Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Derrick was silent for a moment, and when he spoke his tone was heavy. “If it was really necessary, wouldn’t it have been better to have the servants do it for you?”

“If rumor had gotten out that a noble lady not even of marriageable age was searching for a specific man, it would be fatal to our family’s honor, don’t you agree?” I countered smoothly. I decided then and there that I needed Derrick to see Penelope in a different light. Instead of a nuisance that threw tantrums and made absurd demands every other day, I would at least prove to him I was capable of some logical thought. This is the only way I can force you to leave me alone.

I shot a frosty glare at the words [Affection Score 13%]. I’d been as polite as I could be, in order to prevent the score from falling. I didn’t particularly want it to rise, though.

“Penelope...” For some reason, Derrick sighed deeply. “You’ll soon be an adult, so I won’t stop you if you want to leave without telling anyone. Just… use the front door instead of crawling disgracefully in the dirt. I’ll inform the butler of this arrangement.”

[Affection Score 17%]

“Or take that tramp you dragged into the manor with you on your outings.”

Derrick’s affection score had risen. I was confused by both this fact and his words. Wait, wouldn’t he welcome it if I was killed in some obscure back street? Why is he being so nice? Considering Penelope’s past, he was justified in being upset with my sneaking out of the manor on mysterious errands, since in the past it had always fallen on him to deal with the consequences of her maniacal behavior. Therefore, it was completely unexpected that he would permit me to continue coming and going freely.

“Didn’t you say... you would punish me?” I asked, shocked.

Derrick frowned. “You didn’t walk around the manor in that stupid mask, did you?”

“Huh?”

He reached out and took hold of my mask. “You’ve tarnished the Eckhart reputation, and as punishment, I shall confiscate this mask.”

“Wait...”

He removed the mask before I could react. The cool night air danced pleasantly across my face, finally free of the stifling disguise I’d been wearing all day. Derrick had appeared cold and angry through the mask’s narrow eye holes, but now that I could see him properly he looked different.

“That’s your punishment.”

Was it just a trick of the light or did he look like he was enjoying himself?

“Reynold bought me that...” I muttered blankly, glancing between his face and my mask.

“Here,” he said, holding something out to me. “I’ve had the gems etched with magic. As long as you’re wearing it, you’ll be protected and it also contains a glamour.”

“...”

“The mage who crafted it tells me that to others, you’ll appear as a boy your own age.” A platinum bracelet with dark pink gems glimmered in the dim light from his large, gauntleted palm. “The original gems were cheap and kept on breaking during the enchantment process, so I replaced them with the highest quality garnets,” Derrick added, sounding almost grouchy.

I stared down at his large hand. It was the bracelet Derrick had picked out on the day I’d snuck out to save Eckles. I remember thinking the gems, which were the color of ripe plums, resembled the color of my hair. But I’d never imagined he’d bought them for me.

The gems could certainly be considered pink, so I’d assumed he would eventually gift it to the female protagonist at a later point in the story. And yet...

Come to think of it, this is the second gift I’d gotten from him. He’d given me the expensive-looking scarf before, and now a magic bracelet. An odd feeling swept over me as I gazed up into his blue eyes. Which was why the question left my lips before I’d thought it through properly.

“Why?”

“Why... what?”

“Why are you giving this to me?” I asked, glancing down at the bracelet again. True to their high quality, the tiny dark-pink gems glittered even in the dark. The bracelet was so beautiful that I felt drawn to it, even though I wasn’t normally interested in trinkets. But rather than feeling thankful, my mind was filled with questions and suspicion, since Penelope had a history with both Derrick and Reynold.

“You’re nothing but trash.”

Even if I didn’t, this body remembered the way Derrick had looked at Penelope.

“You never liked it when I bought extravagant things.”

“I thought you liked jewelry?” asked Derrick, looking taken aback.

“I do,” I said simply. In the game, Penelope was infatuated with fancy trinkets, but only because it was all she had to combat her loneliness and sadness. “I like gems that are mine—gems that no one can say I stole or tell me I’m not worthy of.”

Also, I have no idea why you’re giving me this. You despise me. I couldn’t be sure Derrick had understood what I was trying to say, but my words seemed to bring a memory to mind. His expression hardened.

“If you don’t want it… throw it away,” he turned the gauntlet the bracelet was perched on, allowing the glittering platinum jewelry to slip from his hand. It landed in the dirt. As I struggled to process his sudden shift in mood, Derrick whipped around and stormed down the hill. I was trying to decide if I should follow when a notification appeared.

