“I’ve always liked you.”
Hezen smiled brightly as he held out a ring to me.
“I love you, Lulu. Will you spend your life with me?”
His voice was so sweet, like it was soaked in honey, that my heart felt like it stopped.
“Hic, hiccup!”
I quickly covered my mouth with both hands as a hiccup escaped.
Seeing me like that, Hezen’s eyes softened gently.
As if he found me so adorable, he couldn’t help himself, with that sweet expression on his face.
“No, no way! How, how could…!”
“Do you hate my proposal that much?”
Hezen asked in a slightly hurt voice, his eyes drooping.
Even that pitiful expression was so beautiful, like a masterpiece, that my heart pounded hard.
“N-no, it’s not that…”
I shook my head vigorously, my face turning red.
‘How could I hate it!’
His hair, like golden threads, spun from sunlight. His jewel-like green eyes shone every time he blinked.
His beauty was unmatched throughout the empire, with a kind and gentle personality, and the perfect setup of becoming the youngest Swordmaster in the empire.
‘As expected, the protagonist…’
The place I had possessed was the classic fantasy novel ⌈Chronicles of the Hero of Light⌋.
Shortened to ⌈HeroLight⌋, it was the greatest masterpiece of the 21st century that reignited the global classic fantasy craze!
Hezen, the Hero of Light who would save the continent in the future. He was the main character of this story.
Regardless of status, countless young ladies in the empire loved Hezen.
I was no exception.
But Hezen, the protagonist, had a beautiful and kind heroine, Maria the Saint of Light, who would end up with him.
And I was… an extra who didn’t even have a name in the original work. So from the moment I first saw him, I tried hard not to fall for him. But before I knew it, all my efforts had gone to waste.
Every word he said, every gesture he made, I found myself falling for him anew each time.
It was as if I was destined to love him. But that didn’t mean I expected my love to be returned. Because I knew how this story ended.
So this situation, where he was confessing to me, was completely unexpected.
‘But there’s no way Hezen likes me…’
This was a different development from the original.
“If you don’t hate it.”
Swoosh―
His fingertips came closer and touched my cheek.
Thump, thump, thump, thump―
My heart pounded fiercely.
With a deep gaze, Hezen tilted his head slightly towards me and asked.
“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”
Boom…!
My heart felt like it was going to burst.
“Y-yes!”
I nodded without realizing it.
Swoosh!
“I love you, Lulu!”
Hezen hugged me tightly and whispered sweetly.
“I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life.”
It still didn’t feel real, like I was dreaming.
Was this the so-called twisting of the original story, the privilege of a possessor?
…Until then, I thought I had twisted the original story.
Believing that the world I possessed was the novel I loved in my previous life.
* * *
⟪SYSTEM⟫ ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋’s affection has increased by 100! (Affection: 999)
⟪SYSTEM⟫ Affection is already at maximum, so the increase is not reflected!
‘Hmph, how boring.’
Hezen sneered inwardly as he looked at the system window floating in front of him.
In reality, he had never even held a girl’s hand, but in this world, he could easily raise their affection.
Unlike Luibelle, who believed he had possessed the great fantasy masterpiece ⌈HeroLight⌋, this world was actually a virtual reality game ⌈Chronicles of the Hero of Light: The Four Heroes⌋, adapted from the original novel.
The player must awaken their power, gather allies, and defeat the Mad Dragon threatening the empire.
The game structure is simple.
1. Choose one of the four heroes
2. Complete the tutorial quest ⟪Awakening⟫
3. Progress through the scenario and gather the remaining heroes as allies
4. Defeat the Mad Dragon (final boss) threatening the empire
The player, Hezen, was in the middle of the tutorial quest ⟪Awakening⟫.
⟪Awakening⟫ is an original element of the game that does not exist in the original novel. When the player clears the awakening conditions, the original story begins.
And Hezen’s awakening condition is ⟪The Death of a Lover⟫.
3rd Princess of the Azester Empire ⌈Luibelle⌋
Affection: 999
Hezen grinned as he looked at the affection window above Luibelle’s head.
“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”
“Y-yes!”
Luibelle blushed and answered.
⟪SYSTEM⟫ ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋ has accepted your proposal!
⟪SYSTEM⟫ You have successfully captured ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋!
⟪SYSTEM⟫ ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋’s status is upgraded from ⟪Target⟫ to ⟪Lover⟫!
⟪SYSTEM⟫ The attribute ⟪Terminally Ill⟫ is added to ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋!
⟪SYSTEM⟫ Maintain a lover status with ⌈Luibelle Azester⌋ for 30 days to fulfill the awakening condition, and achieve awakening through her death!
Luibelle Azester was the sacrifice he chose for his awakening.
In other words, once Luibelle, who had just become his lover, quietly dies in 30 days, he will complete his awakening and clear the tutorial!
He chose Luibelle, an extra, because she was the only daughter of the emperor without a fiancé.
The protagonist Hezen had everything but one: ‘status.’
Even though she was a powerless princess, she was still a member of the royal family, and if he got engaged to her, he could receive a title.
So Hezen planned to capture Luibelle, gain a title, and then kill her to complete his awakening.
‘But she’s too beautiful to just kill.’
