The Invincible Full-Moon System

It was worrisome.

Rex didn’t like the fact that the crown prince knew about him.

Crossing against one of the most powerful people in the whole empire is not something Rex wanted—and he would hate for the crown prince to bear resentment towards him for taking Princess Davina from him.

After all, his true aim was getting closer to the Emperor.

Having the crown prince resent him would be a step away, not a step closer.

But there’s no need to think about these things.

At the moment, he doesn’t know how the crown prince knew him, and he couldn’t do anything even if the crown prince harbored ill intent with the current state he was in right now. Better focus on approaching Duke Lorcan first.

Groaning slightly, Rex went back to his bedroom and changed his clothes.

He wore the first thing that he saw in his wardrobe, a sharply tailored coat of emerald and black, adorned with ornate gold embroidery and white accents. Of course, Rex wanted to stop there, but he would look weird if he didn’t use the belt, so he used it.

It wasn’t his normal clothing, but he’d make do with this.

Once he finished, he leaned a hand on the wardrobe and groaned softly.

Even now, the pain was still incredibly bad.

“System, how long would my body adapt to this pain?”

<Calculating…>

<Approximately a week, the user can hasten this process by bathing under the moonlight more.>

Seems like Rex was going to have a new routine for the next couple of days.

“Make a progress bar until I’m fully adapted.>

<Affirmative.>

<…>

<Adaptation Progress: 11% / 100%>

Just as he stepped out of his room, he could finally see the living room properly.

It was quite spacious and was fully draped in deep green and gilded with intricate golden carvings; the royal living quarters exuded both decadence and dominance. Every piece from the sweeping curtains to the throne-like chairs was crafted to remind visitors of the lord of this place.

Or in this case, remind Rex that he was now within the House of Castillon’s home.

Even above every doorway, the winged star crest loomed, a silent reminder of the family’s dominion.

Rex’s observation was disturbed by a hurried knock coming from the main door.

Since it was already morning, this didn’t surprise him.

Opening the door, Rex, as expected, was greeted by Rosa’s face.

She pushed him back and closed the door behind her—urgency could be seen plastered across her face.

One that made Rex worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Duke Lorcan is hosting a breakfast, and we’re all expected to attend, including Princess Davina. Make sure not to forget about what we discussed—your story must be flawless. He knows every corner of the empire, and if there’s even a single hole, he’ll find it.”

“It’s only that? Relax, I remember everything.”

Rex turned around and waved his hand dismissively as he had already made sure to memorize the details.

But Rosa was not convinced.

“Lord Rex, I’m serious. Let me test your memory to make sure you got nothing wrong.”

“Relax, great elder. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Bu-“

Before Rosa could argue, the door was knocked again.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound.

Rex walked past Rosa, ignoring her attempt to call him back silently, and opened the door again.

Standing in the corridor, overlooking the lush greenery of the side yard, was a woman—she was wearing a flowing white dress accented by a deep green corset that hugged her slim yet still curvy figure, one that showed that she took care of herself well.

But what caught Rex’s eyes first were her vivid green eyes—striking, almost unnatural.

They stood out against the pale hues of her attire.

Even though she looked like a fine young lady, the faint roughness on her fingertips betrayed her image.

She’s a servant of the house.

“Good morning, Lord Rex.” She offered a polite bow. “I am Syla—one of Her Highness’ attendants. I apologize for the intrusion so early in the morning, but the princess has requested your presence before breakfast. She’s already waiting. Would you be so kind as to follow me?”

“Lord Rex…”

Overhearing this from behind, Rosa called, still anxious as to let him out on his own.

Rex glanced over his shoulder and smiled assuringly.

“Please, lead the way.”

“Thank you.”

Despite knowing about this already, the walk to the other side of the mountain still felt long. The entire mountaintop—had been transformed into a sprawling mansion, the Duke’s royal abode, with corridors that stretched endlessly, all interconnected.

Rex appreciated the morning breeze up here; it was relaxing.

And the air was also more refreshing.

Perhaps the strong Obelisk of Life this bubble possessed purified the air, but it was really comforting.

Soon enough, Rex reached a gazebo—big enough for twenty people to fit in.

Syla gestured towards it with her hand.

“Please,”

Rex entered the gazebo and sat down, but he frowned when he couldn’t find Princess Davina anywhere.

Instead, Syla stepped inside and sat across him.

“What’s the meaning of this? Where’s the princess?”

“Forgive me. I lied.”

“Lied?”

“It’s not that the princess didn’t request you, but I lied about the princes already waiting for you.”

Hearing this, Rex leaned his back against the wall comfortably, eyeing Syla with a knowing gaze—he expected formality, of course, considering the Duke’s hand in all this, forcing Princess Davina to marry, but even he hadn’t anticipated it to go to this extent.

However, maybe it’s better for it to be like this.

“So, what message did you bring?”

“The princess wanted you to know that she’s not interested in you,” Syla answered bluntly. “But please, do not take it the wrong way. She acknowledged—how much this might hurt you, which was why she wanted to tell you this, to be honest, so you won’t have high hopes.”

Seeing no reaction from Rex’s face, Syla shifted uncomfortably.

She expected outrage, something, but Rex was completely neutral.

Nothing she said seemed to be influencing him.

