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Chapter : 4
“How long are you going to keep causing trouble? Didn’t Father scold you just recently?”
While I was checking the control window, Evan’s voice reached my ears.
“If Jin and the knights didn’t arrest me, doesn’t that tell you enough? Stop picking on me.”
“Hah, Diel. You really are shameless.”
[Please fulfill the ‘conditions’ to control ‘Evan’.]
At that moment—
Text appeared that I had never seen on the control windows of supporting characters.
[Unlock Condition: Raise Evan’s ‘Anger’ to 70%.]
Anger, huh….
Higher-ranked characters—namely, the main cast—could only be controlled once these “conditions” were met.
Normally, they did just fine on their own, so there was no reason to open their windows.
“Seeing this again after so long feels kind of surreal.”
Well, whatever. I was confident when it came to making people angry.
“There’s no way I could get my hands on poison herbs. This isn’t some imperial villa or ancestral estate.”
I spoke up to provoke Evan’s anger.
‘At this point, the only option is to control him and make him my ally.’
If they all followed the original plot obediently, I’d be stuck on the miserable, suffering route.
Knowing that, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
“We’re trapped in this backwater—what do you mean the Eastern Continent merchants? Even you don’t believe that excuse, do you?”
“Wasn’t it you who caused trouble last week? And the week before that too?”
“……”
Tap. Evan put his pen down and stood up.
“You’ve run barefoot into the forest before. You even snuck into my office trying to use a teleport portal.”
He slowly closed the distance between us.
“How many teleport scrolls did you rip apart by mistake? No matter how stupid you are, you must know how much damage you’ve caused me.”
Up close, his gaze was even colder.
“Or was it like last time—threatening the coachman and running off?”
I hadn’t done that, but hearing it, I had to admit it was creative.
‘Diel Yekaterina, you were really serious about escaping, huh.’
“Why can’t you come to your senses when running away is pointless anyway?”
According to the original story, Diel’s ending was a bleak, ruined one—neither here nor there.
Honestly, dying cleanly would be better than rotting away forever trapped in the Mage Tower.
“Evan Rekaten.”
Thinking that, my shoulders seemed to stiffen.
“You can’t live without me, can you?”
“What?”
I tilted my head and smiled crookedly, trying to rile up this B-rank model student.
“You’re scared I’ll abandon you and run away, right?”
A brief silence followed.
“…Are you insane?”
Evan let out a hollow laugh.
‘Oh! Anger meter’s going up!’
At the same time, Evan’s anger-filled face drew closer to mine.
[Evan’s ‘Anger’ increases by 13%!]
[Control Available at: 70% — Current Anger: 64%]
But that was as far as his anger went.
“Hah. So that’s why Father was so furious.”
Damn it—my provocation wasn’t enough.
He was angry, sure, but not enough to hit 70%.
I’d been confident since the condition was ‘anger’, too.
“Did you say that kind of crazy nonsense to Father as well? The imperial family took in a discarded child under the excuse of ‘recuperation’, and this is how you repay them.”
Well, Evan was one of the top-tier main characters.
Of course it wouldn’t be easy to meet the conditions and open his control window.
“Took me in? Took care of me?”
“……”
“From the start, you just wanted my healing power. Even the worthless healing power of a princess abandoned by the imperial family was something you needed.”
I smiled even more viciously.
“Fine. The duke must’ve wanted to save you, his eldest son, so he had to do something. I get it.”
“Diel.”
“What about you? You lived thanks to me—kneeling down and begging wouldn’t even be enough. And yet you treat me like this?”
The claim that Diel was recuperating here because of poor health was a lie.
It was just an excuse the Yekaterina imperial family used to weed out incompetent offspring.
Born with only faint healing powers, Diel too was an abandoned imperial princess for the same reason.
A so-called “released” princess.
‘Who would’ve known her healing powers would later awaken so strongly?’
At the time, the duke was desperate because Evan suffered from an incurable illness.
That was why he took in the discarded princess.
Those chosen by someone survived. Those who weren’t… died.
‘The duke was really lucky.’
In any case, thanks to Diel’s healing power, Evan overcame his illness.
“What do you think would happen if the imperial family found out I have healing powers?”
“……”
“What if His Majesty learned that the Duke of Rekaten’s family has been hiding it all this time?”
Even as I said this, I felt no real emotion toward Evan or the Rekaten family.
“No—before that, I’ll disappear to a place you’ll never find.”
“……”
I only knew Evan so well because I had controlled this world.
“If it’s to escape this wretched place, to get away from you, I’ll run again and again. Do you understand?”
Evan’s once-relaxed expression gradually stiffened.
+1%, 2%, 3%…
At the same time, his anger points steadily climbed.
Just as something transparent flickered through his eyes—
[Evan’s ‘Anger’ has reached 70%!]
‘Oh! It unlocked!’
Finally, Evan’s control window lit up.
“How can you say something like that?”
But I couldn’t help flinching.
