Chapter 22
Yeniel gently guided me.
“Lady April, let’s go. We’re going to rest for a while. For safety, we won’t close the door. I trust everyone agrees.”
“Indeed. If the door shuts and we’re trapped, who knows what could happen. Better not to risk it.”
Come to think of it, did the Crown Prince gain a trait? Since he was the highest in rank, no one dared to ask directly.
I slipped ahead of Yeniel and lay down on the bed first.
“Lady Yeniel! Please lie down as well.”
Of course, I knew nothing would happen in this room, but Yeniel still looked around with care, checking the bedding and under the bed multiple times. Her movements didn’t feel like fear—they felt more like she wanted to maintain control over the space.
From the bed, I spoke brightly.
“I’d like to change into a nightgown, but since I don’t have one, lying down in this dress feels unpleasant. Don’t you agree?”
Yeniel sat beside me, and I chattered on.
“It’s an extreme situation, Lady April. For you, it must be uncomfortable. Lessons on noble etiquette can be harsh, can’t they?”
“Hmm. Was it hard?”
I made a vague, forgetful expression. Yeniel, as if expecting that, only gave a calm smile.
She didn’t press further, so that was enough.
“Don’t worry, Lady April. Once we leave, everything will be fine. Only good things lie ahead.”
“Lady Yeniel, I like you so much.”
I hugged her tightly. Yeniel lightly embraced me back, patting me like a puppy, gently stroking my head with a smile.
“I like you too, Lady April.”
Yeniel’s favorability has greatly increased!
Whenever I followed her lead, Yeniel’s favorability rose.
‘Will I be part of Yeniel’s ending?’
Her hand patted me with the same tenderness one would give a child.
Since arriving in the hidden world, I had lost needs like hunger and sleep. Strangely though, dreams still found me.
Yeniel’s favorability has greatly increased!
[April Sharon: Awakening in progress… (84/100)%]
Suddenly, the frozen awakening window resumed moving.
Snow fell.
The sky was its usual ashen color of the hidden world.
I stared blankly at the computer screen.
<The Archmage’s Mansion>
The game’s main screen glowed before me.
Endlessly.
Continuously.
<Status Window>
Player: Yeniel Jenes (Nickname: LightApril)
But the data wouldn’t load. I hesitated.
A blizzard shook the window outside. Somewhere, cheerful festive music rang.
Finally, I pressed the keys and loaded a new save file.
The broken status window appeared.
<Status Window>
■□■■□?☆★ (Nickname: ■■■■)
How many times had I repeated this?
Ninety-eight? Ninety-nine?
At last, the content I wanted appeared.
Snow kept piling endlessly outside the window.
<Status Window>
■□■■□?☆★ (Nickname: □□□□)
I want to see you.
The moment I recognized the letters of the nickname, the dream shook violently.
A warning flooded my brain as the status window covered the screen.
Error occurred!
Player information missing.
Access denied!
■■■■ Patching in progress… (Incomplete)
I opened my eyes—I was still April.
‘Wow, I dozed off.’
Yeniel, already awake, wiped my forehead with a handkerchief. I must have been sweating.
“Lady April? Are you all right? You seemed to be having a nightmare.”
“I dreamed of heavy snow falling.”
“Such a nightmare exists….”
She looked as though it suited April.
I asked her, “How long has it been?”
“Four hours.”
It felt like just a nap. The hidden world must have drained me more than I realized. Repeating a game ninety-eight or ninety-nine times—that was madness. And all for <The Archmage’s Mansion>.
‘Did anything happen while I slept?’
Then I remembered:
‘The doll’s torso with the heart should appear in this room when someone falls asleep and dreams, right?’
But maybe it was just imagination?
Yeniel interrupted my thoughts.
“Everyone is awake. Sir Max and Sir Sian too. Two hours ago, the doll’s torso appeared between their rooms. A large rose bloomed suddenly, and it came out of that.”
“Did the doll move? Wow.”
I pretended to focus on the doll itself.
“No, Lady April. It wasn’t a doll you brought. I’m not sure if it moved.”
So it was true? That was the strategy?
I needed to rethink my dream.
‘This isn’t just content I skipped—it’s a chapter that never existed.’
Still, even then—playing ninety-eight or ninety-nine times? That would drive anyone mad.
Unless I was paid billions for clearing the game.
‘Yes. I played hard for billions. And so, I became April.’
…No. Enough. My flimsy imagination wasn’t helping.
When Yeniel and I stepped outside, the three men were huddled together: the Crown Prince, Sian, and Max. Their faces were pale.
“Your Highness! Sir Sian! Sir Max!”
I hurried toward them.
At their feet lay three doll pieces.
The head I had brought.
The lower body Max had brought.
And the newly appeared torso, with something like a red heart embedded in it.
‘Hmm. Grotesque, but not unexpected.’
All three pieces were alive.
The head, which hadn’t moved before, now shed bloody tears and gnashed its teeth.
The lower half crawled grotesquely, twitching.
The decapitated torso flailed its arms, trying to grab their ankles.
The three men nearly screamed, but when they saw me, their faces lit with relief.
“Lady April!”
“You’re finally awake!”
“At last, you’re here!”
It was as if my presence gave them courage.
“They insisted on standing guard until you awoke. They said the moment they looked away, the pieces tried to crawl off.”
“Wow, the dolls can move on their own?”
I smiled brightly, feigning amusement.
When I approached, the doll head lunged to bite the hem of my dress.
The lower hem was a bit dirty from walking around, though not too obvious. Unlike Yeniel’s colored dress, mine was pure white—unforgiving.
“Stop that!”
I scolded sternly. If I dodged, it would look suspicious. If I kicked it, it would seem too cruel for April.
So, my hand moved on its own. I grabbed the doll’s hair firmly.
Strange. I hadn’t meant to do that.
“Eek…!”
Max’s face turned pale, recalling his own experience.
“April’s dress mustn’t be damaged.”
With a cheerful smile, I shook the twisted doll’s head. Gently, I whispered:
“If my dress tears, I’ll be upset. Father had this dress tailored for me, so you mustn’t ruin it. Understand?”
The doll head quieted under my grip.
Not persuasion. Not taming.
I had simply beaten it into submission.
Even the grotesque torso and legs fell silent.
“Ah… thank you. Now we can finally combine them. We need to for the ritual.”
The Crown Prince spoke awkwardly, avoiding my eyes.
