Episode 19
There was nothing else to say.
All I could do was—
“…I’m sorry.”
A desperate plea for forgiveness, groveling for affection.
At my words, Noah’s eyes, once shimmering like the stars in the night sky, darkened like ink soaking into paper.
“Now you say that? After all this time?”
“……”
“Do you think that changes anything for me?”
His once-empty pupils narrowed slightly before warm streams of tears traced elegant lines down his cheeks.
“I was stupid.”
This strong man—who didn’t cry even under brutal torture or when he lost his parents—
Now revealing such a miserable side of himself because of someone like me, such a selfish woman.
“……”
It didn’t feel as gratifying as I thought it would.
He wiped the tear clinging to the tip of his chin with the back of his hand and breathed like a wounded beast.
His trembling fingers pressed against the ground.
I’d long since stopped wondering how he managed to get painkillers.
I’d just assumed someone else—Sophie or Noel, maybe—was helping him.
But now, seeing him like this, I realized it didn’t matter who was helping him. Selfishly, I thought—
Because in the end, you’d choose me anyway.
That was a certainty.
“You should never have kept me around. You should’ve pushed me away before I started getting the wrong idea.”
“……”
“And I was too stupid to understand.”
I looked at him with a heavy heart. It was too late—he was broken beyond repair.
Though I didn’t want to, I figured I should at least say his name once, pitifully, to avoid suspicion.
“Noah.”
“I gave you everything.”
“…Please, stop.”
Pretending to be worried this time.
“And now, I’m going to die.”
“That’s not true.”
Finally, pretending to comfort him.
Perfect.
I gazed at him with sorrowful eyes.
And just so we’re clear, this wasn’t acting.
The look in my eyes wasn’t for him—but for myself, for being thrown into this ridiculous reverse harem game.
Kim Sword cut across the fragile tension between us, ready to burst at any moment.
「Don’t listen to such nonsense. Useless words with no value.」
I grabbed Kim Sword’s hilt to stop him from doing anything and took a deep breath. The climax was near.
“What more can I do?”
“……”
“I risked strange rumors, accepted being imprisoned, and came all this way.”
“……”
“Because I wanted to see you.”
“……”
“Because I was worried about you.”
To be exact, I was more worried about the affection points I had accumulated than Noah’s physical condition.
Though, yes, I was a bit worried about him too.
But I couldn’t help it.
If I wanted to survive here—in this place—there were things I had to do.
I want to go back—to my real world.
Not this damned game where everything ends in a bad ending. I wanted to go back to my real family.
I bit my lip and looked at Noah.
His voice trembled.
“I…”
His eyes churned violently as if he was about to burst.
His face crumpled like a crushed can.
Mouth twitching, he finally forced out the words.
“I thought you abandoned me.”
“I didn’t.”
I cut in firmly before he could go any further.
“No matter what happens—”
“……”
“I won’t abandon you.”
“……”
“No matter what.”
Even I thought the line was disgustingly fake.
As I gently stroked his hair, Noah’s lips twitched slightly.
He moved his lips as if to say something, and then he quietly spoke.
“In moments like this, I hate you.”
“……”
“You act like you’ll give me everything, then treat me like a stranger.”
He grabbed my cold hand and brought it to his cheek, smiling sweetly like an angel.
That smile made guilt burn black inside my chest.
I looked down at him with trembling eyes.
“If you were going to pretend everything’s okay, you should’ve at least made your actions match your words.”
He gently wrapped his fingers around my icy hand as if it were a precious treasure.
The warmth made my shoulders flinch. It made me nauseous. I nearly gagged.
“I’ll believe you one more time.”
His soft lips pressed against the back of my hand.
I quickly pulled it away and covered my mouth.
The guilt made me queasy.
My vision swam and turned white. I couldn’t see properly.
I scrubbed away the tears streaming down my cheeks and looked at him.
He was smiling.
“You know how it is. The one who loves more is the one who ends up giving more, being deceived more.”
“……”
“I love you.”
His pink lips shaped the words like a song.
In them were my name—and that unbearable word, “love.”
“Ugh.”
This was it. I couldn’t take it anymore.
I braced myself on the ground with sweaty hands. The world seemed to spin.
“Please don’t leave this world this time.”
Those words, spoken with faith—no, blind faith—loosened my tightly sealed lips.
“I…”
I’m sorry.
“I…”
don’t love you.
But before I could speak the words, a dazzling light burst forth.
My pupils dilated wide in shock. I blinked dumbly at the overwhelming brightness.
The glowing haze began to engulf the prison.
Was this what it felt like to be swallowed whole?
My body lost strength, like my soul and body had separated.
My toes relaxed, the tension in my forehead released, and the pulsing veins settled down.
A dull lethargy settled in. I wondered—
Has time stopped in this world?
Ding.
A familiar system window appeared before me.
{system: Current affection level of ‘Noah Iosif’ is 100.}
{You’ve received 10,000 cash as a reward for reaching max affection.}
Did I succeed?
I blinked, dazed, rubbing my blurry eyes.
But these weren’t my tears.
No matter how hard I rubbed my eyes or shook my head, the scene remained unchanged.
…Why? Why is everything still frozen?
Noah’s face remained frozen in the same smiling expression.
