Chapter 11

I was depressed. If I wanted to avoid the ceremony then I'd have to talk to Derrick. Talking
to Derrick came with the risk that his favorability would go down, especially if he
suspected I was faking being sick.

Iƒ it was Reynold¸ I would've taken that gamble. I sighed, thinking about Reynold's
favorability that only recently rose above negative. It's hard enough just keeping Derrick's
ƒavorability at 0%¸ so I shouldn't even think about risking it.

"M-my lady... are you alright? You've gotten pale." Emily asked, cautious about my grim

expression. "Leave the room. I have something to think about." I gestured with my

hand, annoyed.

"Ha.. ." I let out a sigh as soon as she left the room. I'll die iƒ I don't go. I'll die iƒ I do go. This
game is
insane! I already missed those heavenly days of probation.

"Everything will be fine if I just avoid the prince, right?" I thought back to the game's
story. There wasn't much to remember; I was too busy dying. I would meet the crowned
prince at the maze in the palace gardens and then as soon as we began talking I would
die. Again and again I kept dying. It's no exaggeration to say I had to press the reset
button every 5 seconds.

"I think just faking sick would be the best choice. "

Wait! Should I just try dying? The idea had just popped into my head. It sounded crazy,
but it wasn't really that bad of an idea. I might be able to return to my original world if
I die in this world. A game over was a game over whether it was a death or reaching
the end, right? What would the system do when a player, when I reached a 'game over'
scenario? Giving up quickly would be better than living this life for months while trying
to reach an ending with one of these hopeless male leads.

Also, the game had a reset button. In the game if I made a choice that would lead to a
bad ending a 'reset' button would appear, sending me back to the start. With all of the
other game options I had seen I thought I might get a reset button, too. Granted, there
aren't any 'back' buttons or other icons like in the original game. But since dialogue
choices could appear for me, it only made sense that a reset button might also appear.

"Why didn't I think of this before?"

I was determined. I would meet with the crowned prince and try dying!

***

I was exhausted from both waking up early and all the preparations for the banquet. I took
a bath in a tub of hot water mixed with milk and fragrant extracts. I was given a
massage. I did both a face and body mask. I felt half dead by the time the maids freed
me from the bathroom and sat me at the makeup table. It wasn't just their physical
ministrations; they were mentally exhausting as well.

"My lady, how is this dress? It was bought during your last shopping trip, but you haven't
worn it once so it's still new!"

"My lady, what do you think of these earrings? They should go well with the dress."

"I think tying half of your hair up would look better than tying all of it up. What do you

think, my lady?" "How would you like your makeup, my lady?"

The questions were relentless. It made me wonder if maybe they actually hated Penelope.
That was wrong; they were genuinely excited, far more than I was. I lifted my head and
looked in the mirror. The treatments I received in the morning did their job - my face
was glowing and looked more beautiful than usual.

Well¸ it really would be ƒun to decorate a ƒace like this¸ I suppose. I nodded. I understood why
the maids were so enthusiastic.

"Take that dress back and bring me a dark colored one that will cover my neck. Keep the
accessories to a minimum. Don't try too hard on anything else, either." I instructed.
"Ehh?!" The maids jumped in shock. "But, my lady, it's a party hosted by the royal
palace..." Their words carried a second meaning, as if to ask 'won't you need to dress up
prettier than others?' The red- pink dress with an open neckline that the maids
originally brought would have gone well with Penelope's dark pink hair. And the
accessories they picked out would have complemented Penelope's splendid beauty. But I
wasn't going to the palace to show off Penelope's beauty like some sort of peacock. I
couldn't possibly tell them I was going there to die, so I just came up with something I
thought Penelope might say.

"You don't need to try too hard. Just do as I say" I said coldly. The maids realized they
couldn't convince me to change my mind. They sulked, their faces sad, as they went to the
dress room. They returned with three dresses that were far more demure than the
original red-pink dress that excited them so.

"This one," I picked a dark green evening dress. It wouldn't stand out in a crowd and it
covered my collarbones. The maids helped me put on the dress after which I instructed
them to do my makeup as lightly as possible. I wore small emerald colored earrings that
matched Penelope's eyes. When the maids were finished I looked in the mirror and
saw a girl so virtuous I thought she was going to a church to pray instead of a fancy
party.

This is enough I might just go unnoticed. I observed. My face in the mirror was bright with
satisfaction which stood in stark contrast to the maids' dark expression.

"Everyone can leave except for Emily." The maids left the room. I had one more thing to
ask of my personal maid.

"Emily, could you prepare a pair of gloves the same color as the dress?"

"My lady, you're going to wear gloves as well?" she asked. She fidgeted as if she wanted
to stop me from making my outfit any more reserved.

"Although it's faded, I can't just go around exposing something like this to everyone,
can I?" I said as I held up my hand. The needle marks were faint, hardly visible, but there
could always be some noble with a keen eye who noticed it. Emily's face went pale.

"If you understand, then go get them."

"Y, yes!" I clicked my tongue as she left in a panic. There were times where she hesitated
if I treated her too kindly. These little moments making her feel nervous were necessary
to keep her in line.

***

Derrick scanned me from head to toe with an expression that seemed to say, 'this is rare.'

"It seems you've somewhat matured during your probation." This was our first meeting
in days yet his attitude for Penelope was the same as always. I didn't have time to get
upset about his attitude, though, because of the shining gauge above his head.

[Favorability 5%]
What the? When did it go up? His favorability for me went up without me even
knowing it and 5% at that! I was dumbfounded. I couldn't help but wonder just how
much he hated Penelope if all it took for his favorability to rise was not seeing her for a
few days.

Iƒ I knew about this earlier I would have pretended that I was sick and couldn't go. I
started to regret my decision to attend the banquet. But it was too late. A fancy carriage
with the Eckart insignia was already waiting at the front entrance.

I bowed my head slightly to greet Derrick, and then reached my hand out to the nearby
bodyguard for assistance getting into the carriage. I couldn't see what Derrick was
doing at that moment because I was busy lifting my dress to step up. Only after I
successfully entered the cab did I turn to look at Derrick. He was standing there with
his hand stretched forward, looking at me with a stiff face.

What's up with him? I thought. I tilted my head in confusion at his gesture. We needed
to hurry and leave if we were going to arrive at the ceremony on time. He just stood
there, frozen, when he should have been making his way to his own carriage, since there
was no way he would ride in the same one as me. I sat waiting for the door to close. But
then Derrick, who had been frozen in place, got into the cab.

What the? What's happening?! Why is he climbing up in here? I frantically searched my

memories of our prior conversation, desperate to see if I did something wrong. Nothing
came to my mind. The only thing we did was meet and say hello; it was obvious I didn't
do anything wrong.
"A, are we riding together?" Derrick sat down on the seat on the opposite of me. His
brow creased at my question.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he

asked. "No, that's not it, but..." I

hesitated.

What's wrong with you? You've never done anything like this before! I shook my head,
making sure not to say anything like that out loud.

"If you have a problem with it, you can ride in a different carriage." He stated matter-of-
factly. I glanced out the carriage window and honestly considered doing as he
suggested. But it was too late for that.
Derrick had already closed the carriage door when he got in. It would be odd if I
opened it again and left.

"... I don't dislike it." I forced the half-hearted words out and looked back at Derrick. "It's
because I'm happy..." I carefully glanced at Derrick to gauge his reaction. He glared a
moment and then turned his head away.

Look at him. If he was going to act like that anyways¸ if he hated it this much¸ why'd he
have to ride with me and make it uncomfortable for the both of us? Is this some new way
to annoy Penelope? I thought. I didn't know what to make of him. It was then I noticed
above his head:

[Favorability 6%]

It went up by a percent. I could only stare wide eyed at the favorability bar as the carriage
started to move.

...Alright. Nothing will happen from a simple carriage ride. I thought. I had an entire 6%
favorability on my side. There couldn't possibly be a way to cause a 6% favorability drop
during a short carriage ride. I figured that if I couldn't avoid it, I might as well enjoy it.
But I came to regret riding in the same carriage with Derrick soon after departing.

It's suffocating! Save me! The awkward silence was unbearable!

***

It felt like an eternity to get to the palace. Every moment spent with the cold handsome
man sitting with his arms and legs crossed in front of me was absolutely suffocating.
The carriage was so quiet I was scared to even breathe that the noise might cause a
problem. At one point when I couldn't take it anymore I tried to open a window, but
stopped when Derrick glared at me. After that he would glare at any little movement I
made.

Ugh! Why are you looking at me like that?! I would check on [Favorability 6%] every so
often to make sure nothing had changed.

I mentally shouted for joy when we arrived at the palace. I could finally escape the carriage
of death!

Ok¸ let's get out and get some fresh air. I thought. But before I could put my plan into
action Derrick had already gotten up. With a click he opened the door and exited the
carriage.

"Take it..." He held out his hand.

 Chapter 12

Derrick reached out one hand to me as I stood up.

Did he eat something weird? I thought as I shifted and held up my dress to exit. I blankly
stared at him.
Was he trying to escort me?

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to get down?" He frowned. His question
brought me back to my senses. I looked around; other nobles who also just arrived
were staring at us.

"Ah... Thank you." I quickly took Derrick's hand and exited the carriage. Hand in hand we
walked up the stairs to the ballroom.

"Now entering the heir of the Eckart ducal house, Derrick Eckart, and Lady Penelope
Eckart." Our entrance was announced by a servant as we walked through the giant door
and into the ballroom.

"Don't do anything foolish," Derrick said coldly. "Don't forget that your probation just
ended yesterday. If you cause another commotion you won't get just some timeout." His
words completely extinguished any excitement I had for the banquet. I wanted to say
something back to him, but I restrained myself.

"Ok, I'll be careful." I made an effort to smile, but Derrick turned away without seeing it.

Tsk. I pouted while he wasn't looking.

For the most part the banquet went smoothly. In other words, it was boring. As soon as
we entered Derrick left my side to greet other nobles. No one came to talk to me.
Considering the rumors about Penelope's commotion at the last ball it was no surprise
people were avoiding me. I stood in a corner where few people passed and watched as
other noble ladies danced and whispered in groups.

I'm not lonely. I thought. I came with a purpose today¸ and if it works out I can go back
home. Just when is that damned crowned prince coming!? I couldn't help but notice the
noble ladies glancing in my direction, probably gossiping about me. I thought I was
going to reach my limit for being stared at when finally...

