I Like... Him?

Z slicked his long hair back as he deeply inhaled. His face slightly wrinkled as he wore a disgruntled expression. He had given up on hiding his emotions as he visibly displayed them for Odette to see.

Z: "I am a greedy person, believe it or not. He must be sick and tired of seeing my face time and time again, yet here I am desperately trying to catch his attention once more."

"Does this mean that I want to torment him? But all I'm asking for is that he'd look me in the eye and remember the fact that I still exist in this world."

"... Perhaps I'm the cruel one here. At the end of the day, he would still remember me as 'the overlord who kidnaps women in his spare time'."

This sentence was the biggest reality check he had ever given himself as the realization hit him once he listened to the words he spouted.

Z groaned as he dug his face into both of his palms and lowered his back to a hunched-over posture.

Odette sensed her guilty conscience kick in as she frantically went to his side to comfort him. Her hand was only a few inches away from patting his back and Z suddenly spoke to her.

His voice was a bit muffled due to his hands covering part of his mouth, but it was enough for Odette to still understand him as she listened carefully.

Z: "Why do I..."

Odette was forced to lean a little closer as she positioned her ear to hear him better.

Z: "Why do I feel this way for him..?"

Odette was pleasantly surprised by this. She decided to help him since it was the least she could do for him at the moment.

Odette: "Before I voice my opinion, could you describe the way you feel first?"

Z uncovered his face to reveal that his expression was a bit baffled. Not even he himself could simply explain his current emotions through words. Luckily, since Odette was the analytical type, she could tell that he needed some help figuring it out, too.

Odette: "How about this. I'll ask you a couple of questions and you'll have to answer them depending on how you truly feel. Will that be alright with you?"

Z was hesitant with her idea but quickly complied as he nodded his head. If she genuinely had the ability to help him discover why he felt so strange, then it was worth giving it a shot at the very least. It wasn't as if he was putting anything on the line, right?

Odette: "Okay! First question, do you feel angry or sad whenever you think of him?"

Z: "It's rather a balance between both..."

Odette: "Why do you feel frustrated whenever you think of him then?"

Z: "I... don't really know-"

Odette: "It's because he disappeared without a trace. Isn't that the reason?"

Z flinched after hearing her bold assumption. Then again, it was clear that she only intended to help him, so in order to do that she had to be straightforward with her questions.

Z: "... You're not entirely wrong."

Odette: "Alright. Next question, what is your overall image of him?"

Z's expression went through all sorts of changes as he seriously pondered about it. Once a few seconds had gone by, he was able to come up with a response.

Z: "He's quite brave. Sometimes a bit foolish, but the amount of courage he has is very commendable. I'll give him that. And if I may, his facial features are worthy of praise. As for his body..."

Odette coughed and she thought to herself; meanwhile, Z was caught up in his own world as he started to list the factors he found congenial about the man who was their main topic.

Odette's inner thoughts: 'He looks so passionate when he's talking about that man's appearance. I wonder, why is that...'

Odette coughed once more, and it snapped Z back to his senses as he stopped speaking.

Odette: "And we're down to my final question. How frequently does he pop up in your thoughts..?"

Z wondered why her questions seemed as if they were made to prove something rather than helping him figure out his true feelings. Though he shrugged it aside as he put some trust and faith in Odette, and he answered without much struggle.

Z: "Nearly everyday. There are moments when I do forget about him, but of course they never really lasted that long. Now that I think about it, the mere thought of him alone makes me feel restless."

"Is this supposed to be a bad omen of some sort??"

Z turned to look at Odette, whose attitude suddenly switched as she became as quiet as a mouse. Seeing her cheeks and the tip of her ears flushed in the color pink prompted him to ask about her condition as he displayed a worrisome expression.

Z: "Are you not feeling well? We can stop our discussion here and resume another time..."

Odette mumbled to herself as she partially covered her mouth, visibly shocked by something which she hadn't even gotten the confirmation of whether it was true or false. However, this only raised Z's concerns for her as he telepathically sent a message to his assistant butler.

Z's inner thoughts: 'Leonel, come to the outer hallway located at the northwest wing. Bring the medical physician with you. I'll be waiting.'

Out of nowhere, Odette's hand abruptly gripped on to Z's right shoulder, thus averting his attention back to her. He hadn't disconnected the telepathic communication between him and Leonel as he had shortly forgotten about it.

