🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 13
“…Should we not inform the Duke’s house?”
By chance, the two of them had ended up spending the night in the forest and were now headed toward the Imperial Palace at the crack of dawn. Elysia flinched slightly at the question but quickly shook her head.
“No! We’ll tell them later! Reporting this comes first right now!”
Of course, the real reason for not informing them was because she was sure she’d get scolded if she did.
‘If the Duke finds out I snuck out, he’ll throw a fit again, won’t he?’
Elysia tilted her head, lost in thought. He had just imposed a curfew, and yet his daughter ignored it and ran away on the very first day.
‘Ugh…’
She could already feel the Duke’s “disappointment” meter rising. But oh well.
‘It’s not like there’s a quest saying I have to lower his disappointment, right?’
If one comes up later, she’d think about it then.
‘I’m sure he’s had a lifetime of disappointment already. Please adapt, Father.’
Isn’t that what all villainess fathers go through?
Elysia gave a polite bow toward the Duke’s direction with the heart of a fiery, if rebellious, daughter.
‘Your daughter’s a villainess. What can you do? Just accept it.’
Jerome, watching her bow solemnly, asked curiously, “Why did you bow that way? It looked like you were mourning someone…?”
“Oh, it’s something like that.”
“Ah, I see…”
Though her excuse was vague, Jerome interpreted it differently.
‘To even offer condolences to the beast she killed—does she have strong convictions after all?’
The place she bowed toward was the Duke’s estate, and in the nearby forest, they had just killed a Hellhound. He assumed she was paying respects to the enemy. Maybe Lady Sempherion had more of a knightly spirit than he thought.
Truly, the more he learned about her, the more surprising she was.
“Oh, by the way, what happens to the Hellhound’s corpse?”
As if just remembering, Elysia asked.
‘Monster corpses can sell for a good price, right?’
In Seyros Saga, monster byproducts were quite valuable. Like in other games, you could get items like horns or claws by defeating monsters. Selling those to shops brought in a decent amount of money.
Of course, this wasn’t a game, but real life—so she’d probably have to extract and prep the materials herself—but if the beast was strong, the parts would surely be worth a lot.
‘I had high hopes for that Hellhound.’
She was already tight on money. She’d even considered selling it on the black market. But Jerome’s answer dashed her hopes.
“Oh, that? I used magic to preserve it. It’s being kept as evidence for an official report to the palace.”
“Tch.”
I’m the one who killed it, but the palace gets to take it?
Realizing she’d missed out on some pocket money, Elysia pouted.
“Next time I kill a monster, I’m going to make sure no one sees it and sell it secretly through the black market…”
Jerome glanced at Elysia, who was clicking her tongue, and asked cautiously, “…Are you perhaps troubled by not being able to bury the monster?”
Well, she had just offered it what seemed like a solemn send-off. Maybe she was bothered that the body was being used in an investigation rather than being buried.
Just as Jerome firmly misunderstood her again, Elysia answered calmly and solemnly.
“No, it’s fine. I just sighed a little because I felt bad about the situation.”
“I thought so…”
Jerome let out a soft exhale, impressed by her calm response.
As they talked, the carriage finally arrived at the gates of the Imperial Palace.
“You’re from the Magic Tower. Did you have an appointment?”
“No, this is an urgent matter. I need to see His Majesty immediately.”
“…Please wait a moment, then.”
The palace guards were extremely strict, but once they recognized Jerome’s face, they treated the pair with great respect. As soon as the guard heard the word urgent, he immediately sent a messenger running toward the palace.
Elysia watched the man run, then turned toward a newly appeared notification window.
Notification
Special Location!
You have entered the Imperial Palace of Aystas.
Solo Entry Conditions: Reputation 800+ (If reputation not met, justification is required)
Warning! You do not meet the entry conditions! You may be expelled at any time.
‘So this place has entry requirements too, huh.’