"Now entering Her Majesty the Empress and His Royal Highness the Second Prince!" It
was finally time for the event that started this chapter of the game. The nobles who
were giggling and talking grew silent and bowed their heads or kneeled to the ground,
facing the entrance. Following their lead, I also bowed. The empress and the second prince
walked down the red carpet with poise and confidence befitting royalty. They both had
golden hair that shined under the brilliant lights of the ballroom. The color was proof of
their royalty. They crossed the ballroom and up the stairs to the raised dais with thrones
where only royals were allowed to sit.

Isn't that the seat for the crowned prince? I watched with surprise as the second prince sat
on the chair in the middle, located higher up than the others. It was a golden throne with
dragon decorations meant for the emperor or in his absence the heir apparent. The
emperor almost never appeared in the game so the crowned prince would sit there
instead.

But why is it the second prince? It was confusing to see the empress and second prince
so calm when they did something so severely in breach of proper etiquette. Was it
allowed because it was the second prince's birthday?

"You may all rise." The second prince commanded from his seat. The people obeyed.

"Thank you all for attending my birthday banquet even though I am sure you must all be
quite busy. Though it is nothing grand I hope everyone will have an enjoyable time." When
the second prince finished his speech the party officially began. Now all that was left
was...

Thud! A loud noise came from the

entrance. "What the?"

"Wh, what's happening?"

"It came from the entrance..."

The nobles chattering came to a sudden halt as they turned to face the source of the noise.
A figure entered the ballroom and walked through the crowd, which parted for him. The
room was so quiet I
could hear each of his footsteps. I also heard the scraping sound of something dragged.

"It's the crowned prince!" someone shouted. I looked towards the man making his way
through the ballroom. He had elegant blonde hair that swayed in the air as he walked. It
looked as if it were made with real gold. The empress and second prince's hair couldn't
compare, like some sort of cheap counterfeit in comparison. The man who entered the
ballroom with his golden hair and fluttering red cape billowing was the one who was
truly shining.

"is-isn't that... isn't that

person?" "Gasp! Th...

that's..."

"What? Is that Blood!?"

The people who stood close to the crowned prince started to scream and panic as they
saw what he was dragging behind him. I was so distracted by his dazzling appearance I
didn't realize what he had trailing behind him was a deathly still human being.

"Happy birthday my dear brother." The crown prince said as he arrived at the stairs at the
base of the dais. He threw the lifeless, limp body towards the second prince.

"B... Brother!" The second prince shouted.

"Crowned prince!" The Empress joined the second prince in outrage. She stood and
pointed at the crown prince. "What do you think you're doing?"

"How can you say that to someone simply attending his little brother's birthday banquet,
mother?"

"How dare you! You're just the crowned prince in name. How dare you do something so
horrific at an occasion you weren't even invited to!" The Empress's face ignited in fury.

"What do you mean I wasn't invited? How sad. It's because you invited me that I ran
here after leaving behind all my urgent political duties." The crowned prince said
sarcastically and shrugged without a trace of sadness on his face.

Isn't the Empress the crowned prince's birth mother? I couldn't understand the situation at
all.

"The servant who brought my invitation was just a bit too inexperienced." The crowned
prince bent down and pulled up the dead body by the hair until it was half-standing.
The man's face was hidden behind a black mask. He wore dark and tightly fitting
clothes like some sort of criminal in the night.

"He refused to give me the invitation and kept trying to do other things instead. So I
taught him a little lesson. You should've chosen a more useful servant, little brother." The
implication was clear. This 'servant' was an assassin and the crowned prince was
implicating the empress and the second prince.
The crowned prince used his free hand to slide his sword out. He sliced open the neck of
the attempted murderer. Blood gushed out like a water fountain.

"My gift to you." The crowned prince tossed the head of the assassin at the second
prince's feet where it rolled like a ball.

"Aaack!" The ballroom was filled with the screams of the Empress. The second prince's
face went pale and looked as if he could faint at any moment. He didn't say a word.

"If you want more gifts like this you're welcome to send servants like him again at any
time." In a sea of shocked faces only the crowned prince smiled with a grin as keen and
sharp as a lion from hell. He left the ballroom as swiftly as he entered, leaving a room full
of scared and shocked nobles in his wake.
When the crowned prince left the room I could hear as the nobles all let out the breaths
they did not realize they were holding until then. It was the same for me.

What was that? I shuffled through my memories, clutching at my chest. Nothing like this
happened in the game! No matter how much I thought back on the game, I was certain
that a huge incident like this never happened. Unlike Penelope's needle marks this was
far too large an event to not be mentioned.

[Callisto, who did not have a good relationship with his brother, the second prince, left
the ballroom displeased after a small incident.]

That was all the game ever said.

How is this a small incident¸ you crazy game!? I panicked mentally as I watched the
servants clear away the corpse and blood. A white box came into view.
<SYSTEM> The episode [The Crowned Prince of Iron and Blood, Callisto Regulus] has
begun. Would you like to go to the 'Maze Garden'?

[Yes / No]

The crowned prince I saw that day was far crazier than how I imagined him to be. I
thought about it for a while.

I'll get sliced the second we meet. I thought. I pushed aside my doubt and fears. I came
here to die anyway. If I got through this I might be able to go back home. And I also had
the reset button as a backup. If I really did die and didn't go back home I could always
click the reset button. Mentally working through the possible outcomes calmed me. My
hands stopped trembling and I pressed on the [Yes] button. The world turned white
around me.

When I opened my eyes again I was standing at the entrance of the Maze Garden.

"Well this is useful." I had been worried because I tend to get lost easily. I didn't know
there would be a teleporting system just like in the game.

"Now, let's march to death." I mentally prepared myself and stepped into the maze
garden. After entering the maze the system assisted me by lighting up the path I
should take. I walked a while following the lights.

How much longer? I wondered. It felt like quite a long time passed, but the lit up path
showed no signs of ending. My feet began to hurt because of my heels when I noticed
an area ahead that seemed to sparkle more than the rest of the path. Finally¸ the end!

I reached the end and took a turn. The path opened into a large clearing with a small
water fountain and a bench to rest on.

"What the? Where is he?" I mumbled. I looked for the guiding lights, but they were
gone. I was pretty sure that I had found the end of the maze, but try as I might I
couldn't find a trace of the crowned prince. I tilted my head in confusion and hesitantly
walked towards the fountain. Isn't this where I'm supposed to meet him?

I heard a metallic noise then something cold and heavy by my neck. I gasped from
surprise at the sensation.

"I was wondering what rat was sneaking around." The crowned prince walked towards
me from behind, his sword circling my neck as he came to stand in front of me. It
stung; my flesh was sliced open and hot blood dripped down, soaking into my dress. The
tension of the situation kept me from feeling the dampness; I didn't even realize I was
cut at that time.

"Aren't you the mad dog of the Eckart family?" The man asked. His brilliant gold hair
reflected moonlight while his crimson red eyes were pools of blood staring me down. He
briefly smiled a ghostly smile before continuing.

"To think you'd follow me even after witnessing what happened at the banquet. You must
have a death wish." His expression grew cold giving me goosebumps.
"Speak. Why did you follow me, little rat?" The sword dug deeper into my skin. But what
stung worse than the blade was the deadly intent he directed at me.

It was then, at that moment, I came to my senses and realized the crown prince planned
to kill me right then and there.

Reset button! My eyes wandered desperately looking for the reset button. I figured even
if I was going to die anyway, I should know where it would appear before dying.

"Seeing as you're not replying, it must be time for you to bid farewell to your family."

Reset... Reset! No matter where I looked I couldn't find it

anywhere. "I'll be nice and personally deliver your last

words to them." He said. Reset! Where's the reset?!

Reset!!
 Chapter 13

There's no reset button! I felt like I would faint. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find a
reset button. Meanwhile the crowned prince raised his sword, ready to strike me
down.

"W-wait!" I shouted in panic. The crowned prince tilted his head.

"It looks like you can speak after all!" he said sarcastically. I quickly nodded my head. He
placed the sword against my neck once again.

"Go on." He said.

"W-well..." My mind went blank. I didn't know what to say. I never planned on having
anything to say. I thought the reset button would show up. It didn't. If it didn't exit at all
then I needed to do everything I could to stay alive.

Should I turn on Choices? The thought briefly crossed my mind. But there was no
guarantee any of the three choices given would actually save me. It was only by turning
choices off I was able to survive until then.

"I can hear the gears turning in your head from here, trying to come up with something."
The prince smirked coldly. He continued, "I'm excited to hear what you have to say."

"It will have to be a convincing excuse, young miss." The favorability bar shimmered
dangerously over his head. "I really hate being interrupted in the middle of anything." He
muttered and pressed the sword against my skin; warm blood streamed down my neck.
The only thing I felt in that moment was the fear of death and pain. I completely
stopped thinking.

"I... I like you!" I spat out such stupid words without

thinking. "What?" His crimson eyes went wide. I closed

mine tight.

"I've liked you for a long time now." My mouth felt like it was out of my control. "I thought
that you might be feeling down from earlier, so I followed you out here to comfort you!"
Completely idiotic dialogue like that never appeared in normal or hard mode. It was true
that in normal mode the heroine comforted the crowned prince, but it was only possible
because she never witnessed this cruel side of his personality.

Shit. Why couldn't I think of something better to say? Then again, it wasn't that terrible a
thing to say. If you thought about it, there really was only one reason a noble lady would
follow a man into a secluded maze like this. At least, there was only one reason for a
'normal' woman and a 'normal' man under 'normal' circumstances.

Bye you crazy game! When I die and go back home I'm giving this shitty game a 1 star
review. I kept my eyes closed and trembled, mentally preparing for the pain I knew was
coming any moment. It felt like an eternity of silence, but the sound of a sword slicing
through air never came.

"Huh. The Ducal family's crazy dog is in love with the crazy bastard of the royal family?"

I carefully opened my eyes upon hearing the low mutter of the crowned prince. The
night breeze tickled at the bridge of my nose.

"That is..."

"Such an unexpected excuse" The prince cut me off. His blood red eyes were in front of my
own. He stared at me, his face full of interest. I held my breath, though for how long I
wasn't sure.

"Even though we haven't properly met? You have probably only first saw me through the
crowd at my homecoming banquet." He said. Actually I didn't see him there, either. I had
only reincarnated into Penelope's body after that banquet. The truth was I only saw him
for the first time today, not that I was planning to correct him.

"I-it was love at first sight." I said, my body and words were

tense. "And what part of me did you like?"

"Well... that's, um..." I wasn't sure what to say. What could I say? How could I say anything?
Just a few
days ago I was furiously scribbling an X over his name at the mere thought of a
relationship with him. I had to come up with a reason quickly before his patience ran
out.

