Reincarnated as a Background Character — Boss Fell in Love With Me
Chapter 8: Tea, Tactics, and Terrible Posture
The floating tower, a marvel of engineering and magic suspended in the clouds, had never felt so charged with tension before.
This sense of unease wasn't borne out of an impending enemy assault. Nor was it the result of some catastrophic system malfunction plaguing their defenses. It certainly wasn't due to the unnerving reality that Raze's very soul remained intricately linked to the most unpredictable and tempestuous entity known to existence.
No.
The palpable tension stemmed purely from the fact that Velzeria had decided to brew a pot of tea.
And she was now keenly observing him as he took each sip.
"…This isn't poisoned, is it?" Raze asked, casting a wary glance at the porcelain cup resting delicately in his hands, half-expecting it to suddenly sprout fangs and launch itself at him in a furious attack.
"If I wished you dead," she replied, her voice smooth and authoritative as she sat poised across from him, radiating an air of regal nonchalance, "you would already be nothing more than a pile of ash on the exquisite rug beneath our feet. Now drink."
With great caution, he took a tentative sip.
The liquid was scalding hot, sending a jolt through him, its flavor rich and bitter, yet astonishingly complex.
…Honestly? It was quite good, surprisingly enough.
Velzeria raised one elegantly arched eyebrow, a flicker of approval glimmering in her eyes. "You didn't spit it out. Consider that progress."
"Well, I value my life," Raze muttered under his breath. "Even if it means enduring etiquette lessons at the hands of a war goddess."
She remained seated in perfect silence, her intense gaze sharp enough to cut. The tea set elegantly displayed between them was impossibly ornate — a relic from an empire long forgotten, perhaps, each piece teeming with history and artistry.
Everything about Velzeria exuded a refined and intimidating presence.
Meanwhile, Raze found himself cross-legged on the floor, still dressed in his familiar garb — a mismatched attire that made him resemble a librarian who had just lost a chaotic battle with a coat rack.
[Status Update: Soul Sync 72% — Stable]
[Warning: Prolonged exposure to Velzeria may affect personality traits.]
He chose to disregard that warning.
Mostly.
"Why this sudden emphasis on manners?" he queried after a length of silence, desperate to break the suffocating atmosphere.
Velzeria took her time pouring herself another cup of tea. Her hands moved with an exquisite precision, graceful as if even the act of pouring tea was an ancient martial art in its own right.
"If you are to remain bound to me in this manner," she explained, her voice devoid of humor, "your presence must not be… offensive in any way."
Raze snorted derisively. "Well, how gracious of you. I really appreciate the concern."
She fixed him with a penetrating look. No trace of mockery lingered in her eyes — only the weight of contemplation.
"In this realm," she stated, her tone serious, "titles carry immense significance. Appearances dictate the law. Should others perceive you as weak, you invite manipulation, or worse — you jeopardize my safety as well as your own."
There it was, as clear as day.
Beneath the layers of sarcasm, threats, and smirks, Velzeria was once again looking out for him — albeit in her own unique, rather terrifying manner.
Setting his cup down with a determined nod, he said, "Alright then. Teach me what I need to learn."
"Stand."
He complied without hesitation.
"Shoulders back."
He straightened.
"Stop slouching. At this rate, you resemble a wet rag draped over a bookshelf."
"…It's a whole vibe," he muttered in response.
Velzeria began to circle him, sulking with the slow grace of a predator inspecting its unsuspecting prey.
"You will need to walk beside me as we approach the other Courts," she declared. "In doing so, they must not sense even a whiff of hesitation. Nor should they catch wind of any sentimental ties."
"That might be a challenge," Raze responded, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "We're soul-bound now. It's kind of tough to project indifference when I can literally feel your emotions weaving into my own."
She paused her movement, lingering just behind him.
"…Then you, my dear Raze, must learn the skill of control. And I must do the same," she stated with a gravity that filled the air between them.
That declaration hung heavily, leaving a lingering silence. Raze turned to find Velzeria staring out the window, her body language shifting into something remote and contemplative, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she gazed into the distance.
"What happens once the tether reaches a full 100%?" he asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.
She took her time responding, staring out into nothingness as though searching for lost memories, lost answers.
Eventually, she spoke, her voice low and unsteady. "I don't know."
Time passed, and they trained rigorously for hours.
Their training wasn't centered on weapons, sharp and deadly; instead, it revolved around the subtleties of language, presence, and posture. Velzeria meticulously educated him on how to enter a room as if he owned it entirely, how to hold a noble's gaze without a hint of flinching, and how to wield silence as a weapon louder than any shout.
The effort was utterly exhausting, testing Raze's limits in ways he wasn't prepared for.
Yet… slowly but surely, he began to grasp the underlying principles she laid out.
He was no longer merely a background character in life's grand play. He couldn't afford to be that anymore.
That night, after Velzeria had retired to her lavish chambers, Raze remained alone in the flickering candlelight, poring over a dusty etiquette manual that seemed to bite him with every swift turn of a page.
He felt bone-weary, bound by the tether to her turbulent essence — and perhaps even cursed — but surprisingly, he found himself oddly alright with it all.
Because deep down, deeper than he thought possible, he sensed a profound truth:
Velzeria placed her trust in him.
And maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to trust in himself as well.
[Trait Gained: "Poised Presence" — You now exude an air of noble standing when faced with pressure.]
[Soul Sync: 76%]
[New Passive Unlocked: "Tether Pulse" — Sense Velzeria's emotional state in real-time.]
To be continued...