Chapter 10: A Troubled Constitution (1)
– Percy, you have a mission.
Percy looked up and faced the man holding onto his own shoulders.
– Until this land was unified under the name of the Empire, there were five separate kingdoms here. We were the rulers of those kingdoms. The alliance we formed to strengthen ourselves eventually only benefited those Jalatan scoundrels.
Percy’s father had been a man who seemed to wonder if obsession was a living entity. A man who had run his whole life towards a single goal, eventually passing that dream onto his son.
– We must reclaim the glory of the past.
Percy nodded quietly to himself.
‘Not interesting.’
From his perspective, nothing was ever exciting. Whether it was an Emperor who didn’t seem happy despite sitting on the throne or his father, who always felt wronged for what he didn’t have.
‘I want to do something interesting.’
Percy knew that having such thoughts wasn’t normal, but who cared? This world was filled with lunatics anyway. Why not find something interesting in it? And Sienna Liata was the most fascinating woman he had ever met.
Percy approached her and took Sienna’s hand. Then, he made the most powerful proposal a man and woman could make.
“Please marry me, Princess Sienna.”
He had hoped to see her smile just by looking into those round green eyes.
❀❀❀❀
Now, a very handsome young man kissed the back of my hand and said,
“Please marry me.”
“Yes, gladly… Huh? What did you say?”
I nodded my head as if I were entranced, then suddenly snapped back to reality.
His crimson eyes softened as they looked at me, and it sent a shiver down my spine. It was a smile that seemed to send chills.
‘What’s going on with this person? Am I proposing while stepping on the Crown Prince’s head right now?’
I couldn’t even begin to guess the reason behind this. Did he fall for my audacity in treating the Crown Prince this way?
‘Isn’t that dangerous?’
I wondered if there was something wrong with me, and even Julius, who had forgotten his pain, was watching us with his mouth wide open.
The status window rang over my frozen head in my confusion.
※ Warning! The villainess does not make sounds like “Eh,” “Uh,” “Tsk,” etc.
…Haha, surprisingly, the only one who seemed sane in this situation was the status window.
‘Uh, there’s just too much happening all of a sudden, and I can’t think straight.’
I extended my palm and made a gesture to pause for a moment.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
It seemed like this man had witnessed me hitting Julius from start to finish. Yet, instead of making an unfavorable statement, he proposed. Is that correct?
‘At what point did this man come to the extreme conclusion of proposing? Until recently, he was quite reserved.’
At first, I thought he had fallen for me, but soon it seemed that wasn’t the case. After all, the reason for the proposal isn’t necessarily love, right?
‘Even so, it doesn’t make sense. There’s no particular benefit in it.’
Even after organizing my thoughts, I couldn’t understand the situation. It seemed that my understanding was not lacking but rather that the situation was too inexplicable.
‘For now, I should respond to the proposal.’
I appreciated the proposal, but I was about to ask what in the world he was thinking. The system, which had allowed me to speak freely until now, suddenly began to control me.
A choice that was far from resolving the situation gently came to mind.
▶ I didn’t know you had a talent for nonsense, Duke Stewart.
▶ Are you enjoying watching my brother being trampled right now? Should I trample you too?
Hey, just wait a moment. Hold on.
‘Why is this one so extreme?’
Status window, is this the best option? If you truly think this is the best, you should study writing again.
‘Furthermore, until just a while ago, I could babble on as I pleased. Why has it suddenly turned into a choice?’
I actually received a proposal. I received a proposal from an ultra-handsome man who didn’t even appear in the game. But how should I react in this situation?
‘What on earth is the problem! This suits a villainess. A handsome follower!’
I had a lot I wanted to say, but time was still passing even in this moment. If I hesitated in my choice, the options would turn even more wicked.
I held back my tears and chose the first option.
“I didn’t know you had a talent for nonsense, Duke Stewart.”
“It’s not nonsense.”
Even with my stern response, Percy chuckled as if finding it amusing. It was a laugh that seemed to have a hidden meaning, and I found myself unconsciously taking a step back.
