I'm a Supporting Role in a Horror Game, Don't Kill Me

The price surprised me so much that I thought I’d have hiccups.

“Shall we look around other places?”

When I tried to hide my surprise by smiling, Lakers looked into my eyes and responded softly.

“Don’t like the clothes at this boutique? I know the dedicated designer personally, and he has good skills. Please look around some more.”

“No. It isn’t like that.” 

“Ah.”

He opened his eyes wide as if he had noticed something, and then continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“I’ll buy you at least one set. Aren’t you planning to meet a good person at this palace banquet?”

‘Are you being sarcastic or something?’

I couldn’t show off in front of him, who seemed to have immediately understood my light financial situation and the trouble I was having with just a few words.

‘But I also feel uncomfortable wearing the clothes Luke bought me.’

My mother always said that the hardest thing was getting money from her pockets into her own. This means that people only paid for things that were valuable. What good was I to Luke that I was willing to buy them expensive clothes even if I pretended to do this? My money couldn’t buy even the cheapest dress here.

‘It would be better to go out as expected. I don’t want to be in his care.’

I hesitated and turned around, but Luke whispered as if he knew what I was thinking.

“It’s been a long time since the princess invited me, but it’s also polite to attend dressed appropriately. Just take it. I’ll give you a bonus for doing a good job.”

‘…The bonus will be several times more expensive than the actual salary.’

Still, I couldn’t just refuse the word of courtesy, so as I was thinking for a moment, a sparkling phrase next to the purple off-shoulder dress in front of me caught my eye.

[Purple Dress

Charisma: +30

Increasing the probability of favorability events occurring at the palace and tea parties]

I quickly swallowed the words of humility that rose to the top of my chin. I was strangely immersed in it and had completely forgotten about it, but this was a game. It occurred to me later that dressing well is not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for functional reasons. There was also a function that could easily increase likability by wearing appropriate clothes depending on the location or event. As I looked around, I noticed that each piece of clothing had a different charm value.

‘…Because the difference in probability is so small, I never bothered to buy it while playing.

’But my life depended on it. Even the slightest difference in probability can result in any outcome. I also looked around at other dresses. Each dress conveyed a different message. Of course, as attractiveness increased, so did the price. The closer the dress was to the display window, the higher the price.

I swallowed hard.

‘I need to buy this! As a player, you naturally want to have good equipment.

“…Please give me a short advance payment rather than a gift and I will repay you slowly.”

As I muttered hesitantly, Luke shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if it’s really inconvenient, I don’t mind, but it’s only a small amount of money to me anyway.”

“…but.”

He stared into my eyes as if it was funny and then said.

“If you don’t feel comfortable buying it without conditions, I will do it on the condition that you answer honestly the one question I ask you next time.”

…It’s a question. It’s strange that he has so many questions about me.

I nodded helplessly.

He was the one with something to hide, not me. It didn’t matter what he asked. Luke pulled his lips and smiled quietly.

“It’s difficult to buy clothes for you.”

He called a boutique employee and said,

“Please prepare clothes that will suit this lady here.”

I assumed he was there to get a match, but it appears Luke was just following me. While the employee measured my body, I looked around at the dresses hanging in the store. Clothes that didn’t initially appeal to me due to their design now look different.

‘When comparing the attractiveness value and the degree to which it increases the probability of event occurrence…’

After looking around for a while, I came to a halt in front of a dress hanging high on the wall, leaving the staff member to recommend clothing that would fit me.

[Pure White Dress Charisma: +40 Increases the likelihood of favorable events in the palace, tea party, and salon.]

The price tag had a huge number on it: 4500G. It’s definitely the most expensive piece of clothing here.

‘It can’t be helped. Of course, the price is proportional to the performance.’

It was a white dress with a rich skirt that looked cheerful. I liked the fact that even though it was a pure white dress, it was made in a thin skirt style from the waist to give it a lively feel, so it didn’t look like a wedding dress. I also liked that it was a cute style that contrasted with all the modest dresses in Arbice Green’s closet. But still… What I liked most was the performance.

“…Here, I’ll wear these clothes.”

