DED 28

Chapter 28

After completely botching the second quest, Lucy plopped down onto the sofa along the wall of the Great Hall.

A wine glass was in her hand.

She drained it in one go and let out a deep sigh.

“The system must have a grudge against me.”

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have given such ridiculous random answers.

There are things a person should say and things they shouldn’t.

At a social party where etiquette and manners are crucial, one had to be even more careful.

But Lucy’s mouth had unlocked the truth.

And in a bad way.

It was literally the “Mouth of Disaster.”

Almost the same as the “Lips of Truth.”

What was the “Lips of Truth” skill?

It was a very useful skill that allowed one to reveal the right truths at the right time.

It was also a skill that could significantly influence the story.

If she had acquired that skill at this event, Lucy would have been thrilled.

But the “Mouth of Disaster”?

What on earth was she supposed to do with this skill?

Lucy thought about the remaining quests.

What if the Mouth of Disaster skill interfered every time?

She would fail to reach the true ending and be trapped in the game forever.

“What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

Was it because of the bad review?

But if you made a game together, you had to be prepared for criticism.

If a game is made unnecessarily difficult, it’s natural to get complaints.

Lucy blamed her own arrogance—thinking that, having possessed the game in her previous life, she could now beat a game she couldn’t before.

“What if the system keeps interfering like this?”

She couldn’t even say a single word freely.

Lucy picked up a fresh wine glass.

“I want to see Bartholomew.”

Bartholomew, who would let her talk and act freely without system interference.

By this point, Lucy didn’t care what Bartholomew really was.

She even thought it might have been better if Bartholomew were a romance option.

With him, she could act naturally without pretending.

Of course, Bartholomew still didn’t treat her that casually, but time would fix that.

“I should have brought Bartholomew to the social party.”

What would it have been like if he were there?

She wouldn’t have had to select a random answer due to her low stats.

Bartholomew might find her troublesome, but he still cared for her.

She had seen that when he met the Emperor alone.

If Cerberus had been part of the condition, wouldn’t Bartholomew have come?

Lucy shook her head.

Even if he was her only lifeline, she couldn’t manipulate him freely.

Otherwise, she would only be using him.

On the other hand, she wondered what was wrong with using a minor character like Bartholomew.

She was about to be trapped in the game forever—was now the time to worry about others?

“But…”

Lucy quietly stared at her wine glass.

She didn’t want to do that.

She didn’t want to use Bartholomew.

Her claim that he was her friend was not empty words.

She wanted to return the help he had given her.

Even in this moment of despair, she wanted him by her side.

She wanted to unburden her heart to him and feel relieved.

“Sigh.”

Lucy exhaled and tilted the wine glass again.

Since she was here anyway, she might as well enjoy the free wine and food.

Even if she had become a human durian.

As she lamented her fate, the young ladies and gentlemen whispered amongst themselves.

Of course, none of it was flattering.

She had at least shaken off the “fool” reputation at this event.

But a new stigma had formed.

The reputation of having no dignity at all.

They were intensely curious about Lucy, attending the social party for the first time.

They wanted to see for themselves what the girl they had only heard rumors about was like.

They wondered if she, who had spent all her time in the annex, could adapt to the social scene.

No surprises there.

Her social party debut had been a total disaster.

What would happen if the Emperor heard about today?

She would be confined to the annex again.

Some of the nobles thought Elisha was partly responsible.

Lucy was her younger sister.

It was her duty to help her younger sister make a successful debut in society.

Since she failed, Elisha took a hit as well.

Following the judgment of those nobles, Elisha found herself in a difficult position.

“I was glad to see Lucy self-destruct, but…”

She hadn’t expected her to ruin the social party this badly.

And even if she ruined it, she didn’t leave—she shamelessly stayed and consumed the food.

This social party was hosted by Elisha herself.

She had the duty to finish it successfully.

“Why do I have to clean this up?”

Elisha felt annoyed but approached the men Lucy had offended.

“I’m sorry. You must have been surprised.”

She looked at Logan, Cecil, and Patrick in turn.

“Lucy hasn’t fully recovered, so please don’t take it personally.”

The three men nodded.

A gentleman’s virtue is to overlook a lady’s flaws rather than criticize them.

“But how did Lucy know so much about Logan, even though she had been hiding in the annex?”

That he attended this event to receive noble sponsorship.

And what about Patrick despising the nobles?

Elisha had a headache because Lucy had slandered people who were perfectly fine.

“I understand,”

said Cecil.

He was flustered by Lucy’s bluntness, but it was the truth—he couldn’t refute it.

He realized anew that he had acted arrogantly toward her.

He had known he had been wrong ever since Lucy had helped him find her mother’s belongings.

Because he owed Lucy, he felt even more guilty.

“Princess Lucy has only recently recovered. As her dedicated healer, I am relieved that she can walk and speak safely at today’s event.”

Elisha’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“What? Why isn’t he angry?”

Cecil was not just not upset with Lucy—he defended her.

Logan did the same.

“She didn’t make anything up,”

Logan added.

Everyone might hide their thoughts, but they likely agreed with Lucy.

So it wasn’t surprising that Lucy had noticed it.

He found it easier to deal with someone honest than someone pretending.

Seeing Logan defend her too, Elisha looked at Patrick.

Patrick was looking at Lucy.

“Sir Patrick?”

Elisha called, and he finally looked at her.

“I feel especially sorry toward you, Sir Patrick. My sister’s behavior was almost like defaming you.”

Patrick gave a faint smile.

“It’s alright.”

In fact, Patrick was intrigued by Lucy, who had seen through his inner thoughts.

He was known for his constant smile and good manners.

But he was tired of the noble gatherings and the pretense required to impress them.

Everyone wore a mask in their behavior.

His own mask was particularly intricate.

Amidst all these people, he had only shown polite smiles—then he saw Lucy, who wore no mask at all.

He was curious why she thought of him this way, and where he had shown cracks in his facade.

“But, Princess Lucy, you might be concerned, so I feel I should tell you it’s fine.”

Patrick said this and walked toward Lucy.

Elisha looked on in astonishment.

It was good news that those whom Lucy had offended weren’t upset.

She wouldn’t have to struggle to fix the situation.

But that Patrick, usually polite and distant with everyone, showed interest in her was unexpected.

Elisha, who secretly liked Patrick, felt even more surprised.

Regardless of Elisha’s shock, Patrick approached Lucy.

Lucy looked up at him.

“Princess Lucy.”

Just as he was about to say something, Lucy suddenly stood up.

“What if the Mouth of Disaster skill activates again?”

She gave a light greeting and hastily left.

Patrick, watching her flee, picked up a handkerchief that had fallen to the floor.

Seeing her name embroidered on it, he smiled faintly.