The story of Golos has come to an end.
In simple terms, Modia took a liking to Golos when she was very young, but for various reasons, she didn’t get him right away. Perhaps because of this, Golos became an obsession for her, and even though nearly a decade has passed, she hasn’t completely let go.
"So, childhood friends turned into forced possession," Dox concluded, rubbing his chin with his right hand, with a face that said "I understand now."
Golos shivered slightly in response, "... Modia and I weren’t childhood friends; I just saw her a few times when I was young."
Dox ignored Golos’s answer and continued to mutter to himself, "This seems like a classic case from those runaway husband series of novels that witches love."
Golos continued to tremble, weakly saying, "... I didn’t run away."
Dox still didn’t look at Golos, but his eyes lit up, as if a light bulb was flickering on his face: "No wonder the Princess told you before, either become one with her or become her pet. It seems she truly loves you."
Golos’s face suddenly froze, looking at Dox in disbelief: "H-How did you know about that, sir?"
Dox finally answered, smiling, "I was watching from the side at the time. She was much gentler with you than that brat who called himself the Demon King."
Hearing this, Golos’s face turned a bit pale, and his lips began to tremble.
Angel glanced at Golos’s expression, then at Dox’s bizarre use of the word "gentle," and he roughly understood that this gentleness might not be what it seems.
"Speaking of which, for you to resist her temptations and treatment without submitting really makes me look at you differently," Dox gave Golos a meaningful look and said.
Angel, hearing this, somewhat understood why Dox’s previous evaluation of Golos was: interesting.
It must have been because of witnessing this scene.
But Golos, who was rarely praised by Dox, showed no sign of joy. He lowered his head, drooping his eyebrows, and murmured in an almost inaudible voice, "I didn’t consider submitting... But with Bruiser right next to me, he didn’t choose to submit either. How could I beg for pity? Besides, I don’t want to expose how fragile I really am inside in front of others..."
Golos’s whispered words brought a hint of emotion to the atmosphere.
Lady Melo looked at Golos, whose eyes turned slightly red, initially not wanting to comment, but eventually she softly consoled, "You’ve done very well."
Angel didn’t speak, but he also agreed with Lady Melo’s words.
Is Golos’s heart truly fragile? Angel didn’t know what exactly happened at the time, but Dox’s evaluation suggested that to him, Golos had achieved a level of "being looked at differently."
Even if Golos, as he said, tried to hide his inner vulnerability or didn’t want Bruiser to look down on him, from a results-oriented perspective, at the very least, he held out to the end, which is enough.
"Tsk tsk tsk, crying now, how unsightly," Dox disrupted the quiet atmosphere at the right moment, "Actually, that brat who loved to call himself the Demon King performed even better than you, but I wasn’t as interested in him. It’s because you exude the flavor of an Ivory Tower good child from the inside out, and your contrast made me look at you differently. But now, it seems I was wrong; the Ivory Tower is still the Ivory Tower."
Hearing Dox’s words, Golos immediately took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the acrid emotions in his chest.
But Dox still shook his head lightly, "Not interesting anymore."
This sentence was directed at Angel, who understood his meaning. Dox was preparing to change his evaluation of Golos from "a bit interesting" to "not interesting."
But was it really because Golos’s eyes turned red that Dox said it was not interesting?
Angel thought, probably not.
Most likely, it was just that the gossip was over, curiosity had been satisfied, and boredom set in. It’s like those whose desires are easily fulfilled; once sated, they leave without sentiment.
As for Golos, who was consumed... he would probably remember Dox’s words for a long, long time, perhaps feeling a lingering discomfort even until his death if he were a bit more sensitive.
However, Angel didn’t intend to explain Dox’s behavior. In his opinion, it might do Golos good to be dealt such a blow.
Golos’s heart might indeed be sensitive and fragile, but receiving such a shock from Dox might make him remember Dox’s words in the face of similar situations in the future. Then, he would grit his teeth and, like now, bear it, and pretend to be strong.
"Since your story is finished, you can leave now." Angel looked at Golos.
Golos hesitated for a moment, "Sir, may I say a few more words?"
Angel did not refuse, gesturing for him to speak.
"I really am not that familiar with Modia. If her Knight guards hadn’t approached me, I wouldn’t even remember such a person. So, we are definitely not childhood friends."
"Also, I don’t think Modia likes me as much as this gentleman said. She asked me to choose: either become one with her or become her pet."
"Neither of these were good choices. Becoming one with her sounded like a metaphor, but in my opinion, she might mean it literally. As long as I was consumed by her, it would count as becoming one. As for becoming a pet, wouldn’t that mean letting her do whatever she pleases with me?"
After explaining that there was indeed no ambiguous relationship with Modia, Golos also apologized, expressing a sense of guilt.
Golos: "Then I’ll take my leave now, I’ll go take care of Bruiser. He... is actually very good."
After saying "go take care of Bruiser," Golos paused for a short while, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he only managed to stammer out "he is very good" before leaving.
"Saying only half of what he means, so weird," Dox shook his head and sighed, "I thought I’d hear some gossip about that brat who loves calling himself the Demon King, but he left without saying anything."
"You’ve had enough of the show, do you really need that little bit of gossip?" Angel replied casually.
Dox shrugged, saying nothing more.
At this moment, Angel turned to look at Lady Melo, "After listening to Golos’s story, do you have any comments?"
Lady Melo thought for a moment, "An absurd play. However, happening in the Gumman Kingdom, it’s somewhat understandable."
Angel: "I meant, do you think the Princess’s obsession is desperate enough to drag down Golos at all costs, even involving you all?"
Lady Melo pondered for a moment, "I don’t know; it doesn’t seem like we would be pulled in at first glance, but the Princess’s character is quite strange, maybe she really could do something like that."
Angel: "She hasn’t met with you after imprisoning you, has she?"
Lady Melo nodded, "Apart from Bruiser, Golos, and the injured Amisha, none of us have seen the Princess."
Angel thought aloud, "That’s also very strange; she looks like she genuinely doesn’t care who you are."
Lady Melo: "Maybe it’s really just her personality."