The clerk rushed over with bright eyes and removed the dress from the shop window. Then he dragged me to the mirror, made me stand up, and placed the dress in front of me.

“Wow, you have a very good eye. This is the most luxurious dress in this collection. Of course, we used high-quality fabrics appropriate for the price, and the embroidery by craftsmen was included, so it’s well worth the money.”

“Phew.”

When I looked at Luke after the sudden burst of laughter, he smiled back at me, wondering what was so funny.

“Why are you laughing?” Doesn’t it suit me?

“After you declined like that, I thought you somehow managed to find the most expensive clothes.”

I felt a little embarrassed when I heard that.

‘I chose it based on performance, not price. Of course, performance and price are proportional.’

Besides, this outfit suited me very well. The clerk’s words weren’t just a sales pitch; I always wore dull, dark-colored clothes, but now that I was wearing pure white clothes, I looked different. My face looked bright and my skin looked bright too. The clerk smiled when he saw me quietly observing the mirror.

“It suits you really well, right? The emerald hair and clothes color are perfect. Would you like to see the matching shoes and jewelry as well?”

The staff naturally encourages overspending, and Luke stood up and casually selected a necklace worth five times my salary and earrings worth four times the amount.

“No, that’s okay…”

“Hmm? If you like a different design, choose it yourself.”

However, as I got closer to decline, I saw the performance figures written on the items again.

“Thank you so much, goodbye!”

‘…ha.’

When I came to my senses, I saw a total of five employees, including not only the clerk but also the store owner, bending towards us so that the tops of their heads were visible to see us off. It was a big expense.

‘…Why on earth are you asking me to buy something like this?’

I couldn’t even guess. I shook my head.

‘Yes, if Luke ends up rotting in prison for the rest of his life, I won’t have anywhere to spend my money.’

I didn’t ask him to buy it… 

‘It’s not something I should be thankful for. It’s okay. Let’s stop thinking.’

As I left the store after leaving the burdensome greetings behind, Luke did not get into the carriage, but instead looked up at the sky with a thoughtful look on their faces.

‘Is there something over there?’

I raised my head and looked in the same direction he was looking, but all I saw were the usual dark clouds, the temple’s spire high in the sky, and a few chimneys. If I had to look for something unusual, the sky was so dark that there appeared to be a large shadow between it and the building’s border. If you look at it the wrong way, it appears that a huge monster is lurking nearby. I shifted my gaze away from the sky and back to him. I was about to ask what I was looking at. I unconsciously looked at him in fascination for a moment, thinking that his face appeared to have been carefully carved by a craftsman over a long period of time from the best marble.

“How can there be eyes like that?”

His face and eyes were beautiful from the front, but from the side, they appeared to be made of glass beads. The golden frame inside sparkled like a ring of fire in the sunlight. It makes you want to continue looking at it… 

Blink.

The moment Luke’s eyelids blinked naturally, I suddenly came to my senses.

‘…Come to your senses!’

How could I be so pathetic? And why did he look so handsome? As he scolded me and pulled my cheek tightly, Luke’s eyes suddenly landed on me. His eyes twinkled as if he was looking at something fun and an amazing toy.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Even though he said that, the smile on his face couldn’t be erased. He let out a sly laugh, making his otherwise handsome appearance look even more handsome, and then said with a look on his face that he was dying of regret.

“Wait a minute, something happened. I think I need to come back for a bit.”

“Suddenly?”

“Sorry. It’s been a long time since we came out together.”

‘Sorry? No, it’s really good. I really like it?’

I was afraid that he would get upset if I smiled too hard and smiled, so I tried to pull down the corners of his mouth and nodded.

“But don’t go alone. I wish you could go home right away…”

“It’s fine.”

It’s shocking to hear him worry as if he was a child’s guardian.

‘Why would I go home when it’s a golden opportunity to be alone without Luke?’

I suddenly got excited and quickly nodded. While I was leaving, I planned to visit the house where Arbice Green lived. I also wanted to investigate the cause of the fire at the Metropolitan Police Department, and more than anything, I wanted to stop by the temple and learn about the ‘save game’.

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