Chapter 010: I Am a Law-Abiding Citizen
Lethe was genuinely frustrated.
‘Has there really been a game update? I’m sticking strictly to the original script, from my facial expressions down to the way I deliver every line!’
She couldn’t understand why the original plot was suddenly veering off-track. It was distressing enough that she’d shown a sweaty, disheveled version of herself to Cedric during the quest, but now the main story wasn’t helping her either.
In this chapter, a thug was supposed to lunge at Lethe, and at that moment, a choice window should have appeared for the player to pick who they wanted to be saved by. But the choice window never showed up—and now, she was about to be killed by one of the capture targets.
“Hmm. You look genuinely curious.”
The man gave a thin smile and leaned his face close to Lethe’s. Smelling the faint, metallic scent of blood emanating from him, Lethe frowned slightly.
“Get back, Ubel.”
“……What?”
In an instant, the man’s expression froze. However, Lethe didn’t notice this shift and simply shoved him away with her arm.
“You smell like blood, so stand back and answer me.”
“No, before that.”
Perhaps startled, the man was easily pushed back by Lethe’s strength before he suddenly seized her wrist. He gripped her so tightly that Lethe let out a groan of pain, struggling to shake off his hand.
“What am I even— ah.”
“…….”
Realizing her mistake too late, Lethe’s jaw dropped. She had called him by his name without ever having introduced themselves. She had just provoked the leader of the dark guild—the one with the worst personality among all the capture targets.
“Well, you see…”
“Has the Etoile family’s intelligence network surpassed the royal family’s?”
Ubel’s eyes gleamed eerily as he let out a seductive, dangerous laugh.
‘I’m going to die here.’
Sensing her impending death, Lethe laughed back at him as if she’d lost her mind. It didn’t matter what she did now; she was dead anyway. In the game, whenever Ubel smiled that alluringly, someone always died.
Thinking about it, death wasn’t entirely absent from the game. It was just that the characters Lethe cared about hadn’t died.
“Our family is quite exceptional, you know.”
“No. No, Lethe. That is a name that no one should know.”
“Names are made to be called, so why should no one know it?”
That couldn’t be right. It was written plain as day in the character profile: Ubel Cassis. If he asked her to recite his profile right now, she could probably do it from memory.
“Yeah. It’s a name that not even my dead family or my subordinates know. Which means the only person who knows that name is me.”
Confusion filled Lethe’s eyes.
‘That’s not right? In the game, he tells the player his name in an incredibly gentle atmosphere, acting curious about Lethe and even kissing the back of her hand.’
Ubel pulled a gun from his coat. Lethe recognized the sound of it being cocked—clack. The cold barrel of the gun touched Lethe’s forehead. She closed her eyes in resignation. It’s only one of ten lives. It’ll be fine.
And then—
“Gack!”
The sensation of the gun vanished, replaced by a strange sound. Lethe opened her eyes. The gun that had been aimed at her head had been knocked away, and Ubel was clutching his left wrist, his face twisted in a snarl.
Standing across from Ubel was a man who raised his sword with a face devoid of any emotion.
“How dare you.”
The moment the sword was about to swing down toward Ubel, Lethe lunged forward with all her might.
“Cedric!”
Cedric pulled the lunging Lethe firmly into his embrace. Her hands, which hadn’t trembled even in front of the gun, were now shaking violently.
“Lethe. Close your eyes for a moment.”
It was the kind, warm voice she was familiar with. Gaining courage from the gentle tone, Lethe lifted her buried head. However, what she saw were golden eyes devoid of any emotion—eyes so chilling that they made the murderer Ubel seem more human by comparison.
“Cedric. Please, let him go. Okay?”
“He aimed a gun at you.”
“I’m okay. Really.”
“It is not something that should be ‘okay’.”
“Cedric……”
Lethe pleaded with Cedric while glancing at Ubel, silently urging him to run. Ubel watched Lethe for a moment with a bewildered look before he suddenly vaulted over a wall and vanished.
Only then did the tension leave Lethe’s body, and she leaned against Cedric, her strength spent.
“Lethe. Why did you forgive him?”
“I didn’t forgive him. It was a choice for my own sake.”
