I Shall Cuck Everyone-Chapter 483: Mental Breakdown

Another week passed just like that.

During the whole time, I didn’t go anywhere. No adventures, no weird alien encounters, no business meetings. I simply stayed in the palace and spent time with my family.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad.

Most of my mornings were pretty relaxed. I would wake up, eat breakfast with everyone, and then deal with whatever small matters popped up around the palace. Nothing too serious. A few servants asking for approval on things, some minor logistics, and occasionally someone needing my opinion on something.

Royal life in a nutshell.

But the person I spent the most time with that week was Xander.

The kid had way too much energy.

"Again! Again!" he shouted while running ahead of me through one of the palace corridors.

"You just ran five laps," I said.

"Six!" he corrected.

"Right. Six. My mistake."

Meanwhile, Rona was strapped to my chest in a small carrier, quietly watching everything like she owned the place.

I carried her around during most of my evening walks. Sometimes I toured the palace halls, sometimes I walked through the gardens, and other times I went to visit old man Duke.

The old man liked Rona. Or maybe he just liked having someone small around who didn’t argue with him, unlike Xander.

"She has your eyes. The same piercing gaze. Xander looks more like her mom. But Rona, she has your looks and is a full vampire," Old Duke said one evening while staring at her.

Well, here goes the old geezer glazing Rona over Xander because Xander keeps stressing him. If only he knows Rona might do worse when she reaches Xander’s age.

"I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing," I replied.

He snorted.

"Probably both."

Rona just blinked at him as if she understood what she said.

Xander, on the other hand, was busy trying to climb one of old man Duke’s bookshelves.

"Get down from there!" Duke barked.

"I’m exploring!" Xander shouted.

Sigh...

So yeah, the week passed like that. Family time, palace walks, and occasional chaos from Xander.

But today was different.

Today was a special day.

The day I decided to take Misty on a date.

Honestly, the idea came after the conversation I had with old man Duke a while ago. He pointed out something that I didn’t really want to admit.

I hadn’t been spending much time with Misty lately.

Not intentionally. Life just got busy.

Still... she deserved better than that.

So here I was, waiting in one of the palace courtyards.

A few moments later, I saw her walking toward me. And I immediately realized something. I had never seen her dressed like that before.

Misty was wearing a red fluffy gown that swayed gently as she walked. On her head sat a brown hat that gave her a slightly playful look.

For a second, I just stared.

Then I smiled.

"Well, this is new," I said.

She stopped in front of me and raised an eyebrow.

"What is?"

"I’ve never seen you wear something like that before."

Misty folded her arms slightly.

"Don’t flatter me."

"I’m not flattering you."

"You are."

"I’m stating facts."

She gave me a small suspicious look before sighing.

"Fine. Maybe a little flattering."

Then she tilted her head.

"But what made you decide to take me on a date all of a sudden?"

Fair question.

I scratched the back of my head for a moment before answering.

"Well... I was thinking about the past."

"The past?"

"Yeah. The time we spent together. The things you did for me. The love you showered on me."

Misty’s expression softened a little.

I continued.

"And honestly... it made me realize something."

"Oh?"

I shrugged.

"This might sound a bit biased... but the love I have for you is greater than the others."

For a moment, she just stared at me.

Then she stepped forward and hugged me tightly. No hesitation. No teasing. Just a full emotional hug that carried a lot of weight.

"I already knew that," she murmured.

"Of course you did."

After a few seconds, I slipped my arms under her and lifted her up in a princess carry.

She blinked.

"Jake?"

"Hold tight."

"What are you—"

Before she could finish the sentence, I shot into the air. The palace shrank beneath us as we soared upward. Wind rushed past us while the sky opened above.

Misty grabbed onto my shoulders.

"You could have warned me!"

"I did say hold tight."

"That doesn’t count!"

I laughed a little while flying toward the distant mountains. It didn’t take long to reach them.

I landed on one of the rocky peaks overlooking the vast landscape below. The view was pretty good up here and quiet too.

Misty stepped down from my arms and looked around.

"So this is your idea of a date?"

"Not impressed?"

"I didn’t say that."

We sat down on the rocky surface, facing the horizon. After a moment, I shifted behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

She leaned back against me naturally.

No awkwardness. Just... comfortable. For a while, neither of us said anything.

Then I finally spoke.

"You know... I really do love you."

"I know," she replied softly.

I stared at the sky for a moment before continuing.

"But it sucks."

She turned her head slightly.

"Sucks?"

"Yeah."

I tightened my arms around her a little.

"It sucks that I can’t properly reciprocate the love you have for me."

Misty frowned slightly.

"Jake—"

"I mean it," I interrupted. "You give me everything. Loyalty. Support. Love. And what do I give back?"

"You give plenty."

"Not enough."

The words came out before I could stop them.

For a moment, the silence returned.

Then something inside me cracked.

"I’m tired," I muttered.

Misty turned around in my arms.

"Tired of what?"

"Everything."

I looked down at my hands.

"I keep thinking about it lately... about the future."

"I’m scared."

She blinked.

"Scared? What are you saying, Jake, don’t scare me?"

I laughed weakly.

"Crazy, right? Someone like me being scared."

"Jake..."

"I’m scared of losing everyone."

The words finally came out.

"My family. My friends. Everyone I care about."

The thought alone made my chest tighten.

"And the worst part?" I continued. "I know it’s inevitable."

Misty stayed quiet.

"I’ve died before," I said. "More than once."

I looked up at the sky.

"And every time, the cycle just starts again."

Reincarnation.

Another life.

Another round of attachments.

Another round of loss.

"I don’t want to do it anymore," I said quietly.

For the first time in a long while, I felt my throat tighten.

"I don’t want to die again."

Misty didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then she reached forward and hugged me tightly. Her arms wrapped around me with surprising strength.

"It’s okay," she whispered.

I buried my face into her shoulder.

"I’m serious, Misty."

"I know."

"I’m tired of pretending it doesn’t bother me."

"I know."

She gently rubbed my back.

"You don’t have to carry everything alone."

We stayed like that for a while.

Just holding each other. Eventually, the tension inside my chest eased a little. Not completely but enough.

After a while, Misty pulled back slightly and looked at me.

"You know something?" she said.

"What?"

"This moment means everything to me."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"You chose to come here with me. Just the two of us."

"Well... it is a date."

She smiled softly.

"And you trusted me with your fears."

I scratched my cheek.

"Yeah... about that."

"I’m happy you did."

Then she leaned back against me again. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

We both looked up at the sky.

Stars slowly began appearing one by one.

The wind was calm.

The mountain was quiet.

And for once... my mind wasn’t racing.

Misty shifted slightly in my arms.

"This is nice," she said.

"Yeah."

We stayed there, sky-gazing in silence.

For her, this moment clearly meant everything.

For me...

Well.

Maybe this quiet moment on a random mountain was exactly what I needed.