Chapter 6
Roel’s gaze followed me as I moved. Curled up tensely, Roel hunched his shoulders and asked cautiously,
“…Y-you… did you just come into my room?”
“Why? Am I not allowed? Wow, the rooms really are connected. Oh gosh, what’s this—your blanket’s all worn out. That’s a bit too big for me to bring over, though.”
“Princess Sienna!”
“Huh? And what’s this supposed to be? Is this a pillow? It’s basically a flat blanket. Well, I can bring you a real pillow. Oh, and—”
I spun around, staring at Roel, who was blushing hard and clutching only a shirt to his chest.
At dinner, he’d been dressed in normal clothes. But now, he was wearing something that left both his wrists and ankles exposed.
“Hmm.”
If the nanny found out, she’d probably chase me down, but to get clothes that actually fit Roel, I’d likely have to talk to her anyway.
“Your clothes too…”
“Why are you here!”
Roel’s voice cracked into a shrill shout. His still-childlike face was flushed bright red, as if it would burst.
“Huh? But you came to see me, didn’t you? Why can’t I come see you?”
I played it off as shamelessly as possible. After all, I was supposed to be collecting Villainess Points—I had to act the part of a villainess!
“…That’s…”
“Anyway, want a sandwich? I figured you’d be hungry, so I brought some.”
Roel’s eyes dropped to the basket.
Inside were plump sandwiches, fruit, and plenty of drinks. It seemed the nanny assumed I was planning some kind of tea-party pretend play in my room.
“…Did you… prepare all this for me?”
Wait a second. Villainesses aren’t supposed to prepare food for someone else, are they?
Should I flip over a table or something just to stay in character?
“Nope. I just prepared what I wanted to eat.”
I said it as meanly as I could manage, in my role as a villainess-in-training. Roel gave me a strange look.
“Hurry and eat. I’m full, so you eat it all. That’s an order.”
…Did I sound a little too bossy?
Roel sat down across from me, staring. Oh no—was he suspicious I’d laced the food with something?
“There’s no poison! Seriously, it’s safe to eat—”
“…Thank you. Truly.”
His face, now calm, had returned from crimson back to a more normal shade. Roel began pulling food out of the basket.
“I’ve gone three days without eating. After the banquet that night, the Empress locked my door.”
“…Then even the day you came to see me?”
“I climbed out the window.”
“Why would she lock you in?”
“Because Sienna said those things and collapsed. I suppose she feared I’d report her to you or His Majesty.”
“Ugh.”
How cruel! That was what a real villainess would do.
I could never follow in those footsteps—starving and imprisoning a child? That wasn’t villainy, that was inhuman. If being a villainess meant stooping to that, I’d rather find another way.
“Eat slowly. I don’t need any.”
Roel nodded and began to eat. Watching him, a pang of sympathy pricked me. Maybe this was why the system had cast me as his “supporter.”
In that case, it should just give me a quest already! I’d do anything.
My Death Points still sat at 93p, dangerously high. I needed to get them below 89p if I wanted to survive, but I still had a long way to go.
Sigh.
I turned my attention back to Roel.
“…Does it taste good?”
He paused at my question.
“What? Is it bad? No way—it was made by our personal chef, so it should be—”
“Why are you speaking informally?”
“…Huh?”
“I never gave you permission. Why are you calling me by name and dropping honorifics?”
“Oh. Well, then I’ll give you permission. You can call me by name and speak informally too. We’re friends, right?”
Roel looked startled.
But still—speaking casually made things feel friendlier, like there was no wall between us. As long as we kept some boundaries, it was much better this way.
Besides, since Roel’s survival seemed directly tied to my Death Points, being close to him could only help. And given we’d likely be seeing each other for a long time, there was no downside to getting along.
“Just treat me casually!”
“…You’re really strange.”
Roel fiddled with his sandwich.
“What do you mean?”
“…No one’s ever treated me like this.”
“Well, that’s…”
“No one has ever shared tasty sandwiches with me. No one has ever come just to see me. No one has ever called my name or treated me kindly.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you only doing this because I’m pretty?”
For a moment, he looked flustered, but then tilted his head with a serious expression.
“That’s right! I’m doing it because you’re pretty. You’re cuter than any of the dolls I own back home!”
That part was honest—and completely self-indulgent.
Roel silently mulled over my words, then glanced at me before quietly continuing his sandwich.
By the time the basket was nearly empty, he finally spoke.
“…Will you come again tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll try to come often.”
At that moment, a system window popped up.
Quest: Help “Lonely Roel,” who fears that his only (apparent) friend Sienna might not come back! (｡･ˇ_ˇ･｡)
Success: –4 Death Points
Failure: +10 Death Points
Why was it always so detailed? Like it was stabbing at my conscience on purpose.
But wait—minus 4 Death Points?! That was exactly what I needed!
“I’ll definitely come tomorrow. I’ll bring food and other things too.”
Roel nodded enthusiastically.
“When would be a good time? I mean… if I just pop up like today, it might be awkward…”
His face turned red again, and he stammered,
“After… after one o’clock…”
“Got it. One o’clock it is.”
Congratulations! “Lonely Roel” is delighted! ⚗·̫⚗
▶ Reward: –4 Death Points
◆ Current Death Points: 89p
This system was clearly a Roel fanatic. Could it be any more biased?
…Not that I minded. Honestly, this was working in my favor.
It even felt like—since it couldn’t help him directly—it had summoned me to this empire to do the job. Was my reincarnation part of the plan all along? The quests certainly made it seem that way.
“Well then, see you tomorrow at one, Roel.”
Roel nodded, already looking full of anticipation.
***
The next day, I began packing my things to visit Roel.
He didn’t even have a pillow, and his clothes were a problem too… though I wasn’t sure how to get him those yet. For now, I stuffed one of my own pillows into a bag. A blanket would be better brought over later. Oh! And I should bring a cushion for myself to lean on, too.
The nanny, noticing my preparations, blocked my path.
“What are you doing, Princess? Where are you going?”
“Hmm. To meet a friend.”
She eyed me suspiciously.
“You have a friend here? And you need to take all that to meet them?”
“…Ahem.”
I hadn’t planned on making this a regular thing, but yesterday I’d promised. And with how the system behaved, if I made Roel sad, it would probably spike my Death Points immediately.
That was unacceptable. I’d worked too hard to get them down! I wanted to live!
Rather than sneaking around and stressing myself out, it was probably better to tell the nanny and let her supervise.
“The truth is, I made a friend.”
“…May I ask what kind of friend?”
“Of course! Prince Roel—you know him. The second prince of the Setrit Empire. He’s the same age as me!”
The nanny’s face went pale. Just as I expected—Roel wasn’t exactly the kind of “friend candidate” she’d approve of.
“B-but… what about His Highness the Crown Prince instead?”
She asked nervously. Since this wasn’t my home country, I suppose she had to tread carefully. She added quietly,
“If you’re not careful, you could incur the Empress’s wrath. That would be troublesome, especially since we’re in a foreign empire.”
“She won’t find out! And besides, Nanny—you saw the Crown Prince say those weird things. You’d really rather I get close to him?”
“Well, no, but…”
There were only two children my age in this palace. Not much of a selection. And since the Crown Prince was a disaster personality-wise, even my overprotective nanny didn’t actually want me around him.
I pressed harder, putting on a tearful face.
“Then would you rather I be all alone here too? With no friends again? Would you prefer I cry every day out of loneliness?”
“Well, no, but…”
She sighed heavily.
The nanny could never win against me. I smirked to myself behind her back.
