Chapter 58

I tried to indulge in a little luxury since I was swimming in cash, but the results were… less than ideal.

“It looks good on you, Belita. You’re pretty.”

Honestly, men act like “pretty” is everything. Can affection really skyrocket this much just because my face got a bit better? But then again, if it were me…

‘I’d probably feel my affection rising naturally, too.’

Ten? I would have gone up by at least thirty. The protagonist’s self-restraint is almost admirable.

…….

‘Well, I guess a win is a win.’

I decided to stop overthinking it.

“Hereis! So this is where you were!”

A man with red hair and a fierce expression appeared, slinging an arm around the protagonist’s neck. I recognized that face.

The owner of the name—which was so long it barely fit over his head—was the Crown Prince of the Nilcaron Empire. He was also a close friend of the protagonist. They had supposedly built a bond during their academy days.

And the woman next to him was…

One of the heroines, Princess Dione. Like her brother Theodore, she was a flamboyant beauty with red hair.

-Whoa, the Princess!

-Finally, all the heroines have appeared.

-I’m picking the Princess.

-Holy crap, she’s gorgeous.

“Nah, not my type~.”

-T_T Too bad.

-Aim for the Princess next time then.

-This guy will probably quit the game before then.

-LOL, you know Mo Je-won so well.

It seemed Mo Je-won hadn’t progressed to the chapters where the Crown Prince or the Princess appear yet. The chat window was burning up at the arrival of a new heroine.

‘The Princess’s chapter is at the very end of the game.’

Right now, this was a Saintess-route-exclusive event. While they weren’t originally supposed to appear yet, you could call this a “special guest appearance.”

“Theodore!”

The protagonist smiled brightly and called the Crown Prince’s name. I offered a late greeting from behind Ilian, but the Prince and Princess were so focused on the protagonist they didn’t even notice me.

“And Your Highness the Princess. It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”

“…It’s a pleasure, Sir Hereis.”

“Why is it so hard to see your face these days?”

Crown Prince Theodore joked, tightening his grip on the protagonist’s neck. Noticing Arianne giving a slight bow next to him, he sent a greasy gaze her way.

“Sir Arianne is here as well. Your beauty remains unchanged. If you have time, wouldn’t you like to join me on the terrace?”

As you could tell from that line, Theodore was set up as a playboy who hit on anything that moved. He was particularly obsessed with pretty women, and even the heroines were no exception. This mechanic—where the Crown Prince hits on the heroines and gets rejected—was used as a device to emphasize the heroines’ “Pure Love” and unwavering devotion to the protagonist. Additionally, seeing someone of his high status get rejected mercilessly served as comic relief.

‘Just like right now.’

“No, thank you.”

“Is that so? How disappointing. Ah, perhaps the setting is too formal? Then how about we make an appointment for next time? For you, Arianne, I can always make time.”

Arianne rejected him flatly with a look of unrefined contempt, but the Prince didn’t seem particularly hurt.

-This guy is the Crown Prince?

-The future of the Empire looks dark.

-Uh-oh, the Princess better start preparing to take over.

Arianne’s expression was becoming increasingly difficult to describe. The protagonist brushed the Prince’s hand off his shoulder and stepped between the two.

Ding!

It was a choice with the lowest difficulty. Without a second of delay, Mo Je-won picked option 1.

“Your Highness, stop the mischi—”

Shatter!

“Ah, I’m so sorry!”

While I was panicking because Mo Je-won pressed the button too fast, a servant carrying a wine tray happened to walk past us, so I stuck out my foot slightly. The servant tripped over my foot and dropped the tray on the floor.

-Huh? Again??

-She does this just when you’re about to forget.

-Every time he’s with the Saintess, the affection events get nullified.

-This is hilarious lol.

Although the wine spill ruined my clothes, it was a small price to pay. Fortunately, no other nobles were nearby, so I was the only one inconvenienced. I sincerely apologized to the servant.

“No, it’s my fault. I was careless.”

“Gasp! Are you oka—I mean, are you alright?”

Kalat flinched while trying to pull me away from the floor messy with glass shards and wine. He seemed to be weighing whether his actions were too much for the situation. In the meantime, I helped the servant pick up the glass and wiped the floor with a rag. Kalat looked like he wanted to stop me, but the Crown Prince was staring intently at us. In the subtle tension, Ilian quickly stepped in front of me to smooth things over.

“She is an attendant brought to assist me. I apologize for the mistake that disturbed the banquet. I ask for your generous understanding.”

But the thing is…

‘These guys would be terrible at living a life of crime.’

The atmosphere of them protecting me was far too obvious. Ilian standing in front of me like a shield, Kalat swallowing nervously, Arianne staring awkwardly into the void, and the protagonist gazing at me restlessly. Anyone with an ounce of intuition would immediately sense something was off. Sure enough, the Crown Prince’s curious eyes turned toward me.

