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Chapter 27
Lucy had to move strategically if she wanted to see the true ending.
If she wasted time trying too hard with someone difficult to win over, all her effort might amount to nothing.
Lucy looked at Patrick, who was smiling kindly at her.
For now, she decided to at least smile back.
And then—
Ding!
[Social Party Quest Started!]
[You have encountered the male lead candidates all in one place.]
[They are not yet interested in you.]
[Show off your charm to attract their interest and attention.]
[Would you like to proceed?]
[-Yes]
[-No]
Startled by the sudden window appearing before her, Lucy hesitated.
But the answer had already been decided.
For the sake of completing the quest, she selected “Yes.”
Beep—!
[Warning!]
[Your stats do not meet the required threshold, making progress impossible.]
Lucy clenched her fist tightly.
Are you kidding me?
She had worked so hard raising her stats, and now it was saying she couldn’t even attempt the quest?
If it was impossible from the start, then why even ask me?!
Perhaps sensing her fury, the system window updated again.
Ding!
[You may never again have a chance to meet all the male leads at once.]
[Unable to miss such a golden opportunity,]
[the system offers you an additional option: Random Response.]
Random Response?
What was that supposed to mean?
Ding!
[The system will randomly generate your answers to the male leads’ questions.]
[It is impossible to predict what kind of answers will appear.]
[Some responses may increase the male leads’ affection.]
[If you skip this quest without doing anything, you may regret it.]
[Now desperate,]
[would you like to choose Random Response?]
[-Yes]
[-No]
Lucy didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she glared resentfully at the system window.
It felt as though the system was saying: The answer is already decided, so just obey.
That doing something was better than standing still and failing the quest.
Lucy thought for a moment.
Random Response.
Even the name sounded suspicious.
Could she really trust the system?
What if it ruined everything?
But it said there’s a chance the responses could raise their affection…
Should she trust that possibility?
Yeah. It’s probably better than doing nothing and failing the quest outright.
Reluctantly, Lucy selected “Yes.”
Ding!
[From now on, you will respond to the male leads’ questions with Random Responses. (^0^)/]
(^0^)/ …?
What was with that emoticon?
Why did the system suddenly seem excited?
Just as Lucy began feeling uneasy—
Ding!
[Speak with Cecil Auden. (1/3)]
[Conversation Time: 1 minute]
Following the system’s instructions, Lucy looked at Cecil.
The moment their eyes met, he spoke as if he had been waiting for it.
“Princess Lucy. Since when have you been able to speak?”
“Thanks to Cecil’s excellent healing magic.”
Oh.
Relieved that the answer sounded surprisingly normal, Lucy relaxed.
But then her next words came out.
“There’s probably no patient beyond the abilities of such a talented healer as Cecil. Well, unless the patient has mental problems—then you threaten to send them to a sanatorium.”
What the hell? Why is my answer like this?!
Lucy panicked.
Cecil looked just as shocked.
Confusion flickered in his eyes.
Every time he blinked, Lucy could practically hear his affection dropping.
“…At that time, I acted rudely. Please forgive me.”
“No, it’s alright. I understand Cecil’s position too.”
Yes. Let’s just end this peacefully.
Lucy prayed internally, but unfortunately their conversation time hadn’t ended yet.
“After all, someone as valuable as Cecil wasted time on my fake illness—or whatever it was. You only agreed because His Majesty the Emperor ordered you to, didn’t you?”
Lucy suddenly wanted to knock herself unconscious.
Now that her speech had returned, she had apparently become someone who voiced every lingering grudge she’d ever had.
Ding!
[Conversation with Cecil has ended.]
[Your words caused Cecil to feel regret.]
[Cecil falls into self-reproach.]
No!
Lucy wanted to scream.
But the system showed no mercy and immediately brought up another window.
Ding!
[Speak with Logan Wolffield. (2/3)]
[Conversation Time: 1 minute]
As if controlled by something, Lucy turned toward Logan.
“Young Master Logan.”
At her call, Logan looked at her.
“It seems this gathering bores you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ve worn a stiff expression the entire time, like you’re only here out of obligation. I heard Logan is famous for having no interest in socializing with nobles.”
“……”
“If you dislike it that much, you could simply not attend. But you’re forced to come for the sake of maintaining your knight order. You need to beg nobles for sponsorship money, after all.”
The moment Logan’s expression hardened—
Ding!
[Conversation with Logan has ended.]
[Your words caused Logan humiliation.]
[Because he cannot deny your words, Logan becomes displeased.]
It was then—
“Princess Lucy.”
Patrick approached Lucy first.
Ding!
[Speak with Patrick Helio. (3/3)]
[Conversation Time: 1 minute]
“Since you’ve come to such a pleasant gathering, you should try enjoying yourself more.”
Patrick stepped in to smooth over the atmosphere.
“Young Master Patrick, are you enjoying yourself?”
His eyebrows rose slightly at Lucy’s question.
“Well, judging from your current attitude, I suppose you are. It’s obvious you’re enjoying this.”
“……”
“Even though you’re a noble yourself, you despise nobles, don’t you? The uglier they behave, the more pleasure you take in it. Isn’t that a rather twisted hobby? Yet despite all that, you still have no choice but to attend these social parties you hate so much.”
Patrick’s gaze toward Lucy sharpened.
Ding!
[A new skill has been unlocked!]
[Title Acquired: “Mouth of Disaster”]
[Like the “Lips of Truth” skill, this allows brutally honest speech that lowers everyone’s affection across the board.]
[Though this skill may occasionally produce special effects, it usually results in negative consequences, so use caution.]
[This may affect story and event progression.]
Are you kidding me?
“Mouth of Disaster”?
She had never even heard of such a skill.
And besides, wasn’t this skill only unlocked because the system itself had forced those words out of her mouth?
Lucy looked around.
The three men all wore stiff expressions.
Elisha’s eyes were wide with surprise, though she also looked thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.
Other young lords and ladies nearby weren’t approaching, but they were clearly listening in.
And once Lucy finally stopped speaking—
silence arrived.
A suffocating silence that no one could easily break.
Lucy realized instinctively:
I’m screwed.
Ding!
[Social Party Quest Failed!]
[Rather than showing off your charm, you became a human durian.]
[Failure Penalty: Reputation decreases by 80.]
[Reputation: -80 → Reputation: -160]
While Lucy was becoming a human durian at the social party—
Bartholomew was once again visiting the annex to spend time with Cerberus.
He wondered if it was really alright to come while Lucy was absent, but the servants of the annex treated him as though he were Lucy’s best friend.
As always, Bartholomew stroked Cerberus.
Without Lucy around, Cerberus showed no hesitation in baring its teeth.
It tried to bite Bartholomew even more often than usual.
Bartholomew skillfully avoided its fangs.
How strange.
Why was that?
Even while petting Cerberus, his mood wasn’t improving.
Of course, the heavy pressure weighing on his chest still disappeared.
But unlike before, his heart didn’t feel lighter afterward.
Rather than feeling lighter, I just feel empty.
As though a massive hole had opened inside his chest.
Has Cerberus’s effect stopped working?
Or perhaps—
Is it because the Princess isn’t here?
Without Lucy constantly chattering beside him, the surroundings felt unbearably quiet.
Bartholomew’s hand gradually slowed as he stroked Cerberus.
He found himself wishing that, like usual, Lucy were sitting beside him—
talking to him about anything at all.