"You have a handsome face."

"To think my only charm is my face? How depressing!" He

mocked me. "... And your bravery. You are very skilled with

your sword." I added.

"Those are all too cliché. Don't you have anything more interesting? More original?"

"That's... well..." I felt myself growing dizzy and faint from all of the questions and the
stress in finding suitable answers. My legs were shaking and I feared I would collapse at
any moment. The cold sharp sensation of the blade against my neck kept me full of
fear the entire time.

"Uh... I..." The crowned prince's smirk grew larger as he watched my attempts to hold back
tears. What was I thinking? I had completely lost my mind. What was I thinking trying
to die at the hands of this horrible monster? Just as I felt I could take no more, that I
would fall back and faint, he pulled the sword away. I looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm not satisfied, but you pass this time." The prince spoke, his voice full of excitement,
his eyes glowing. "However, the next time we meet you had better have a detailed
explanation as to how and why you fell in love with me." I nodded like an idiot.

"You can go now." He spoke those final words as he slid his sword into its sheath. The
favorability gauge above his brilliant gold hair began to shine.

[Favorability 2%]

I stared, dumbfounded. I wasn't happy or relieved. It was just so very very ridiculous.

"What are you staring for? Do you want to play draw-the-red-line again with your neck?"
He said. He held his thumb out to his neck and made a slicing motion.

"N-not at all!" I jumped on the spot and turned to leave. At that time I didn't even think
about giving a proper farewell to a member of the royal family as required by etiquette.
It was all I could do to restrain myself from running away like an idiot. I walked as quickly
as I could. After the first turn in the maze, when I could no longer feel the deadly gaze of
the crowned prince on my back, I ran like crazy.
The cold air stung my neck as I ran, but I was too panicked to even feel the pain.

There's no reset button! It should have appeared when the crowned prince was about to
slice open my neck, but it didn't. That simple fact scared me the most; the insurance I was
relying on didn't exist.

What if it's really the end when I die? What if I don't go back to my own world¸ but I really
just die?
It meant I couldn't die and go back like I planned. I was just a normal female university
student. I didn't have the guts to keep dealing with these kinds of life threatening
situations. The only option left for me was to face those dangers and reach the ending
with one of the capture targets.

But how? I thought. Just how could I endure and reach an ending with any of these
characters when they try to kill me the moment I make even the smallest mistake?
The fact that all of the male characters' favorability had gone up didn't encourage me at
all. Their favorability will always crumble to nothing like a kicked sandcastle with a single
bad decision no matter how hard I tried to raise it up.

What if I work my butt off trying to raise their favorability but it drops to zero with a single
mistake like in the game? The thought troubled me. The answer was obvious: Then it's
death. But I didn't want to die.

Why should I? I already survived once, risking my life to escape from my blood-related
brothers. Why should I have to die in this ridiculous and crazy universe if I fail to curry
favor with these psycho bastards I don't even know?

"Hnn... mm." The small cries and huffing came involuntarily and tears fell from my
eyes. I ran and followed the lights all the way back to the entrance of the maze garden.
The trip out was faster than the trip in. I was only a few steps away from actually
exiting the garden.

"Ah!" I bumped into someone. I couldn't see them in the dark. I was already shaken up
from earlier events and I felt an immense fear surge over me at the thought the
crowned prince might have followed after me. I was about to start running when
someone grabbed my wrist.

"Let go!" I screamed, afraid for my life. "Let go of me!"

"Lady?"

"Why do I have to die? I don't want to! I don't want to die!" I struggled against the
hand that had caught me.

"Lady! Lady!" The person who caught me grabbed tightly onto my shoulders bringing
me back to my senses.

"Are you OK?" I looked up to see ultramarine blue eyes wide with surprise framed by
silver hair shining in the faint moonlight. Then I noticed the shining [Favorability 0%]
above his head.

"Ahh, hnn..." I couldn't stifle my cries.

"Shh... calm down. I am not going to hurt you." He spoke with a gentle and pleasing voice.

Is it one of the main characters again? I went stiff. Despair washed over me when I realized
who I had bumped into: Vinter Belldandy. He was a sorcerer and a marquis.

"I... I'm fine now." Realizing it was not the crowned prince come for my life I quickly I
calmed down. I lifted my hand up to my eyes and shakily wiped my tears. I wanted to go
home. I didn't want to be here at this place, in this world, for even a second longer. I was
so mentally exhausted I didn't have it in me to face Vinter and his 0% favorability, either.

"I've caused trouble for a person I had never met before. Please forget what happened
right now." I quickly spat the words out after roughly wiping my face. I bowed in
greeting and tried to walk past him, but he stopped me again.

"You're bleeding a lot." He said, pointing at my neck. "You're also quite pale. I'll take you to
the doctor here."

"No, it's fine. I need to hurry back."

"Then at least take this." Even though I did not want to deal with Vinter, he wouldn't let
me go. He took something out of his breast pocket and handed it to me.

"Lay this over your wound and press on it. It will stop the bleeding." It was a white
handkerchief. I stared at it a moment before accepting it. It wasn't like I could walk back
into the ballroom bleeding like that. I bowed once again.

"Thank you. I will be sure to return the favor." I said.

"There is no need for that." He held out his hand. It was so close I could faintly feel the
warmth of it as it brushed gently against my cheek. "Instead, I wish for the sadness in
those beautiful eyes to be gone the next time we meet."

[Favorability 9%]

I was so focused on the letters shining above his head I never thought to look at his
expression.
 Chapter 14

I stopped bleeding by the time I arrived at the ballroom door, though I kept the
handkerchief pressed against my neck. I suspected Vinter secretly cast magic on it to
slow the bleeding. He was a sorcerer after all. I paused at the ballroom door before
entering and flinched when I checked my appearance.

I didn't realize how much help wearing such a dark dress would be today. I thought as I
looked down at blood stains that were hardly visible thanks to the dark fabric. I touched
up my hair and went in. I needed to find Derrick. It was easy; mister capture target with
his cold aura was easy to spot even when he was surrounded by others.

He told me to just stay quiet and not cause a commotion... He'll be mad if he sees my neck.
I was so busy worrying about the warning Derrick gave me when we first arrived I didn't
notice that all of the people around me were staring. I didn't realize that just because my
dress was fine didn't mean I was fine.

"...Brother." I called out to Derrick quietly. Though it was barely a whisper he heard the
quiet call from across the crowd and turned to look at me.

"I think I'll be leaving now. I'm not feeling too well." Derrick's blue eyes were wide with
shock when he saw his pale little sister about to faint, clutching a blood-soaked
handkerchief to her neck. "Leaving... right now." Everything faded to black.

The last thing I saw before falling unconscious was Derrick running towards me, his face
pale.

***

When I again regained consciousness I was home in my bed. I did not remember
anything that happened after I fainted at the ball, including how I arrived in my
bedroom.

"My Lady!"

"Quick! Hurry and bring a doctor!"

I could faintly hear the sounds of rushed footsteps and urgent shouting. It made me laugh
to think I had been lying in bed, possibly for days, because of a small cut on my neck. It
was as if all the stress I had been ignoring when just trying to survive until then exploded
all at once when I finally had a chance to just stop. I was more exhausted than I realized.

I dreamt of many things during those days. I would have expected to dream about
Penelope's past since I had become her, but it was all dreams of my own past. I dreamt of
the time not long after entering rich kid's high school. I had been packing my things after
class ended when someone tapped me on my shoulder.

"Hey. Your brother is looking for you. He wants you to meet him at the gym storage
room." It was one of the kids who was close to the second bastard, who basically had
control over the whole school. I knew that the second bastard was involved with the
bullying that went on at school, but it wasn't that serious. So, I went to the storage
room without giving it much thought.

"Brother?" I quietly opened the door and carefully stepped into the storage room. I
couldn't see anything in the dark.

"Wh... what? Ack!" A plastic bag or something was pulled over my head. I was thrown
deeper into the storage room and beaten badly. At least ten people were there kicking and
stepping on me. I was overwhelmed. All I could do was scream and cower from the
abuse.

"Wow! Now this is refreshing. Where did this beggar thing even come from? People on a
lower level don't deserve to attend the same school we go to."

"Hey, but aren't we in big trouble if her brother finds out?"

"No worries. Her brother hates her. I went with my father to a meeting and the brothers
were clearly disgusted when she was brought up."

I could see through the plastic bag that they grinned as they berated me, watching me
with scorn as I tried to get back to my senses with what energy I had left. Their words
hurt far more than their beatings.
"Hey, from now on make sure you stay out of our way. And don't you dare say a word
about today." With that they left the storage room. After their footsteps faded I just laid
there, on the floor, completely still for at least an hour. I was in so much pain I couldn't
move. Eventually I was able to stand again, though barely. I untangled the plastic bag
from my head. My bag and uniform were ruined. I went to the nearest washroom and
began to wipe the footprints from my uniform when I looked up in the mirror and realized
the uniform wasn't what I should have been worrying about. I looked closely at my face. I
had purple bruises forming around my eyes. They hadn't just kicked my body, but my face,
too.

A sardonic laugh escaped my lips; the very sight of me seemed to say "I've been
beaten." I trudged all the way back to the hellish house I hated so deeply I'd rather die
than go in. But there was nowhere else for me to go other than that house. I had the
misfortune of finding my father and two half-brothers all sharing a snack in the living
room as I entered the house.

"I'm back." I announced. Since I wasn't someone who could join them I quickly bowed
in greeting and moved toward the stairs.

"Wait. Stop right there." The second bastard called out. My bad day was only getting
worse. Usually they wouldn't care if I came back or didn't.

"Hey! I told you to stop." I ignored him and kept walking. The second bastard got up
and rushed over to me. He grabbed me by the wrist before I could make it to the
stairs.

"Hey, what's all of this? Why do you look like that?" He asked.

"Nothing. I fell." I shook my head in a poor attempt shake my hair over my eye to hide
the growing bruise.

"Hey, look at me. Were you beaten

up?!" "No. Like I said, I fell."

"I told you to look at me!" I just wanted to go to my room and rest. But he just had to
block me from doing that didn't he? He pulled my hair up, revealing my bruised face.

"You. What's up with that bruise? What asshole did this? Who in

the hell..." "It's nothing."

"Oh? It's nothing? How is this noth-"

"It's really nothing. Seriously! It's nothing. I told you it's nothing!" I shouted and shook
his hand off of me. I must have been out of my mind. Even my father and older half-
brother stared at me with wide eyes. They had never seen me angry or acting like that
before. I thought at that moment life couldn't possibly get more miserable.

