Chapter: 614
Watching Lucy sob heart-wrenchingly while Rene desperately tried to comfort her, I couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Before meeting Rene, Lucy seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
So, this was the first encounter that Joy had mentioned.
It’s totally normal not to know how they got close. Who would expect that Rene could read Lucy’s mind and become her understanding ally?
‘What should I do to make her cry? Ah! I got it. Just let her cry a lot.’
At that moment, Rene resembled the Rene I had seen at the end of the game.
His kind-heartedness, hidden beneath his grumbling, was probably his essence.
Wait, thinking like this feels a bit strange.
There’s no reason for the two to get tangled up.
Since he can read her feelings, misunderstandings caused by the Mesugaki skill shouldn’t happen.
Lucy wouldn’t act coldly towards someone who could cherish her, and Rene wouldn’t want to ruin his relationship with a Young Lady of the Alrn Family.
Rene was good at charming the ladies, right? It would’ve been a piece of cake to sweet-talk a vulnerable girl like her.
No matter how I think about it, the only one creating obstacles in this relationship would be Lucy.
Ah! What if Lucy was the one getting obsessed? That actually sounds plausible! To Rene, Lucy is just one of many acquaintances, but for Lucy, he’s the only one!
‘I’ll be off now. I still haven’t greeted many people.’
‘…Are you really just going to leave the poor girl in distress? Scum! Human trash!’
‘We’ll see each other again soon anyway.’
‘Huh?’
‘Once the social hall opens, you’ll easily loiter about. I’ll be hanging around the nobility for a while, so we’ll naturally run into each other.’
‘Ohhh~ So you want to see me again later? How cute of you to stay true to your desires.’
‘I don’t… no, never mind. See you later.’
‘Yee~ I hope you’re less gloomy next time!~’
My guess that their relationship would deepen as Lucy becomes more dependent proved to be accurate.
Having only received hatred from others until now, Lucy met someone who didn’t turn away but looked straight at her. How could that not make the other person precious?
‘Doesn’t the prince have anyone else to meet? Did everyone run away in fear of your gloom?’
‘That’s funny. Isn’t that the same for you? You have no friends other than me.’
‘There’s no reason for me to be friends with those pathetic losers. I might catch their “loser disease.”’
Yet, the part that surprised me was Rene’s side.
‘How can you be so self-indulgent?’
‘Why can’t gloomy Prince do whatever he wants? Are you a timid little prince?’
‘There’s something called social standing, you brat.’
‘So you can’t even speak up when the little kids tease you? Then just stay a gloomy loser.’
‘You want me to continue being your plaything?’
‘You seem to enjoy being teased, don’t you? I don’t want to, but it’s exhausting trying to cater to your masochistic tastes. You’re scum.’
‘…Do you even know what you’re saying?’
‘Why? Why would I? What are you getting at?’
‘Damn it.’
As Lucy led everyone into despair in high society, Rene searched for her with his eyes.
And as usual, he found her fighting with other young ladies, chuckling to himself.
“Ah, if only I could just stay locked away in my private room.”
“Prince! You’re a perv!”
“Not like that. I just meant being forced to butter up the nobles is suffocating.”
Rene, despite having the potential to be a king, didn’t particularly enjoy the adoration of others.
He lamented that while he could see through what others were thinking, it irked him when they boldly said things contrary to that.
“Someone trying to take something from me. Someone plotting my downfall. Someone groveling. Someone trying to gauge my worth. Someone attempting to set the tone. They’re all insane.”
“That sounds like a lot on your plate. Should I call you gloomy prince or gloomy servant?”
“That’s blasphemy.”
“Is it? What will you do about it? Are you going to swing a punch at a little girl?”
“Would you like that?”
“Well then, I’ll run to tell your foolish father all about it.”
“Ha! That sounds terrifying.”
To Rene, who could somewhat guess the thoughts of others, Lucy and the nobles outside were pretty much the same.
In fact, he found Lucy easier to deal with. Unlike those who smiled on the outside but plotted behind her back, Lucy was simply a rough girl with a pure heart.
“But tell me, gloomy loner prince, why do you come here when you hate high society? Do you enjoy suffering? Or do you just like me that much?”
“Well, I do find talking to you comfortable, but the biggest reason is that it’s something I need to become king.”
“What will you do with the power once you have it? That shy little prince won’t be able to do anything anyway.”
“…What will I do again? I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Are you an idiot?”
“I can’t deny that. I thought I needed to become king, but what to do once I am wasn’t on my radar.”
For most people, a royal position was a means to achieve their goals. The reason so many struggle for the throne is to wield the power that would fulfill their desires.
However, Rene was different. For him, the throne was the end and the goal. Nothing existed beyond that.
“I’ll think about it next time and get back to you.”
With those words, Rene walked away with a somewhat surprising declaration at the next social gathering.
“I’ve thought long and hard, but honestly, I don’t want to become king. I have nothing I want to do after becoming one.”