What… was this reaction?
“…Huh?”
It was because Evan let a tear fall.
No—why are you crying now?
“That’s why I hate you! You make me feel miserable!”
I was used to Evan’s 모습 in the original story—especially how he acted in front of the female lead—so this version of him felt unfamiliar.
I’d expected him, true to his grim-dark male lead role, to rage and threaten to lock me in the Mage Tower.
“Crying won’t solve anything.”
But I spoke coldly.
“Your tears won’t help in front of me.”
It felt like I’d become some cold northern archduke, but I still had things to do.
‘The control window.’
I needed to focus again.
As I stared at his control window, thinking about what to manipulate—
[Error! Error!]
“Huh?”
A glaring red warning window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[Unable to execute command.]
Crackle—!
‘Are you kidding me?! What is this now?’
Evan’s control window, which had been glowing, shut off completely.
Meanwhile, early in the morning at Count Rock’s estate.
“I think it’d be best if Chef Rossi handles the food that day. We should also secure a list of quick-handed gardeners.”
Under the countess’s direction, the entire mansion bustled with activity.
“Oh, and prepare the carriage His Majesty gifted us last year.”
Then—
“Mother.”
“My goodness, Rysis!”
The countess’s face instantly brightened as she turned around.
“You came back earlier than expected!”
She quickly examined her son’s face, seeing him for the first time in years.
Silver hair like woven moonlight, violet eyes.
The boyish charm he once had was gone—he had grown into a tall, handsome man.
“You’ve worked hard, Rysis. I’m glad you’re still handsome. Truly splendid.”
“It’s thanks to you, Mother.”
Rysis lightly kissed the back of her hand.
As expected, a gentle son.
“We must hurry with the banquet preparations.”
But the warmth of reunion was brief.
“Since all the major nobles will be gathered, we’ll be choosing your bride.”
The countess urged him on.
“Yes, if we’re going to invite Madam Matilda, we’ll have to move quickly.”
“Mother, please calm down.”
But Rysis caught her hand.
“There’s someone I already have in mind. I was planning to send a proposal letter soon.”
“…What? Who on earth are you talking about?”
“Princess Diel Yekaterina.”
Rysis answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“W-Who?”
The countess stood stunned for a long while.
“Have you perhaps gone mad from the hardships of provincial life?”
Diel Yekaterina?
An unfamiliar name—she must be a discarded princess.
“My lady!”
Clutching her neck, the countess pretended to faint, but it was useless.
“Rysis, you—good heavens—can’t you take that back right now?!”
“I have an appointment, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Rysis’s gaze, as he looked at his mother collapsed on the floor, was calm.
No—perhaps indifferent would be more accurate.
“Please rest comfortably until then. I’ll see you again this evening, Mother.”
With a mask-like smile, Rysis turned away.
“Rysis!”
“My lady, please calm down! You know the young master’s personality. Try speaking with him again this evening.”
No matter how loudly she called his name, it was futile.
“He’s my own son, but he’s truly chilling.”
The Countess of Rock shuddered.
Even she had momentarily forgotten.
‘Thorough disregard and coldness.’
Yes—that was Rysis’s true nature.
Evan’s control window had shut down.
At the most critical moment, no less.
‘Control window, have you lost your mind too?’
What kind of shoddy, broken game bug was this?
[Unlock Condition: Raise Evan’s ‘Compassion’ to 85%.]
After rebooting, Evan’s control window reappeared—
With an utterly ridiculous condition attached.
[Recommended Route: ‘Immediately cough up blood and collapse’, ‘Offer heartfelt apologies for 48 hours’.]
Even the recommended route was absurd.
‘Yeah… the control window has definitely gone crazy.’
I’d just been acting like a cold northern archduke. How was I supposed to raise his compassion now?
‘And 85%, at that…’
Apologizing for 48 hours was impossible.
Coughing up blood and collapsing—maybe that’d work if I drastically lowered Diel’s stamina stat?
‘But I definitely can’t control Diel.’
Maybe because I had become Diel, her control window never appeared.
“Now I understand why you suddenly said those things. It’s because of Rysis Rock, isn’t it?”
Evan spoke then.
What… what is he talking about? Who? Rysis Rock?
‘Right. This is when the male lead returns.’
I jumped to my feet.
‘That’s right. Once Rysis comes back, he gets involved with Diel immediately.’
Fragments of the insane grim-dark novel flashed through my mind.
Rysis Rock was one of the five male leads.
‘Because Diel and Rysis join hands to kill the emperor.’
Which meant the real bloodbath—the killing, the chaos—was about to begin.
“I know you sent a letter to the young Count Rock. You even secretly took a few more behind my back.”
Evan was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it.
I didn’t have time for this.
“What did you talk about—Diel!”
“Get out of my way!”
I shoved Evan aside and ran out of the office.
‘No! Even if all the main characters die, I have to survive!’
First of all…
I had to go there!