"Since when have you ever cared about me?" I shouted. There they were having a nice
time eating fruit while I was being beaten in a gym storage room. And then there was me,
who could never join them or be a part of their happy family. It made me jealous.
"Please just leave me alone! I've never asked you for anything before. I haven't done
anything, but why? Why are you guys always..." I always thought that crying meant
loss and failure, but I couldn't stop myself at that time. The room was silent except for
the quiet sounds of my sobs. All the tears I had held back until then came gushing out like
a waterfall. I wept like a child, not knowing or caring what sort of looks they made as
they watched.

A few days later when the bruises on my eyes had finally disappeared the second bastard
came to me.

"I caught them all and beat them 'til they were half-dead." He said without even saying
'hello' first. A rumor had already spread around school that the most troublesome bullies
all wound up hospitalized at the same time.

"Just how much did those assholes look down on you to do that?" he muttered. I simply

shook my head. "Anyway, that sort of thing won't happen again. Just so you know."

"Thank you brother." I said. I wasn't thankful at all. I wanted to scream at him that it
was his fault instead of forcing words of thanks. Why did I need to thank him for
cleaning up his own mess? After that I was even more isolated at school. Nothing got
better. In fact, the bullies treated me worse.

I just

really... Just

really...
"...is what you said, but why isn't she waking?" I heard loud shouts but couldn't figure
out who it was or what they were trying to say. My head hurt. I tried to open my eyes, but
it wasn't easy.

"...at least do that. Obviously you along with that insane bastard the crowned

prince...!" "...So loud." I rasped. Someone came to my side immediately

after I spoke.

"Hey, are you awake?" Everything was blurry. I couldn't see the person's face very well.
But I could immediately tell who it was by his familiar voice. It was the second bastard
from that house, my younger half-brother.

"...I hate... you." I forced out the words I couldn't before. "I... really... I hate you so much.
I hate you a hundred, a thousand times more than you hate me... I hate you more than
anyone in the world." I closed my eyes and fell back into unconsciousness. It was
refreshing to finally say those words.

What I didn't see were the deep blue trembling eyes of the pink-haired man, standing
there as stiff as a could be.
 Chapter 15

After four days I finally regained consciousness.

"My Lady... Are you feeling alright now?" The first thing I saw upon waking was Emily,
her eyes were full of tears.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What a relief! You have no idea how worried I was! His Grace, the Duke, and the young
masters were so worried about you, my lady." She said.

"Is that so?" My reply was half-hearted. I very much so doubted Emily meant any of
what she said. Emily nodded her head vigorously and continued, not hearing or not
caring about my tone.

"Of course! The first young master was so pale when he came running to the mansion
with my lady in his arms!"

"...First brother did?"

"Yes! The Duke immediately summoned all of the most talented doctors in the capital. It
took everything the head butler, Pennel, had to stop the second young master from
storming the imperial palace and he just barely managed." That was unexpected to say
the least. Emily was probably exaggerating. But even if she was, the fact they cared at all
was unexpected.

"I was worried something terrible might happen to you, my lady..." Emily trailed off,

looking down. "It must have been difficult for you, Emily."

"No! Don't say that! Even though I'm like this, I've spent years with you, my lady. I'm
the lady's personal maid."

I stared at Emily incredulously. Wasn't this girl, who stood before me in tears calling
herself my 'personal maid,' the same one who used to stab me with a needle every
morning? A lot of things must have happened while I slept.

"Ah, Right! Now is not the time for us to chit-chat. I'll go tell the Duke that my lady is

now awake!" "Bring some melon sherbet on your way back." I called as Emily hurried

to stand and leave.

***

I got out of the bed and checked my appearance in the mirror. My face was a mess
after four days asleep. My neck was wrapped thick and securely with bandages. It looked
ridiculous considering it was all for a relatively small scratch from the crowned prince's
sword.
"Why did they wrap it up so much?" I asked my reflection, touching the bandages. If
someone saw me they would be certain I had broken my neck. The bandages were
stifling and I thought about removing them, but decided against it for the time being. It
wouldn't be a bad idea to play the role of a sick patient for a while.

Knock. Knock.

I had just finished eating some clam soup and the melon sherbet Emily brought when I
heard a knocking on my door.

"My Lady, it's Pennel." The head butler called out. He no longer did things like barging in
without knocking after that incident. That didn't stop me from frowning, though.

Didn't I tell him to send someone else if he had business with me? I thought.

"Emily, go see why he's here." I still hadn't forgiven him yet. Emily did as she was told
without hesitation.

"My lady, the butler says that His Grace, the Duke, is calling for you." That was not what I
expected.

"Father?" No one was allowed to deliver orders from the family head and owner of the
mansion other than the head butler. So I understood then why Pennel could not send a
proxy and had to come himself.
"Emily, Bring me some outerwear." I got out of the bed and stood.

"My lady, aren't you going to change clothes?" She asked with an air of disbelief and
uncertainty, as if it was rare for me not to get dressed up. I was still wearing the white
nightgown I woke up in. It wasn't appropriate for an audience with another adult,
especially the Duke, so I understood her concern.

"Do you regularly see a sick person dressing up?" I replied and took the outerwear Emily
brought me.

Did he really have to call for me when I only just woke up today? I thought. It wasn't my
intention but I did basically cause another incident at the palace during the banquet.
The last time I caused an incident I was punished with probation. I admit I was
concerned about how badly I'd be scolded. It seemed like a good idea to play the role
of a victim in pain to get sympathy and avoid some of the blame for that incident and
thanks to sleeping for four days my face certainly looked the part. I let out a deep sigh as
I left the room.

"Shall we go now, my lady?" The butler had been waiting at my door. He adjusted his
posture the moment I left the room. He placed one hand on his stomach and gestured
with the other in the direction we were going.

What the? It wasn't like I didn't know the way to the Duke's office. Pennel had never done
anything like this for me before. What had gotten into him? I eyed him suspiciously. The
butler noticed my expression and bowed.

"How can a mere servant walk in front of his master?" he asked rhetorically, answering my
unasked question. I searched his face for any evidence of deceit, but there was no trace of
insincerity to be found. Instead, he seemed more like a knight who had been preparing for
this moment his whole life.

"Please take the lead, my lady." I heard his well-mannered words unspoken meaning - I've
been waiting for you¸ I'll be serving my lady well today. It felt a bit like a situation where a
shop owner would give special treatment to a regular, especially well after a long absence.
The entire atmosphere of the mansion was noticeably different, too. All of the servants
who used to steal sideways glances were bowing respectfully whenever their eyes met
with mine.

Why is everyone acting like this today? I wondered. I didn't know it at the time, but their
behavior was in part thanks to the butler giving warning glares from behind me as we
passed.

"My Lady, please wait a moment." The butler who had been walking silently behind me
stepped forward as we arrived at the door to the Duke's office. He reached out an arm and
knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Your Grace, Lady Penelope has arrived." He announced.

"Let her in." I heard through the door. The butler opened the door for me in the well-
mannered way one would expect of a noble's servant.

"Please head inside, my lady." He said with a bow. It was like he had been attending
etiquette training camp while I was sick. I felt a bit awkward, but I brushed it aside and
entered the room. The Duke was sitting on the sofa in front of his work desk.

"You're here."

"...You called." I greeted, bowing my head. He nodded at my greeting.

"Have a seat." He gestured towards a second sofa across from where he sat. As I took
my place I went over all of the excuses I had come up with for this conversation. The
Duke slowly opened his mouth to speak after a brief moment of silence.

"The reason I called you today is..."

"Wait, Father! Would you please allow me to speak first?" I quickly cut him off. I abruptly
stood and knelt on the ground next to the sofa.

"I apologize for everything. I take full responsibility." This was my plan: to apologize before
he had a chance to punish me. "I was on probation, but I failed to properly reflect on
my actions during that time. I caused another commotion at the Royal Banquet and
sullied our family name." The words I had prepared flowed out with ease. Would he go so
far as to kick his daughter, who just woke from being ill, out of the house when she was
apologizing like this?

"No wait." He said. The shock on his face told me my plan had worked.

"I won't dare ask for your forgiveness. I understand my failure better than anyone else." I
continued.
"What are you..."

"I'll accept any punishment you deem fit without opposing it. So-"

"Enough!" he shouted with one hand in the air. The gesture silenced me before I could
finish my plea to ask that he show me leniency.

"Penelope Eckart..." The Duke called my name with a low and deep voice. I gasped at
hearing my full name. Does begging for forgiveness stop working after the first time? I
was worried. I gulped.

"...Yes father?" I spoke

softly. "Stand up."

"...Pardon?" The command was so unexpected I had to question it. The Duke's eyebrow
twitched.

"An Eckart does not kneel on the ground for any reason. Do not lower yourself so easily,
Penelope. As long as you are an Eckart no one can make you kneel, even if they are
royalty!" The Duke gradually raised his voice and it was nearly a shout by the time he got
to 'royals.'

"If you understand, then rise from the ground this instant." He commanded.

"Y-Yes!" I abruptly stood and then once again sat on the sofa. My heart was racing at
the Duke's impressive charisma. I had never seen him do anything like this when
playing the game.

Did I say something wrong?

"Penelope. The reason I called you here today was not to blame you." The

Duke said. "Then... why?"

"It was so I could learn exactly what happened at the palace. Tell me, what happened
between you and the crowned prince?"

I thought back to the time before I fainted. I had followed the crown prince with every
intention of dying and almost lost my head to his sword. I barely managed to save
myself by confessing to that insane bastard. Chills ran down my spine as I remembered
the cold and deadly aura from the prince that night. Preoccupied with coming up with
an excuse, I didn't notice the Duke intensely staring at my face as his own complexion
growing pale as he watched.

"Well... I went to get some fresh air in the maze garden and I ran into the crowned prince
after taking a wrong turn. His highness happened to be in a bad mood so..." It was
definitely different from what actually happened. I had been lying since the day I got
here; I was becoming quite the professional. But what else could I do? I couldn't tell him
the truth. Even so, it wasn't entirely a lie, either.

"So?" He prompted me to continue. I hesitated. "So his highness, the crowned prince, cut
your neck like that because he was in a bad mood?"

"No, he didn't cut..."