“As you likely already know, it was the Duke who forced this marriage on her, and she could no longer delay it. Choosing you was nothing more than a way to buy herself time, nothing else. She hopes you’ll try to understand. After all, the prophecy stated clearly that no person from this realm is worthy of her.”

Once she said that, she remained silent, studying Rex for anything.

But there was still none.

Rex tilted his head and broke the silence.

“Is that all?”

“Y-Yes, that’s all the princess wanted to say.”

“Alright. Give the princess my thanks for her honesty—I understand. Now, if that’s all, I’ll be going. Breakfast is waiting.”

Before Syla could say anything, Rex had already walked out of the gazebo and headed back to his room.

His steps were steady and composed, as if their conversation meant nothing.

Syla only snapped from her trance when Rex’s back disappeared around the corner.

“Is he pretending to be fine…?”

Even though Syla wasn’t there to watch herself—some other servants were able to catch a glimpse of the exclusive context for Princess Davina’s hand in marriage. From that servant, the winner, Rex, was fighting to his last breath.

He risked his own life to reach Princess Davina.

Just that alone showed how important the princess was to him—how badly he wanted to be with her.

So, before meeting with Rex, she prepared to calm him down.

But she didn’t need to do any of her rehearsals since Rex was completely calm.

Syla sighed, her shoulders slumped a little as the talk with Rex didn’t go as she thought, it wasn’t that exciting, “Eh… I really thought he’d be like ‘What the heck is the meaning of this?!’ or ‘Is this a joke?! I want to talk to the princess, now!’ Why did he have to pretend like he’s not hurting?”

“If I were him, I’d be trashing everything—one step away from marrying the most beautiful woman, only to realize I’d never have her heart,” Syla said, smacking her lips and shaking her head. “Still… He is more good-looking than I expected. A lot manlier, too.”

Syla rolled her eyes upward, recalling Rex’s stature earlier.

Muscular arms that popped even without him flexing, wide chest and shoulders—he was perfect.

Or at least, perfect for her.

She drooled at the thought of being squished under Rex’s massive stature, smiling inwardly.

“What are you doing?!”

Mid-fantasizing, Syla jumped when another servant smacked the gazebo’s wooden wall, surprising her.

Her fantasy immediately dispersed, which annoyed her greatly.

“Are you sleeping again? You’re drooling.”

“I am not!”

Syla’s face reddened in embarrassment as she quickly wiped the drool and walked out, walking past the servant, ignoring the question about how it went with Rex. She returned to Princess Davina’s chamber, which was not far from where she stood.

She gave a soft knock, and another servant opened the door, stepping aside to let her enter.

Pausing at the entrance, she took off her sandals before stepping in.

But then, she stopped again with one foot in.

Knowing how much Princess Davina hated untidiness, she quickly aligned the sandals perfectly before finally stepping inside. In the living room, Princess Davina sat elegantly, her silky hair being combed by another servant.

“How was it?”

Princess Davina asked without even turning to look.

On the sofa across, Princess Liliana leaned forward interestedly.

“How’s Prince Charming’s reaction? Did he hit you?”

Syla smiled acutely and shook her head.

“I told him exactly what you asked me to say, but Lord Rex wasn’t angry.”

Hearing this, Princess Liliana leaned back again and smiled humorously, not taking her seriously.

“Don’t worry, you can tell us what really happened. No need to hold back.”

“I-I’m telling the truth…”

Syla fidgeted with her fingers, torn between honesty and caution, as she didn’t know how the princesses were going to react to the truth. But then again, lying would only make things worse, “I thought he would be angry too, but… when I told him the message, he didn’t react. From start to finish, he looked completely unbothered.”

She hesitated, then added softly, “All he said was to thank the princess… then he left.”

Princess Davina waved her hand, gesturing for the servant combing her hair to stop.

Then, she straightened her posture—her sharp eyes fixed on Syla.

“Is that how he really reacted?”

“Y-Yes…”

A frown crept to Princess Davina’s face when she learned this.

Considering how hard Rex fought to gain her approval, this isn’t how he was supposed to be.

She became skeptical.

Love would be a lot easier to deal with compared to others.

Princess Davina wasn’t naïve enough to not know that many peasants looked up to her and dreamed of standing beside her. So, if it wasn’t love or admiration that pushed Rex through that test, then it’s going to be troublesome.

Controlling Rex would be harder to do.

She naturally turned to Princess Liliana.

“He has his own motives. We need to know, and see if it conflicted with mine.”

“You overestimate him, sister. He’s not a part of nobility, so he must be a talented peasant that Great Elder Rosa took in. If he even has a hidden motive—I’d say he probably wanted status and money. He’ll get both eventually, and that’s nothing for you.”

“What if he made trouble for me when it was time to separate? It’s unsettling for him to know what I want, but I don’t know what he wants.”

“He’s weak. That’ll be foolish of him to do. Personally, I think he’s only hiding his pain.”

Princess Liliana turned to Syla with raised brows.

“Am I right, Syla?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m sure he’s devastated inside.”

Hearing this, Princess Davina could exhale through her nose, hoping that it was really the case.

Or else, she’ll need to take on an active role in their relationship.

“We’ll find out at breakfast how he truly feels.”