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

Standing in front of Luke’s door, I stopped for a long time in front of a wooden door with a dense silver pattern.

‘…ha.’

This was my third time visiting Luke’s room. The first time when he found the pistol, the second time when he was attacked.

‘…No matter how much I think about it, I don’t really know who Luke is.’

I had a habit of biting the soft flesh on the inside of my lip, but I stopped biting the same part all morning when I realized it was hurting. The more he thought about Luke, the more his head spun.

‘All he had to do was think of the murderer as a murderer. Let’s stop thinking about anything else. If you start interpreting it in a positive way, there is no end to it.’

I steeled myself and pulled the door handle. Since I had already sent word that I was going, Luke was already waiting for me to arrive.

‘…and.’

Although the previous time I saw it, I was taken aback by the impressive bookshelf’s size upon closer inspection. Luke was seated by the window on a stylish chair. It was facing a coffee table that was ready for tea. The side of the living room with the sofa was decorated with turquoise-colored furniture, white carpeting, and almost silver furnishings, in contrast to the side with the bookcases. It was a perfect space for him. It seemed to me that the charm of a beautiful place is doubled by the beauty of beautiful and stylish people.

‘I wonder if the person who designed this place, Rearmond, also tried to create a space that matches the beauty of the family heads?’

I was immersed in such sentiments, but it wasn’t until I made eye contact with Luke, who was looking back at me, that I came to my senses.

‘Really… You have to be very alert to that smooth face.’

“Please sit this way.”

“Yes.”

I sat on the chair across from Luke as recommended. Now I was used to him going to the trouble of getting up to hold the chair for me, so I didn’t even think about refusing.

Dalgak, Dalgak.

I thought he was going to call someone, but Luke turned the teacups upside down on the saucer, picked up a kettle filled with hot water, and poured it into the kettle containing the leaf tea.

‘For a well-off duke from a well-off duke’s family, he seems to like doing things on his own.’

I remembered how he had handed me brandy the other day, and instead of helping with something he didn’t know much about, he calmly appreciated his employer’s service. When he felt that the tea was ready, he placed a strainer on the cup and poured out one cup of tea at a time.

“What about milk or sugar?”

I don’t really enjoy black tea, and the teas I drank here were all herbal teas that were easy to drink, so I wasn’t sure about my taste.

‘Besides, it doesn’t matter what I drink now…’

After hesitating for a moment to answer, Luke raised his eyebrows, then lowered them and spoke softly.

“Miss Green likes sweet-smelling foods, doesn’t enjoy strong alcohol, and doesn’t leave out sweet desserts at meals… Probably too bitter to eat on its own. I will add milk and sugar in moderation, so you can add more to suit your taste.”

“…Ah yes.”

Luke added the sugar and milk in order, gave it a little stir, and placed it in front of me. Next, I also filled my cup. Mine was just loosely filtered tea leaves, nothing like the attention to detail that I put into mine. We didn’t try the cakes and scones that Mr. Blier appeared to have also made. I glanced down at Luke’s steaming tea. The milk tea within appeared to be quite soft and sweet, and the spotless white teacup with green foliage and red roses around the rim was really lovely.

‘…You look so peaceful and happy.’

I wasn’t in the mood to drink something like this right away, but seeing the sincerity my employer had shown me, I lifted the teacup and gently put it to my mouth. After taking a sip, I lowered the tea cup onto the saucer and widened my eyes in surprise.

‘…delicious.’

It wasn’t too sweet, and there wasn’t enough milk to mask the black tea’s strawberry-like flavor. It was just my favorite drink. Without realizing it, I took another sip, and then another, and the small teacup that fit in my hand quickly ran out. Only when I realized that I had finished drinking did I glance at Luke, and my gaze met the person who had been observing me the whole time. He was smiling happily.

“You seem to have good taste.”

“…It’s okay.”

“Even though it was okay, it was emptied in an instant.”

