Episode 13

The sun quickly sank, turning the sky a vivid scarlet. After gazing at the sky, which looked similar to the color of my hair, I sank back into my chair.

Thanks to the cold air and the ice compress, my headache was gradually subsiding. The muffled feeling around my ears had improved, too.

But what was I supposed to do about this?

Today’s Final Mission

‘Many people have gathered at the banquet! Hurl abuse at the one hundredth person you meet and slap them across the face!’

Accept / Decline

After thinking about it from various angles, it still seemed best to press Decline. If the one hundredth person I met happened to be Daiwen Fergus, I’d be guaranteed a dead ending.

Even if it wasn’t him, if I hit someone now, all the effort I’d put into looking well-behaved would go up in smoke.

Or should I just become an actual delinquent? Be a villainess? Shut my eyes tight and live like a crazy bitch?

“Nooo. No matter what, how could I hit someone innocent…….”

For me, who had never hit anyone in my life, this was truly, unbearably difficult.

‘Then I really have no choice but to decline…….’

When I glanced outside the terrace without thinking, I saw something I hadn’t noticed earlier. It was a pond with stepping stones made of white rock.

The pond was shining with the reflection of the scarlet sky. As I stared at that picturesque scene, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning, and I reflexively pulled my back away from the chair.

“That’s it!”

Whispering softly, I quickly pressed the Accept option.

‘If tricks work, then I’ll keep dealing with you using tricks.’

I was letting out an uncontrollable, foolish laugh when someone beyond the curtain looked at me as if I were pathetic, making me jump in surprise.

“Wh-what!”

“That’s what I want to ask. What are you?”

It was Reuden.

No, why does this kid keep appearing out of nowhere?

Just as I was calming my startled heart, a number popped up above Reuden’s head with a ding.

It was…… the number 1.

Good heavens, they were showing it so intuitively. Truly…… should I say I was deeply moved?

I stared at it blankly with stunned eyes, then remembered I still hadn’t answered him and quickly replied.

“What am I……? Reuden’s one and only younger sister!”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

“Ah, that’s…… I’m sorry. One thing led to another……. But I won’t cause any trouble, I swear. Look. Even now, I’m tucked away in a corner like this…….”

“Why is your face so pale?”

Ah, about that. Handel put a ton of powder on my face…….

I thought Reuden would quickly lose interest and leave, but for some reason, he sat down in the chair Anastasia had occupied earlier.

What is this? If you suddenly sit this close to me, I get flustered, you know.

“What’s that?”

“Ah, this? ……It’s ice.”

“Why?”

“Right…… I wonder why…….”

Strangely, it was hard to tell Reuden I was sick. Was it because last time, Reuden had told me to take good care of myself?

Even with the ice compress, my fever hadn’t completely gone down, so I sat slightly on the edge of the chair so he wouldn’t notice.

“But Reuden, why did you come here?”

“I saw you go in.”

“You’ve got good eyes.”

As we exchanged pointless conversation, a gentle breeze blew. My hair fluttered in his direction.

My long hair, quite unluckily, poked the area around his eye. I hurriedly grabbed my hair and swept it back, checking his expression.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem angry. He merely had his eyes closed.

The wind stopped, and he opened his eyes. Between his parting lids, I saw irises exactly like mine.

He glanced at me and stared. Our eyes met, and I felt guilty that I’d been peeking, but I smiled boldly.

“Really! Who does our Reuden take after to be so handsome?”

“There you go talking nonsense again.”

“Nonsense? Actually, you know it too, don’t you, Reuden? That you’re handsome.”

As I deliberately acted playful and laughed, Reuden reached out and took the ice pouch I had been holding near my neck.

At that moment, my fingertips brushed against Reuden’s, and his eyebrows twitched.

“Why are you putting a compress on your neck?”

“Uh, that’s…….”

“If you’re going to do it, shouldn’t you be doing it here?”

Muttering softly as if it were nothing, he tapped the ice pouch against my cheek. Cold seeped through the handkerchief.

Hm? Why there……?

When I looked at him with an incomprehending gaze, he kindly explained.

“The bruise is here.”

“……Ah. Right! Yes! Exactly! It was because of the bruise!”

“But this ice looks like it was made with magic. Who made it for you? Was it Sollen?”

Oh, he really was a mage with expertise. He could tell at once that it had been made with magic.

“Yeah, Anastasia made it for me.”

I nodded briefly and reached out to take the ice pouch from him. Once again, his fingertips and mine brushed.

I thought Reuden would react somehow, but strangely, he remained silent. Finding that odd, I stopped midway through pressing the ice pouch to my other cheek and looked at him.

At the same time, I naturally shut my mouth. I didn’t know why, but……

He was frowning as if he were extremely displeased.

What is it? Did I do something wrong again?

As I muttered inwardly, unable to bring myself to ask, he opened his mouth.

“Do you have a fever right now?”

“Uh, huh?”

“It seems like you do. So you’re using the ice to…….”

He stopped speaking, let out a sigh, and, before I could stop him, quickly placed his hand on my forehead. I felt his cool palm, followed by another heavy sigh.

“Why has your body gotten so weak lately?”

“Haha. I know, right…….”

“Just when I thought things had quieted down.”

Just when he thought things had quieted down? Before I could ask what he meant, he took the ice and set it on the table, then grabbed my hand and pulled.

“Go back to the mansion.”