The droplet on the ceiling of the underground prison still hung precariously.
The spider weaving a web was completely still, like a statue.
It was like time had stopped for everything but me.
The light continued to bloom, making even Noah’s face hard to see.
Can I go back to my real world now?
It had been a short but not terrible life.
Maybe I’ll miss it a little.
Just as I tried to sit up and say goodbye—
Ding.
{…10 seconds until tutorial ends.}
Tutorial?
Wait. What do you mean, tutorial?!
My eyes widened in panic.
Tick. Tick…
The sound of a clock echoed in my ears.
The frozen space distorted, and my vision swirled.
Then—
Kim Sword, who had been frozen, let out a ragged breath.
「Haa…」
With his sigh, the water droplet fell from the ceiling.
Drip. Drip…
Insignificant sounds that I would’ve ignored before rang clearly in my ears now.
Why could I hear them so vividly?
I tilted my head, unsettled.
Why?
Golden sunlight shimmered through a crack in the dungeon.
Since when has sunlight been this beautiful?
I inhaled deeply, and the sewer stench filled my throat.
The damp, musty smell of the dungeon. The iron scent of blood from Noah’s wounds.
“So vivid.”
Too vivid, like it was happening in real life.
I murmured like someone possessed. Two people looked at me with worried eyes.
“Yuria?”
“Master?”
Their voices overlapped like an echo.
{7 seconds until tutorial ends.}
{4 seconds until tutorial ends.}
{1 second until tutorial ends.}
A large, unfamiliar window floated above my head.
It wasn’t the usual translucent blue—it was blood-red. Sinister.
With an ominous font, letters rapidly filled the empty space.
Clack clack clack…
Ding!
{system: Main quest complete. Tutorial ended. Player ‘Yuria Benestra’ receives 3 Life Points. Once all Life Points are lost…}
{…actual death will occur.}
Three red hearts hovered above my head, flashing rapidly like warning sirens.
I blinked, dazed, as if waking from a dream.
To put it simply—it felt like being born again.
My mind is so clear.
Like a fog had lifted from the world.
My body felt lighter, sharper.
And the faces of the people around me—so much more vivid.
Before, they’d felt like game characters.
Now—
“……”
They looked alive.
{With the end of the tutorial, the player’s five senses have been fully unlocked.}
{The final mission has changed: Your new goal is to find true love.}
{Upon completion, the player may choose to return to the real world, and the game will end.}
My game had only just begun.
I stared blankly at the flashing hearts above my head.
I still couldn’t believe it.
I furrowed my brow, thinking back on what happened in the prison yesterday.
I didn’t even know how I got back to my room safely afterward.
Wasn’t reaching 100 affection supposed to be the end?
Now they want true love?
I was about to collapse from stress, and now I had to fall in love?
Why don’t they try it themselves?
After mumbling to myself for ages, Kim Sword, who had been watching, chimed in:
「Who says you’ll die? The mighty Demon Sword is by your side.」
How very reassuring.
“Thanks, I guess.”
I muttered in a lifeless voice, a weak smile on my face.
Tomorrow was Noah’s execution.
And his affection level?
It hadn’t reset after the tutorial ended.
Still ‘100.’
I thought they’d wipe it as soon as the tutorial was over, but I guess they weren’t that heartless.
Still, despite the 100 affection points, I hadn’t achieved “true love.”
So I was still trapped in this damn game.
Goddamn it.
With the execution approaching, my anxiety grew.
But I had no means to do anything.
I hated myself for being so powerless.
I can’t even protect myself. Why did I say I’d protect someone else?
Should I borrow Kim Sword’s power and try to break Noah out?
That was my only real option.
But…
That’s not gonna happen.
As he’d said—my mana was empty.
Even if I used Kim Sword’s power, it’d be like smashing an egg against a rock.
Better not to do anything foolish.
“Haa…”
I let out a sigh so deep it could collapse the ground. Kim Sword awkwardly laughed and clapped his hands.
「A sunny day like today is perfect for a walk.」
“A walk?”
I glanced out the window, frowning.
A familiar carriage was pulling up to the mansion.
A white carriage with a blue parrot crest…
I’d been too stressed lately to read any of the letters sent to the mansion. They’d piled up like kindling.
I was sure at least one was from the Catherine family.
So this means…
Rastin, growing impatient, had come himself.
Maybe I really should’ve returned those flower pots too.
Accepting just the flowers might’ve sent the wrong message.
“Maybe I should pretend I’m not here.”
I muttered. Kim Sword tilted his head.
「Need my help?」
He meant the chaotic, RNG-heavy random teleport ability he had.
“No thanks.”
I shook my head and pulled the blanket over my head.
Even if he threw a tantrum at the door, I wasn’t going to see him.
Or maybe I’d just pretend to be sick.
“……”
Hmm, no. That’s too obvious.
My lips looked too healthy.
Anyway, I had to avoid him. No, I needed ways to avoid him.
If I could buy a book titled “100 Ways to Avoid Rastin,” I’d snatch it up in a heartbeat.
Surely he wouldn’t just barge in on someone who’s sick… right?
Just as I relaxed and closed my eyes—
Knock knock.
A cheerful knock echoed from the door.
“Um… miss, you have a visitor.”
