Chapter 27
Lucy had to move strategically to reach the true ending.
If she wasted her efforts on a target that wasn’t easy to capture, it could just be a waste of time.
She looked at Patrick, who was giving a kind smile as he watched her.
“Well, at least I should smile back for now,” she thought and returned his smile.
Then it happened.
Ding!
[Social Party Quest Start!]
[You have the opportunity to meet all the male lead candidates in one place.]
[They are not yet interested in you.]
[You must display your charm to attract their attention and interest.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
[- Yes]
[- No]
The sudden choice window made Lucy flustered.
But as expected, her answer was already decided.
For the sake of completing the quest, she selected “Yes.”
Beep-!
[Warning!]
[Your stats do not meet the requirements. You cannot proceed.]
Lucy clenched her fists.
“Are you kidding me?”
She had worked so hard to raise her stats, and now she couldn’t even try?
“If it’s impossible from the start, why even ask?”
As if reading her frustration, a new system window popped up.
Ding!
[This may be your only chance to meet all the male leads at once.]
[You cannot miss this golden opportunity.]
[The system has added a ‘Random Answer’ option for you.]
Random answer?
What was that?
Ding!
[The system will randomly select your responses to the male leads’ questions.]
[You cannot predict what the answer will be.]
[Some answers may increase their affection.]
[If you skip this quest without doing anything, you may regret it.]
[You are desperate.]
[Do you wish to choose the Random Answer option?]
[- Yes]
[- No]
Lucy did not immediately make a choice.
She stared at the system window with a look of resentment.
It was like the system was saying, “The answer is already decided, so just respond.”
It was better to do something than nothing if she wanted to succeed in the quest.
Lucy hesitated for a moment.
Random answer.
Even the name sounded shady.
Could she really trust the system?
What if it backfired and ruined the whole event?
“But it could give an answer that raises the male leads’ affection,” she thought.
Was it better to trust that probability and go through with it?
“Right. It’s better than doing nothing and failing the quest.”
Reluctantly, Lucy selected “Yes.”
Ding!
[From now on, your responses to the male leads will be random. (^0^)/]
(^0^)/……?
What was that emoji?
Why did the system window look so excited?
Lucy felt a sense of foreboding.
Ding!
[Talk to Cecil Auden. (1/3)]
[Conversation time: 1 minute]
Following the system’s instructions, Lucy looked at Cecil.
Cecil, as if he had been waiting for this, opened his mouth as soon as their eyes met.
“Princess Lucy, since when have you been able to speak?”
“Thanks to Cecil’s excellent healing skills,” Lucy replied.
Oh.
She felt relieved that her answer came out surprisingly normal.
But her next words were:
“After all, there’s no patient that an exceptional healer like Cecil can’t treat. Well, if they had a mental problem, I threatened to send them to a sanatorium.”
What? Why did I say that?
Lucy was flustered.
Cecil was equally surprised.
Confusion showed clearly in his eyes.
Every time he blinked, Lucy thought she could hear his affection dropping.
“…At that time, I acted rudely. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay. I understand your situation too, Cecil.”
Yes. Let’s just end this warmly, she hoped inwardly.
But their allotted conversation time was not over yet.
“I wasted the time of such a valuable talent like Cecil on what might have been my feigned illness. Cecil, you only had to comply because of His Majesty the Emperor’s orders, right?”
Lucy felt like she wanted to smack herself on the back of her head and faint.
Her previously blocked words had finally poured out, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Ding!
[Conversation with Cecil ended.]
[Your words made Cecil feel regret.]
[Cecil is now overwhelmed with guilt.]
No!
Lucy wanted to scream.
But the system window ignored her and opened a new one.
Ding!
[Talk to Logan Wolfield. (2/3)]
[Conversation time: 1 minute]
Lucy turned toward Logan as if she were being controlled.
“Sir Logan,” she called.
Logan looked at her.
“You seem bored,” he remarked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been wearing a stiff expression, like you reluctantly came here. I know that you are known for showing no interest in mingling with other nobles.”
“……”
“If you had no interest, you could simply not attend. But you are here for the sake of maintaining the knight order, to receive donations from the nobles as if begging.”
Logan’s expression stiffened completely.
Ding!
[Conversation with Logan ended.]
[Your words insulted Logan.]
[Since he cannot refute your words, he feels displeased.]
Then it happened.
“Princess Lucy,”
Patrick approached and spoke to her first.
Ding!
[Talk to Patrick Helio. (3/3)]
[Conversation time: 1 minute]
“You should enjoy this event more since you came,” Patrick said, trying to mediate the situation.
“Sir Patrick, are you enjoying this event?” Lucy asked.
His eyebrows lifted.
“Well, yes. Given my behavior, it seems I am enjoying it. My amusement is quite apparent.”
“……”
“Even as a noble, you look down on the others. The more they show their ugly sides, the more joy it gives you. Quite a twisted pleasure, isn’t it? Yet despite that, you can’t help but attend these social events you dislike.”
Patrick’s gaze toward Lucy sharpened.
Ding!
[A new skill has been unlocked!]
[‘Mouth of Disaster’ Title Acquired!]
[Like the ‘Lips of Truth’ skill, it makes you speak honestly but lowers everyone’s affection across the board.]
[This skill can have special effects in certain situations, but mostly results in negative outcomes, so use with caution.]
[This may influence story and event progression.]
Are you kidding me?
“Mouth of Disaster”?
Lucy had never heard of such a skill.
Moreover, she obtained it simply by saying whatever the system told her to say.
Lucy glanced around.
The three men had stiff expressions.
Elisha, meanwhile, watched the scene with wide eyes, clearly intrigued.
Other nobles were nearby, listening in despite not coming too close.
Lucy closed her mouth.
Finally, a suffocating silence settled.
A silence that would be hard to break.
Lucy instinctively knew.
“This is bad.”
Ding!
[Social Party Quest Failed!]
[Instead of showing your charm, you became a human durian.]
[Penalty: Reputation decreases by 80.]
[Reputation: -80 → Reputation: -160]
When Lucy became a human durian at the social party,
Bartholomew was spending time with Cerberus in the annex, as usual.
He wondered if it was okay to come while Lucy was absent, but the staff treated Bartholomew as if he were Lucy’s close friend.
As always, Bartholomew stroked Cerberus.
Without Lucy, Cerberus showed no hesitation in baring his teeth.
He tried to bite Bartholomew more frequently than usual.
Bartholomew skillfully avoided Cerberus’s teeth.
“This is strange,” he thought.
Why did he not feel better while petting Cerberus?
The heaviness pressing on his chest had disappeared, but he no longer felt the lightness he used to.
“Not light… just empty,” he thought.
As if a huge hole had formed in his chest.
“Has Cerberus’s effect vanished?”
Or maybe…
“Because the Princess isn’t here?”
Without Lucy chattering by his side, the surroundings felt unusually quiet.
Bartholomew’s hand slowly stroked Cerberus.
He wished Lucy were beside him, saying anything at all, just like before.
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