"If he didn't cut you, then what's that on your neck? He's not an animal. How could he
point his sword at a noble lady, of a ducal house no less, just because he's in a bad
mood?" The Duke's words were full of anger.
 Chapter 16

"If he didn't cut you, then what's that on your neck? He's not an animal. How could he
point his sword at a noble lady, of a ducal house no less, just because he's in a bad
mood?" The Duke shouted in anger over the crowned prince's actions. I imagined I could
hear the crowned prince saying 'how noisy' from somewhere far away.

"B...But it was I who got on his nerves in the first place." I

answered. "You did well." The Duke said.

"Pardon?" I was confused to say the least.

"We can use this against the crowned prince. We can use his violence against you as a
bargaining chip for a favor in the future. You've become a valuable asset to the Eckart
family, Penelope." Every time he spoke he said something more surprising than the
last; I thought I was going crazy.

"We needed to take him down a peg or two. That brat has become way too cocky after
returning as a war hero." The Duke said matter-of-factly.

"F... Father, if someone hears. " I was flustered. Those treasonous words could ruin the
Eckart family if
they were heard outside of this room. Insulting the royal family was not a trivial matter. He
ignored my concerns and continued confidently.

"I am sure you are aware the Eckart family remains neutral with regard to the nobles and

royal family." "Yes, of course." I wasn't aware of that at all!

"Even if he's a direct descendant of royal lineage, it is difficult to survive or ascend to the
throne without supporters to back him. Ever since the First Empress passed away, fewer
people have been supporting the crowned prince." The current empress was not the
crowned prince's biological mother after all.

"And while the crowned prince was on the battlefield, the second prince's mother took
control of nearly half the royal palace. No one really knows who will become the next
emperor at this point." I had no idea that Callisto had such a complicated backstory. That
damned game only focused on capturing the hearts of the male leads and barely said
anything about important backstory like this!

No wonder he acted like a mad dog at the banquet! At first I had no idea why the empress
or second prince would send assassins after the crowned prince. I was developing a
better understanding of things.

"As things get more chaotic, it will be harder for people to remain neutral. This incident is
something we can leverage." The Duke smiled with satisfaction. He continued, "You've
done well in this case. You should be rewarded. Is there anything in particular that you
want?"

"A reward?" I came here expecting to be punished. A reward was the farthest thing from
my mind. I sat and stared blankly. He nodded his head.

"Shall I call the jewelers again? The seasons are changing; maybe it's time to refresh
your wardrobe? You can throw away any dresses you've grown tired of." My jaw
dropped. This reward was on a whole different scale than what I would have ever
expected.

What a windfall. I thought. Penelope already had so many jewels and dresses, any more of
them would really be unnecessary. I took a moment and thought about what I wanted as a
reward; I really didn't know. Thoughtfully, I answered.

"I will let you know what I want later, after taking some time to think about it." I rose from
the sofa and made my way out of his office. With a soft click I closed the office door
behind me. A familiar white box appeared in front of my vision.

<SYSTEM> Relationship improvement with members of the Dukedom! Your fame points
have gone up by +5. Total Points: 5

"Hah." I scoffed. How ridiculous! Just what did I do to earn this?

I didn't try to improve my relationship with the people around me. If anything, all I did was
threaten
them a little so they would stop making my life so difficult while looking down on me.

Was getting hurt by the crowned prince really such a big deal? It was fascinating how so
much was flowing in such unexpected ways, especially with the Duke. I actually felt a little
bit proud of myself. Whether it was interest or fame, an increase in reputation points
always meant something good.

Alright! Let's keep at it.

***

"My Lady, you're back." Emily welcomed me as I entered the room. I nodded half-
heartedly and hurried to my desk. I sat in the chair; I had a lot to think about, and not
just what I wanted for my reward.

"Um... My Lady, this..." Emily followed after me. She held out her hands.

"You had this on your neck the day you fainted. The first young master told me to throw it
away, but I washed it and kept it just in case."

"Ah... This." I stared at the white handkerchief Emily handed to me. It was the one Vinter
Belldandy gave me. I had completely forgotten about it.

"Thank you for being considerate, Emily." I complimented Emily for doing well. Her face
brightened. The handkerchief that was once soaked in blood had been washed clean and
white without a single stain. I considered what I should do with it.

I should repay him to show my respect¸ right? I didn't exactly want to be involved with
Vinter, but etiquette demanded I still be polite. Either way, I would most likely meet him
again, at least once more, since he was one of the capture targets.

"Emily, can you tell the head butler to bring in a jeweler tomorrow?"

"A jeweler?" Emily tilted her head to the side then clapped once. "Are you planning to
order new accessories for the festival?"

"Festival?"

"The founding festival celebrating the birth of the country! It's being held next week. They
say this year's festival will be even grander than before because of his highness, the
crowned prince's return from the war... ah!" Emily gasped and held her hand in front of
her mouth, realizing her mistake a moment too late.

"Don't mention the crowned prince." My voice was cold. I was sick of even thinking about
that crazy bastard.

"Just go and inform the head butler now." I waved with my hand towards Emily, annoyed.

"Y-Yes! I'll be right back!" Silence entered the room with Emily's departure. I tapped the
desk with one finger, lost in deep thought.
"So next week's the festival, huh?"

In the game you unlocked each target character in a specific order, meeting each one
during a specific event. For instance, I had to finish some of the episodes on Reynold's and
Derrick's routes in order to unlock the crowned prince's route. It made meeting Vinter at
the edge of the maze garden immediately after meeting the prince a surprise. I would have
met him at the banquet that day anyway, so not much of the original story was changed.
When playing the game I never met the last capture target, Eclise the Knight. His
introduction took place after Vinter's.

"What did Peneleope do during the festival?" It was around the time of the festival
when Eclise was brought into the mansion. When playing the hard mode of the game I
received a notification that the Duke brought the final capture target to the mansion, but I
was never able to meet him. I was too busy playing the episode 'Festival Day Together'
with Reynold or Derrick.

I could feel my blood boiling just thinking about that episode. I didn't even get a chance to
look around the festival because I was too busy dying. In the end I wound up here and
never got a single peaceful date at the festival with either of them.

"I need to get him before the Duke does." I opened a drawer and took out the piece of
paper I hid before. After nearly dying at the hands of the crowned prince there was
something I was determined to accomplish: If dying was no longer an option, then I'd
have to reach an ending and finish a route as soon as possible to escape this damned
place. To do so, I needed to raise the favorability of the easiest capture target.
"Eclise." My eyes sparkled as I looked at his name written on

the paper. "I choose you."

***

I spent the following days exploring the mansion in my free time. It was no
exaggeration to say the Eckart estate was the size of a small town. There was a training
area for the knights, their barracks, a small forest, expansive fields of grass, and a
beautifully curated garden.

There must be an escape hole around here somewhere. I thought. I needed to find a secret
way out of the estate if I wanted to leave for the festival. It wasn't easy since the
grounds were so large. One particular day after failing to find an escape hole yet again I
sluggishly walked back to the gardens to rest. I sent Emily away to get some snacks and a
tea tray. I sat under a large tree to read a book while I waited. The story was reaching a
climax when I heard a rustling sound behind me.

"Emily, can you hand me a bookmark" I asked without looking up, close to the end of the
chapter I was reading. I reached out a hand to where Emily should have been standing.
There was no reply.

"Emily?" I finished my page and closed the book. I turned my head; it wasn't Emily.

"Are you... feeling better?" Derrick was standing beside me and holding a tray with
snacks. [Favorability 8%] hung over his head.

"Uhh..." I let out such an idiotic sound while I stared at the favorability gauge above
his head. It was 6% when I saw him last, a few days before. I had no idea what could
have caused it to rise. A cool breeze with the scent of flowers blew past the two of us.
My hair fluttered in front of my face, momentarily blocking my view. The distraction
brought me back to my senses. I realized I was staring at him stupidly and moved to
stand and greet him. Derrick stopped me before I could.

"No. No need to get up." He said.

"It's fine. I was about to head back in now anyway."

"Did you not want the snacks, then?" He asked. I furrowed my brow and glanced at the
tray he was holding. Why did it have to be him?

"Did Emily ask you to bring them?" I asked.

"No. I told her that I would bring them since I had something I needed to talk to you
about."

"With me?" What business did he, the one who hates Penelope so fiercely, have with me?
My curiosity was short lived when I realized what he most likely meant to talk about.

"...is it because of what happened at the palace?" I asked tentatively. Though the Duke let
it go and even gave me a reward, Derrick would surely not be so forgiving. I held back a
sigh and carefully chose the words I would say next. I thought of it as just a
continuation of the apology I originally planned for the Duke.

"I am sure you were flustered because of me that day. You even warned me not to cause a
fuss. I apologize, Young Master." The words came out robotically. "I spoke to father and
told him I would put myself on probation, staying within the mansion grounds. If you
think I deserve a harsher punishment..."

"That's not..." He stopped me from saying more. "That's not what I was going to say."
When I looked up at him I saw he had a faint frown on his face.
 Chapter 17

What the? It's not? I thought.

"Then what...?" I asked, stealing glances at the favorability bar above

his head. "Then why are you... why are you calling me 'Young Master'

again?" he asked quietly. "...Pardon?" I wondered what he meant by

that?

"No. It's nothing. I misspoke. I was looking for you to give you this." Derrick changed
the topic. He held the snack tray with one hand and used his free hand to reach into his
breast pocket. My eyes went wide when he removed a woman's scarf, which seemed
rather small in his large hand, and held it out to me.

"This is...a scarf?"

"You can't go around looking like that, wrapped in bandages." He muttered coldly while
looking at my neck. He wasn't wrong - my neck was still wrapped with bandages so
that I looked like a sick patient. He probably thought it was hilarious, but his face
betrayed no emotions, not even the hint of a smirk.

"Your reputation is already so low, with so many bad rumors going around about you. You
can't go out with a handkerchief from some unknown man. You should always keep your
place in the social circles and the weight of your family name in mind." He said plainly.
My jaw dropped as I looked back and forth between Derrick and the scarf in his hands.
He was talking about the handkerchief Vinter gave to me. Derrick told Emily to throw it
out and he had no idea it was washed and nicely tucked away in a drawer in my room.

How did he know a man gave me that handkerchief? I got goosebumps on my arms
from his amazing insight and perspicacity. I was certain that he'd scold me again. I had
no idea Derrick would be like this. I wasn't sure how to take it. I decided to be nice to
Derrick.

"Thank you." I accepted the scarf from him, careful not to touch his skin. He disliked
Penelope so much I thought it was best not to make skin contact with him. The scarf
wasn't wrapped or packaged like a normal gift, but as I held it in my hands feeling the
texture between my fingers, I could tell it was expensive.

