Episode 68. Radicalization (3)

‘Let’s organize my thoughts.’

I began to write with a scratchy pen.

‘From Sienna’s memories, it seems she realized she was destined to be a villainess. So she kept resisting.’

But no matter how hard she tried, things wouldn’t have gone well. Daniel painted her as a villainess, and misunderstandings with others would have deepened.

‘In the end, she even doubted if her feelings for Daniel were real.’

Ultimately, she sought escape through death.

‘That’s probably why I ended up possessing Sienna Liata.’

Putting it this way makes it sound simple, but for me, it was akin to being struck by lightning.

‘I should have stayed out of others’ business.’

If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have installed this game on my phone. But there was no point in thinking that way now. Since I was already here, the system wanted me to complete Sienna’s role.

I bit the pen and pouted.

‘Game settings are truly cruel. What seems like settings to me are unavoidable fates for these people.’

Even for me, not being able to say a single word as I wish is incredibly frustrating.

‘And then there’s the protagonist, Beth.’

Beth distorts those around her. She can cloud people’s minds and change situations with a few tears.

‘That’s probably because she’s the protagonist.’

And the player controlling the game is Beth. She is likely the only one who can move with her own will in this game.

‘That explains the sense of incongruity I felt.’

The designated character is a lovely angelic protagonist, but that doesn’t mean the player’s personality aligns with that.

‘Just like I’m frustrated being trapped in the villainess role, she could be frustrated being trapped in the angelic protagonist role.’

Whatever her nature, she will try to proceed with the game as intended. This game world is designed solely for her.

‘And probably the highlight of the game is my death.’

That’s why I was given a survival quest.

Less than 60 days remain.

‘I won’t die easily.’

I vowed firmly.

* * *

Meanwhile, upon arriving at the palace, Percy scowled.

‘If you’re going to summon someone, you should at least clean up first.’

In the Emperor’s bedroom, the once Emperor lay dead, and Julius, the presumed killer, sat with sharp eyes.

Percy surveyed the filthy floor with a disinterested gaze and then bowed politely.

“Your Majesty.”

“…You’re quite good at changing your words.”

Julius laughed dryly at the title, his desolate eyes revealing it was not genuine amusement.

‘This wasn’t part of my plan.’

Percy bit his lip briefly and then asked in a calm voice.

“You asked for my help, and now you expect me to clean up this mess?”

“I didn’t intend for this. Haha, but here we are.”

Julius’s voice sounded unstable.

“How did you manage to fend off Sienna? She would have tried to follow you.”

He knew her well, as if he thought of her as family. Percy, deliberately keeping his face expressionless, answered.

“She collapsed, probably from the strain of the funeral. She’s resting now.”

“Collapsed?”

Julius asked seriously, but Percy didn’t answer. This man was now the Emperor. Percy didn’t want to share anything about Sienna with him.

He changed the subject.

“Congratulations. You have ascended to the throne. I’ll handle the announcement of your legitimacy.”

“Before that, I have an order.”

When Percy frowned and looked at Julius, Julius interlocked his fingers and spoke.

“I want you to kill all the other Zulatans.”

“…Are you aware that they are your siblings?”

“If they live, my role will pass to another. We must eliminate any potential substitutes.”

There it was again, “role.”

Percy’s red eyes darkened. Julius spoke with a mocking tone.

“You’re the right person to handle this neatly, aren’t you?”

True enough. Percy raised one eyebrow.

“But that’s not your only reason, is it?”

“And.”

Julius smiled faintly.

“I’m curious. Can you really not defy my orders?”

Then, as if he had never smiled, he commanded coldly.

“Kneel.”

“…Ugh.”

Bound by a blood oath he couldn’t refuse, Percy was forced to his knees as if crushed by a giant hand.

No matter how many times it happened, it was always a disgusting experience. Percy scowled and twisted his lips.

“Did you get your answer?”

“Yes.”

Julius lifted his head.

“Strangely, it feels refreshing.”

Contrary to his words, a deep sadness lingered on his face.

* * *

Contrary to Percy’s promise to come back and tell me everything, he hadn’t returned to the estate for several days. Initially, I waited for him, all dressed up, but now I sat in the dining room in my pajamas, looking disgruntled.

‘He used to sit across from me and make snide comments during breakfast.’

The absence of Percy was most keenly felt during breakfast. As I sighed and propped my chin on my hand, the ever-diligent butler brought in the morning paper.

“The state funeral has been announced, and the coronation date has also been set. Here is the relevant information.”

Seeing the headline made my eyebrows shoot up. I pouted and said, “I knew the royal family didn’t think highly of me, but to find out about a family death through the newspaper?”

The headline was about the Emperor’s funeral and the coronation. Reading the detailed dates and locations of the events made me irritable.

‘Has Julius decided to cut ties with me?’

Despite our blood relation, how could they release such information without a word to me? I poked the newspaper with my index finger and asked the butler.

“Is this article accurate?”

“Yes, it is.”

I frowned and read the article thoroughly again. But something seemed off.

‘The state funeral isn’t just for the Emperor?’

It wasn’t just the Emperor; all the royals with the surname Zulatan seemed to have been killed.

‘Isn’t this practically a royal massacre?’

A chill ran down my spine, and I recalled what the butler had said that night.

– Only Duke Stewart is summoned.

‘Did they plan to kill everyone but me? Then why was Percy summoned?’

I had thought the tone was odd at the time, but seeing the article now made it even scarier. Staring silently at the newspaper, I shook my head.

‘No, Julius is too timid for that. He’s not the type to kill his siblings. He was probably closer to them than to me.’

I tried to calm my racing thoughts by rationalizing it this way. The article concluded with a statement:

[We vow to open a new nation by purging the corrupt royal family.]

‘So Julius did orchestrate the purge.’

Should I praise my brother for being decisive, or should I distance myself from Julius too?

It was an impossible question to answer. Feeling troubled, I asked the butler cautiously, “What is the public sentiment?”

“There is widespread support for the young Emperor’s rise.”

The butler’s answer was succinct. Seeing my doubtful expression, a maid elaborated.

“The discovery of the bodies of those unjustly punished by the previous Emperor has led to strong support for Crown Prince Julius’s decisive action.”

“Oh.”

That made sense.

‘The Emperor was indeed a massive tyrant. But I didn’t expect Julius to be capable of such decisive action.’

I looked back at the newspaper.

“The state funeral starts tomorrow, and the coronation is in four days.”

Is the game just going to drag on like this for the remaining 50 days? While I was deep in thought, the butler spoke.

“You must attend, Madam. You and His Majesty are the only remaining royals.”

“What?”

I’m the only one left?

I wanted to ask Percy what had happened, but he didn’t return until the day of the coronation.

* * *

Three more days passed like that. The Stewart estate was unexpectedly busy during this time, not because of the state funeral, but because they were sending out notices that my wedding to Percy had been postponed.

The maids, pretending to cry in front of me, said.

“We didn’t expect your wedding to be delayed like this, Madam.”

“It was so close, just needing you both to hold hands and make your vows.”

Apparently, wedding invitations had already been sent out without my knowledge.

‘What were they preparing behind my back?’

I was surprised to learn that the wedding preparations had progressed so far without anyone telling me.

Regardless, I sipped my iced tea nonchalantly.

“It’s because of the state funeral; it can’t be helped. Maybe it’s a sign from above to reconsider marrying Percy Stewart.”

Divorce is said to be four times harder than marriage. Perhaps it’s a good time to rethink the wedding.

My mischievous remark made the maids look distressed.

“Please don’t say such things, even as a joke, Madam.”