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CHAPTER 14
“Of course. Who would expect someone to be lying in a place like this?”
“But my lady, you stepped only on me.”
So now they’re treating me like the villain?
Was this how Elufe always felt? Being suspected and hated for no reason felt worse than she had imagined.
Sure, it was her fault for stepping on him, but somehow this whole situation felt extremely unfair.
It was like he had just appeared out of nowhere. Not that anyone would believe her if she said that…
Still, since she was sorry, she walked up to him and brushed off the dirt from his clothes where her footprint had landed.
His shoulders twitched slightly—maybe surprised by her action.
“What are you doing?”
“Just brushing off the dirt from your clothes.”
“Liar. You’ve been hovering around me since earlier. What is it you want from me?”
Watching him bristle like that, she barely managed to hold back a sigh.
“It’s just an apology. I wasn’t hoping for anything in return.”
He frowned, clearly unable to comprehend her response.
Frankly, she didn’t understand him either.
If she had to name the most mysterious person in her life right now, it was the one standing in front of her.
She had played countless routes as the protagonist, Roelin, but she had never seen or even heard of this man before.
And yet, he held the critical position of being the Crown Prince’s close confidant.
Most of the people she had met here had clear identities—either characters she had encountered in previous playthroughs or those whose habits and personalities were easy to read. It was easy to act naturally around them.
But not this man. He didn’t give away any information easily, and every time their eyes met, she felt uneasy.
Yeah, nothing good will come from staying involved with this guy.
Before dying, she had been confident that she knew how to win over every character in the game.
But in reality, she couldn’t control even Roelin’s older brother, Rekanon.
She never imagined that a simple substitute task to change her image would spiral this badly.
Just thinking about the private meeting with the Emperor made her feel like all the energy in her body had drained away.
I’ve got my own problems—why should it matter whether someone was in the original game or not?
If this guy hadn’t been mentioned in the game, there were only two possible reasons:
He either died before reaching adulthood, or he was exiled from the imperial family before that.
Trying to shake off the odd sense of déjà vu, she refocused.
“Ah, thanks for what you did last time.”
He didn’t respond—just silently stared at her, so handsome it was almost overwhelming.
It reminded her of her first visit to the zoo as a child. She had stared curiously at the giant animals she had only seen in books.
Is he… observing me? Why’s he looking at me like that? Did he think I was trying to repay him without offering anything in return?
Trying to maintain good posture, she looked up and gave him a smile.
“You’re like a savior to me. If there’s anything you want, please let me know.”
She only said that because she felt his eyes on her, but she meant it sincerely. He had saved her.
Just thinking about that day—when she acted recklessly, thinking it was all a dream—still made her legs shake.
If he hadn’t taken her side back then… no, she didn’t even want to imagine it.
“Wasn’t your father said to be the second-richest man in the Empire?”
His gaze turned flat and disinterested as he asked, clearly not expecting much. He probably thought there wasn’t much a child could offer in return.
“Maybe. I’ve never counted all our assets myself, so I’m not sure.”
As she said that, she casually touched her expensive brooch—subtly showing off her wealth.
At first, she hadn’t known much about Count Inferna, still adjusting to this new reality.
But after entering the palace, she came to fully understand just how powerful the Inferna family was.
She was a noblewoman so spoiled and adored that it stirred hidden inferiority complexes in others.
Of course, it wasn’t true affection—it was just how the gifts from Count Inferna looked to others.
Her dresses and jewelry were on par with imperial attire. People would click their tongues in awe. Even if she didn’t want to know her status, it was impossible to ignore.
“…”
“Ah.”
Watching his silence, she suddenly realized she might’ve sounded a bit rude.
“I-I didn’t mean to imply that everything should be paid with money. If there’s anything else you need, I’ll get it for you. I was taught that when someone helps you, you repay them double.”
Even with this new life, some things didn’t change. Better to settle debts and end relationships cleanly.
If this guy ends up exiled from the palace and comes begging for help, I might get dragged into something unexpected. That’d be a disaster.