“Hey~ don’t worry about it. Anyone can make a mistake. I’m not that petty.”

That was a relief. I would have felt terrible if an innocent servant was punished because of me. The Crown Prince soon lost interest in me and went back to throwing failing pick-up lines at Arianne. I had blocked a choice that would have easily raised affection by ten, and no annoying incidents occurred. How fortunate…

…Or so I thought.

I was wrong!

It happened when everyone’s guard was down. I had stepped out into the hallway alone for a moment to change my clothes. Ilian and Kalat didn’t follow. Naturally—a maid wandering around the ballroom with two high-ranking men would draw unnecessary attention. And the idea of something happening while I was simply changing clothes seemed ridiculous. After changing with the help of a passing maid, I was about to head back when…

“You there! Follow me for a second!”

A servant who appeared to be part of the Imperial household suddenly called out to me.

“We’re short-handed right now. Can you help out?”

It seemed he mistook me for a maid wandering around with nothing to do. Usually, this means small errands like carrying luggage or food. As a “career maid” myself, I readily nodded. I was getting bored of being a background character behind Ilian and Kalat anyway, so I preferred moving my body. I followed the servant without suspicion. And then…

“Hmm, as I thought. Just my type.”

I was face-to-face with the Crown Prince. I glared at the servant who brought me here with resentment, but he avoided my gaze with an awkward face. The Crown Prince approached me as I backed away and tilted my chin up.

“I’ve never touched a faithful servant of Ralphican before… but I’m quite intrigued.”

Aaaaagh!

I got goosebumps.

“Do you hate it that much? I’ve never actually been rejected before.”

Is this guy insane? I wanted to scream and kick him between the legs immediately, but I held back for now. There was no one around to call for help. Of course—I had wondered why we were going to the garden and why the area was so deserted while following the servant. It seemed the Crown Prince had made sure no one would approach.

‘This clearly isn’t his first time doing this.’

He truly lived up to his official game title as a “playboy.”

“If you don’t like it, say so now. Otherwise, I won’t stop.”

What do you mean you won’t stop? I’m going crazy. I need to say I hate it and run—

Ding!

Are you for real? There were rejection options, but they were useless. If I picked those, I’d surely disappear like morning dew on an execution block for insulting royalty.

‘Why can’t I just reject him politely?’

Of course, if I revealed I was the Saintess, I wouldn’t die, but the Church would likely find out about the whole incident. Then the Church, already flipping out over my runaway act, would lose their minds even more. Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

‘Is the protagonist busy right now?’

If he has time, I hope he comes to save me. I tried to look at the broadcast screen but stopped. A good idea had come to mind.

‘I’ll just pick number 3 and then run away.’

I’ll act like I’m into it to lower his guard, then bolt in the opposite direction.

Ding!

…?

I was preparing to run, but with one second left, time suddenly stopped. Is this…?

“How are we supposed to know where the Saintess went? This is one of those ‘choose right or die’ choices. It’s so unfair.”

My choice timer was still frozen at 1. On the screen, these choices appeared:

Belita is late. Did something happen? Let’s find her. Where is Belita right now?

If the timer stopped because of that choice, does it mean Mo Je-won’s system takes priority over mine? …I felt like I had discovered a secret of the system, but for now, overcoming this situation was the priority. I focused on Mo Je-won’s stream.

-1111

-Usually, the terrace is the standard for stuff like this.

-But didn’t she go out to change her clothes?

-Then maybe just the hallway?

-The hallway is too obvious; she might have gone to the garden.

-Oh, really?

-True, garden events are a staple of banquets.

“Right~ that makes sense. Let’s head out to the garden then!”

The moment Mo Je-won pressed the choice, time began to flow again. I immediately pressed number 3—

No, I pressed it! I definitely pressed 3 the moment time started! Regardless of my complaints about the unfairness of the judgment, my body and mouth, having lost control, moved on their own. Strength surged into my leg, and I struck the Crown Prince in his… indescribable area!

“You perverted bastard!”

“Gwaaaaagh!”

By the time I regained ownership of my body, it was all over.

‘…Now what?’

The Crown Prince was rolling on the ground in a posture far too pathetic to describe. He looked like he wanted to scream curses at me, but the fact that he couldn’t say anything and could only clutch that spot meant no one could doubt the pain.

‘That was for real.’

Well, the strike had landed with surgical precision… I felt a phantom pain myself. As I stood there trembling involuntarily, I heard a familiar voice.

“Ah, you can’t go in there! His Highness will kill me…!”

“Ah.”

A person who appeared to be the Crown Prince’s servant was desperately trying to stop someone from entering. The intruder, who brushed aside and ignored the servant’s protests, was none other than…

“Theo?”

It was the Princess.