Episode 82. What is Fate? (5)

“What’s that noise?”

One of the guards stationed outside Beth’s cell muttered, raising his head. Beth, who had been worried that no one might be nearby, felt a surge of hope when she heard their voices and began to cry out even louder.

“I’m so scared! You’re all trying to kill me, aren’t you? If you’re going to do it, just kill me quickly! I feel like I’m about to stop breathing!”

To her ears, her voice sounded pitifully desperate, filled with genuine terror from the countless times she had already died and come back to life.

“Please, at least tell me why I’ve been locked up! It’s too cruel to imprison me without even telling me the reason!”

The guards outside her door exchanged uneasy glances at her plea. One of them moved to open the door, but his companion grabbed his arm.

“We can’t open it. Didn’t the duke order us not to speak to her?”

“But what if something really happens to her?”

“Even so…”

“Let’s at least hear what she wants. What could a frail young lady do on her own?”

“That’s true.”

Beth heard the sound of the guards approaching the door and grasping the handle. A sly grin spread across her face as she realized her plan was working.

“Don’t.”

A cold voice cut through the tension between the two guards. It was the lieutenant, the one Percy had assigned to watch over Beth.

The lieutenant gave the two guards a stern look and spoke firmly.

“The duke’s orders are absolute. Have you forgotten?”

“Apologies.”

“The duke specifically commanded that you neither speak to her nor make eye contact. Do not disobey his orders.”

“Yes, sir!”

Through the crack in the door, Beth faintly heard the exchange and pouted in frustration.

‘Damn it, even the lackeys are stubborn.’

But there was a silver lining. From their conversation, it was clear that the crazy man—Percy—wasn’t here.

‘I need to escape while he’s away. But how?’

Crying would only work if she could see someone’s face to appeal to, and not everyone was susceptible to her tears. If tears alone were enough, Percy would have been swayed long before he killed her those dozens of times.

‘It seems like my power only works on people who are mentioned in the game. It might not work on those who know about my abilities.’

The uncertainty of it all was infuriating. Why did this damn game make her do all the work without explaining the rules properly? Beth found herself cursing even the game she had once enjoyed.

As she fumed, she heard footsteps approaching, followed by a soft knock on the door.

“Meal delivery.”

Beth glared at the door.

‘Why are they feeding me? It’s infuriating.’

The food was even tasty. If they were going to treat her like a prisoner, shouldn’t they at least let her go for a walk and listen to her grievances? But as Beth shook her head in anger, a chilling thought occurred to her.

‘No, no. They know I can’t die permanently. It’s better to get food and water than to be starved to death.’

Technically, she didn’t die; she just came back to life. Percy had killed her with overwhelming force, leaving her no time to scream. Starving to death, however, would be a prolonged, agonizing process, with days of suffering before the end.

‘No, this is definitely better. This is much better.’

As she shook her head, she noticed something unusual. Her eyes widened in surprise.

‘Wait? The door is opening?’

The door, which she thought would never open, creaked slightly, and one of the guards peeked in, holding a tray of food.

Tensing up, she wondered why the door had suddenly opened. The guard cautiously asked,

“…Aren’t you Sir Daniel’s fiancée?”

It was a question that brought immense relief to Beth. She quickly flushed her cheeks with a rosy hue and nodded eagerly.

“Yes! Yes! Do you know Daniel?”

“It just came to mind. I thought I recognized you.”

His smiling face was so ordinary that Beth couldn’t remember ever seeing him before. But she was certain.

‘He’s a character from the game, even if only as part of the background.’

The moment she realized her tears might work on him, Beth immediately began to sob.

“Hic…”

As soon as Beth started to shed tears, she could see the guard’s resolve crumbling before her eyes. Her mind raced as she searched for the perfect words—something that wouldn’t seem out of place for the heroine, while also subtly shifting the blame onto the real source of her troubles. It didn’t take long for her to settle on an approach similar to how she had tattled on Sienna’s villainous deeds to Daniel before. She whimpered softly, her voice trembling with faux sincerity.

“Why is the Duke of Stewart acting this way? It’s as if he doesn’t want Daniel to be happy. Daniel is finally about to find happiness, and yet…”

It was the right move. The guard’s face not only softened with sympathy toward Beth, but it also showed a growing distrust towards Percy. Combined with the fact that Beth was a frail young lady and he was a knight, it was enough to spur his misguided sense of chivalry.

