Chapter 06
Natalie took a public carriage and headed toward the Crawford estate.
Crawford was, along with the Ailesden family, one of only two duke families in the empire.
Roger Crawford, who would later become the empire’s only Grand Duke, had inherited the title at the young age of seventeen and now served as an officer in the imperial navy.
‘There were always so many rumors about him.’
Many people wondered why a duke of the empire would choose to become a soldier.
Unlike knights, soldiers cared more about practical results than honor.
To put it simply, knights mostly trained in swordsmanship and acted as guards — it was a “title.” But soldiers fought in real wars and battles — it was a “job.”
That’s why most soldiers were strong commoners or poor lower nobles who joined the army to make a living.
So nobody could understand why Duke Crawford, who lacked nothing in wealth or status, had been serving in the navy for eight years straight.
‘Except for me,’ Natalie thought.
As she saw the Crawford mansion getting closer, she rested her chin on her hand.
Roger Crawford — one of the male leads in the game My Beloved Rival — had been chosen by the Water God and awakened his power as a teenager.
But his power was too great. He had to release it regularly, or else his body wouldn’t be able to handle it and would literally explode.
Since his water powers were far stronger than anyone else’s in history, ordinary things like hunting or training weren’t enough to drain his energy.
So Roger Crawford had joined the navy of his own will and fought countless battles at sea to release his excess power.
And because he fought on the ocean — full of water energy — he never lost a single battle.
The navy was, indeed, the perfect choice for him.
‘But that can’t last forever,’ Natalie thought.
Eight years had passed since he enlisted.
Thanks to his incredible strength, he had quickly risen through the ranks and, even at such a young age, was already a colonel.
But as if the Water God’s love was too much, his power only kept growing stronger with time.
Now, battles alone weren’t enough to control it.
‘In the base version of the game, the heroine helped him solve that problem,’ Natalie recalled.
Water — the element of the Water God — was naturally more compatible with women.
That’s why, historically, almost all people blessed by the Water God were women. If a man ever was chosen, his powers were usually weak.
But Roger Crawford was a rare exception — a man who had received overwhelming power from the Water God — which made it even harder for him to control it.
His overflowing energy would stain the sea red with blood every day, until he started meeting the heroine regularly and building affection with her. Only then did he begin to stabilize.
That was partly because the heroine was a woman — but mainly because she was the protagonist of the game.
She was meant to be special and irreplaceable to all the male leads — that was the player’s unique privilege.
But for the same reason, whenever Roger was apart from the heroine for too long, he became unstable and violent.
Once his affection level went above 70%, his obsession with her became extreme.
‘In other words, he’s basically a ticking time bomb.’
Natalie didn’t like dangerous men. You never knew when they might snap and cause trouble.
In a game made of pixels, that was fine — but in this reality where she had actually possessed a body, the risk was all too real.
And since Roger was introverted and antisocial, his story route was also the longest one to complete.
Of course, in the base game, Natalie had completed all three endings, including Roger Crawford’s route. But this time, she wasn’t planning to.
‘I’ll just raise his affection to 90% and then get out,’ she decided.
He was simply the easiest male lead to meet first and the one who connected to the others’ routes.
‘I need to finish this game and log out as fast as possible.’
Natalie made up her mind to choose the safest and fastest route to the ending.
“Huh?”
When she finally reached the front gate, ready to announce herself, she blinked in surprise.
For a noble household, the gate was strangely quiet. There were no guards, and the door was wide open.
Even when her carriage stopped right in front of the gate, no one came to check.
“We’ve arrived, miss!” the coachman said cheerfully.
Looking around, Natalie saw no butler or servants to greet her.
“Why isn’t anyone here? Did I come to the wrong place?”
“This is the Crawford estate, miss! Heh, it’s just that they don’t keep many servants here. Not many people come or go, so they don’t even keep guards during the day. You’re in the right place!”
That was strange. In her memory, the Crawford mansion had always been grand and bustling.
‘Hmm… In the base game, the heroine met him when she was twenty.’
Maybe the timing was different? But even in this version, Natalie herself was twenty now.
She was puzzled about why things were different — then nodded to herself.
‘It must be because this is the complete version. The details must’ve changed.’
Natalie paid the coachman and sent him away.
Looking around, she noticed the place felt cold and lifeless. With so few servants, the mansion hadn’t been maintained properly.
Still, its size and layout were exactly as she remembered.
She walked forward confidently. After about five minutes, she reached a large lake instead of a garden.
The water was crystal clear, so bright and blue it almost hurt to look at.
‘Found it,’ she thought.
Just then, a man emerged from the lake, splashing water around him like diamonds.
He was nearly 190 centimeters tall, with a broad, muscular body. Drops of water ran down his perfectly sculpted muscles, shining in the sunlight.
As he put on the top of his uniform, Natalie stopped walking.
He had already sensed her presence. Turning calmly, he spoke in a deep, steady voice.
“Who’s there?”
Silver-gray eyes looked down at her — cold, powerful, and sharp, like something barely holding back immense energy.
Natalie bowed politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Crawford. I’m Natalie Ailesden.”
“…What brings the Lady of Ailesden here?”
His black hair and body, wet just moments ago, were already completely dry — proof that he was truly blessed by the Water God.
Exactly what Natalie wanted to confirm.
“I’ve come to propose a deal with you,” she said with a faint smile.
Roger’s silver eyes narrowed slightly.
***
Clink—
‘For a duke’s house, this tea setup is rather plain,’ Natalie thought.
On the table sat only two teacups — no sweets, no tea snacks.
‘Something’s definitely off,’ she mused.
There were barely any servants here… Was he supposed to be poor in this version?
“Fire-type monsters will appear in the capital…”
Roger repeated her words in a cold tone.
Natalie brushed off her distractions and met his gaze directly.
“You expect me to believe that?” he asked.
“You don’t have to,” she replied. “But if you wait until after it happens, it’ll be too late.”
His expression didn’t change, but his eyes studied her carefully — as if trying to figure out the reason behind her sudden visit and strange story.
‘He’s even more handsome in person than in the illustration,’ Natalie thought.
His features were sharp yet refined, giving him both elegance and strength. Cold, but striking — the kind of face that could easily make anyone stare.
If he hadn’t spent his life surrounded by men in the navy, he probably would’ve been buried in scandalous rumors about women.
Natalie smiled brightly and spoke firmly.
“Tomorrow night, fire-type monsters will swarm and burn down the Ailesden estate. The attack will be so sudden that my family — who all use light powers — won’t be able to defend themselves.”
“And you believe that ridiculous story?”
“Yes. That’s why I came here — to ask you to defeat them for me.”
Roger seemed to think she was just a foolish troublemaker who had been tricked by some rumor.
But Natalie only smiled calmly.
“You don’t have to believe me. What matters to you isn’t whether I’m telling the truth — it’s the reward I’m offering.”
Roger’s eyebrow twitched.
“A reward?”
“Yes. The imperial ball next week. I’ll be your partner.”
He slightly curved his lips, still expressionless.
“I don’t see how that benefits me. I can attend the ball alone.”
“Oh, it will benefit you,” Natalie said confidently. “Right now… you’re having trouble controlling your power, aren’t you?”
