Chapter 200

Chapter 200

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 200: Bigamy (5)

Could it be that when someone becomes truly angry, they grow eerily calm?

That was exactly how Zelnya felt right now.

Upon accidentally discovering her fiancé’s affair, her blood pressure skyrocketed, yet her voice turned ice-cold.

“Hey.”

Her former self surfaced, the one who picked fights as naturally as breathing.

“What do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?”

Rustila frowned, pointing to herself.

“Are you addressing me?”

“Who else would I be talking to? Stop playing dumb and answer my question. What are you doing with my husband?”

For two months, Zelnya had bottled up her frustration over Aidel’s absence. Now, watching Rustila cling to him made bile rise in her throat.

“Husband? What are you talking about?”

Rustila smirked, twisting her body provocatively. Her model-like figure – slim waist, sharp curves, and voluptuous form – was prominently displayed even through her military uniform.

Chest thrust forward, she declared.

“Aidel is my husband.”

“How dare you!”

Zelnya shouted as Rustila immediately wrapped her arms around Aidel’s, resting her head against his shoulder blade.

The height difference between Rustila and Aidel was about 10 centimeters. As she breathed softly against his nape while grinning, it seemed like a deliberate taunt toward the shorter Zelnya.

No, it wasn’t just seeming – it was definitely intentional.

After all, Zelnya’s petite, delicate figure could never achieve such an intimate position with him.

At 155 centimeters tall, Zelnya could only bite her lip and endure the taunting.

Her stomach churned like shaken carbonated water.

“What do you think you’re doing, acting so shameless? Haven’t you broken your contract with the Maiden Constellation?”

“No?”

Rustila raised her sword, causing Zelnya’s eyebrow to twitch. That weapon was clearly no mass-produced item.

Vroom!

With a single swing, liquefied ether traced an elegant arc through the air. That motion alone revealed everything – she had already transcended the Omega rank. Her talent was undeniable.

Simultaneously, the presence of a massive star cluster manifested – unmistakably the Maiden Constellation Virgo.

“Thanks to Aidel’s research, the penalty no longer exists.”

“You… you…”

“Thank you, darling.”

Rustila tilted her head slightly, her cherry-red lips grazing Aidel’s cheek – another skill Zelnya could never replicate.

She couldn’t bear watching Aidel’s face being repeatedly defiled like this.

But what hurt even more was that he hadn’t met with her for two whole months.

Gritting her teeth, Zelnya burst out.

“Aidel! You couldn’t even show your face when I wanted to see you! Always making excuses about being busy here!”

Finally snapping, she stormed forward.

“Was it for her? Did you ignore me to make this woman happy? Have you forgotten who your fiancée is? Why did you take off the ring, you worthless trash!”

Her refined anger was like cold alcohol – just one spark would set it ablaze.

Zelnya surprised herself with her outburst. Never in her life had she unleashed such intense profanity – clear evidence that anger had overtaken her reason.

“So you were the one who pursued her, not Rustila coming after you? Like a horny dog!”

“Zelnya…”

“Don’t say my name! One more word, and I’ll kill you!”

Even Rustila, who had been smugly taunting Zelnya, was taken aback.

Tears welled up in Zelnya’s amethyst eyes.

Despite disliking Zelnya, Rustila hadn’t intended to make her cry. She’d only meant to knock her down a peg, finding her arrogance annoying. The tears were unexpected from someone usually so caustic.

“You’re both just primitive beasts. Sex-crazed idiots… Do you have any sense of what’s important?”

It wasn’t just about seeing Aidel.

They needed to discuss their future. As heads of their respective families, who would step down if they married? She’d waited so long for these crucial conversations.

In truth, Aidel had his own concerns to share.

His research hadn’t solely focused on Constellation nerves – he’d been developing technology for the impending war against the Darwin system’s Outer Gods.

He’d explained his busy schedule was due to this work, but Zelnya had dismissed it as an excuse.

Yet instead of explaining this now, he simply said…

“I’m sorry.”

He embraced her, his broad shoulders enveloping her small frame as he patted her back.

Zelnya’s body twitched like a startled puppy, her trembling evident through the fabric.

“I know you’re upset. Get as angry as you need to.”

“Let go.”

“I’ll hold you until you feel better.”

“This makes it worse. I said let go!”

Zelnya shoved him away. Aidel picked up the engagement ring and placed it in her palm. She stared at it, bewildered.

“Return it when you’re feeling better.”

“Stop with these games, ugh.”

