Perhaps thanks to Kalix's concern, Relia successfully arrived at the hut and was searching for materials.
[95%]
She anxiously watched the gauge rise while carefully surveying outside the window.
'Thank goodness.'
Emperor Perseus had attended the banquet, so he wouldn't come here.
[100%]
Relia clenched her fists as she looked at the floating screen in the air.
'Please appear.'
If she couldn't find the materials here, it would be a complete disaster.
Just then, with a ding sound, a smiling alchemy tool and speech bubble appeared.
[Discovered Special Material
[Special Material Encyclopedia Cleared!]
[As an achievement reward, 100,000 Crystals at 20% discount price! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و̑̑]
Relief washed over her at the following message. Her legs felt like they were melting with relief.
'If I hadn't found it here, I almost wouldn't have been able to cure Grandma...'
Relia flopped down on the old chair nearby.
She needed to return to her quarters quickly, but a brief moment should be fine.
'This place is just as it was...'
Unlike yesterday when she was flustered by Emperor Perseus, today she had enough presence of mind to look around the hut's interior.
Relia quickly took in everything with a gaze filled with longing.
Childhood memories surfaced vividly, as if they had happened just yesterday.
She had thought she had no memories with her mother at all, but now she realized that simply staying in this space was all a cherished memory.
Relia stared blankly into space for a while before finally emerging from the hut.
She didn't forget to lock the door as she had when she first came.
Though she thought it was just for a moment, quite some time seemed to have passed. The sky had already turned pitch black.
Relia hurriedly rushed toward her quarters.
However, when she neared her quarters, she encountered an unexpected person and had to stop.
It was Kalix whom Relia had spotted.
But there was someone else beside him.
Relia immediately hid in the bushes beside the corridor.
'Why on earth is Kalix taking a walk with Uriana?'
Watching while hidden, she saw Kalix and Uriana getting closer and closer.
Looking carefully, behind the two were several ladies who appeared to be Uriana's maidservants, following at a distance.
Relia was bewildered by the sight of the two walking together, something she had never imagined.
Uriana kept chattering away like a bird with a lovely expression on her face.
Her flushed expression was adorable.
Meanwhile, Kalix looked completely indifferent and distracted, as if he wasn't listening at all.
At that sight, Relia sighed.
While Relia couldn't claim to be skilled at etiquette, she at least knew the basics thanks to the etiquette teacher her grandfather had assigned her.
But Kalix was entirely different.
Perhaps because he ran away from the imperial palace in his childhood.
Honestly speaking, Kalix seemed like someone who didn't know the words 'manners' or 'escort' at all.
'That's harsh...'
To think there was a man who would ignore a lady he was walking with like that.
Relia watched the two with unexpected admiration.
Uriana, as if she never tired, chattered away diligently while occasionally glancing around.
As for Kalix... even if Uriana were suddenly erased from this scene, he looked like he wouldn't feel anything was amiss at all.
That was how freely and unconsciously he was ignoring Uriana.
When the two passed through the corridor and disappeared from view, Relia let out a breath of relief and emerged from the bushes.
"……!"
But as soon as she came out of the bushes, she ran into someone.
It was Rut, emerging from the bushes on the opposite side.
Relia tried to ignore him and pretend she hadn't seen him, but Rut approached her with what seemed like an angry expression and asked.
"Who are you?"
"……."
What kind of question was this?
Relia was dumbfounded.
Of course, it was a face he was seeing for the first time, so Rut must have been startled as well... but the imperial palace wasn't his property, so where did he get the nerve to be this rude?
Rut must have realized there was something strange about his question too, as he shook his head and asked again.
"I apologize. I was too surprised... Were you secretly watching the people who just passed by?"
"...Isn't that the same for you?"
Relia deliberately lowered her voice as she replied. So that he wouldn't suspect she was really a woman.
Rut looked Relia up and down.
Fortunately, unlike what Relia worried, Rut didn't seem to suspect her at all.
Rather.
"...You didn't sneak into the imperial palace to see Princess Uriana, did you?"
"……."
At Rut's question, Relia was dumbfounded.
Right, you were the original male lead.
A man completely besotted with Uriana, for whom the whole world revolved around her.
"Answer me."
When Relia didn't answer, he seemed to take it as confirmation and urged her in a threatening, low voice.
Eventually, Relia inadvertently revealed her fake identity.
"I am a distant relative of Prince Romeo from the Roseberry Kingdom. I'm staying at the imperial palace thanks to His Majesty's consideration."
"……!"
"Is that a problem?"
"...I have committed a discourtesy. I apologize."
At Relia's calm reply, Rut's face turned red. He had reason to be embarrassed.
He had essentially declared to a complete stranger, 'I like Princess Uriana.'
The misunderstanding was cleared up, and just as she was about to pass by, Rut blocked her way.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Rut Castrill."
"...Raymond Levester."
"Please forgive my rudeness."
"It's fine."
Rut's strangely sullen expression was a bit annoying, but she didn't care.
Rut slightly bowed his head in greeting, then walked over and sat on a bench near where he had been hiding, shoulders drooping.
Relia glanced at him and turned away.
One step, two steps, three steps she walked.
Ding.
At the sudden sound effect, Relia's brows furrowed.
A rectangular window suddenly floated before her eyes.
[Oh no!=͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇) You've discovered a young man fallen into deep sorrow! Shall we resolve his worries? You might receive a special gift...!(ง•̀ө•́)ง✧]
∙ Young man's
∙ Special Shop System Unlock
'No way...'
Relia stood with her mouth open in surprise, then turned around with a sinking feeling.
There she saw Rut sitting sullenly on the bench.
The problem was that a red [!] mark was floating above his head.
This unmistakably meant he was the quest target.
'Why of all people...'
She had absolutely no desire to get entangled with the original male lead.
What Relia wanted was just one sacred artifact he possessed.
She stared blankly at the quest window.
Reading the text slowly again, her gaze stopped at 'Young man's Treasure' in the reward list.
'Could it be the sacred artifact...?'
When she looked at the treasure chest icon with a question mark drawn next to the text 'Young man's Treasure,' a small information window popped up.
[A secret treasure the young man obtained! The Temple is very eager for it.✧(•́⌄•́๑)]
'It's certain.'
But...
'Wouldn't it be easier to just steal it when Rut loses it?'
And if she refused this quest, perhaps another sub-quest could unlock the Special Shop.
Relia said 'Reject' inwardly, just in case.
However, the system casually shattered her hopes.
[Do you want to reject the quest?(๑•́₋•̩̥̀๑)]
※Caution
If you reject this quest, Special Shop unlock will be permanently blocked.
"……."
Then there was no choice. She had to change her thinking.
'Actually, this might be a good opportunity.'
If she just completed the quest, she could obtain the sacred artifact and unlock the Special Shop.
Of course, there was no guarantee the treasure was the sacred artifact, but the probability was high.
Moreover, if the Special Shop opened, she would be able to use the lottery system too.
She didn't know what she would receive if the lottery hit, but it might be closely related to the game's final objective, the 'Philosopher's Stone.'
'I might be able to cleanly wrap everything up and leave the imperial palace.'
Relia made up her mind and immediately turned around to walk toward Rut.
"Excuse me, do you have some kind of worry?"
She asked with an intentionally composed face.