He tapped his chin with his long fingers and muttered.
“It’s truly fascinating. Princess Sienna was certainly not like this just a while ago.”
Well, that’s because I’m currently possessed.
‘Sharp.’
This man must have been indifferent to Sienna as usual. If I had been close to him, Julius wouldn’t have urgently shouted for him to save himself like that.
Yet, just from seeing me once or twice, he vaguely sensed that I was different.
‘Dangerous person.’
The system window didn’t provide detailed information about what would happen if the fact that I’m possessed was revealed to others.
‘But it surely won’t be good.’
When considering the somewhat coercive gameplay, if the foundation of the game, the possession of the character, was revealed, there was a possibility the system would forcefully change the narrative.
‘Right now, it would be better to leave this place.’
As I pondered whether to just turn around and run away, a ding sounded and the options came up.
▶ I have no interest in you. Please leave with that useless man.
▶ What do you know about me?
‘Ah, really.’
I have a lot to say, but I should stop now. The more I try to speak, the messier it seems to get.
I let out a sigh. I was frustrated, and my hunger felt like it could make me faint. However, the intent behind the choices was too clear, so I couldn’t just get up and leave.
‘He’s pretty blatantly steering the conversation in a certain direction.’
For some reason, it seemed like both me and this man wanted the conversation to continue.
‘But if we continue like this, what happens if the possession is revealed?’
I didn’t even know who this person was, but he already knew about the villainess sister. The more we talked, the stronger the discomfort would become.
“….”
However, I couldn’t just choose the option above without resistance.
‘If I do that, I’ll completely sever the connection with this man.’
The way to escape the role of a villainess in a romance game. It’s to annul the engagement with the male lead, Daniel Bohannon.
‘And there’s not just one way to annul an engagement peacefully, right?’
There’s also a way to form a new engagement.
For example, with a man like Percy Stewart, the Duke.
‘But can I really get engaged to this man? It feels like jumping from the wolf to the tiger.’
I couldn’t make up my mind. It was when I was struggling, unable to answer with my lips.
“Seeing you make such an awkward expression is entertaining, Princess.”
Percy’s red eyes sparkled like drops of blood. He stepped closer to me and whispered in my ear.
“Let’s discuss our engagement step by step.”
His deep baritone voice sent shivers down my spine.
‘Why aren’t the choices appearing now?’
I wanted to say something, anything, to divert his gaze, but it seemed like the system was malfunctioning, and the options didn’t appear.
As I resented the gods for my silence, a deep voice whispered my name.
“Sienna.”
“…!”
Startled, I turned and looked at him, clutching myself with both arms. He tilted his head as if wondering what he had done wrong.
I felt like I had messed up big time.
❀❀❀❀
I have only 98 days left. But in the end, I wasted every single day.
After dealing with Julius and Percy, perhaps due to my frayed nerves, even my hunger disappeared.
‘Ah, I don’t know. I don’t care. I just want to lie here.’
Outside the blanket was still dangerous. I would just stay inside it.
As I lay there, I had this thought:
‘If I don’t take a single step outside the blanket, can I avoid the bad ending?’
I had been actively trying to avoid the bad ending so far. But being passive like this was also a comfortable way.
I lay on the bed, curled up like a caterpillar, instead of spreading the blanket. I think I even dozed off a bit. Maybe I just fainted from exhaustion.
How much time had passed like this? It was pitch black outside. I didn’t know if a day had passed or if I was still in the middle of D-day 98.
‘I thought the palace guards would rush in to apprehend me immediately, but it’s so quiet. Julius could never stay quiet.’
What was I thinking yesterday? Thinking about it again, I must have been out of my mind. Not only did I raise my voice, but I even physically attacked, hitting his thigh and stepping on his face.
‘But even though it’s quiet, did that man somehow settle things yesterday?’
I blinked my eyes while lying half-buried in the bed. His face popped up in my mind without any effort. His striking looks made his face easily memorable.
‘Percy Stewart.’
A man with smooth golden hair and icy crimson eyes that didn’t quite match.
‘I don’t know what his deal is.’
