something really is wrong...”

His golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

”...We’ll know soon enough.”

Neither of them noticed it.

Far beyond the edge of Alice’s ever-expanding realm...

For the briefest of moments...

Something looked back.

”.... Sister Alice is much more troublesome than I thought....”

...

”Sorry to keep you waiting...” Snow said with an apologetic smile as she walked over. ”There’s been so much work lately.”

”It’s fine,” Riley replied, shaking his head. ”I came here without telling you first anyway.”

After rushing through the last few reports she absolutely had to finish, Snow finally made her way over to him and quietly sat down beside him with a tired sigh.

Even though she had technically finished what she was working on, the large stack of papers covering her desk told a different story.

Reports, requests, budget sheets, schedules for the Continental Grand Festival, documents from various departments, and letters from noble families were piled neatly into several stacks.

There was still plenty waiting for her.

Being the student council president wasn’t a job that ever seemed to end.

Snow let herself sink into the couch for a moment, enjoying the rare chance to rest.

”I’m actually glad you came,” she admitted with a soft smile. ”I was starting to get overwhelmed. Just seeing you here helped me relax a little.”

She glanced toward the mountain of paperwork before letting out another helpless laugh.

”...Though I still have to get back to work later.”

Her smile turned a little awkward.

”I can’t even complain too much since... most of this is partially my fault.”

After all, many of the reports on that desk existed because of the Continental Grand Festival.

The interviews.

The live broadcasts.

The sponsorship deals.

The academy’s rapidly increasing income.

The endless proposals from merchants and nobles hoping to join in.

They were all consequences of ideas she and Riley had put into motion.

It was exhausting...

But she couldn’t deny the results had exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Riley smiled.

”I’m glad I could make your day a little easier.”

”I’d say you’ve done more than a little.”

”So why did my dear Riley come here?”

”Can’t I just come for a normal visit?”

”You don’t usually come to me for nothing~”

Riley couldn’t help but feel that Snow had subtly scolded him just now.

Thinking back on it, she wasn’t wrong.

Other than last year, he almost never visited her during work hours unless something important had happened. Whether it was because he knew how busy she was or because the student council office wasn’t exactly a place students could casually walk into didn’t really matter.

To Snow...

The result was still the same.

He simply hadn’t come to see her.

Feeling a little guilty, Riley reached over and gently patted her head.

Snow’s shoulders relaxed almost instantly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, a content smile appearing on her lips as she leaned into his hand like a white cat enjoying being spoiled.

”I guess I should come visit you more often,” Riley admitted with a small smile. ”I actually miss you. You haven’t been sleeping with us lately.”

Snow let out a helpless laugh.

”It can’t be helped.” She glanced toward the mountain of reports waiting on her desk. ”I’ve let too much work pile up recently. If I don’t finish it now, it’ll only become worse tomorrow.”

Her gaze lingered on the papers for a second before returning to Riley.

”Besides...” she said with a playful smile, ”if I start neglecting my duties just because I want to cuddle with my fiancé, I don’t think I’d be setting a very good example as the student council president.”

”I wouldn’t complain.”

”I know you wouldn’t.”

The two shared a quiet laugh.

Snow squeezed his arm a little tighter before tilting her head to look at him.

”Anyways,” she said, her tone becoming a little more serious, ”why exactly did you come here? I assume it wasn’t just to pamper me.”

Riley smiled.

He always appreciated how quick Snow was.

She enjoyed teasing him, but when it came to important matters, she immediately understood there was more to the situation.

”Yeah.”

His expression became more thoughtful.

”Snow... I’m sure you’re already aware that Liyana is here at the academy, right?”

Snow blinked in mild surprise.

”So, you’ve already met her.”

She nodded soon after.

”Yes. Although her arrival wasn’t publicly announced, I was informed as soon as she entered the academy.” A faint smile appeared on her face. ”In fact, she came to see me personally yesterday while I was working.”

”She did?”

”Mhm.”

Snow couldn’t help but chuckle as she remembered the meeting.

”She said she was here for official business on behalf of the Heavens Duchy...”

She paused before laughing softly.

”...But honestly, I think she was just looking for an excuse to visit us.”

Her blue eyes curved into crescents.