“Are you bragging about that? What a leisurely waste of space.”
“What if I am? I’ll just end up being a lazy good-for-nothing anyway.”
Rene didn’t even step outside the private room, engaging in trivial conversations with Lucy.
Seeing Rene look as if he had cast off a burden, Lucy felt a pang of envy, but she also shared in the laughter.
Time passed, and then, suddenly, Rene disappeared from high society.
The person who suggested they’d meet again within days was nowhere to be found after a month had gone by.
As Lucy looked at the empty space, her mind flooded with all sorts of unfortunate imaginations.
Having lost someone precious before, the vividness of despair overshadowed any flicker of hope.
Yet, Lucy continued to attend high society not wanting to let go of the slightest glimmer of hope.
If she lost hope again, she felt she wouldn’t be able to stand back up, so she kept waiting and waiting for Rene’s return.
‘…Gloomy prince?’
However, their reunion after that long wait wasn’t at all in the form Lucy had wished.
Rene didn’t spare her even a glance, treating her presence like she didn’t exist, just like everyone else.
Why? Even as she trembled with the thought of betrayal, Lucy waited for a moment alone with Rene.
Because to her, he was still her one and only hope.
“Nice to meet you. Young Lady Alrn.”
The person who greeted Lucy, who found the private room first, wasn’t Rene, but a woman in a black mask.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a messenger of the First Queen. I’ve come to deliver a message to you. I doubt you’d want to waste your time on someone like me, so I’ll skip the flourishes. Young Lady Alrn, please do not interfere with the First Prince.”
“What? Interfere? Me? Nonsense! The one hindering him is that gloomy loner over there!”
“You know, that kind of infatuation often starts from sympathy.”
The masked woman spoke in a dry tone, pushing Lucy headfirst into the muck.
She forced Lucy to face the facts she didn’t want to acknowledge, sprouting seeds of doubt regarding her bond with Rene.
“Isn’t holding onto someone else’s ankles what your parents did? Do you have to ruin someone else’s life to feel satisfied?”
‘…You.’
“If you feel grateful to the First Prince, please choose wisely.”
Not long after the masked woman left Lucy alone, Rene entered the room with a solemn expression, letting out a long sigh before calling Lucy with a lackluster smile.
“I’m sorry about what just happened! Lucy Alrn! I couldn’t acknowledge you due to some personal matters!”
‘…’
“Why are you silent? Are you mad? I totally understand! But please try to understand my situation. I didn’t want to keep you waiting like this.”
‘…’
“Ha. I see. I must have prepared a bribe for this moment. Here’s this bracelet! Oh? Are you interested in that since it’s called a bribe?”
With her mouth shut, Lucy stomped over, snatched the bracelet from Rene’s hands, and tossed it to the ground.
“Are you trying to win me over with that cheap junk? Your brain must be in a flower garden.”
“Lucy Alrn.”
“Did you not have enough funds to prepare something a bit more extravagant for me? Tsk. Such a pathetic prince who can’t even play the role of a useful fool.”
“You—”
“Ah! Just get lost already. I’m tired of playing with a lonely person like you.”
“Did someone come and blow a useless wind your way? Why are you spewing nonsense that nobody asked for?”
‘…Ha. Seriously, you’re so thick-headed it’s pathetic! It annoys me to see you so comfortably ignorant!’
As the tears rolled down Lucy’s cheek, her illusions crumbled.
Yet, for me, the changes happening around me didn’t really matter.
That masked woman from before… I bet it’s that girl I know, huh?
The heir of Karia. That crazy girl acting like she’s something special.
Watching her throw a fit in this reality makes me snicker.
That’s not the First Queen’s style. Would she go as far as to cut ties with the Alrn family?
Even if she’s a lunatic, she knows how to play politics. If she were to apply pressure, she’d target Rene. That way, there would be no fingerprints left behind.
Hence, the foul words spoken to Lucy were purely her own decision.
Phew. Once I’m off this island, I’m heading straight for her hair, by the way.
I’ll make her bang her head in front of Rene and spill all the nonsense she has stashed away.
No, this just isn’t enough. I need something more sizzling that’ll send her into a frenzy.
“Welcome, successor of the heroes. It’s an honor to meet someone who carries the burden of my incompetence.”
“Shut it. Can’t you see I’m thinking?”
“…Um.”
“Am I too loud for your ears?”
“Oh, okay. Uh, I get it now. Take your time thinking, and give me a shout when you’ve got it sorted.”
Hah. Seriously. Whoever the hell you are, you’re being a nuisance. Why? …Huh?
“Have you finished thinking? That’s a relief! I was worried you’d make me wait forever!”
“What’s with that goofy look?”
“Haha, do I look goofy? People often say I seem foolish!”
Despite his tone, which was far from polite, the man who grinned brightly relaxed his shoulders and raised his voice.
“Nice to meet you! Successor of heroes! I am your predecessor!”
The hero has appeared.
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