“What? Right now?”

“Yes. You’re sick, so go rest.”

“What’s this? Are you worried about me?”

He looked at me coldly. Ah, yes. Of course you aren’t.

In the end, I left the terrace with Reuden.

While looking at the delicious foods and desserts spread across the nearby tables, I absentmindedly glanced around.

Then a series of notification sounds rang out, loud enough to make my head throb, and numbers began popping up wildly above the heads of the people who entered my field of vision.

“This is driving me crazy.”

The numbers from 2 to 67 were packed together. I was flustered by it, but also irritated.

All I did was glance over them, and that counts as meeting them? What is this!

My bewilderment didn’t stop there. Nobles who had spotted Reuden began flocking toward us.

‘Are they doing that just to have one conversation with Reuden?’

Since the numbers were increasing exponentially, I couldn’t just stand still. I had to get out of here quickly.

With a light smack, I shook off Reuden’s hand, confirmed that the last number I’d seen was 73, and moved off in search of “it.”

“Where are you going……!”

I heard Reuden calling after me from behind.

Sorry, Reuden……! I’m going to act on my own for just a bit!

I walked with my head sharply lowered so I wouldn’t look at anyone. Thanks to that, I bumped into quite a few people.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I spat out apologies out of habit while cursing inwardly. The reason was simple.

Because even the shoes of other people that entered my lowered field of vision were being counted!

Oh, shit! Is this insane, seriously?

In the end, after seeing the number reach 95, I covered my face with both hands and started walking. At this point, people would decide I was a madwoman and clear the way on their own.

Just then, a voice like a miracle called out to me.

“Rene!”

Aaaah, Anastasia!

At the welcome voice, I nearly burst into tears. Since I couldn’t see ahead, I waited for Anastasia to come to me. Soon, I felt a cold hand wrap around my shoulder.

“Rene, why did you come out?”

“Anastasia……”

But my joy and relief did not last long. Because the moment I called her name, there was a ding, and a number appeared in my pitch-black vision.

It was 96.

“Haha……”

Isn’t this basically cheating? Cheating……? No, damn it. Does it make any sense that it still counts even when my eyes are covered?

“Rene……? This won’t do. I think you should just go home.”

“No, I’ve come this far, so it’s do or die.”

“Huh?”

“Anastasia, do you happen to have a mirror?”

Fortunately, the only person who had approached me was Anastasia. Since the number didn’t increase past 96, I was sure.

I felt like I was being toyed with by the mission, so my teeth ground together on their own, but I had to endure it. The one who endures wins…….

As if! Endure, my ass! I’m not going to endure it, and I’m still going to win! You damned bastard of a mission!

Even shouting like that inwardly made me feel a little better. Somewhat calmer, I waited for Rene’s words.

“A mirror? I do have one……. Why a mirror?”

“I want to look at my face.”

That was exactly the thought I’d had while looking at the pond reflecting the sky. What if, on the hundredth time, I looked at my face in a mirror?

Then the hundredth person I met would be myself, so wouldn’t I just have to hurl abuse at myself and slap myself?

The loophole of becoming a maid had worked, so maybe the loophole of seeing myself in a mirror would work too.

“Your face?”

“Yeah……. Anastasia, I’m in a hurry. Please lend it to me quickly. Okay?”

“Uh, uh, wait a second……”

She whispered above my head. Soon after, I heard the rustle of fabric, and something round was placed in my hand.

“Thanks, Asha!”

“What?”

“I’ll get going now!”

“Wait, Rene! What did you just call me……”

Sorry, but I didn’t have time to talk with Anastasia right now.

I peeked through the gaps between my fingers to gauge where I was. Luckily, the only thing I saw was a dim corridor.

I didn’t know where the corridor led, but judging from how dark it was, there probably wasn’t anyone there.

I headed straight for that corridor. Even during that, each time I passed someone, the number dutifully rose.

The one saving grace was that the moment I entered the corridor, it stopped precariously at 99.

‘God must have helped me. Good heavens, I’ll believe in your existence from now on. Thank you, God.’

Breathing hard, I walked down the dark corridor and turned a corner. I saw light beyond it.

Walking toward that light, which felt so far away, was agony, but I endured with the single thought that I would look in the mirror under the light and slap my cheek no matter what.

‘No, wait. Couldn’t I just look in the dark?’

Since it had counted even with my eyes covered, maybe it would be fine to look in the dark.

It was when I raised my hand to look in the mirror. I collided with a wall jutting out and stupidly fell over.

“Ack!”

My knees and palms stung and ached from hitting the floor.

Normally, I would have whined that it hurt, but I felt as if all the blood had drained from my body and lay there blankly, looking down at my hand.

Someone tell me it isn’t true.

Tell me the mirror that was in my palm when I fell…… didn’t break…….

However, when I slightly lifted the palm that had been pressed against the floor, I heard the brittle sound of mirror shards crumbling.

“Are you all right?”

Just then, someone spoke to me. Along with it came a ding.

No, no. It can’t be. It has to not be. Say it isn’t!

I turned my stiff neck. There was a man there. Apparently, I hadn’t run into a wall but into this man.

But who that man was did not register in my mind.

Because the problem was the number 100, shining brightly even in the dark, above the man’s head.

“You……”

With that as the starting point, I finally exploded.

“You damned bastard!”

Ding.

Verbal abuse successful!

The clueless mission message was just the cherry on top.