In some games, certain places were only accessible after meeting specific conditions. Naturally, a highly guarded place like the palace would be one of them. Without solid identification or a clear reason for visiting, you’d risk getting kicked out.
‘Wait—I don’t meet the conditions?’
In Seyros Saga, there was no place she couldn’t go. She had maxed out her reputation and was a top-ranked player, welcomed in every country. Had her stats somehow changed?
“Stats screen! Show detailed stats!”
Detailed stats like Reputation didn’t show up on the main screen; you had to specifically request them. That’s probably why she hadn’t noticed anything unusual until now.
“How bad could my reputation be…?”
As she scrolled rapidly through the stats, her hand stopped abruptly.
Reputation: -999
“…?”
‘Are these stats for real?’
Reputation: -999 LOL what is this, a criminal?
Even criminals aren’t rated this low
An utterly inhuman and disastrous number. In the Seyros Saga universe, this would’ve gotten her publicly executed or turned into a wanted fugitive with posters all over the streets.
The only reason she was being allowed in now was because she was technically the villainess daughter of House Sempherion, with official status.
‘I can’t believe I hit –999 in Reputation.’
What on earth had the “past Elysia” been doing to get here?
‘Well, at least this is good to know.’
In any case, coming to the palace with Jerome had been the right move. As long as she had the “deputy tower master” with her, she could get in without meeting the stat requirements.
‘Still, I should probably try to raise it later…’
While she was deep in thought—
“You’ve waited long,” said a voice.
Eventually, the palace messenger returned.
“I’m sorry, but an audience with His Majesty is not possible at this time.”
“Then…”
Jerome was about to argue when another voice interrupted.
“Then I’ll speak in his stead.”
Elysia turned toward the source of the voice.
Soft green eyes that reminded her of a forest, light green hair that shimmered under the sunlight yet gave off a calm presence, and a luxurious outfit embroidered with golden threads.
“How urgent must this matter be, that the deputy tower master would come all this way in person?”
“…I greet His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
It was none other than the Crown Prince of the Empire, Leonar Aystas.
Jerome bowed immediately, and Elysia followed suit. She didn’t know much about palace etiquette, so she just copied what Jerome did—and since no one said anything, she figured she did alright.
As she raised her head slightly, her eyes met with the Crown Prince’s, who had been looking at her intently.
“Lady Sempherion is here as well. If I’d known, I would’ve prepared refreshments.”
He smiled warmly—an unmistakably friendly gesture. Slowly, he extended his hand toward her.
As if inviting her to take it.
“…Am I supposed to take it?”
The chat window exploded.
Of course, take it!!
He’s offering an escort FROM THE START?!
This scene doesn’t even happen until the mid-game for Frillian!
The Crown Prince NEVER reaches out first like this!
‘Maybe it’s just formal politeness.’
Remaining cautious, Elysia placed her hand gently on his.
The Crown Prince—known in Remegol as the most difficult male lead to win over—was treating Elysia surprisingly warmly.
‘Even though the setup says Elysia used to chase him relentlessly.’
Surely he’d be sick of her by now. She didn’t expect anyone to like a villainess.
But contrary to her expectations, his friendly behavior didn’t stop.
“Let’s go inside and talk. Will you join me, Elly?”
He gently pulled her hand in a practiced motion, like he’d done this countless times. Holding her fingertips delicately, Leonar led her forward with familiar ease.
And when they had walked far enough ahead to put some distance between themselves and Jerome, the Crown Prince leaned in and whispered softly near her ear.
“…Elly, why didn’t you send me a letter this week?”
His sigh-laced voice continued.
“I was waiting for your letter.”
…?
…What the hell?? He waited for her letter?
What kind of letters have these two been exchanging???
She had initially thought his voice sounded calm and friendly, but whispered like this, it was downright sweet. With a soft chuckle in his tone, he added—
“But I do like it when you surprise me like this, too.”
?????
WHAT IS THIS
THEY WERE MUTUAL ALL ALONG?!