<SYSTEM>

Quest successful: [Go to the festival] with [Derrick].

<SYSTEM>

Accept the reward?

[Yes. / No.]

“What...” I gave an incredulous laugh. “Wait, I didn’t know that quest was active.”

I remembered declining the quest after being prompted a second time to attempt it. How had I succeeded without ever accepting? With a scowl, I mashed my finger into the [Yes.] button, and the letters immediately changed.

<SYSTEM>

You have gained [Affection score +3%] for [Derrick] and a [Magic Bracelet] as your reward.

“What? So, the ‘other benefits?’ it was talking about is this bracelet?” I did remember that the quest promised rewards in both affection score and other benefits, but I hadn’t paid any attention to the extras since my sole interest was gaining affection. I stared numbly at the bracelet lying in the dirt. “Such a meanie.”

I crouched down and picked up the fallen trinket. “I can’t believe he just dropped it like that.” I blew gently on the surface of the jewels to remove the dust, and suddenly a wave of deep sadness washed over me. I felt miserable, crouched in the dirt in order to retrieve the gift he’d thrown there.

“You could have just said it was a gift,” I muttered grumpily watching the small white letters that indicated his feelings bob out of view.

[Affection Score 20%]

* * *

The festival stretched on for nearly a month, and finally, today was the last day. Emily had made a big fuss about it, chattering about the parades, circus troupes, fireworks, and everything else and how they would be larger and grander than ever before. She wanted us to go together, but I had no interest in leaving my room, choosing to ignore her and sleep in.

I got up late in the morning and ate a simple sandwich for breakfast, then seated myself at my desk for the first time in a while. Quite some time had passed since I’d first arrived in this world. I’d had run-ins with all the game’s male protagonists throughout the festival period whether I’d wanted to or not, and it felt like I’d just completed a large story arc within the game.

“Well... I’m still alive, somehow.” In the beginning, every single day had felt like a close brush with death. That wasn’t to say I was entirely safe now, either. I had a long way to go. I need to assess where I’m at.

Tugging a drawer open, I pulled out the piece of paper I’d hidden deep inside. In case I forgot, when I’d first arrived I’d written down all the love interests' basic backgrounds. I retrieved a fresh piece of paper and began writing down the changes in their affection score.

Derrick Eckhart 0%→20%

Reynold Eckhart -10%→10%

Callisto Regulus 0%→2%

Eckles 0%→25%

Winter Verdandi 0%→15%

Writing it down on paper like this it suddenly hit me how much things had changed. “That’s unexpected,” I murmured, goggling at Derick and Reynold’s affection scores

I was especially surprised to note the progress I’d made with Reynold. His affection score was very low compared to the others, but it had risen out of the negatives and grown a whopping 20%. Derrick’s had gone up by the same amount.

“Is it because I encountered them the most often?” I wondered, puzzled by their scores. On the first set of notes I’d made about them, I’d confidently and vehemently scribbled out their names. I still couldn’t find it in myself to be happy that their affection for me had gotten stronger.

“Their affection scores continued to rise when I didn’t meet them, so...” It was likely that their hatred for Penelope had simmered down to mere dislike since her frequent tantrums had come to an end. “I can probably maintain this level of affection if I take care to avoid them as much as I can.”

Taking into account that the starting affection score in normal mode was 30%, neither of them were particularly fond of me in the grand scheme of things. However, as I had no reset button to fall back on, I had no intention of taking risks to try and increase their scores. I drew a big, fat X through their names once again.

“Next, the crown prince.” He wasn’t even worth considering. I crossed his name out without a second thought and moved down the list. My hand that held the pen hovered uncertainly.

“Eckles...” As I had planned, Eckles’ affection score was the highest. I could reach the base score from normal mode if I gained only an additional 5% affection, a much simpler task than accomplishing the same with any of the others. This was especially true since Eckles’ affection score often experienced large increases. In fact, I could probably complete his storyline with little trouble at this rate.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t gone to see him again...” The sharp nib of the pen scratched noisily at the paper as I circled Eckles’ name repeatedly. I could make all the excuses I wanted to myself, but the truth was I’d had plenty of time to go see Eckles before visiting Winter.

So why hadn’t I? Why do I feel so uncomfortable around him? Regardless of his affection score, I couldn’t be sure what he actually thought of me. The memory was still crystal clear in my mind: his silent, baleful eyes peering along the length of the wooden blade he held to my neck.