Chapter 04

That is…”

I couldn’t exactly say I knew because I’d already experienced it before.

If I’d known I’d be met with such suspicious looks, maybe I should’ve at least pretended to hesitate a little.

But I didn’t have the patience to replay something I’d already slogged through countless times. So I came up with a convenient excuse.

“…I had a bad feeling.”

“A bad feeling?”

Lowell tilted his head slightly. The doubt in his eyes hadn’t disappeared.

I wondered if my answer sounded too absurd—

Just then, Lowell let out a small chuckle.

“Seems like all that training paid off. It was a good decision to consistently train your mana.”

I sighed in relief internally. Looks like my hastily made excuse worked.

“You’ve only just begun training, yet you can already sense the aura of a curse. I suppose my eye for disciples wasn’t wrong.”

“Haha… It’s all thanks to having such a wonderful teacher by my side.”

“Then I suppose we should increase the intensity of the next training.”

“……”

There’s really no need for that.

From now on, I should stop acting like I know everything and learn to play dumb a little.

After returning to my room, I changed into the dress I had prepared in advance.

It wasn’t flashy, but it naturally highlighted my shoulders and neckline, showing just the right amount of femininity. The cherry-blossom color of the dress also suited Aisha’s pink hair perfectly.

This banquet was a golden opportunity to make a good impression on Jerome, so I had to appeal to him somehow.

When it was time for dinner, I followed the servants’ guidance to the dining hall.

Just as I was about to take my seat, I ran into Lowell as he entered the room.

His gaze slowly swept over me in my dress. Being stared at so openly made me embarrassed.

“Haha… Is it strange?”

Was it really that bad?

If it looked awful, I was fully prepared to go back and change immediately. I couldn’t afford to lower Jerome’s precious, fragile affection score.

As I waited nervously for Lowell’s response, he smiled gently.

“I was staring too much. You were so beautiful that my eyes were drawn to you without realizing it.”

At the same time, the system window chimed.

[Lowell Cyprian’s affection has increased by 5.]
[Lowell Cyprian’s affection: 25]

Damn it!

I didn’t dress up for you! Stop raising your affection already!

While Jerome’s affection was plummeting, why was the taxidermy maniac’s affection rising nonstop? I felt like I was going insane.

What were the affection levels again?

I opened the affection window in my mind.

===================
Affection

Lowell: 25
Jerome: 0
??? : 0
??? : 0
??? : 0

Jerome was at 0, but Lowell was at 25.

At this point, it felt like the system itself was determined to turn me into a specimen.

This was bad. If I didn’t want to end up stuffed and mounted, I needed to raise Jerome’s affection as soon as possible.

That was when—

“You’ve arrived.”

I turned around to see Jerome standing there.

Seizing the moment, I spread the hem of my dress and bowed gracefully, like a peacock flaunting its feathers in courtship.

“It’s nice to see you again, Duke.”

Sure, peacocks that spread their tails are males and I’m a human woman—but accuracy wasn’t important right now.

I had to make up for my earlier mistake.

Look. Look at me. I dressed up just for you. Look at me in this pretty dress.

Contrary to my expectations, Jerome showed little reaction. He merely nodded stiffly, offering nothing more than a formal greeting.

Was it because his affection was at zero…? All this effort for nothing.

As I was feeling bitter and disappointed—

[Jerome Winston’s affection has increased by 1.]
[Jerome Winston’s affection: 1]

It went up!

But only by 1—wasn’t that a bit too small and precious?

At this rate, the taxidermy ending was right around the corner.

Feeling a sense of crisis, I hurriedly activated my Charm skill.

[Activating ‘Charm’ skill.]

“Uuung~ Dukeee! How’s this dress?
Option 1: pretty,
Option 2: so pretty it blinds you,
Option 3: so pretty you want to get married right now!”

A chill ran down my spine.

Every cell in my body screamed in rejection. My hands and feet curled in embarrassment, and I wanted nothing more than to rip out my tongue and scrub it with bleach.

Then Jerome, who had been quietly watching me, spoke in his blunt voice.

“I’m not knowledgeable in such matters, so it’s difficult for me to say.”

“……”

Is this Charm skill a scam or what? I used it—why is his reaction like this?

What if his affection drops again?
…Though it can’t really drop any further.

Just as anxiety set in, the system chimed.

[Jerome Winston’s affection has increased by 10.]
[Jerome Winston’s affection: 11]

I wanted it to increase, but for it to rise after that line? Jerome had to be out of his mind.

When I played the game, I thought Jerome was just a prickly person who was bad at expressing himself.

But now that I think about it, maybe he wasn’t awkward—maybe he just had an extremely strange view of romance.

…Should I switch male leads?

Having to攻略 a man with tastes like this…

My vision went dark.

The dinner banquet was held lavishly. Musicians filled the hall with elegant melodies, and the tables were laden with delicious food.

I sliced into a turkey leg and listened to Lowell and Jerome’s conversation.

“I hear the number of monsters has increased recently. How is the situation in the North?”

“They’ve been increasing year by year, but with reinforced security, there hasn’t been significant damage.”

“Well, with a duke guarding the North, I suppose my worry was unnecessary.”

They discussed the cause of the monster surge and the shifting political climate.

Since I had nothing to add, I quietly sipped my wine.

By the time they finished talking, I’d already devoured even the sherbet dessert.

Then Jerome spoke.

“Miss Aisha.”

“Cough—!”

I had just stuffed a big spoonful of sherbet into my mouth and choked.

As I coughed, Jerome handed me a glass of water.

“Th-thank you.”

Was I too focused on eating?

As I took the glass, Jerome said something unexpected.

“I apologize for what happened earlier.”

Earlier… did he mean when he shoved me aside at the training grounds?

Yeah. Even you thought that was too much, huh?

At least he had the decency to apologize.

I smiled gently at him.

“It’s alright. I was the one who touched the duke without permission.”

Such magnanimity. Truly the grace of a great person.

Observe and learn.

“That aside, I hope you catch whoever placed the curse on you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“What you did today was more than sufficient.”

“Even so, I’m worried something might happen to you, Duke.”

I spoke as sincerely as I could.

After all, if Jerome died from the curse, that would be a disaster.

And showing concern like this should raise his affection, even if only a little.

Jerome took a sip of wine, set the glass down, and said,

“I appreciate your concern, but I am more than capable of taking care of myself.”

Not easy.

This really isn’t easy.

Judging by how firmly Jerome was shutting me out, I still had a long way to go.

Still, this was better than before.

Before I used the nuclear option, Jerome wouldn’t even meet my eyes or speak to me—as if I were invisible.

I had the Charm skill. If affection wouldn’t rise naturally, I could force it with skills.

As long as I avoided physical contact, it shouldn’t decrease.

Lost in thought, I lifted my head—and met Lowell’s gaze.

He was staring at me intently, his expression unreadable. It wasn’t a casual glance; there was an unsettling persistence to it.

What is it? Why is he looking at me like that?

Then Lowell curved his eyes into a soft smile.

I returned an awkward smile.

It’s probably nothing.

Making eye contact can happen by chance, right?

From the beginning, it was pointless to assign meaning to anything a taxidermy maniac did—so I brushed off Lowell’s behavior without much thought.