🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 3
Lucy was undeniably a member of the imperial family, yet she lived in a modest annex far removed from the imperial palace.
Unlike her older sister Elisha, who basked in the emperor’s favor, Lucy had earned the emperor’s hatred.
Lucy and the servants of the annex had always believed that quietly keeping their heads down was the only way to survive.
But after Lucy fell from the terrace railing, strange rumors began spreading through the once-quiet annex.
And now, even several days after Lucy regained consciousness thanks to Cecil’s healing, she still had not left her bed, causing a new rumor to spread.
“Princess Lucy.”
Lucy’s tutor, Veronica, pushed up her glasses and looked at her.
Veronica had originally stopped by for a casual visit to check on her condition, but her expression quickly turned grave enough that she ended up summoning the royal physician.
Gesturing toward Lucy as though telling him to look carefully, Veronica spoke.
“Could you summarize Chapter One of the history of the Akane Empire?”
“Don’t know.”
At Lucy’s answer, the physician’s eyes widened.
Veronica ignored his reaction and continued.
“What are the three great taboos of the Akane Empire?”
“Don’t know.”
After scribbling something into her notebook, Veronica showed it to Lucy.
“Could you solve this arithmetic problem?”
“Don’t know.”
Veronica swallowed dryly.
She led the physician toward the window and whispered:
“Did you notice? It feels like even my own intelligence is dropping just from talking with Her Highness.”
“Isn’t it possible she simply doesn’t know?”
“Absolutely not!”
Realizing her voice had risen, Veronica cleared her throat and lowered it again.
“She always studied desperately because of the pressure of being the abandoned princess. She’s not someone who would answer such basic questions with ‘I don’t know.’”
Lucy had always been timid and withdrawn—so gloomy that even looking at her made others feel depressed.
The only time she ever showed confidence was during Veronica’s lessons.
“The only virtues she had were her flawless etiquette and intelligence… but look at her now.”
Veronica glanced back at Lucy.
Lucy was scratching at the bandages wrapped around her head while letting out a long yawn.
Veronica covered her mouth as though she had witnessed something truly shocking.
“Even her eyes are different now. None of her old sharpness remains.”
The physician nodded in agreement.
“I heard she landed on her head when she fell from the terrace railing.”
After a low hum of thought, he carefully continued.
“I’m afraid that because of that, the princess’s condition may have…”
“Are you saying Princess Lucy has become an idiot?”
“Ahem! Do not use such words carelessly!”
At the physician’s scolding, Veronica immediately shut her mouth.
“Still, how unfortunate. Misfortune upon misfortune.”
“Indeed. Of all things, for her to injure her head…”
Become an idiot.
Veronica couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud.
The physician and Veronica looked at Lucy with eyes full of pity.
From that day onward, rumors that Lucy had become simple-minded swept through the annex—and eventually reached the emperor’s ears.
* * *
Hehe. It’s a little pathetic, but everything’s going according to plan.
Lucy praised herself inwardly.
It seemed that as long as the situation wasn’t directly tied to the game’s main storyline, she could speak simple sentences without interference from the system window.
‘Of course, thanks to my negative intelligence and reputation stats, all I can manage are blank-headed answers with zero dignity.’
Still, it was better than nothing.
Lucy was doing everything she could to survive this game despite the terrible conditions.
Especially when she learned that rumors of her becoming a brainless fool after injuring her head had reached the emperor’s ears, she nearly cheered internally.
‘Now all I have to do is quietly wait…’
Just as Lucy was thinking that—
Knock knock.
Someone had come to see her.
‘Already?’
Lucy quickly arranged her expression to look stupid, but the moment she saw who entered through the door, her eyes widened.
Luxurious golden hair cascading in waves.
Green eyes slightly upturned at the corners.
Grace evident in every elegant step.
Lucy’s mouth slowly fell open.
‘It’s Elisha.’
Elisha Adelstein.
Lucy’s beautiful and cruel half-sister.
Lucy, who had been leaning against the headboard, immediately straightened up.
Seeing her in person was overwhelming in a way that couldn’t compare to the game.
Elisha was practically the final boss of this game world.
She was also the very reason Lucy had reached the execution ending in her previous life.
Elisha smiled as she looked at Lucy, whose body had stiffened in unconcealed shock.
“Lucy. I’m glad to see you’ve awakened safely.”
