Chapter 3

“Hmm?”

Caught off guard by what I had just heard, I awkwardly froze in place and asked,

“What do you mean?”

“You only ended up taking me in because of the circumstances,” Estelle replied calmly. “It must be troublesome and inconvenient for you, so you don’t have to go out of your way to take care of me.”

“What are you—”

“If you’re only doing this because the person who brought me here is the Commander of the Imperial Knights, then you don’t have to worry.”

She looked straight at me with an expressionless face.

“He’s a busy person. He probably won’t come back anyway. So you don’t need to concern yourself with me. I’ve always managed just fine on my own.”

With that, Estelle took the empty plates out of my hands and stood up.

“Thank you for the toast. But you don’t have to prepare snacks for me. I’ll clean up.”

She gave a small nod before disappearing into the kitchen.

A moment later, the sound of dishes being washed echoed from inside.

Somehow…

Stunned into silence, I remained seated, listening to the clatter of dishes.

Somehow… my daughter is completely different from the one I remember…

I stared blankly into space, too shocked to think clearly.

This was strange.

She hadn’t been like this in the game.

She had always smiled brightly at me.

She had hugged me first with her arms wide open.

She had followed me everywhere like a little duckling.

So why…

Why wasn’t the real Estelle like the one beyond my monitor?

She didn’t smile.

She didn’t hug me.

She didn’t follow me.

She hardly even spoke to me.

And we were living under the same roof.

Realizing things couldn’t continue like this, I decided I had to find some way to spend more time with Estelle.

So, using the excuse of buying her some clothes, I invited her to go out with me.

* * *

“Ugh…”

The best clothing boutique in the village—

Julie’s Fantastic Wardrobe.

It was filled with beautiful clothes that would normally make anyone’s eyes sparkle.

But today, none of them caught my attention.

The only thing I could see was Estelle standing outside the shop through the front window.

I thought we’d grow closer if we went shopping together…

Buy groceries together… buy clothes together…

But the result had been disastrous.

Estelle picked out only a few things she needed, then politely excused herself, saying she’d wait outside.

My hopes had been crushed in an instant.

I couldn’t help making a pitiful face.

“To think the great Reina would end up like this.”

Hearing a teasing voice, I turned around.

A woman was leaning against the counter with her chin resting on one hand.

It was Julie.

The owner of the boutique.

And one of my childhood friends.

She stared at me with an amused grin.

“What? Why’d you stop wrapping those clothes just to look at me?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“I was just thinking the rumors were actually true.”

“Rumors?”

What rumors?

I looked at Julie suspiciously.

She burst into laughter.

“The rumor that Reina—the idol of every child in the village—is completely helpless in front of one little girl.”

“What?”

What on earth was she talking about?

I immediately sprang to my feet and hurried over.

“Explain!”

“You know all the kids you look after are regular customers here, right?”

“Of course.”

Everyone in the village knew everyone else.

Adults and children alike knew Julie and I were friends.

Besides, whenever I bought little hats or hairpins as presents for the children, I usually bought them here.

But what did that have to do with anything?

I nodded in confusion.

Julie shrugged.

“They’ve all been showing up here furious.”

“They say you’ve been spending all your attention chasing after some mysterious girl instead of paying attention to them.”

“What?”

“They’re completely jealous.”

“The kids who never used to talk to me suddenly started interrogating me.”

“They kept asking, ‘Who is this Estelle girl?’”

My mouth fell open.

Seriously…?

How much have I actually been chasing after Estelle for a rumor like that to spread…?

…

Wait.

Have I really been following her around that much?

The question suddenly occurred to me.

Blinking blankly, I recalled the past few days.

The first breakfast we’d shared.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve always managed on my own.”

Those words had shocked me…

and hurt more than I expected.

Do you know how long I’ve known you…?

Well… not that the current you would know…

Still, I hadn’t given up.

Because I believed.

She was only keeping her distance for now.

That would change.

Except…

Trust: 0

Estelle refused to let me get close.

Just as she’d said, she handled everything perfectly well on her own.

Without asking for help.

Without relying on anyone.

Th-this isn’t how it’s supposed to go…

My goal was to raise Estelle into the Emperor and finally witness the ending I’d missed in my previous life.

To do that…

The Trust stat was essential.

