CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: I LIKE YOU

Chapter 52 — I like you

Night came, and under that beautiful sky, Kaden stood in front of a restaurant called The Golden Fork.

It was a well-known place—especially among nobles. Usually, around this hour, it would be filled with aristocrats, merchants, heirs, and their tailored silks.

But tonight?

There was only Kaden.

And right in front of the grand golden doors, two women stood wearing waitress uniforms, polite, practiced smiles on their faces.

As for Kaden himself, he wore the same plain black clothes from earlier that morning. He hadn’t even tried to change or prepare for the evening.

Because truthfully?

He didn’t care all that much about this so-called date.

It wasn’t about Meris—not really. Even if she was weird, even if her behavior leaned toward the obsessive, she was still beautiful. Still dignified. And in all honesty, it wasn’t unbearable.

Not yet.

It was manageable.

No, the real issue wasn’t Meris at all.

It was that Kaden had other priorities right now—he needed to focus on getting stronger. And that meant finding an Evolution Stone. Taking his evolution quest. Pushing forward.

That was his goal.

His only goal.

But even beyond that... there was something else. Something he often forgot himself—

Kaden had a fiancée.

And in his family...No one ever had more than one wife. They were strict. Old-school. Proudly monogamous to the grave.

Something...

’I am completely against,’ Kaden thought to himself, eyes narrowing slightly, a quiet disdain building in his chest.

One woman?

Hell no.

Kaden may have been bullied in his past life, but he was a man—and every man’s dream, no matter how deep they buried it, was to have multiple wives. There was something magnetic about it. Something intoxicating. Something that felt right.

But unfortunately, that dream was at odds with his family name.

And Kaden wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t naïve. He wasn’t some dense protagonist who didn’t understand what was happening around him.

With the way Meris acted toward him?

He knew exactly where this was headed.

He sighed once more, lifting his eyes toward the moonlit sky.

"A troublesome girl and a complicated family," he muttered to himself.

It felt like the path to power was lined with distractions.

But before he could spiral any further, his perception suddenly triggered.

His head lowered.

And then—even for someone like Kaden, someone who usually didn’t care much about appearance—his eyes widened, just a little.

Because Meris...

Meris was stunning.

She wore a black robe with red streaks that danced like living ink across fabric, patterns shifting so subtly that you’d swear it was blood spreading out from her waist—but when you blinked, it was just fabric again. Nothing more.

It was mystifying.

Elegant.

Powerful.

Her hair was pulled back, sleek and sharp, held together by a crimson pin. Chains and rings shimmered on her neck and fingers, refined yet fierce.

But none of that was what really caught Kaden’s attention.

No.

Because beauty isn’t just about looks.

It’s about how you carry yourself.

A man can be handsome, but if he walks like a coward, talks like a fool, and stares at the floor every time a woman looks his way, he’ll never be anything more than the pretty guy in the background.

And being pretty is never enough. After all,

There’s always someone better looking than you. Always.

So in the end?

Presence is what matters.

And since the very first time he met her, Meris had carried herself with a presence that was hard to ignore.

She looked at him with intensity. With curiosity. With something else he couldn’t name—or maybe didn’t want to believe.

But now?

Now she was smiling like someone who had just laid eyes on the thing they had dreamed of for years.

And Kaden couldn’t help but wonder—

’Why?’

Why did Meris look at him that way?

They barely knew each other.

They’d only had one real interaction.

So what was this?

Why him?

Kaden didn’t know the answer.

And truthfully?

Neither did Meris.

"You’re as handsome as ever, Kaden," she said with a smile, choosing not to call him Child of Blood. It felt too distant. Too formal.

Kaden blinked.

She had gone out of her way for this. Reserved the restaurant. Dressed like this. Prepared all of it. And he... he had shown up in common clothes without even brushing his hair.

He realized he’d been unfair.

And looking at her dress, it was obvious—it had been chosen for him.

He offered a wry smile. "You’re beautiful too, Meris."

His words were simple. But they were honest.

And that honesty made Meris’s smile bloom even brighter.

"Haha! I’m glad it pleased you. I truly surpassed myself for this one," she said proudly.

And for some reason, Kaden smiled back—instinctively.

There was just something contagious about Meris’s energy.

And when she saw his smile?

Her heart skipped a beat.

And right there, in that moment, she knew.

She liked him.

With her smile returning, she gestured toward the door. "Let’s go inside. I thought about renting a floor... but in the end, I just rented the entire place."

She grinned.

"Just for the two of us."

Kaden blinked, stunned.

Then, quietly—

’Girl, if you’ve got that much money... just give me some,’ he thought, nearly depressed by his own poverty, before finally stepping inside.

...

The Golden Fork was everything the rumors promised.

Elegant. Ornate. Drenched in gold—so much so that even the chairs shimmered under the soft light.

Kaden and Meris sat face to face, eating delicately plated food while exchanging light conversation.

It was simple. Peaceful.

Until finally—Kaden couldn’t help himself.

"Why all this, Lady Meris?" he asked, eyes locked on hers.

Meris looked surprised for a second—but then smiled.

"Because I like you," she answered plainly. No hesitation. No shame.

Kaden’s brow furrowed slightly.

"...Why?"

It was a strange question, he knew that.

Because most of the time, love or attraction doesn’t come with a reason. Sometimes, you don’t know why. You just feel it.

And that’s what it was for Meris.

"I wish I knew," she said with a soft chuckle.

She looked into his crimson eyes, smiled again, and continued,

"But I’m serious. I know I might not seem like it—" she laughed lightly "—but I am. I really am."

She paused.

Then breathed in, and said what she had wanted to say for a long time.

"Kaden Warborn, I like you. And yes, before you ask—I know you have a fiancée. I also know the Warborns only marry one woman. But..."

Her silver eyes locked onto him, hard and unblinking.

"...I won’t give up. I want you. And nothing..."her voice darkened, sharp with something deeper "...nothing will make me give up on you."

Kaden sat there for a moment, unable to speak.

Because this...

This was the first time someone had ever confessed to him like this. In either of his lives.

It was... strange. Stirring.

His lips parted to respond—

BOOOOM!

The doors of the restaurant exploded open, wood and gold fragments flying.

Heavy steps echoed in.

The waitresses and chefs rushed to the scene, furious—until they saw who it was.

And immediately, all anger vanished.

And in that silence, the voice came.

Familiar to Meris.

Unfamiliar to Kaden.

"I’m not interrupting anything important, am I?"

Kenan had arrived.

—End of Chapter 52—