Luibelle Azester was so pretty that it was hard to believe she was an extra.
It was puzzling why such an amazing character wasn’t mentioned in the community boards and strategy tips.
Just as Hezen was licking his lips,
Ding!
⟪SYSTEM⟫ A new capture target has appeared. Would you like to view the character’s information?
The system window announced the appearance of a new capture character.
Hezen’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
In fact, he wasn’t very interested in defeating the Mad Dragon or progressing the scenario.
In this game with high freedom, Hezen’s goal was none other than building a harem!
The title he would gain from his engagement to Luibelle would further solidify his harem.
* * *
The engagement with Hezen proceeded smoothly.
My worries about the engagement falling through due to the original story’s constraints were unfounded, as no issues arose.
And the news of our engagement spread quickly.
“Oh, you look so beautiful, Princess.”
“How can your hair be like silk?”
The maids exclaimed in admiration as they groomed my hair.
I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
A woman with soft, cherry blossom-colored hair and warm amber eyes, with delicate, fairy-like features, was sitting there.
At first, her unreal beauty made me think I had possessed the heroine of a romance fantasy novel.
It didn’t take long to realize I was an extra in ⌈Chronicles of the Hero of Light⌋, the novel I loved in my previous life.
Luibelle Azester, the 3rd Princess of the Azester Empire, was merely mentioned in passing in the original, without even a name.
Despite being a direct descendant of the emperor, she was excluded from the imperial succession battle because her father’s identity was unclear.
As a result, she wasn’t close with her siblings, and the Second Prince, Orent, openly disregarded her.
A powerless princess without the emperor’s love. But…
‘Actually, it’s great!’
It wasn’t a bad possession.
‘Living a wealthy life with a diamond spoon in my mouth!’
Isn’t it said that the best possession is to be an extra? And not just any extra, but the emperor’s daughter.
Being pushed out of the succession meant no headaches from political strife, and though she was powerless, she was rich as a royal.
‘And being the empire’s most beautiful woman, engaged to the beloved Hezen…’
Thinking of Hezen made my heart flutter again.
Mother, the emperor, promised Hezen a title as an engagement gift.
Of course, it wasn’t because she cherished me, a useless princess.
Mother had always valued Hezen’s abilities, mentioning him several times in official settings.
The engagement with me was a pretext to bestow titles and other benefits upon him.
‘Well, Hezen gaining mother’s trust is good for me too…’
“All done, Princess.”
Today was the day of the tea party hosted by my sister Elizabeth in the imperial garden.
“It’s still chilly despite it being spring, so wear this.”
The maid, Seira, kindly draped a shawl over me.
“Thank you.”
I wore the shawl Seira gave me and stepped outside. I chose to walk instead of taking a carriage.
My steps towards the garden were light and cheerful.
Since my engagement with Hezen, every day felt like walking on clouds.
‘What is Hezen doing?’
He was always busy, but he became even busier after our engagement. But instead of complaining, I understood the situation…
“Oh my, Princess! Be careful!”
Thud!
Lost in thoughts of Hezen, I bumped into someone and fell on my bottom.
“Ouch…”
As the pain slowly spread, a large shadow loomed over me.
The first thing I saw was clean white pants and a fluttering lavender cape.
As I slowly lifted my head, there stood a man as white as the first snow of winter.
Silvery white hair I’d never seen in the Azester Empire and red eyes like a drop of blood on pristine snow.
The man, who seemed to be staring into the air above my head, slowly moved his gaze to me.
“…”
“…”
The moment our eyes met, cold as frost, I felt all the hairs on my body stand up.
With the emperor’s birthday approaching, envoys from all over the continent were gathering, so seeing strangers in the palace wasn’t unusual. But…
‘What, what is this?’
The man’s eyes looking down at me were filled with clear annoyance and irritation.
Usually, even those who disliked Luibelle couldn’t help but blush or soften their expressions when faced with her lovely face.
But the man’s gaze was dry, as if he was looking at a microorganism. The inorganic, unfamiliar gaze made me tense, and I swallowed nervously.
Gulp.
Was the sound too loud?
The man slightly furrowed his brows, then smirked crookedly.
‘Gasp.’
I almost stopped breathing for a different reason this time.
Though it was a mocking smile, his cold face with that sly smile was incredibly handsome.
Even more so than Hezen, the protagonist of this world!
The man indifferently looked away from me and walked past.
“Oh dear, Princess. Are you alright?”
Seira’s worried voice came from behind.
I stared blankly at the man’s receding figure.
‘In a world where Hezen is the protagonist, who could have a presence greater than Hezen? Could it be a character from the original that I don’t remember?’
I marveled and turned my gaze, then noticed something on the ground.
“Huh…?”
It was a pendant necklace with a red jewel of delicate craftsmanship. It must have been dropped by the man. Since he had already left, I picked up the necklace to return it later when I met him again.
“How dare he bump into the princess and leave without a word! How rude!”
Seira grumbled, supporting me as I stood up.
“Oh dear, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry. Let’s go, Princess.”
But as I took Seira’s hand and stood up, I froze.
‘Huh?’
A blue window, which wasn’t there before, was now glittering above Seira’s head.
3rd Princess’s Maid ⌈Seira⌋
Affection: 999
What… is that?