“Yes, you’re right. After what happened to the late Count Bohan, and with you being locked up like this when Daniel is already struggling, it’s just too much.”

Encouraged by his response, Beth let her tears flow even more freely, bringing Daniel into the conversation.

“Is Daniel okay? I’m so worried about him.”

“He’s been shutting himself in at his estate, not eating or drinking, from what I’ve heard.”

The response wasn’t quite what Beth had hoped for.

‘His estate?’

Her eyes narrowed under the shadow of her hand.

‘While I’m stuck here going through hell, almost literally dying from fear, he’s just lounging around at home?’

Beth had been genuinely terrified—no, she had actually died and come back to life multiple times. And yet, while the heroine was enduring such torment, the hero was relaxing at home?

Unaware of Beth’s thoughts, the knight placed his hand over his heart and spoke with determined resolve.

“I will take responsibility and return you to Sir Daniel.”

‘Oh, that would be wonderful, really.’

She wanted to smile brightly and tell him to go ahead, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t be in line with Beth’s character. Instead, she lowered her head in a show of modesty and replied in a resigned tone.

“No, I can’t put you in danger too.”

That was what a saintly heroine would say.

‘This is truly revolting. Isn’t this the height of hypocrisy?’

After all, shouldn’t one’s own life be the most important? Even after everything she had gone through, she was pretending to worry about someone who could help her. The level of stupidity was astounding.

But Beth played the part willingly. She knew that no matter how much she pretended, the characters in this world would never betray her.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try. Please, allow me to help. Don’t worry about me—I couldn’t bear to see you suffer.”

“If that’s the case, I’d be deeply grateful. But please, don’t feel burdened. I don’t want to cause anyone any unhappiness.”

“You truly are an angel at heart. Sir Daniel is fortunate to have found someone like you.”

Beth smiled silently, but inside, her thoughts were far from pure.

‘Ah, the gods have not abandoned me after all.’

She was still the protagonist of this world.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Bohan estate, Daniel finally pushed open his door and stepped outside for the first time in what felt like ages. He had been bedridden for so long that even walking felt strange, his legs weak and unsteady.

As he forced his heavy body to take one step after another, his mind began to clear.

‘I feel like I’m slowly coming out of a fog.’

The heavy mist that had clouded his thoughts seemed to be lifting. As he reached the central hall, he was spotted by the butler, who had been issuing orders to the servants. The butler’s eyes widened in shock.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

The title “master” felt oddly foreign to Daniel. He rubbed his ear awkwardly, trying to shake off the discomfort. The butler gazed at him with teary-eyed relief.

“You’ve finally come out of your room.”

The words struck Daniel as a bit strange. To be honest, his memories were all jumbled, so he couldn’t quite grasp the full meaning of the butler’s “finally.”

“…Have I been away for that long?”

“Now that you’re out, everything will be fine.”

The butler wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, clearly overwhelmed with emotion. Daniel watched him for a moment before pressing his hand to his forehead and muttering.

“It feels like I’ve been having a long, terrible dream… a nightmare that wouldn’t end.”

“The passing of the late Count Bohan was a significant event. It’s only natural that you were deeply affected. But I always believed you would recover your strength.”

Daniel merely tilted his head in response, unsure of what to say. Even the details surrounding his father’s death were hazy in his mind.

After a brief moment of standing there, lost in thought, Daniel shrugged his shoulders and asked,

“The Imperial Knight Order—has anything happened?”

The butler’s expression became troubled, and he fell silent. From that alone, Daniel understood what the man was struggling to say. He narrowed his eyes and forced a smile.

“I’ve been dismissed, haven’t I? After all this time, it’s only natural.”

“…What matters is that you’ve regained your strength.”

“Yes.”

Daniel nodded, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t that simple. He had worked tirelessly to join the Imperial Knight Order, but now, even after being dismissed, he felt nothing. It was as if all his emotions had been numbed.

As he stood there, dazed, Daniel hesitated before speaking again.

“Princess Sienna…”

The moment he uttered her name, a sharp pain pierced his heart.