Lost in thought, her eyes met his.
“You don’t seem like a pure-hearted soul.”
Wait—did he just read my mind!?
Flustered, she quickly looked away. Her heart was pounding, and she started to hear people approaching.
“…Babe, are you sure no one’s here?”
“Of course! Don’t you trust me? I even scouted this spot. All the couples in the palace meet here!”
“But what if someone sees us…”
“Even if someone’s here, they’ll be just like us—passionately in love.”
Hidden in the grass, a couple whispered. Startled, she blinked.
The boy next to her chuckled.
“Hmm. Looks like someone is here.”
He kept his gaze fixed on her face. His eyes slowly moved past hers, down to her lips, then down the line of her neck…
And finally, to her—sleeve?
“Ah.”
Startled by the noise, she had unconsciously grabbed his sleeve tightly.
Embarrassed by the silly thoughts running through her head, her face turned bright red.
“I just… if word got out that the Crown Prince’s confidant and I were seen together in the palace… it might cause trouble.”
Count Inferna had told her to seduce the Crown Prince. A scandal involving some other man would be a problem.
But truthfully, she’d been too focused on his face to think about any of that.
Ugh… am I weak to handsome faces or something?
Feeling ashamed, she let go of his sleeve.
Just as it seemed he was about to leave, he suddenly yanked her toward him.
Thwack.
“Huh?”
She was suddenly in his arms, mouth opening and closing like a fish in shock.
Without meeting her eyes, he murmured:
“The Second Prince is nearby.”
She looked around quickly but didn’t see Rekanon anywhere.
Just as she was about to say he must’ve been mistaken, Rekanon’s furious voice rang out in the distance:
“Elufe Inferna! If I catch you, you’re dead! Arrghhh!!”
Even from far away, it was obvious how angry he was.
He sounded like a beast who’d lost its prey.
“Th-thank you.”
If Rekanon had found them just now, she would’ve been toast. She heard the boy beside her laugh softly.
She looked up—only to find that he was already gone.
…Was he a magician?
Crown Prince Repeynon had stepped down and become a mage.
After he left with the Grand Mage, Roelin—her goddess—became the Emperor in his place.
Rekanon, who had never once shown interest in the throne, gave it up and became Roelin’s lifelong Swordmaster instead.
So… was I just witnessing a plotline the original never explored?
Many players had complained about “plot holes” when Repeynon suddenly became a mage.
Back then, she didn’t care much about the Crown Prince and was happy enough with Roelin on the throne.
But now, it seemed likely this mysterious boy had taught Repeynon magic—something the original story never revealed.
Amazing. I just saw it with my own eyes—it wasn’t a plot hole after all.
It felt like finding a radiant rainbow in the middle of a dreary rainy season.
After that, she had to keep dodging Rekanon, who seemed constantly on her trail. Every day felt like a thundercloud overhead.
The only comfort was knowing that Roelin was alive and well.
She was just too cute—so much that it took her breath away.
“Aaaah! (I’m bored!)”
Roelin’s plump, snowy cheeks were the very image of an angel.
Even when she pouted, her cuteness couldn’t be hidden. She even yawned adorably with that cherubic face.
How could someone be this perfectly lovable?
“Hey, blah-blah-aah, hehh—oyeee. (You, the talk buddy. Do something!)”
Roelin had started saying random nonsense, convinced the girl couldn’t understand her.
But the girl did understand Roelin’s baby talk—and she wanted to help, but there were too many eyes around.
So, she had to pretend like she hadn’t heard a thing, standing quietly like a tree.
“…”
Lying in her cradle all day, Roelin looked increasingly depressed, and the girl just wanted to do something—anything—for her.
Of course, no one else seemed to notice.
“Waaah! Waaaahh! (I’m so bored I could die! How long am I supposed to stare at the ceiling?)”
As Roelin’s whiny cries grew louder, the maids nearby exchanged worried whispers.
“Why is Her Highness crying so much?”
“If we knew that, would His Majesty have bothered appointing a talk buddy?”
“Can someone really understand just from her crying?”
