I Can (Not) Fix Him

The first time I’d read the words Demon Prince, it was in the summer just before high school started.

Throughout middle school and high school, and even later on in college, I couldn’t stop reading. Manga, light novels, web novels, comics, classic literature, I wasn’t very picky. As long as it told a good story, I was happy with it. But if I had to choose my favorite, it would probably be light novels.

I blame my older brother for starting this fascination of mine; he used to keep the bookshelf in his room stocked with manga and light novels, and sometimes he would even let me borrow some of them. That was how my little obsession began. Shounen, shoujo, seinen, josei, it didn’t really matter to me. For as much shoujo manga I consumed, I read about just as much shounen manga. The same went for light novels, too. No matter the demographic, there was a pretty good chance I’d pick it up someday in the near future.

Until he came home one day with the usual pile of books from the nearby bookstore, and the two of us sat in his room reading until our mother called us down for dinner. During that time, I’d grabbed a certain light novel from the pile—one with two heroes staring each other down, a sword streaked in red dividing them on the cover. It was the first in a new series, marketed as both an epic fantasy and a sweeping romance.

Of Blades and Blood, it was called. Told from the perspective of the two protagonists, a knight in training eager to prove himself, and a struggling mage running from her dark past, it followed their journey across the realm to defeat the fearsome Demon Prince and take back control of the realm, which had fallen into darkness over the last few years. And from the first page, I was hooked.

I devoured the entire book in a single night, only maybe getting an hour of sleep before school started the following morning (not my best decision, but I don’t regret it in the slightest). My brother didn’t understand my fascination with the series, but he was supportive nonetheless. He was the one who bought me the next two volumes, and from then onward I was addicted.

The entire series had seven volumes from the time I’d picked it up, and the series was slated to finish a few years later. At the time of my “accident” (I refuse to call it a death, just so you know) there were still a good few months before the winter release. So I’d never gotten to see how the series ended.

Throughout the years, my obsession mellowed out into a calmer fascination and appreciation for the storyline and the characters. I was still very much in love with the concept and the series as a whole, but I’d grown out of the fanfic-writing days. Not to say I still didn’t dabble in that now and then in my adult life, but it wasn’t such a high priority, compared to when I was in high school and college.

It had touched something deep inside me, resonated with my soul in ways that no other piece of literature had managed to do. The story of two lonely souls finding solace in each other, and learning to trust each other despite their differences, in order to defeat the forces of evil that threatened their kingdom… It had become a fast favorite of mine, and I’d loved everything about it. From the heartfelt romance between the lovers Arikus and Sera, to the sprawling villages and castles of the realm, and even the terrifying villain known as the Demon Prince. The story had hooked its claws into me early on, and there was no way I was ever letting it let go of me.

|~|

And now that same Demon Prince is staring right back at me, waiting for me to pass him his drink. And I…I can’t seem to bring myself to move. Even with the rowdy men and serving girls all around us, it almost feels like we’re the only ones in the tavern…

Am I really trapped in the world of that novel?! How come I didn’t notice it before? Wait a minute, that goddess Reina didn’t mention anything about it when she summoned me, right? Then again, I read almost the whole series and can’t recall a character named Reina… Maybe she doesn’t realize it herself? Or these characters don’t even know they’re in a novel, and it’s just real life to them instead?

Okay, okay, calm down. One thing at a time, Keiko. You can’t start panicking, you still got a job to do!

I clear my throat and smile again, trying to keep my upbeat personality intact. “Our f-finest ale, you say? C-coming right up, sir!”

Thankfully my hands are hidden beneath the counter as I prepare the drink. The amber liquid sloshes into the large mug, splashing my skin with a few stray droplets. My cheeks are hot throughout the whole process, but I manage to slide the prince his drink with a nervous smile.

“There you go, enjoy!”

I need to get out of here.

Luckily another serving girl takes her place behind the counter, so I make up some sorry excuse of having a stomachache and hightail it out of the main room. I slip out the back door of the kitchen, close it shut behind me, and suck in a few deep breaths. All the while fanning my heated cheeks.

Oh gods, I can’t believe it! It’s really him!

While Of Blades and Blood never had an official manga adaptation, or an anime for that matter, the light novels had plenty of illustrations of the main characters. The knight hero and the mage heroine were pretty simple in their designs, both fairly attractive with soft features in their faces. But even back when I was reading the first volume, the character whose design stuck out to me the most was the Demon Prince.

A sharp jaw, ruthless scars across his face and arms, and long black hair that reached down to his waist. Known by only the alias of the Demon Prince, everything about him was shrouded in mystery; the only snippets we could gather of his past or his personality were through the eyes of either Arikus or Sera. Perhaps his only redeeming physical trait was his one blue eye—the other eye on his left side was covered with a thick black patch.