As Zelnya tried to step forward menacingly, she lost her balance. If Aidel hadn’t caught her, she would have struck the desk’s edge and been seriously injured.

“Are you alright?”

“My… my head…”

Rustila could only stare blankly at the scene.

This wasn’t an act – Zelnya’s speech was genuinely slurred.

She staggered like someone with hypoglycemia, likely from studying too long without eating. The dark circles under her eyes suggested serious illness, and exhaustion was evident in every movement.

Her physical condition was clearly deteriorating.

Noting this, Aidel turned to Rustila.

“Rusti, could you hand me a glucose candy from over there?”

“Huh? Yeah…”

“Zelnya, eat this. Your blood sugar seems low.”

“Don’t need it.”

“You might faint if you’re not careful. No arguments – take it.”

Aidel popped the candy into Zelnya’s mouth. Despite her harsh words, her body knew what it needed. She dutifully chewed the disc-shaped candy to survive.

Gradually, her purple eyes began regaining their spark.

“Here, drink some water too.”

Aidel settled her into a chair and opened a water bottle for her. Like a baby bird, Zelnya quietly accepted it and drank. Once clear-headed, she hung her head listlessly.

The engagement ring – their only token of a promised future.

No matter her anger, she couldn’t abandon love. More importantly, she couldn’t forsake the great cause of the Adelweins. Whether she liked it or not, Zelnya was destined to become Aidel’s wife.

Therefore, if possible, she must not hate the man before her.

“…Put it on.”

“Zelnya.”

“Put it on now before I kill you!”

Aidel slipped the ring onto his left hand. Zelnya moistened her lips with her tongue and gently caressed that hand – so much larger and sturdier than her own small ones.

“Damn it. This is all your fault. Because of you, every day feels like I’m hypoglycemic. I forget to eat, forget to drink… I’m in this state because I’m studying and working while thinking of you.”

Her words rang true.

She had nearly died fighting an Outer God, but Aidel’s rescue and blood transfusion had saved her life. Without him, she would be dead now.

Having received such grace, how could she possibly dislike him?

“Hey, Rustila.”

Rustila, sensing the shift in tone, averted her gaze.

“I’ve apologized countless times – for bullying you in school, for belittling your dreams. I’ve said sorry for everything. If possible, I want us to get along.”

“……”

“But this is different. I’m possessive by nature. I can’t stand watching you flaunt yourself with Aidel. He’s mine. Even if you liked him first, I’m the one who got engaged to him first.”

Aidel nodded silently, raising his hand to stroke Zelnya’s cheek and hair. She didn’t pull away, instead closing her eyes to savor his touch.

Rustila bit her lip.

Can’t stand watching Aidel and Rustila together?

“I feel the same way.”

“…Yeah, at least on that, we understand each other.”

Zelnya steadied her breath, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

“I’m exhausted.”

The past few months had drained her. Continuing this fight would land her in the emergency room.

“Aidel, remember when I said I was okay with a polygamous relationship?”

“Yes, I do.”

“That… was just lip service. I thought Rustila would never succeed. I pretended to be generous, wanting to show how magnanimous I could be…”

Who could have predicted this turn of events?

“Rustila, Zelnya. Let’s postpone any discussion about marriage or other serious matters until tomorrow morning. It’s late.”

Both women nodded in agreement.

A temporary truce.

By tomorrow, they’d likely be at each other’s throats again, but there was no point in continuing tonight. Love affairs were marathon battles, lasting weeks at minimum.

“Both of you, go get some rest. I’ll join after I finish up here.”

Aidel rubbed his eyes and dismissed them both.

“Whew.”

I finally managed to calm them down and send them off.

Things had improved compared to before, at least. Having a good grasp of Zelnya and Rustila’s personalities made it easier to understand their boundaries – what they wouldn’t tolerate and where their breaking points lay.

Is this what people mean by gaining experience?

Since I was the one who caused the issue, it’s my responsibility to strengthen the bond between those two. Thankfully, neither of them was completely opposed to the idea of a truce.

There’s hope yet.

I felt completely drained. Months of non-stop research had left my stamina in shambles. Now that one project is finally complete, I might actually get more than five hours of sleep tonight.

That’s when it happened.

“The project is over, isn’t it?”

Ah, right.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ smiles.

The quest reward.

“Rookie, I have a mountain of demands for you. You’d better brace yourself.”

This was the promised reward for cooperating with the crystal research – the reward that was promised to Cartesia.

But something feels off about this…

The following day.

Aidel was rushed to the emergency room, unconscious.