MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1061: A Real Nice Guy

"How does he treat you?" Rider inquired from nearby, his calm gaze fixed on Tiara, a subtle trace of sympathy lurking in his dark eyes. Being the son of the Titan King, he had never known true hardship or anything close to the ordeals Tiara now endured, leaving her struggles feeling remote and nearly baffling to his understanding.

His existence was utterly... idyllic.

Each day began with rising, honing cultivation techniques, mastering royal protocols, and nothing more. Hidden conflicts were absent, crushing demands stayed within his effortless grasp. He enjoyed near-total liberty to act as he pleased, unburdened by bonds or limits—a privilege others yearned for but could scarcely claim.

"Who?" Tiara replied.

"He means your soon-to-be husband," Bringer clarified before Rider had a chance to respond.

Tiara shook her head while responding, "With how I describe him, you'd assume he's some wicked, haughty vampire, wouldn't you?" She locked eyes with the group, her face serene but laced with underlying sarcasm.

All nodded in agreement, Anthony included. Tiara's words had vividly sketched a man who scorned the betrothal, chased other lovers, and lorded over everyone with smug disdain.

"Yet surprisingly, he's not arrogant, doesn't belittle others, and avoids dalliances with anyone else," Tiara went on evenly, without flourish, "I won't lie—truthfully, the Blood Queen’s son is just a decent fellow. Every morning for the last five years, without exception or a single skipped day, he sources the rarest blood available just for me. That blood, incidentally, greatly enhances my cultivation progress. He procures garments, ornaments, whatever I could want, unprompted, then devotes his remaining hours to training and cultivation," Tiara explained with a weary exhale, evidently reluctant to smear a reputation merely to gain pity from her companions.

"Well... that's strange," Bryan remarked after hearing it all, "I pictured flaws and nastiness, but he appears full of virtues and a commendable demeanor," he added calmly.

"Which makes it seem dubious somehow, doesn't it?" Rider questioned, facing Bryan. Bryan stayed silent, but their shared glance conveyed mutual suspicion. To them, this prospective spouse was probably feigning virtue, sustaining the facade across years.

In their realm—no, their world—such extreme benevolence stood out as abnormal, even suspect. Such profound niceness typically masked hidden agendas, rendering the vampire's conduct profoundly dubious under scrutiny.

"You suspect he's pretending?" Bringer queried, pivoting toward his twin and Bryan, brows arched in evident interest.

Yet Bryan and Rider held their tongues. They shifted focus to Tiara. Though she seemed to resent the man, they wouldn't badmouth him openly sans proof, since he remained her fiancé, and some boundaries demanded respect.

Tiara let out a sigh, "Once, I figured he was faking too, staging it all, braced for him to quit once his attempts proved futile—but he's stayed steadfast these five years," she detailed, her voice tinged with grudging respect, as if struggling to accept such unwavering persistence.

"Tiara," Bryan started, "I can't vouch for your fiancé since we've never crossed paths, but as Dragon Domain's Crowned Prince, I assure you: folks, particularly royals like ourselves, spare no effort in schemes tied to our realms," he declared candidly, his tone firm from hard-earned wisdom.

"He might truly be kind-hearted, but you're too trusting, Tiara," Rider cut in nearby, "perhaps he's on an assignment from his mother, the Blood Queen. They could crave a supremely potent heir for some scheme. Remember our millennia-long lives, Tiara—five years amid thousands is trivial, a mere blink," he concluded with a shake of his head, his logic icy, rational, and tough to counter.

Bryan and Rider's remarks plunged Tiara into reflection. A faint frown creased her brow as she pondered if she'd missed a vital clue. Should her fiancé have performed for five full years, his pretense would've slipped at least briefly, however momentarily.

With a sigh, she faced Anthony, asking, "Do you share their view?" Evidently, she prized his judgment highest in such dilemmas.

"Why skip me for advice? I'm a Crowned Prince too," Bringer protested lightly toward Tiara, mock-hurt coloring his playful words.

Tiara shot him a look and dismissed him completely. Bringer ranked dead last for her counsel.

"Has he ever professed love for you?" Anthony countered, bypassing her query, his delivery cool and straightforward.

"Yes, countless times—even this morning," Tiara answered promptly, without pause, as if it needed no deliberation.

"Then, if he loves you, tell him to dissolve the engagement," Anthony advised steadily, eyes unwavering.

Tiara sighed faintly, "I tried that, but he says his mother rejects every plea he makes," her words heavy with accumulated fatigue from those five years, unyielding despite time's passage.

Anthony merely shook his head, falling silent.

"But if the Blood Queen seeks a mighty, gifted grandchild, why not just seize Tiara, impregnate her by force, and be done?" Bringer wondered aloud abruptly, his casual phrasing belying the grim notion.

"Theory aside, success odds plummet low. Our bodily mastery is absurd, vampires especially via blood control. Captured and compelled, Tiara could end the pregnancy effortlessly without stirring. Barring seals against that, she'd sabotage the fetus by withholding sustenance or flow," Rider elaborated coolly, tone dissecting, "thus the Blood Queen and her duplicitous son can't resort to such blunt, flawed tactics," he wrapped up decisively, verdict solid.

His statement hung thickly, deepening the tangled mess none could unravel by logic alone.