He was known for his temper, his fury sweeping across the kingdom like wildfire. He was gifted in both magic and physical combat, with a spear as his weapon of choice. In the fantasy world the author had set up, magic was drawn from the elements of water, fire, earth, wind, and light, with each one holding their own branch of offensive, defensive, or supportive magic. But the Demon Prince was the only one who practiced blood magic—a forbidden type of power that weaponized his own blood, as well as the blood of others, through human sacrifices.

If I could see Reina now, I’d grab her by the shoulders and give her a good thrashing. This is the villain I’m supposed to save the realm from?! Does she even know who she’s talking about?!

I realize I’m pacing back and forth while all of this goes through my head, the cool night air doing nothing to soothe my red face. I take another deep breath, rub my cheeks gently, and hang my head.

“Take it easy, Keiko. Don’t get yourself worked up over nothing. Not yet, anyway…”

But there’s a murderous villain sitting in that tavern! We’re all in danger!

But even through the haze of my mind, a few things stick out at me. The Demon Prince…doesn’t share all of his physical features as his counterpart in the novel. For one, his hair isn’t that long, and he still has both eyes.

Take a deep breath and think. Even when he spoke to you just now, he was almost kind of polite, right? The Demon Prince in the novel would just snap his fingers and kill you just like that.

…Not a very comforting thought, but it’s a start.

Anyway, I know deep down there’s no running from this. No way in hell am I gonna let some wannabe villain chase me out of this tavern. And more importantly, Kumo is still upstairs! I’m not gonna run away without him.

Okay, I can do this. I can do this.

I can do this!

“Yes, I can do this!”

My little outburst earns a few skeptical looks from the wandering travelers passing through the village, but I can’t find it in me to care. With another deep breath, I turn on my heel and hurry back into the tavern, slamming the door behind me.

|~|

The rest of the night goes surprisingly smoothly. While interacting with some of the tavern’s usual customers and getting some refills for drinks, I keep one eye on the Demon Prince in the corner of the room. He mostly keeps to himself, occasionally chatting with other patrons in between sips of his ale. But he never initiates conversation, instead preferring to nurse his drink and survey the room.

Just like a villain plotting everyone’s demise, eh?

Either way, as the (supposed) heroine of this story, I can’t let my guard down. So I make my way over to the table in the corner, my serving tray clutched to my chest, with a sweet and innocent smile plastered on my face. Sweet as honey, sickly even. I hope he takes the hint I’m not to be messed with.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, sir? More ale, perhaps? Or would you be interested in our late-night meals?”

It’s only when he fixes those bright blue eyes onto me that I realize my error. He smirks over the rim of his mug, before sipping it again and licking his lips. His throat bobs at the motion.

“Some ale would be nice, thank you.”

…Is it a bad time to mention I may or may not have had a thing for the villain of that series?

“Er, um—” Oh wow, he’s actually super good-looking up close—wait, no, stop it! “I, well… I’ll get right on that!”

It’s a miracle I don’t trip over my own two feet on the way back to the counter. But once I’m a safe distance away, I mentally kick myself in the ass, grumbling the entire time I’m refilling his mug with ale.

You dumbass! Now’s not the time to get all girly and goo-goo-eyed! So what if he’s handsome up close? You knew this going in! Besides, you haven’t had a crush on him for years now! You don’t actually feel that way about him anymore!

I grit my teeth and shake my head. Yeah, I admit it: I had a little crush on the Demon Prince back in the day. So what? It’s normal for girls to like dangerous guys, right? The whole “I can fix him” trope wouldn’t exist if that wasn’t the case, right?

…Right?!

The ale’s brushing the rim of the mug by the time I notice and flip the switch off. As carefully as I can, I return the mug to the prince with another fake smile.

“Enjoy, sir!” And then I hurry back to the safety behind the counter, distracting myself with other patrons and drinks.

But sometime in the night, as the last few drunken customers are ushered out the door, I notice the table in the corner has been vacant of our blue-eyed guest. His mug is drained dry, with a small piece of paper folded underneath it. I reach under it and pull it out, and a generous tip of four silver pieces falls into my hand. There’s no writing on the paper; he must’ve just used it to protect the money from being taken.

Eh, I’ll take a hearty tip over some awkward conversations any day. I pocket the money, take the empty mug, and continue cleaning up after the guests. Another busy night, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse.

But then, does that mean I’ve missed my chance at making contact with the villain? Is this where my hero’s journey was supposed to start? Did I accidentally blow it and doom the whole realm just because I was a lovesick awkward girl?!

The thought keeps me up at night, even when I’m tucked into bed with Kumo curled up against my chest. For the thousandth time that night, I curse Reina for summoning me, of all people, into this stupid realm in the first place.

Oh, well. Maybe it is actually over, and he can be someone else’s problem now.

|~|

…Yeah, it never works out like that.

My hopes and dreams are shattered once more when I see that familiar face in the usual corner table the following night, this time chatting with a few roguish-looking characters at his side. Henchmen, maybe? Nah, they don’t look too close like that. Maybe just exchanging traveling stories with each other.