Elisha gracefully sat beside the bed and looked at Lucy.
After silently staring at her for a moment, she reached out.
Her hand gently stroked Lucy’s hair.
Like a caring older sister pitying her injured sibling.
But the hand slowly slid downward toward Lucy’s chin.
In an instant, the gentle touch turned rough as Elisha violently grabbed Lucy’s jaw.
“You cunning little thing.”
Forced to keep her head still, Lucy had no choice but to meet Elisha’s icy gaze.
“So you wanted Father’s attention badly enough to pull something like this?”
“……”
“There are rumors going around. People are saying you deliberately fell because you wanted to kill yourself.”
Otherwise, how could someone suddenly fall from a terrace she used every day?
Elisha’s lips curled crookedly.
“But that’s only what people say because they don’t know you.”
Her grip tightened painfully around Lucy’s jaw.
At the same time, her voice lowered to nearly a whisper.
“You’re the kind of idiot who could trip even in a familiar place.”
A blatant sneer hung on Elisha’s lips.
“Suicidal courage? If you had something like that, you would’ve begged Father long ago to let you leave this trash heap of an annex.”
Narrowing her eyes, Elisha studied Lucy.
“You recovered perfectly after receiving healing magic, yet you pretended you couldn’t move. And now you’re pretending to be stupid too?”
She let out a scoff of disbelief.
“No matter how badly you want Father’s attention, wasn’t this a little too reckless?”
“……”
“Father is furious now.”
Lucy swallowed nervously.
“Still, congratulations. It seems Father can’t ignore rumors that disgrace the imperial family, so he’ll probably start paying attention to you now. Though who knows how long that attention will last.”
Elisha tilted her head when Lucy remained silent.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Usually you’d be crying, ‘No, Sister! It’s all a misunderstanding! It’s unfair!’”
When Lucy still didn’t answer, Elisha frowned slightly—then suddenly burst into laughter.
She released Lucy’s chin and crossed her arms, bending over as she laughed for quite a while.
Even after Elisha let go, Lucy could still feel the ache in her jaw as she quietly watched her.
“Watching your clumsy acting is entertaining, I’ll admit.”
Elisha’s lips still smiled, but her eyes did not.
“But what are you planning to do next?”
She hummed thoughtfully.
“The imperial banquet is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
The imperial banquet.
It was the first quest in Heart-Pounding Love in Akane♡.
At the banquet, the player had to impress the emperor by either performing a musical instrument or demonstrating elegant dancing skills.
“Are you planning to stay silent and just stare blankly there too?”
Elisha tilted her head.
“Wouldn’t it be better to simply give up on attending this year’s banquet? I could speak to Father for you.”
Rolling her eyes as though considering it, Elisha shook her head.
“No. Never mind. I’ll leave things as they are.”
Uncrossing her arms, Elisha reached toward Lucy again.
Lucy instinctively flinched, and Elisha’s smile deepened.
“I don’t know what you’re scheming…”
This time, instead of grabbing Lucy’s chin, Elisha gently caressed her cheek.
“But I’d hate to miss the fun of watching you become everyone’s laughingstock.”
“……”
“Get plenty of rest, then.”
With that sweet farewell, Elisha left the bedroom.
Left alone, Lucy slowly brought a hand to her chest.
‘That was close.’
She had completely forgotten about the first quest.
‘Thanks, Elisha.’
Because Elisha had come and talked endlessly by herself, Lucy finally remembered the quest.
Ding!
[First Quest Triggered!]
[You are the black sheep of the imperial family. This imperial banquet may become a good opportunity to earn the emperor’s recognition.]
[Show off your abilities to the fullest!]
My abilities?
All I have are negative stats. Are you kidding me?
[Would you like to accept the quest?]
[- Yes]
[- No]
Back in her previous life, Lucy had participated in the imperial banquet event after carefully building up her stats—and still failed.
‘If I attend in my current state, just like Elisha said, I’ll only become a laughingstock.’
But—
Lucy glanced at the system window.
[Failure: Reputation -20]
‘Still…’
[Success: Reputation +20]
Lucy’s gaze drifted lower.
[※ Special Reward: Soft Mochi Rice Cake Puppy]
‘Soft mochi rice cake puppy…!’
That’s right.
Reputation could wait.
Both now and in her previous life, Lucy absolutely needed the special pet reward.