"I'll use it well, first Young Master." I smiled at the gift. I lifted my head and saw
Derrick's eyes wavered for a moment. He stiffened and quickly restored his
emotionless expression.

W-what's up with him? My heart dropped at his reaction. Had I done something wrong?

"I forgot... I had an important task to do." He turned his back on me and walked away
from the gardens with quick steps, the snack tray still in his hand.

Why is he acting like that? I wondered. I watched anxiously as the favorability gauge
above his head flickered.

[Favorability 10%]

"What in the world? What's with this game?" I muttered to myself as Derrick
disappeared. I just didn't understand what kept causing the favorability of the two
brothers to rise.

Well¸ I guess that's why I kept dying in the game. I thought. I couldn't help but feel like my
days here were gradually diverging from the game I had played before entering this
world.

***

"Found it!" After searching for days I had finally found a secret way through the wall
that surrounded the entire estate. There was an escape hole by the knights' training
area most likely used by the knights skipping practice. It was well hidden behind
bushes. It was pure luck that I tripped over a small rock and fell right in front of the
hole.

"Hah. Why won't this damned game tell me any useful info about things like this?" I
shook the dust from my clothes and kicked the offending rock. I adjusted the scarf
around my neck; I had moved on from wearing bandages and just wore the scarf
Derrick gave me.

"Whew... It's a good thing I was able to find it before the festival begins tomorrow." I said to
myself. I
had been anxious about finding the hole, but I didn't need to worry about that anymore.
Even if I hadn't found the hole I still would have had another way. I would probably be able
to go to the festival by simply getting permission from the Duke or Derrick. The problem
was that there was no way either of them would allow the young lady of the house go to a
street festival alone where there would be crowds from all over the empire. It was even
less likely they'd allow me to go when they heard I was planning to attend a slave
auction that secretly opened at night.

"I'm struggling through all this just to save you, so you better meet my expectations,
Eclise." I muttered, gazing at the escape hole. I fixed the bush where I had fallen on it and
put it back into its original location.

"Hey, what are you doing over there?" A voice called out from behind as I was standing
up. I jumped in surprise and turned around.

[Favorability 7%]

Were my eyes going bad? I hadn't seen Reynold in a week but his favorability went up by
4%.

Do these bastard brothers have to avoid Penelope completely for their favorability to rise
or something? I was actually a bit upset at the thought. I had no idea that I could raise
their favorability so early in the game. To think that all the time I had spent resetting the
game was wasted when I could have just avoided them!

"What are you staring at? I also asked what are you doing?" Reynold demanded.

His urgent tone brought me back to my senses. I stopped staring at his favorability

bar and spoke. "You know... just taking a walk."

"Just taking a walk...?" Reynold narrowed his eyes at my reply. "It just so happens you're
taking a walk where the escape hole is located. What a coincidence." He said with a smirk.

I hesitated. It was all I could do to stifle a gasp. Goosebumps rose on the back of my neck.
Just how did that brat realize it? I was certain I had covered the hole well. I stole a glance
at the bush. There was no difference how it looked before I fell on it and how it looked
then. I tried to calm myself and change the subject as if nothing had happened.

"h-hmm... What about you? Why are you here?" I asked.

"The training grounds are right there, you know? I was just heading back now that I'm
done training." It was then that I noticed it; Reynold's pale pink hair was damp with
sweat. I could see the outline of his muscles through the thin white shirt he was
wearing.

Ooh. He sure has a nice body. Unlike his delicate and pretty face, his body was hard with
muscle. He was strangely sexy. Well¸ if I'm stuck trying to survive in this house I can at
least get a little entertainment out of it.

"Then you just be on your way. And I'll continue my walk as well." I said in a prim and
proper way after enjoying the view once more. I took a few steps forward with the full
intention of continuing my walk.

"Hey. Really, know your limits." He called out from behind me. I wanted to ignore him, but
I had no choice but to turn around or else I would risk losing his favorability.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you already forgotten how four years ago you broke your leg trying to go over the
wall with some knights who were skipping their training? That's why the walls were
extended so much higher. After that you'd need at least ten books to write down all of the
things the knights said to defame you."

Those things really happened? Really Penelope? I had noticed that the walls surrounding
the mansion were taller than expected. Four years ago Penelope was fourteen. Even with
a late start she would have mastered all the rules of etiquette and manners by then. For
some reason I was annoyed at Reynold's words. They were words that revealed an
important part of Penelope's past which were conveniently absent from the game, like so
many other things.

"...It's nothing like that." The words I spoke were not at all faithful, even for me.

"Just get permission and leave the mansion confidently through the front gate. Don't do
what you did before and get scolded again." He said in a dark tone.

"I told you, it's nothing like that." He didn't say anything else after that. Instead, he stared
at me in disbelief for a moment before leaving. I watched as his [favorability 7%] gradually
got further away.
<SYSTEM> Quest! Would you like to proceed with the quest, [Date At The Festival] with
[Reynold] ? (Reward : Reynold's interest +3% and others.)

[Accept / Reject]

"I have to do this again? With that brat? And the reward is only 3% favorability?" I
muttered. I had expected this quest to pop up eventually. When playing the game I
desperately wanted that 3% and accepted the quest. After that I had to press the reset
button an infinite number of times. What was more upsetting was that I was never
able to complete the quest. I snorted thinking back on how annoying he was a
minute ago.

I'm not doing it. No way!

I pressed the 'refuse' button multiple times. I didn't need to think about it much at all.

How can I have a successful date at the festival with a guy who growls whenever he sees
me?

I didn't think of it as 3% lost. Instead I had 10% and 7% with me already! Besides, I
wasn't working my butt off the prior few days to have a simple date at the festival. I
glared at the spot where Reynold stood a short while ago and thought, Annoying. I hate
him.

If he had said the things he did in front of the real Penelope, she definitely...

Author note: I don't normally do these, so my apologies for the distraction. I wanted
to announce that I have been invited to work with Wattpad's MSilveeline and her team
on Death is the Only Ending for the Villainess. Their team has released chapters 108-
144 right here on wattpad.

I will continue to revise CatLovesTowels' older chapters with the same goal of 2 per
weekend, but I may slow down depending on how aggressive MSilveeline and her
team's release goals are.
 Chapter 18

"...definitely would want to give it a try!" I huffed out of breath muttering the words I
couldn't say in front of Reynold the day before as I threw down a bed cover rope from my
room window. It had taken all of my strength to climb up onto the window frame. That
was all it took for this frail body to be out of breath.

It was the first day of the festival. I patiently waited until Emily was done serving me for
the day then immediately took all of the bed sheets I had and tied them together in a
rope. It was such a classic way to escape!

"Now let's do this." I said a few words of encouragement to myself. I waited until I
caught my breath then stood up on the window frame. I was well prepared for my day
out. I wore a thick robe that covered my face and hair. I also had a few gold coins and the
reward cheque that I received from the Duke following that incident the other day. All I
had left to do was successfully get down from my second floor room.

"Ha... Why do I have to go through all of this?" I complained, looking down from the
window. I tossed down the rope and quickly slid down. It was only the second floor. When
I had been wandering around the mansion grounds the days prior I concluded it was
possible to safely climb down. I was certain it was possible.

"...Shoot."

The bed sheet rope was shorter than I thought. I didn't have an opportunity to check just
how far the rope reached before my escape attempt, but I had been confident it would be
fine; the rope was really long after all. New worries went through my mind: I could wake
someone up with the noise if I jumped from that height and it was possible I could get
injured if I landed poorly.

"Just...!" I began to panic when I realized that the length I had eyeballed was very
different from the actual length needed. I looked up. It was a long way back up to my
window. Penelope's weak body didn't have the strength to make the climb back up; it
was all I could do to just cling to the bed sheets.

"Hah... What do I do?" I sniffed. I couldn't go up or down.

"Hey... You, what are you doing?" A voice called out from bellow. I glanced down and saw
Reynold. His pale pink hair reflected the moonlight.

"Hah." He feigned a laugh. He looked up at me from below. It was easy to tell by his
expression he must have thought he was looking at some foolish and senseless display.

"Wh... why are you there?" I called down.

"Are you kidding? My room is right below yours!" How was I supposed to know that his
room was the one below Penelope's?

"Are you... Hah! This is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say. Are you trying to run
away from home right now?"
"What do you mean run away?" I was startled by his question. "I... I was just going out
for a walk."

"A walk? Is that the trend these days, for girls your age to climb out windows when
they're going out for a walk?" he mocked me. I couldn't find the right words to
answer him so I just stared off at the distant mountains. I did forget one thing, though.
Thanks to Reynold's distraction and all of the panicking I forgot that my arms had
reached their limits and I couldn't hold on any longer. I began to slip down the rope.

"Ack!" I shouted. I slid down to the end of the rope, barely stopping myself before falling to
the ground.

"Haa, ha...!" I clung to the end of the rope, swinging side to side, like a spider climbing
on a single strand of web.

"Hey!" Reynold shouted and jumped up to his window frame. His face was pale.

"Let go." Reynold quickly made his way to the ground outside. He stood with his arms

open wide. "Wh, what?"

"Let go and jump down. I'll catch you!" It was all I could do to stop myself from saying
'how am I supposed to trust you?'

"If you don't want to, you can just keep hanging up there." My hesitation didn't last
long. I had no other choice.

"...Please don't miss me! You had better catch me!" I ordered.

He wouldn't intentionally let me die¸ even if I was the hated little sister¸ right? I thought it
over and convinced myself that I would be fine. I finally let go.

"Hupp!" An immense wind blew past me as I fell. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster,
butterflies in my stomach and all.

"Umph... Caught you." I landed with a flop. I opened my eyes to find Reynold smirking
with a devilish grin.

"...P, put me down." My face was close to his. I quickly untangled myself from

his arms. "So where are you planning to go? Reynold asked while I was

fixing my robe.

"Just for a -"

"If you say you're going or a walk again I'm going straight to father." He cut me off. I
glared hatefully. Why did I have to get caught by him, of all people?

Nah. It's better than getting caught by Derrick. I was thankful for that at least. I quickly
came up with an excuse.

"I'm going to the festival." I admitted.

"You're going in the middle of the night? You went through all of this when you could have
just gone during the day?"

"I had my reasons. You don't need to know." I answered.

"There can't be a reason for you to go without a bodyguard, especially at night. Do you
even know how dangerous it is outside the estate this time of day? How can a girl be so
reckless?"