Odette hid her childish smile as she mustered up the words she wanted to say.

Odette: "Do you... like him?"

Z's inner thoughts: 'What's with this odd question out of the blue?'

Z: "... Yes? I mean, why else would I want to see him again? If I disliked him, then-"

Odette giggled as she released her grip on him and waved her hand as she gestured that he was in fact wrong.

Odette: "No no, it seems that you've misunderstood..! What I meant to say was, do you 'like' him?"

She emphasized the word 'like' as she faintly hinted at him what she was trying to say. Unfortunately, this small detail was overlooked by Z as he tilted his head in bewilderment.

Z: "Yes?? You've asked the same question twice now."

Odette: "No, hahahahah, that's..."

Odette fell to her knees as she laughed like a madman. She found Z's level of unawareness to be quite amusing as she laughed to her heart's content.

Z's inner thoughts: 'Do humans usually find the thought of liking someone to be humorous..?'

Leonel's inner thoughts: 'Excuse me, Overlord Z? This subordinate is not well versed in the subject of human nature, but if Overlord Z is so curious, then might I suggest that you read the books related to them in the library?'

Z's inner thoughts: 'Ah! Apologies, I seem to have left the telepathic communication open.'

Z hurriedly severed his contact with Leonel as he sighed in embarrassment. Leonel's voice had surprised him yet simultaneously let him realize that he had left the telepathic communication unattended.

Leonel was accompanied by a medical physician and they both dragged Odette who was still chuckling like an airhead to the infirmary.

***

Z could be seen lying on on bed, wide awake as his eyes barely blinked due to his disorganized thoughts floating everywhere.

He wasn't able to sleep that night, mainly because of Odette and her odd behaviour when she had asked him such a seemingly harmless question.

'Do you 'like' him..?'

The memory of her from not too long ago caused his lips to purse as he involuntarily frowned.

What was so funny about him liking someone else? Were all humans like this? Is this what they call 'entertainment' back in their world? If that really was the case, then Z wished that he would never have to visit such a bizarre place.

Z's inner thoughts: 'Is there an alternative definition to the term 'like'?'

His eyes narrowed as a bitter taste was left in his mouth.

Eventually his curiosity bested his laziness as he stiffly stood up from bed and carried a lantern with him as he headed to the library inside the castle.

The door was made entirely out of enchanted cement. Intricate patterns were beautifully carved on the cement's surface and he placed his hand against the door. The patterns began to glow in a yellowish light as gold slowly solidified in-between the patterns cracks.

Clag-ung

Z stepped inside as he carefully searched for a sign that read 'human culture'. After strolling around for what seemed like a year, he was finally able to find the bookshelf that contained the solution to his sleepless night.

He chose a thick paged book with the cover bearing the title of 'DICTIONARY'.

Intensely flipping through the pages as he eagerly searched for a specific word, his finger froze once he arrived on section 'L'. Z's gaze was tense as he scanned the pages thoroughly. His eyes twinkled as he inwardly celebrated his success.

Although the font size was almost the size of an ant, Z was desperate as he casted a spell on himself to enhance his eyesight.

The word 'like' had a lengthy list of meanings making his head spin. Among them one in particular caught his attention as he read it in his mind.

{•To feel affection for 'someone'; to enjoy 'someone''s company.

Ex: I think (insert name) likes you [=] I think (insert name) is attracted to you.}

Z stared blankly at the spot on the page which contained the exact meaning Odette was referring to earlier. The example that was shown beneath it left him no room for doubts.

He aggressively slammed the book shut as he returned it to its original position, and he strode his way out of the library.

Fwip

Once he huddled himself in his blankets, his lamp automatically dimmed and allowed him to sleep in a more comfortable setting.

Sadly, the lamp's effort was all for naught, as he did not gain a single wink of sleep that very night.

***

The following day, Z decreed an order that he release the princesses who he had held hostage for only half a week or so, and he even added an announcement that made all the inhabitants of Geheliriem shocked and their jaws drop.

Z: "I will vow and swear on my position as the Overlord of the Geheliriem continent that I, Z Thygrøm, shall never kidnap or use a princess as a hostage as of today and onwards."

Leonel thought of the worst case scenario possibly happening to his lord as he imagined Z getting his body possessed by a different soul. Though he did not have the will to test this theory as he knew that fighting with a pure blood myth's body would always result in the former winning.

