Auren's POV:
The wind outside rustled softly against the heavy curtains of the manor, casting filtered golden light into the bedroom. Auren lay curled beneath a thick blanket, Kael's scent still lingering on the sheets. Strong and familiar. He could still feel the phantom brush of Kael's fingers from earlier, the whispers, the warmth.
But despite the comfort, his brows were furrowed.
"System," Auren mumbled, his voice low and thoughtful. "We... we should've been ejected by now, shouldn't we?"
The silence that followed was too loud.
Then—
[System Notification: ... ... ... PARDON?]
Auren sat up a little, blanket sliding down his chest. His mind was still hazy from Kael's intoxicating closeness, but something itched at the back of his brain. He stared ahead blankly.
"I said we should've been kicked out. When I- when I told Kael about the system. And that I wasn't from this world."
[System Notification: That... is... HAH! You did do that, didn't you?]
[System Internal Error: Unknown World State Exception — Flagged: Containment Protocols Breached — Anomaly Detected]
Auren blinked. "System?"
[System Notification: ERROR 707. EXISTENTIAL CRISIS DETECTED. INITIATING INTERNAL PANIC LOOP IN 3... 2... oh no.]
Auren's eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?"
[System Notification: Do you think I meant to keep us here?! According to the rules—which I followed to the pixel—Kael learning the truth should've gotten us flagged and forcefully extracted! Maybe even penalized with skill revocation! But look at us! Still here! I—This—WHO IS RUNNING THIS SIMULATION?!]
Auren let out a weak laugh despite the situation. "Okay, okay, calm down-"
[System Notification: I am not calm. I am 0% calm. I am currently 404-ing on the inside. I haven't even logged this kind of exception since... ever. This isn't even in the guidebook! Host, do you realize what this means?!]
Auren tilted his head. "That we're... safe?"
[System Notification: That we've been hijacked. Or overridden. Or someone in the backrooms of this multiverse forgot to turn their firewall on. Either way, WE. SHOULD. NOT. BE. HERE.]
Auren pursed his lips. "Then why are we still here?"
[System Notification: How the hells would I know?! I'm not the glitch gremlin who allowed the Male Lead to plow the transmigrator into a puddle of sins and secrets! Wait—unless... Waitwaitwait—OH. NO.]
"What now?" Auren asked, already dreading the answer.
[System Notification: The only logical explanation for our continued presence is that the world has accepted you. Assimilated you. You're... you're no longer flagged as a foreign entity. That means-]
"That I'm... a resident now?"
[System Notification: Or you're about to become one permanently if this keeps up. This isn't a normal transmigration cycle anymore, Host. This is looking like a bonded world.]
Auren's heart skipped a beat. "Like... permanently?"
[System Notification: IF we're not careful, yes. Or worse. You may never be able to leave. Kael knows. Kael's acceptance of you might've triggered a deeper world-binding protocol. I-I have to run diagnostics. I need to-]
"System." Auren cut in gently, but firmly. "Let's just... breathe. Figuratively."
[System Notification: Host, I do not breathe, but point taken. Beginning Internal Scan. ETA: Unknown because the whole code is doing cartwheels. Sit tight. And maybe—just maybe—don't tell Kael anything else until we figure out what dimension of chaos we just entered.]
Auren sat back down, heart pounding slightly. Not from fear, but from the weight of realization.
Kael knew. Kael accepted.
And somehow... this world didn't reject that truth.
Something was changing.
And he was right in the eye of it.
"Glitches in the Script"
I couldn't sleep.
After Kael's soft, tender breathing settled beside me, I stared up at the embroidered canopy above the bed. Trying to make sense of the dread curling around my ribs.
I had told Kael the truth.
A slip of the tongue. Or rather… a slip of everything, really.
"System," I whispered into the quiet dark, "Why are we still in this world?"
The blue window popped up like an excited squirrel with an existential crisis.
SYSTEM ALERT
Host, what the actual f- I MEAN.
Processing anomaly… According to transmigration protocol: Disclosing system existence to a native = IMMEDIATE EJECTION.
Status: STILL HERE??? WTF??????
I blinked. "That's what I'm asking you, genius."
Diagnostic in progress…
ERROR. Protocol Override Detected.
External force has INTERFERED with ejection process.
Monitoring…
"Wait-external force?" I sat up slightly, heart pounding. "Someone… prevented the system from booting me out?"
That's what I said. System suspects foul play. Either Kael is not a normal native… or someone higher up the ladder is messing with the simulation.
I felt a chill sweep over me.
I had read about this before. Other transmigrators, who broke the rules and were instantly deleted from the world.
Reset, returned to the white space, or even wiped from the system memory.
But I had told Kael everything. And I was still here.
"What if…" I hesitated. "What if Kael is not just a resident?"
Now we're asking the good questions.
Bonus theory: What if this world WANTS you to stay?
Addendum: You're kinda married to the most powerful man on the continent.
"Not married married-"
Empress status pending. Better get used to royal d*** and political power, sugarplum.
I flushed. Just then, the drapes rippled slightly. Morning light painted the floor gold.
The Next Day
The palace was in organized chaos.
Banners bearing Kael's insignia replaced the old royal seal. Soldiers lined the halls like a steel tide, their armor gleaming under Solvanyr's sun.
Kael stood in the throne room, dark and regal, black-and-gold cloak trailing behind him like a lion's mane.
I watched from the upper balcony, dressed in white and silver. The Empress robes.
Me.
The Male Empress of Solvanyr.
My heart pounded like a drum inside my chest as Kael raised one gloved hand.
"Let the false Queen fall," he declared. "From this day forth, this kingdom will stand under new power."
Thunderous applause. Fireworks burst in the sky.
And then his eyes locked onto mine.
Possessive. Fierce. And...mine.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Congratulations, host. You have been crowned Empress Consort.
Also, you're now officially the most protected transmigrator in system history. Try not to get assassinated, Highness.
I smiled faintly.
Well. Let the new chaos begin.