Either way, it makes me want to crush the glass in my hands to bits. Who does he think he is, waltzing in here like he owns the place? Doesn’t he get that I hate his guts?!

(You’re not fooling anyone, Keiko.)

Nevertheless, I go about my night as normally as I can. Sweet smiles, cute winks, the occasional swish of my skirt… I know I look adorable in this outfit, and the owner insists that cute servant girls bring in more customers (and therefore, more tips)!

Then the next night rolls around. And the next one… And the next one.

On the sixth night of the prince sitting in his usual spot, I actually contemplate on going over there to confront him. Why is someone like him casually hanging around a shabby old tavern like this? It can’t be the ale, no drink is that good to put your journey on a grinding halt. So then…why is he still here?

Could he have figured out I know who he is? Have I spent all this time keeping a close eye on him, only for him to be doing the same exact thing to me? Have I gone about this all wrong?

I can’t exactly come out and demand why he’s lingered around for this long; the owner might get suspicious and accuse me of chasing paying customers away. I roll my eyes with a sigh, as I spend the majority of the night behind the counter, cleaning glasses and refilling drinks. Continuously pondering over what to say…

But I’m not left to my own devices for too long, because the minute I glance up from my glass, I realize he’s sauntering over to the counter. It’s hard not to admire his broad shoulders and toned arms when he’s so close…

Alright, cut it out!

I clear my throat and smile softly. Luckily (or maybe not) the other nearby patrons are too engrossed in their own conversations to pay any attention to us.

“Welcome back, sir! How can I—”

“Why are you still here?”

…Eh?

“P-pardon me, sir?”

Both elbows are resting on the counter now, his chin in his hand, black bangs falling over his eyes. When he’s up close like this, I can make out the faded mark of a scar just beside his left eye. (I don’t remember him having something like that in the novel.)

“I said, why are you still here? In a tavern like this?”

“…Because it’s my job?” I may have lost a bit of my friendly customer service tone there, but I can’t help it. What is he getting at, exactly?

But he merely shakes his head with a smirk. “I can tell you don’t want to be here. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, and if you just—”

I hold up a hand. “I actually like working here. So don’t say anything else, please.”

…So much for that friendly, innocent attitude, huh?

He pauses, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second, before he bursts out into laughter. It’s easy to pick out in the crowd; it’s light and carefree, almost boyish in its sound. It reminds me of the kind of laughter my brother had, whenever I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk or I told a stupid joke that made his sides hurt. In a way, it sounds…innocent.

Not at all like the deep, gravelly laughter described in the books.

“Ah, my apologies. I shouldn’t have come on so strongly, ma’am.”

I can feel the hair on the back of my neck raise. Ma’am?! I’m still in my twenties! I’m not old enough to be called that yet!

“I didn’t mean any harm. I simply wanted to say, I think you’re destined for greater things than serving drinks to these drunken fools.”

My hand raises a bit higher. (Maybe he just doesn’t see it.) “Thank you for your concern, but I promise you, I’m okay with it.”

“…Huh?”

I frown, tilting my head at his confused expression. Damn it all, he actually looks kinda cute like that. (Bad Keiko, stop it!)

“More importantly, why are you asking? Eager to recruit me into your party because you sense some sort of magical talent inside me? Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve got no such thing.”

Maybe I’m coming off a bit harsh, but it’s the truth. Since the day I arrived in this world, and especially since I figured out which fantasy world it is, I haven’t felt any otherworldly pull towards one of the elements. Neither fire, nor water, nor any of the others have called out to me, similar to how they would a mage. Sera described it in the novels as almost having a sixth sense, where a part of your brain was reserved for your chosen element. If you were a water mage, like herself, you would be extremely sensitive to rivers, oceans, and even just plain drinking water. There would always be a part of you that just knew it, even if you didn’t fully understand it yet.

And yet, I’ve felt no such thing. The only bit of magic I’ve managed to bring into this world was bringing Kumo along with me—and that wasn’t even my own. It was Reina’s powers, and she just chose to humor me and let me bring him along for the ride.

To be perfectly honest, I’m a normal, boring girl, even in this new fantasy life. And I’m okay with that. I always will be.

So why does he look at me with such sorrowful eyes?

I clear my throat again. “Sir…?”

He blinks, like I’ve coaxed him out of some weird trance, and shakes his head. “Ah, never mind. Just thinking.”

He reaches over the counter, dropping six silver coins into my hand—despite the fact I haven’t seen him guzzle down a single drink all night. But just when I’m about to confront him, he’s already heading out the door, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.

The atmosphere of the tavern melts away around me. I’m left with nothing but my own thoughts, at war with each other, and the weight of the six silver pieces in my palm.

The infamous Demon Prince… What in the world has happened to you?

No… What I should be asking is, what in the world will happen to you, to make you into the villain the realm fears and loathes?