There were endings where Lethe or the main leads died. But during the five years she had played the game, there was never an instance where a capture target died in the early stages. There shouldn’t be a choice that leads to a capture target’s death before the ending.
In short, if Ubel had died here, the basic settings of the game would have been destroyed. She wasn’t about to risk that when she still had to raise Cedric’s affection, get a proposal, and have a steamy first night.
“Let’s return for now. Do you have a carriage waiting?”
“No. I don’t think I do, probably.”
After all, she’d just closed her eyes and opened them to find herself in the plaza. At Lethe’s vague answer, Cedric looked satisfied, his smile returning as he tightened his hold on her.
“That’s good. We shall use my carriage.”
“Thank you.”
Cedric lifted Lethe up and headed toward his carriage. The interior was clean and orderly. After carefully seating Lethe on a plush cushion, Cedric sat across from her.
“How did you come to encounter such a ruffian?”
“I was just looking around the plaza when that man suddenly lunged out of an alley and dragged me away.”
“I should have killed him.”
“Pardon?”
Lethe, having missed his murmur, asked for clarification.
“It is nothing.”
Wearing a face as warm as sunlight, Cedric shook his head and took off his overcoat to drape it over Lethe’s shoulders.
“Ah, thank you.”
“I ended up letting the man get away, after all.”
Wrapped in the sudden, cozy scent of Cedric’s coat, Lethe instinctively snuggled deeper into it. As the warmth enveloped her, her trembling body began to calm. Perhaps because the tension had broken, or perhaps because it was the signal that the chapter had ended, her eyelids began to feel heavy.
“It’s what I wanted. My request must have seemed unreasonable, but you accepted it, Cedric.”
“Why did you let him go? If he tries to retaliate later—”
“I know his identity. Even if he wanted to hide it.”
“Are you two… acquainted?”
Cedric’s mouth hardened slightly. Unfortunately, Lethe, with her face half-buried in the coat, didn’t see his face and continued.
“No. I just know things about him unilaterally. Oh, don’t misunderstand! It’s really just something I know through our family’s intelligence network! I am a law-abiding citizen, truly.”
“I know. I know you are good, Lethe.”
“Anyway. Since I know who he is, it won’t be easy for him to harm me. If anything happens, I’ll just spill everything I know.”
“A man like that would likely move again just to silence you.”
At his strange tone, Lethe shifted her eyes up to look at him.
“You speak as if you know him, Cedric.”
“…I do not.”
Cedric answered with the same warm smile Lethe knew so well. He then moved to sit beside her, pulling her into his side and lightly patting her shoulder.
Under the rhythmic patting, Lethe eventually leaned her head on his shoulder. She struggled to keep her flickering eyes open before finally falling into a deep sleep.
* * *
Once again, it felt like she had only closed her eyes for a moment, but she was already back at the Etoile mansion. Lethe quickly fumbled with her hands over her shoulders. Cedric’s overcoat was still draped there.
“Thank goodness……”
Lethe let out a soft laugh and pulled the coat tight against her chest, but a strong force suddenly yanked her up.
“Lethe!”
The one who had pulled her up was none other than Edan. Looking uncharacteristically agitated, Edan checked her all over.
“Edan? What’s going on?”
Lethe asked, bewildered. Only after confirming there were no wounds on her body did Edan’s agitation vanish, replaced by his usual cold face.
“I should be asking you what happened, Lady Lethe. Why did Ubel suddenly go off-script like that?”
“I don’t know. I did everything exactly like the original. Ubel was the one who started acting out first.”
As Lethe explained herself, Edan let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead as if he understood the situation.
“There seems to be a problem. I need to check the system. I might not be able to come even if you call for me for a while.”
“Go ahead, Edan. I’ll try to keep the story going without any issues in the meantime.”
Lethe spoke bravely, pumping her fist. Despite having just gone through a major ordeal, she actually looked strangely excited. Edan stared at her for a long time before looking at the screen floating beside her.
[System] Affection level of the capture target has increased!
Current Affection: 47/100
The flickering screen reflected in his cold, grey eyes. Just as Lethe tilted her head and tried to follow his gaze, Edan’s voice rang out.
“No. We will suspend progress for the time being.”
“…What? Why?!”