"Reynold." I called out his name, annoyed. "Thank you so very much for helping me just
now. However, like I told you last time, I'll take care of my own business from now on,
so do not mind me at all." I coldly reminded him of the line between us.

"Hey. You..." Reynold was at a loss for words. I glanced at the [Favorability 7%] and spoke.

"I'm an adult now. What happens to me is my responsibility. If you want to be

considerate as my brother, you can just igno-"

"Then I'm coming with you." He said

casually. "...What?" It was my turn to be

speechless.

"We'll just go to the festival together, then. I can act as your bodyguard and keep you
company as your brother. Everything is solved that way." I just stared. He continued, "I'll
keep this a secret from father. So we'll go together."

Ha! It was so ridiculous I couldn't say anything. Why was he acting like that? Why
would the brat who grits his teeth at the mere sight of Penelope ask her to go to the
festival with him?

"You don't like me, though. So why insist-" I tried to convince him with wavering eyes, but
he cut me off again.

"Says who?" He said in annoyance, his voice growing loud. "It was you who screamed
about how you hated me a hundred thousand times!"

"Shh!" I raised my index finger to my lips and looked around us. I was scared someone
might have heard his shouting. Thankfully it was dead silent all around us; it seemed no
one heard a thing.

"You could just say I was wrong without all the screaming." I whispered to him with a
frown. Also when did I ever say all of that? I was going to tell him to stop babbling
nonsense. But there wasn't time for us to be chatting away like that; I had to hurry to get
Eclise. While lost in thought Reynold stubbornly continued.
"Anyway, regardless of what you say we're going together. I'm going to follow you even if
you tell me not to."

<SYSTEM> Quest! Would you like to proceed with the quest, [Date At The Festival] with
[Reynold]? (Reward : Reynold's interest +3% and others.)

[Accept / Reject]

The same white box I rejected yesterday appeared before me again. I looked back and
forth between Reynold and the quest box and let out a sigh. I had no other choice but
to accept.

"Fine. We'll go together, alright?" I pressed 'Accept.'

***

Reynold and I walked together in silence to the knights' training grounds. He made a
face as if he were saying 'I knew it' when we arrived at the escape hole from yesterday.
We began to make our way through the hole after clearing out the brush when a voice
came from behind.

"Just what are you two doing?" The sharp voice stopped me in my tracks. Reynold and I
were both startled and abruptly turned around. The first thing I saw was a favorability bar
shining in the dark.

"Just where are the two of you planning to go in the middle of the night like this?" Derrick
asked.

"Brother." Reynold said. Derrick walked over to the two of us and glared at me. It was
obvious I was about to go through the hole, so there was no denying it.

"W, well..." I was searching for the words to say, but Reynold was

faster. "She said she wanted to go see the festival, brother."

Reynold pointed at me. "The festival...?" Derick responded.

"Yes. That's why I decided to follow her as her bodyguard to keep an eye on her in case
she gets into trouble." Derrick's gaze moved from Reynold back to me. I instinctively
curled in on myself at his cold gaze.

My plan to get Eclipse is definitely going to fail¸ now. I thought. I dejectedly lowered my
head.

"It is the most fundamental and basic thing to have at least two bodyguards for any one
noble in need of guarding." Derrick said with a cold tone of voice.

<SYSTEM> Quest! Would you like to proceed with the quest, [Date At The Festival]
with [Derrick]? (Reward : Derrick's interest +3% and others.)

[Accept / Reject]
I am so screwed. Hahaha! I gave up and just smiled; it was the only thing I could do at
the time.
 Chapter 19

I had heard that the best time to enjoy the festival was at night. That seemed to be the
popular opinion considering the streets were crowded with people. The busy streets were
decorated with fancy lanterns and lined with stalls for food, games, toys and other
things. I saw a lot of festivals like this before coming to this world, so I was quick to
walk past most of the tables, disinterested.

"Hey. Are you sure you came to enjoy the festival?" Reynold asked. He must have found it
weird for Penelope to ignore the street shops like that.

"I am enjoying it." I glanced at him and answered half-heartedly.

"But you're not even asking us to buy anything for you. Usually you go crazy for
accessories." He commented while pointing towards a stand selling accessories for girls.

Did he actually think I came out here just to have fun at the festival with him? I stared at
him a moment before turning away without saying a word. Honestly speaking, I was at
a loss for what to do at the festival. I was conflicted and I didn't know where to begin
looking for Eclise.

"Hey! Come here for a minute."

"Huh, Ah!" Reynold caught me by my hand and dragged me towards a stand. Derrick
silently followed behind the two of us.

"Look. They sell some fine things here." Reynold had taken me to a stand that sold jewels.

"My, my, welcome! Take a look dear customers! Many new things have arrived for today
from the East." I stared at the shopkeep blankly, confused about what I was even doing
right then. Reynold noticed me staring at the man.

"Ahh! He told you to take a look! So look around already!" Reynold shouted in
frustration. So I did as he said. I looked at the jewels. There were some unique gems that
certainly seemed like the sort you would only find during the time of a festival like that.
Even so I didn't feel the urge to buy anything. Penelope's jewelry box was already
overflowing with accessories. I lost interest in them quickly. But then...

"This looks fine." Derrick reached out from behind me, picking up a bracelet of platinum
string with little dangling plum purple jewels.

"Goodness! I could tell by looking you would have great taste, mister. To tell you a bit
about this bracelet, it took three months of labor, working both night and day, to create.
Those gems you see are a rare stone found only in a few mines in the East." The
merchant was literally spitting as he spat out those words. I felt a bit uncomfortable
looking at the bracelet Derrick held; the jewels' color was similar to my hair.

Hey... no way. There's no way he'd give that to me. I looked up at the [10%] and thought.

"Then this one for me." Reynold seemed anxious to pay for something, so I quickly
picked up a thing that interested me. The merchant who once babbled on and on about
the bracelet had nothing to say about my selection.

"...Are you serious?" Reynold looked down at what I was holding with a deep frown. It was
the same for Derrick.

"Yes. This mask is what I want." I had chosen a white mask that was placed in the far
corner of the table. The eyes and mouth were the only openings; both were curved
upwards into a smiling face. It reminded me of a traditional Korean hahoe mask. When I
thought about it, there was no way they would let a young lady, practically a little girl,
into a slave market, even with a robe for a disguise. Wearing a mask was a clever
solution; it was a reasonable decision to buy one.

"I'll buy this." I said.

"Hey. So I wanted to ask you this for a while now..." Reynold had a serious look on his face
while he observed me. He continued after a brief pause, "Are you sick or something? Do
you suddenly feel dizzy, or do you black out and find yourself in a different place without
remembering how you got there or anything like that?"
"If you don't want to buy it, just say so." He was clearly mocking me.

"No, it's not that I don't... You're saying you really want this thing?" He asked with a tone
full of incredulity.

"Yes!" I ended up shouting at Reynold, his repeated questioning was irritating. He just
looked at me in disbelief, but he did end up buying me the mask. No sooner than he
finished the transaction a loud noise came from the distance.

Bzzzzz-!

I turned to see a group of people in elaborate costumes coming down the street.
Fireworks exploded with loud bangs, drawing an even crazier crowd out to the street. It
was the start of the parade and people came out from everywhere to watch it. As the
street grew more and more crowded people began bumping into me, pushing in their
rush to get by.

"Hold on." Derrick looked down at me with an emotionless face, extending his arm in his
fancy poet shirt.

"...Thank you." I quickly grabbed onto his sleeve. The growing crowd was so dense I
really thought I would be swept away at any moment. However I must have grabbed onto
the wrong part of his sleeve; whatever I had grabbed a hold of rattled and came loose.

Buzzzz-!

The sound of the parade had reached its peak. They were passing by at that very moment.
Though I clung to Derrick's sleeve as tightly as possible, something snapped and I
began to get swept away with the crowd.

"Uh, uhh...!" I reached out towards Derrick.

"Penelope!" He shouted with a panicked face that only got farther away from me with
each passing moment.

"N, no..." I found myself carried away in the moving crowd. I struggled and was just barely
able to get away from them some time later. Once I regained my composure I realized I
was in the corner of a creepy and dark alley with only the golden button that snapped off
of Derrick's sleve and the mask Reynold bought for me.

"...Where am I?" I asked no one in particular as furrowed my brows looking around. At

that moment a white box appeared in front of me.

<SYSTEM> The episode [The Unlucky Slave From A Defeated Country, Eclise] has
begun. Would you like to go to the 'Slave Market'?

[Yes. / No.]

"What's this?" My jaw dropped. How convenient! Thanks to this I would actually get to
start Eclise's route in spite of the fact those two bastards followed me.
***

I pressed yes and found myself transported immediately to the entrance of the slave
market. It was a really shabby building. I never would have guessed that it would be the
right place if not for the system putting me here. I saw a few people lining up at the
entrance, each of them wore a mask.

Ha! I knew it! It was clever to buy this. Though it wasn't fancy like the other noble's
masks, it really didn't matter so long as it hid my face. I tucked my hair carefully behind
my robe, placed the mask over my face and stood in line behind the others. It was soon
my turn to enter.

"Invitation, please." A large man held out his open hand.

You need an invitation to this thing? I became flustered. I didn't expect this! How was I to
know you'd need an invitation to get in? This crazy game didn't tell me anything about
this! The man frowned scarily while I panicked, not giving him a reply.

"Don't you have an invitation? This facility is for members only. You cannot enter without
an invitation. Now then..." He turned towards the next person in line.

"W, wait!" I had an idea. I quickly rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the
button from Derrick's sleeve.
"Here." I handed the button to the bouncer. The button had the Eckart family crest cleanly
carved into it. His eyes grew wide when he saw the button.

"I forgot my invitation at home. Surely, this will do?"

"I, I didn't realize that you were such an honored noble guest. Welcome! Do come in!" He
rushed to make way for me to enter. Though I casually strolled in I was struggling to
hide my surprise.

This is how powerful the Duke's name is? Maybe even more powerful? I thought. Of
course, I couldn't be sure if this trick worked because the Duke was powerful, meaning it
would work everywhere, or if it was because the Duke was a regular guest at this market
so they were showing extra consideration for him as a valued customer. Thinking about
the whole slave market and what it meant for this world left me with a bitter taste in my
mouth.

"Please allow me to escort you to the auction." A host came to greet me by the entrance
and led me in. I followed him down the small stairwell. It seemed to take a long time
before the stairs finally came to an end. I saw a dimly lit area ahead. The host escorted me
through a set of doors into a vast and luxurious space the likes of which I never would
have believed could be inside that shabby building I saw from the street.