During the past few days after Z's declaration, the castle was filled with a dense atmosphere due to the overlord's peculiar new behavior.

Z nowadays wore an aloof face, but the tone of his voice sounded rather calm, as if he would say 'yes' to just about anything anyone said to him.

The people who worked under him found this to be quite pleasant, since he usually bossed them around with matters relating to 'that man'.

Z: "How..."

The throne room where his guards and servants, including the lead assistant butler Leonel, immediately became dead silent as they anticipated Z's next words.

Z: "How do you know if you are genuinely interested in someone else or if it's just an illusion created by your heart to feel that way..?"

Everyone else's inner thoughts: 'He's finally gone off the deep end...'

Leonel gulped as he respectfully responded to Z's question. Despite his body trembling in slight fear his voice was able to speak flawlessly.

Leonel: "Forgive this subordinate's rudeness, but... could Overlord Z trouble himself to specify what your Excellency means by the term 'interested'?"

Z answered him as soon as he was finished talking all the while his expression continued to stay the same.

Z: "Romantically interested."

Everyone else's inner thoughts: 'THE LORD HAS FALLEN IN LOVE???'

Leonel's inner thoughts: 'Dear heavens, no, please, oh have mercy on me, haven't I suffered enough to be in charge of paperwork-'

The servants and guards exchanged whispers with one another as they gossiped about the new topic which might last until the next millennium or so, on the other hand, Leonel secretly prayed to the gods whom his kingdom was supposed to hate as he attempted to make them pity him.

Seeing no signs of response whatsoever among each of his subordinates, Z sighed as he thought to himself.

Z's inner thoughts: 'I need clarification...'

He recalled Odette's words as he thought of the best candidate to help him understand his feelings. It was as if he was enlightened by the universe's knowledge as he suddenly spoke out loud.

Z: "Odette..! Guards, capture the Princess of Esuphira Kingdom and bring her back to the castle!!"

One of the guards chimed in as they reluctantly replied.

"But my lord... What about your recent declaration..?"

Z's expression turned into a deadpan face and the whole room's mood dropped. Of course, how could he forget. He had even sworn in front of his subjects as he announced it, too. Z felt like dunking his past self in toilet water as he was slapped in the face by his own words.

While Z looked as if his body was a corpse that had crawled out of its casket one of the servants muttered to themselves as they audibly uttered their brilliant idea. Well, it wasn't actually brilliant, it was just that this servant was capable of using their common sense at moments like these.

"If he can't force her to come here, then he should go to her instead..."

The sound of Z quickly standing up as he swiftly darted to exit the throne room and head to his bedroom echoed throughout the castle's walls.

Z: "Your overlord will be absent for a few weeks; in the meantime, Leonel Favie, you shall temporarily undertake my position as the overlord of the continent and oversee the kingdom's affairs during my absence!!"

Leonel: "O-Overlord Z..!"

Leonel's inner thoughts: 'Who are you to shove whatever command you desire on to someone else so brazenly?!'

Leonel knew that Z was indeed a being who could easily toss his position around for other people to deal with since... After all, you don't want to throw hands with a pure blood myth now, do you? Unless you wished for a far more gruesome fate than death people who valued their life in general would be educated enough as to not retaliate against a pure blood myth.

Z suddenly returned in the blink of an eye and he gave them one final message before leaving.

Z: "None of you shall mention my absence to outsiders. The consequences will be dire if word gets out that I've left the castle."

Everyone's inner thoughts: 'If you know then why are you leaving anyway...'

Z: "One more thing. Whoever creates trouble or betrays me behind my back..."

Leonel bent his upper body as he bowed to signal that he would be sure to 'take care' of the lowlifes who were daring enough to start treason.

The moment Z had left the area again, the rubber band that binded Leonel's hair together snapped as the color of his hair transitioned from crimson red to pure white and he sent a sinister glare towards the group of servants.

Leonel: "Which. One. Of. You. Spoke. Earlier?"

The rest of the servants didn't want to take responsibility as they lawfully pointed the blame on the culprit himself.

Leonel's hands tightly wrapped around this individual servant's neck as he shook him back and forth to quell his rage.

Leonel's inner thoughts: 'Don't you know how to use your inner dialogue?!'

Servant's inner thoughts: 'I'm sorry, but the author forced me to say it out loud for plot development...'