”And to see you, of course.”

Riley scratched his cheek awkwardly.

”...I had a feeling.”

”She was surprisingly polite.”

Snow rested her chin on Riley’s shoulder as she recalled their conversation.

”She greeted me properly, congratulated me on being the student council president, and even apologized for arriving without informing everyone beforehand but...”

”But?”

Snow smiled knowingly.

”...But every few minutes, she’d casually ask where you were.”

”...”

”’Has Riley eaten yet?’”

”’Is Riley busy today?’”

”’Does Riley usually come here?’”

”’Has Riley been overworking himself again?’”

Snow looked up at him with an amused expression.

”She was trying so hard to make it sound casual.”

Riley could already imagine Liyana asking those questions with a perfectly straight face.

”...That does sound like her.”

”Fufu.”

Snow giggled.

”I answered what I could, though after a while I simply asked if she wanted me to call you over.”

”And?”

”She immediately refused.”

Snow couldn’t hold back another laugh.

”She said she didn’t want to interrupt your day.”

”...Even though she had spent nearly half our conversation asking about you.”

Riley sighed while rubbing his forehead.

”...She’s really bad at hiding it.”

”I see...”

Riley wasn’t particularly surprised.

Not only was Snow Liyana’s cousin, but she was also his fiancée. In a way, she had been the first. It was only natural that Liyana would want to meet her, especially after saying she planned to do so.

Still...

He hadn’t expected Liyana to already be making moves behind the scenes while he knew so little about what she was doing.

Though, to be fair...

That was entirely his own fault.

He had deliberately chosen not to keep tabs on her.

No surveillance.

No shadowing her every move.

No secretly asking people to report her whereabouts.

With someone as unpredictable as Liyana, trying to control every little thing she did would only backfire.

Riley knew her well enough to understand that. If she ever realized he was constantly watching her, she’d either become annoyed... or far worse, she’d start hiding things from him just to tease or torture his anxiety.

So he had decided to remain as passive as possible.

He would only step in if something threatened to push the future toward one of the disastrous outcomes he wanted to avoid.

But...

That didn’t mean he couldn’t stay informed.

There was a difference between spying on someone...

And simply knowing where they were supposed to be.

Liyana had mentioned that most of her work revolved around carrying out duties assigned by her father, the Grand Duke, many of which were directly connected to the emperor.

And as the Emperor’s daughter...

Snow should naturally know about some of those official matters.

After thinking for a moment, Riley finally asked

”Snow... do you happen to know Liyana’s schedule?”

Snow blinked.

”My schedule?”

”Liyana’s.”

”...Or at least the official parts of it.”

He scratched his cheek.

”If you know anything... could you tell me?”

For a moment...

Snow simply stared at him.

Then...

Her beautiful blue eyes slowly narrowed.

”...Hmm~?”

That single sound carried enough suspicion to make Riley instinctively straighten his back.

”And why,” Snow asked with an innocent smile, ”do you suddenly want to know Liyana’s schedule?”

”...”

”From what I heard...” she continued, her smile growing sweeter by the second, ”...the two of you already had a wonderful date the day she arrived.”

Riley froze.

”...You know.”

”Of course I know.”

Snow giggled behind one hand.

”Liyana was very enthusiastic while telling me about it.”

”...”

”She even described the restaurant.”

”...”

”The dessert.”

”...”

”The walk afterward.”

”...”

”And how happy she was about your gift~”

”...She really told you all of that?”

”Mmhm.”

Snow nodded happily.

”With great detail.”

”...”

”Some parts were even a little exaggerated.”

Riley didn’t even need to ask.

He could already imagine Liyana dramatically recounting every little interaction as if it were the most romantic story ever told.

”...That sounds exactly like her.”

”It does.”

Snow couldn’t help but laugh.

”So...” She leaned a little closer, still hugging his arm. ”You’ve already taken her on a date, and now you’re asking me for her schedule.”

Her eyes curved into playful crescents.

”...Should I be worried?”

”What?”

”Planning another date already?”

Riley immediately shook his head.

”No.”

”Really~?”

”Snow.”

”Hm?”

”It isn’t like that.”

”Yes I understand....”

”.....”

It seems Snow has completely misunderstood his intentions.