A huge place like this was hidden here all along? The large hall was decorated like a
Colosseum such that you could look down at a stage from the grand seats.

"Have a seat here. And please take this." The servant took me to the very front row
where you could see the stage the best and left after handing me a picket for the auction.
I sat and looked down at the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please! The auction will now commence!" An
announcer called out. The auction started not long after. Chained slaves were walked up
onto the stage.

"10 gold! 100 gold! Is there anyone else? Ah, over there 102 gold!" The auctioneer called
out prices as people in the audience raised their pickets. The auction soon became a
battlefield where people fought by reading faces and atmosphere. Then finally it was time.

"Everyone! Now is the time you've all been waiting for. Coming up to the stage now is
today's final slave. A barbarian from a conquered land. I introduce the salve, Eclise!" I had
been staring at the stage with disinterest up until that point. I straightened and watched
with interest as a handcuffed man, mouth covered, was brought on stage. He had
grayish brown hair and his eyes glared sharply at the audience. It was Eclise.

"Everyone here must have heard the rumors about this particular slave, right?" The
auctioneer smiled at the audience. I hadn't heard any rumors about Eclise, however the
other members of the audience nodded their head, seeming to know about the
rumors.

"Ah, but rumors can be misleading. There's often a large difference between rumors and
reality. So we invite you to see for yourselves if the rumors are true as we host a special
event for our audience. We invite you to take a look!" The auctioneer motioned and a
servant threw a child's small wooden training sword at Eclise.

What are they doing? I tilted my head with curiosity.

"Crrrrrr-!" The sound of a cage door sliding open could be heard throughout the hall. Five
hyenas jumped up onto the stage.
 Chapter 20

Wh-what is that? What are they...? It was a shocking sight to behold. The hyenas stalked
Eclise, circling him as he stood still. They drooled, hungry for a meal, as though they had
been starved for days. Both of Eclise's arms and legs were cuffed, preventing broad
motions and he was wearing just a single piece of cloth that covered his lower body,
offering no protection at all. All he had was a small wooden sword.

This is too unfair! My heart dropped. I was certain they wanted Eclise to get eaten by those
starved beasts. What should I do? I thought maybe I could stop this farce if I shouted
out that I wanted to buy him before he could be mauled.

Before I could say anything the largest hyena lunged at Eclise. He ducked and rolled
toward the wooden sword. He grabbed it and stabbed the hyena through the eye in one
swift motion. The hyena fell to the ground; he finished it off with a hard kick. It yelped
then lay there motionless. The remaining hyenas growled and jumped at Eclise all at
once.

"Ah!" I gasped and let out a short scream. I was certain it would be too much for him
to handle them all at one time, but my worries were all for naught; he was able to fight
them off. Eclise dodged sharp teeth and claws even with his movements restricted. Using
just the wooden sword he took down two hyenas in mere seconds, leaving only two left to
handle. One aimed for his back while he fought the other at his front. Eclise twisted and
broke the neck of the hyena to his front, quickly turned around to face the other one, and
stabbed the dull wooden sword straight through its stomach. It fell to the ground with a
yelp, blood oozing over the stage.

"Ha, haaa." Eclise's heavy breathing could be heard over the silence of the audience.
His shoulders were heaving while blood dripped down his hands. The fight ended as fast
as it had started. Then, one by one, the audience began to applaud.

"Thank you!" The auctioneer announced.

"Urgh!" Eclise went berserk after seeing the blood. He continued to swing his sword
wildly though the fight had ended. He swung as staff approached him in an attempt to
restrain him. He sudden flinched and fell unconscious. They dragged him from the stage. I
thought they must have attached a device to him to knock him unconscious, a
precautionary measure to keep slaves from acting out.

"Haha! He's quite the energetic one! It's hard to control him in the normal way." The
auctioneer laughed in an attempt to calm the startled audience. He continued, "now then!
Shall we go nice and easy and start the bid at 50 thousand gold?" Even though the auction
had only just started, the opening bid was already on a completely different scale than
slaves sold earlier in the night.

"60 thousand!" The auctioneer called, looking out into the

audience. "90 thousand!" He called seeing another bid.

"100 thousand! I see 100 thousand!" The price for Eclise rose rapidly. At that rate I
expected the price could reach easily 10 million.
"200 thousand! Ah, I see 400 thousand over there!" As the price rose the pace began to
slow. The number of people willing to and able to pay such exorbitant sums for Eclise
decreased with each new bid. There weren't many people who wanted a slave from a
defeated country at a cost of over 500 thousand gold pieces, especially when he was too
wild to be used as a bed slave.

"500 thousand! 600 thousand! I see 600 thousand!" A person could afford a small
house for that quantity of gold coins. There were only two people left betting at that
point. I couldn't see their faces because of their masks, but I could tell one was an elderly
woman with wrinkles all over her neck and the other was a fat nobleman. Their keenly
half-closed eyes sparkled with greed.

"900 thousand!" The old woman called out, increasing the bid by 300 thousand coins.

"10 million!" The fat man would not back down. The auctioneer's jaw dropped as he
shifted his gaze to the old woman, eager to see if she would continue to bid. She threw her
picket to the floor in anger.

"10 million! Is there anyone else? 5! 4!" The auctioneer began to countdown the final bid.
I cautiously looked around, checking to see if there was anyone else who might challenge
the fat man for Eclise.

"3! 2.. .!" Realizing there wasn't anyone else willing to bid, I at last I raised my picket into
the air.
"100 million." I called out. The audience was dead silent. If you could hear people turning
to look there would have been a cacophony of noise.

"1....!" The auctioneer's jaw dropped again.

"100 million! She said 100 million! Is there no one else?!" He tripped over his words.
He clearly couldn't believe what he just heard. I was confident there was no way anyone
else would bid. Even if there was another contender, it wouldn't have mattered. From the
very start I decided I would shout out ten times the final bid whether it was 100 million or
10 billion, because my very life depended on it.

"100 million, sold!" For my life I would hand the money over with a smile.

***

"P-please come this way!" The auctioneer personally escorted me after the auction had
concluded. It seemed he wasn't just an auctioneer, but the owner and operator of that
slave market. I followed him to the jail where they locked away all of the slaves. Eclise's
cell was in one of the deeper parts of the prison.

Crack. The sound of a whip rang out. A large gathering of workers stood close to Eclise,
each held a whip in their hand. They were whipping Eclise directly on his skin.

Slaves were usually delivered to the buyer's estate sometime after they were sold. Before
delivery they were transferred to a transport area and temporarily caged there. At that
moment they were attempting to move Eclise to the temporary cells.

Slap! Once again a whip slashed him in the back. Blood trickled out from torn flesh.

Oh my goodness! I frowned at the horrific scene. In the game the Duke brought Eclise
to the mansion a few days after the festival. The duke saw him about to be sold and
purchased him for a higher price. At that moment the festival had only just begun and I
chose to go there to get Eclise before the Duke.
Fortunately that plan worked out.

"How would you like to pay, dear customer." The auctioneer-slaver

groveled. "Here." I removed the cheque from my pocket and

tossed it to him.

The slaver gasped when he saw it. He quickly restored his friendly smile and asked, "To
which noble family should I charge the balance?"

"The Eckart ducal family." I instructed confidently. The Duke would certainly get angry
when he found out I spent 100 million gold pieces to buy a slave, but I had already
formulated an excuse for that. The slaver's astonished look soon turned dubious.

"Uh..E-excuse my rudeness, but may I see something that proves your identity?" he asked.

"Are you doubting me right now?" I asked as coldly as I could.

"N, Not at all!" The slaver waved his hands in a gesture meant to deescalate the situation.
He continued, "H, however you are not the usual representative from the Eckart family
who frequents this market so " The rest of his concern was left unspoken.

I removed the button that tore free from Derrick's shirt from my pocket and threw it at
the slaver in an irritated manner. I didn't have much of a choice.

"It's your choice to bring that with you, or not, when you come to get paid." I frowned.

"G, Gosh! I had no idea I was in the presence of such a high and noble person!" The
slaver bowed deeply upon seeing Derrick's golden button with the Eckart family crest
carved into it. He rummaged his pockets and turned to me.

"Here, please take this." He quickly gave me a ring set with a

large ruby. "What's this?" I asked.

"It is a token that goes to the owner of that slave." He said. I accepted the ring. I stared
down at it unsure of its purpose.

"Do you see the collar around the slave's neck?" The slaver pointed his finger at Eclise
who wore a leather choker around his neck with a yellow marble on it. I nodded and the
slaver continued, "The choker has paralysis magic cast on it. The yellow marble shoots
out a shockwave when you push the ruby on that ring. With this you can suppress your
slave when he's acting out." He explained.
I realized that this must have been what was used against Eclise during the
auction to make him instantly collapse when he was raging, swinging the
wooden sword chaotically.

"But it has harmful effects on one's mind when it's used too much. So, do be
careful." The slaver finished is explanation with words of caution.

Harmful effects on the mind... It was all too cruel. I furrowed my brow when I
looked back down at the ring in my hand.

"He is really quite a dangerous fellow for such a delicate lady as yourself, so
make sure you always have this on your finger. Go head, try it on." The slaver
who couldn't see my scrunched up face urged me to put the ring on. I
pretended to slide the ring onto my index finger.

"Ahh!" A sudden scream came from the cells. I looked up and saw Eclise
choking one of the workers between his legs. The cuffs that chained his feet
together were broken.

"H, hey! Suppress him! Quickly!" The slaver shouted at me, his face pale.

Crack! Crack! The other workers whipped Eclise. They didn't dare get close to the
wild slave even though their friend was being killed.

"Hrrrrk..." A guttural sound came from the man being choked, slowly dying.
Eclise's skin was being torn open as the workers whipped him. I couldn't
stand there and just watch as a person died, especially when I had the means
to do something about it. I hesitated for a moment then pressed the ruby on
the ring.

"Ugh!" Eclise stiffened, trembled, and then fell to the ground.

"Hah, Ah!..." The freed worker coughed. He scrambled to his feet and rushed
away from Eclise, his face pale. I walked over towards Eclise who was still
trembling, crawling on the ground.

"W, wait! Don't go near!" The slaver panicked and attempted to hold me back,
but he couldn't stop me from approaching Eclise.

"Nghhh!" He glared at me with a deadly intent even though I was certain he

had to be in great pain. [Favorability 0%] shined above his head.

I crouched down in front of him, then took him by his

chin and raised it up. "Eclise." I spoke his name.