The higher her Trust, the more willing she’d be to listen to me and follow my guidance.

But at this rate…

Everything was doomed.

If I fail even one requirement… I’ll never see Emperor Estelle!

The Emperor Route wasn’t like the other routes, where you could simply adjust your stats near the end.

It required meeting stat thresholds throughout each stage of her life.

There was no shortcut.

Only then would the exclusive events necessary for unlocking the Emperor Route appear.

But right now…

Her Trust was zero.

That meant not only would those events never trigger—

I probably wouldn’t even be able to raise the required stats.

And instead of seeing Emperor Estelle…

I’d end up watching the Bad Ending, where she left me behind forever.

I have to improve our relationship. Fast.

Growing increasingly anxious, I tried every day to get closer to Estelle.

“Already going to bed?”

“Yes.”

“Good night.”

“Right… Ah, would you like some warm milk with honey…?”

“…You already made some.”

I paid attention to every little thing she did.

“I got home a bit late. I had to buy groceries.”

“You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?”

“I bought something delicious. Let’s eat together.”

“It’s alright.”

“I already ate.”

“…Already?”

Even though Estelle insisted she could take care of herself…

I had once been Korean.

And to Koreans…

Food is love.

So I made sure to prepare good meals for her every single day.

“Going out?”

“You still don’t know the roads very well, do you?”

“I’ll come with you.”

“I brought a map.”

“See you later.”

Whenever Estelle tried to do anything at all…

I rushed over, insisting on helping.

And today…

The final day of vacation.

I’d brought her shopping because I thought she didn’t have enough clothes.

Instead…

“You spent money unnecessarily because of me.”

“I’ll repay you.”

Trust: 0

Our relationship hadn’t improved in the slightest.

If anything…

It felt even more distant than before.

Honestly…

I felt like screaming the classic drama line—

“What am I supposed to do with you?!”

before collapsing to the ground in despair.

“This is the first child you’ve ever struggled with, isn’t it?”

Julie laughed brightly.

“It’s fascinating.”

“No matter how troublesome a child was, they’d always calm down around you.”

“This is a refreshing sight.”

She looked entirely too amused.

Meanwhile…

I’d failed to get closer to Estelle.

A strange rumor was spreading through the village.

And Julie was enjoying every second of it.

I flopped helplessly across the wide counter, pouting.

This is so hard…

In the game, Trust went up just by spending time together.

Sure…

Wanting to see Emperor Estelle was partly my own selfish wish.

But in the end…

Becoming Emperor would also be the best future for her.

The Emperor possessed unmatched authority.

Power.

A position no one could challenge.

Someone admired and loved by everyone.

Yet things had already gone so terribly wrong.

Estelle’s heart is firmly shut.

Unlike every other child I’d cared for…

Opening her heart was incredibly difficult.

Is this the difference between being a temporary caregiver for a few hours…

…and being someone’s real guardian twenty-four hours a day?

“How did Mr. and Mrs. Morris raise me?”

I couldn’t have been an easy child myself.

For some reason, I found myself thinking about the Morris couple—

The people who had voluntarily taken in a child they’d never met before.

A situation not so different from mine.

Burying my face in my arms, I let out a miserable groan.

“But seriously, this is strange.”

Julie tilted her head.

“You know better than anyone that you’re good with children.”

“So why are you struggling so much this time?”

“Maybe you’re approaching her the wrong way?”

“What do you mean?”

Julie lifted her chin from her hand.

Standing upright again, she resumed wrapping the clothes.

“Remember when I asked you something before?”

“How you managed to become close to children so quickly.”

“…”

“You told me children may be small and weak, but they’re also smart.”

“You said they instinctively know what kind of feelings someone approaches them with.”

“So you always have to approach them sincerely.”

“That’s how they open their hearts.”

“That’s how you become close.”

After finishing the package, Julie walked around the counter and stood in front of me.

Shrugging casually, she said,

“Or maybe she’s just naturally prickly.”

“You only have to look after her until she becomes an adult, right?”

“If she doesn’t want to open up, you don’t have to force it.”

“Don’t stress yourself over it.”

“If it gets too exhausting…”

“Just let her grow up on her own.”

“She isn’t so young that you have to hover over her every second.”

With that, Julie placed the shopping bag into my hands and gave my shoulder a couple of reassuring pats.