Chapter 6
Startled, Lucy immediately lowered her body.
Unintentionally, she had ended up spying on him.
‘Did he see me?’
She didn’t know.
For now… just run.
With that thought, Lucy quietly slipped out of the herbal room.
Whether it was her poor stamina or the tension, cold sweat ran down her back.
‘Why would a place like that exist in the herbal room?’
It didn’t look like a simple bathroom.
Though uneasy, Lucy headed back to her bedroom.
In the afternoon, Cecil came to see Lucy again.
“Princess Adelstein, we will conduct the afternoon rehabilitation session in the same manner as the morning.”
He spoke matter-of-factly, then glanced at the Sacred Dumbbell.
Quickly, Lucy handed over the herbs she had prepared.
She wore a bright, innocent smile, remembering the saying that one cannot spit at someone smiling.
‘He’ll know by the scent that this is a combination he likes.’
Cecil looked at Lucy, then at the cloth bundle in her hands.
Slowly, he opened his mouth.
Lucy waited eagerly for a positive response.
However…
“No, it’s unnecessary.”
Cecil refused outright.
‘Why?’
Lucy felt as if a bell had rung in her head.
‘Could it be that I misremembered Cecil’s herbal blends?’
Impossible.
Perhaps reading her thoughts, the system notification popped up in her mind:
[※When under a ‘charm status abnormality,’ there is a chance that gifts may be rejected.]
She was doomed.
In her previous life, she had never encountered a status abnormality, so she hadn’t known.
‘If I can’t give Cecil gifts…’
How could she raise his affection?
‘And my plan to increase stamina is also failing.’
Lucy felt a strong sense of crisis.
She had a strong premonition she would fail her first quest.
After all, success required stable stamina and Cecil’s help.
‘At this rate, I’ll fail the first quest, not get the soft glutinous rice doggie…’
Her reputation stat would drop, and playing under constantly worsening conditions…
‘I’ll fail the true ending and lose my selfhood.’
Lucy’s head sank.
Seeing her like that, Cecil sighed.
“You have the stamina for such useless antics, apparently. It would be better if you focused that energy on recovering your strength.”
“…….”
“Moreover, meddling with the temple’s medicines without permission can get you expelled. Misusing sacred herbs is punishable.”
Cecil’s gaze fell on the bundle in her hand.
“And you didn’t even take them from the regular herbal room.”
Lucy lifted her head.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Cecil continued,
“Judging by the color, it seems these herbs belong to the Special Management Room.”
Special Management Room.
She suddenly understood why that man had been there.
“I could collect the herbs for you, but…”
Cecil crossed his arms.
“It would be better if you returned them yourself. You may lack the strength to lift the dumbbell, but you have enough to move around.”
The sadistic healer clearly held a subtle grudge.
The next day.
Ding!
[Stat Change Notification!]
[Your stamina has increased by 1.
Current stamina: -49]
After diligently lifting and lowering the Sacred Dumbbell over the past two days, Lucy’s stamina increased by 2.
If not for the muscle loss caused by her tears, it could have been -48. She didn’t feel particularly regretful.
‘At this rate, I’ll still be in the negatives by the day of the palace banquet.’
Lucy glared at the Sacred Dumbbell in her hands.
‘What’s the point of all this?’
Setting the dumbbell down, she turned her gaze to the cleaning attendant tidying her room.
A completely NPC with nothing else to do.
‘That servant probably doesn’t know he’s an NPC.’
But Lucy was different.
If she failed the true ending, she would be forced to act according to the game, knowing she had possessed a character. Forever.
Watching the NPC, Lucy felt gloomier.
‘I should at least return the herbs.’
She got ready to leave, keeping her eyes on the servant, who was still scrubbing the window sill.
Recalling yesterday, Lucy headed toward the herbal room.
She didn’t knock this time and stepped inside, pausing immediately.
There was a man.
She thought his back looked familiar, and the man sensed her and turned around.
It was the same man who had taken Alexander’s place as the heir of the Paraday family.
This time, Lucy didn’t spy. She straightened her shoulders with confidence.
‘Good. I need to find out who this man really is.’
Would the system trigger a new event if she got closer?
As she took a step toward him, her expression shifted.
The man was burning the cloth bundles filled with herbs.
Next to him was a stack of bundles, enough for several days.
‘Why is he burning them?’
Wasn’t he under special care because of his painfully weak body?
Lucy couldn’t understand his actions.
He looked at her quietly, then seemed to ignore her entirely and turned back.
Just as he tried to continue burning the herbs, Lucy shouted instinctively,
“Wait!”
She rushed forward to stop him.
“If you throw away the herbs given by the priest, you’ll be expelled. Moreover, mishandling sacred herbs could get you punished…”
“…….”
“Hmm?”
Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
‘Did I just… speak in full sentences?’
Had she accidentally spoken aloud what she intended only in her mind?
Even though her legs wobbled from running, she had rushed over.
Lucy looked at him.
His expression was unreadable, giving off a forbidding aura—but she didn’t care.
“Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can.”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
She instinctively stepped closer, bringing her face near his.
“What did I just say?”
A small crease appeared between his brows.
“Well… it seems you made a useless interference.”
As the man turned to leave, Lucy grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Please, tell me what the three greatest taboos of the empire are!”
The man’s expression darkened with annoyance.
Even though he hadn’t asked, she recited the empire’s three greatest taboos.
“I’m not an idiot. Even when I fell from the terrace, I landed headfirst!”
Feeling almost like jumping around, Lucy paused.
“……Sorry, but I need to check one more thing.”
She began to take off her shoes.
“It may look strange, but can you understand?”
Ignoring his response, she went outside the herbal room toward the backyard.
Her pace quickened until she began running.
The sensation of soft grass and cool soil under her bare feet reached her.
‘When was the last time I ran like this?’
Until now, her negative stats had prevented her from moving freely.
She had to walk carefully, and even a small movement caused fatigue.
But now… she could move freely, even run with all her strength.
The man watched her quietly.
Her light, flowing dress billowed in the wind.
His gaze lingered on her innocent, childlike smile.
After running a full circle around the backyard, Lucy stopped in front of him again.
Breathless, hunched over, she asked,
“Do I look crazy?”
She tucked the fallen hair behind her ear and looked up.
His eyes twitched slightly.
Lucy smiled broadly, her cheeks flushed from running, giving her a lively glow.
“But I’m not crazy.”
“…….”
“I feel like you would understand that I’m not crazy.”
For some reason, she could speak and act freely in front of this man.
No lingering stat effects, no system notifications interfering.
‘Found it.’
Her lifeline.
Lucy smiled even more brightly at him.
The man, still staring, finally looked away.
“I have no interest.”
Ah.
Lucy’s lips parted in shock.
The man seemed to give up on burning the herbs and was about to leave the herbal room entirely.
Lucy had no choice but to stop him again.
“Please, could you give me some attention? I’m very interested in you.”
This was her lifeline—she couldn’t let it slip away.
“All right. At least tell me your name.”
Blurting it out, she quickly added,
“I’m Lucy Adelstein.”
Perhaps unable to ignore her introducing herself first, the man reluctantly answered,
“I am Bartholomew Paraday.”
Bartholomew!
Lucy tried to recall the name, but she had never heard it before.
It didn’t matter.
She grabbed Bartholomew’s hands with both of hers.
“Bartholomew Paraday. Let’s get to know each other… properly.”
Her eyes shone with earnestness as she looked up at him.
“Won’t you become someone I can’t separate from?”