‘…How can you speak so obnoxiously?’

However, I could easily say that the tea was delicious, but I responded like a child who was complaining for no reason. Moreover, perhaps because I ate something warm and sweet, the confused and anxious part of my mind seemed to have gotten better, so I didn’t confront it anymore.

“I think Luke likes these things.”

“You’re right. What can I say…”

Luke lightly brushed the rim of the teacup with his hand.

“Sometimes I really wonder what I’m doing. There are times when it’s pointless to endure another day and face tomorrow, right?”

“…yes?”

“In times like that, these little things sometimes help. Even though it takes a little effort and is a bit cumbersome, it definitely brings comfort to your heart.”

I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying. However, I quickly noticed that he was revealing a piece of his true feelings that he had kept hidden and was not easily visible to others. But I couldn’t understand.

‘It’s meaningless to face tomorrow. What do you want to say?’

Even though Luke couldn’t answer because I was thinking about what he said, he didn’t seem to be dissatisfied with it and filled the glass I had emptied one more time. A little less sweet this time. I guess I expected my mouth to feel sweet because I drank it sweet earlier.

‘…You really know my taste perfectly.’

As I looked down at the glass a little dissatisfied, Luke muttered softly as if he was talking to himself.

“I hoped this would be comforting to Miss Green, too. what… It may not be much of a consolation.”

I frowned. I immediately remembered how he stayed with me the whole time last night and comforted me. I didn’t want to thank him again for no reason, so I decided to cut him off and get to the point.

“But what did you want to say that prompted you to call me?”

In response to my question, Luke slowly straightened his back and leaned back against the backrest. Then he clasped his hands together in front of his chest and spoke very slowly.

“Inspector Triver is doing his best to investigate the culprit of the kidnapping.”

“…yes.”

“I’m probably working day and night, considering what happened to Miss Green and Shine in my jurisdiction. Because you won’t know that my neck is in danger.”

I thought he was a close friend of Inspector Triver, but he spoke in a rather cold tone.

“And under my authority, I have postponed Ms. Green’s investigation for now. For now, just think about getting your mind together.”

“…thank you.”

I had no expectations that the culprit would be caught, but it was a bit comforting to hear that an investigation was underway. Still, the police are investigating and I don’t think they will show up and attack me again. As I shook my head, Luke looked at me gently and said.

“However, there is one thing I would like to ask of you.”

‘…ask?’

I hadn’t decided exactly what I was going to talk about with Luke, but I thought we might talk about the criminal, so I couldn’t anticipate the story behind the unexpected words.

“ask… me?”

“I’m talking about the royal palace banquet, but I hope you don’t participate.”

I blinked.

‘Royal palace banquet. Yes, there was something like that.’

Overnight, I was so caught up in my situation that I completely forgot what I was supposed to do and what was going to happen in this park. I muttered, thinking that I wanted to see what records about me would be left in the case notebook right now.

“…Don’t go to the royal banquet…”

“Yes.”

Luke spoke firmly, but I couldn’t help but nod. Arviche Green is a character who dies early in the story. That means there should be no more events assigned to Arbice Green after that.

‘Arbice’s death was planned anyway, so I thought it was an event that could have happened at any time, even if the time and place were different… Kidnapping?’

Even though I was involved in a situation where Shine was about to be kidnapped, I never thought that such a big incident would happen.

‘…In other words, the events in this game and in the park can change at any time.’

I was devastated when I couldn’t prevent Catherine Hunt’s death. At that time, the only question left was whether my intervention would change the outcome of the case. But now I am somewhat confident. Thanks to things like Shine’s deviations and kidnapping incidents that I never witnessed as a player.

‘It was by no means a pleasant incident, but it still had its merits.’

I originally thought I would go, but now that I’m here and looking at the current situation, I have to go even more. I smiled bitterly and slightly shook my head towards Luke.

“I’m sorry, but I really have to go to that banquet.”

Luke frowned as if in pain.

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