### Chapter 279 – Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (3)
—
– Elena
—
— Splash!
In an instant, cold water brought my foggy consciousness back to reality. As I tried to lift my body, I realized my arms and legs were restrained by cold metal handcuffs.
“… Waking up like this doesn’t bode well for me.”
“Hah! Did you really think something good would come out of what you did to me?”
The familiar voice brimming with anger made me realize the identity of my ‘kidnapper.’ Honestly… I was a bit… flustered. Why are you even here?
“Your Highness.”
“You think you can just call me that? You little brat!”
“…”
“Did you find it amusing? Was it fun to make me… the laughing stock of the entire empire?”
I felt a pang of guilt. I wasn’t talking about the idiot in front of me but about Seungyub in comparison.
For quite a while after that, I heard a torrent of insults that I’d never heard from anyone in my life. Frankly, it wasn’t much to me. It’s not like I’d be affected by what someone who’s never seen my parents had to say.
Still, I pondered how we ended up in this situation. A vague answer began to take shape.
“Who did you team up with? Pendleton? Did that motherf*er fill you in on his plan to turn me into a laughingstock? Did he tell you to—”
“Enough.”
“What, you think you can just shut me up—”
“Let’s leave it at this. If you keep babbling, this film might just get an R-rating. I’m really not in the mood for that.”
“Even now… you’re still underestimating me! You think just because you’re pretty, you’re all that?!”
“Oh! That line was pretty good. ‘Is being pretty all it takes?!’ You do look pretty, don’t you?”
“You’re joking even now! Fine, today, I’ll make that pretty face of yours twist in agony.”
As the shaking prince gestured, a servant came forward holding a set of heated tongs.
“Pull it out!”
“… Your Highness, let’s just hold on a second. We can still reach out to the count’s family to sort this out—”
“I said, pull out her eyeball!”
“Your Highness… if you do this, even the king will—”
Suddenly, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft!”
“You….”
“Are you seriously the protagonist? Even your servant looks like he’s trying not to bust a gut at your pitifulness—”
— Smash! Clang!
“Krahhh!”
“Now, there are no more servants treating me like a joke! Right?”
I glanced at the prince, who was shaking like a leaf.
The sword he pulled from his waist swiftly pierced the servant’s heart. The servant started spewing blood, collapsing to the floor. Perhaps it was the sight of such a pitiful and agonizing end? A nearby knight approached and swiftly decapitated the servant.
“Your Highness.”
“What? Are you going to give me advice too?”
The prince’s eyes were filled with a murderous glint. It seemed like the rage of a first crush turned into a laughingstock had completely fried his brain.
“… Surely not. It’s just that whatever you do, time is of the essence. Please act quickly.”
“Humph! Fine. I’ll personally take her eyeballs.”
The moment the prince picked up the metal tongs that had fallen to the ground, I finally accepted that the game was up.
“Aah… failure. Where did I go wrong? Was it the fox hunt? I’m so curious about the scene I missed.”
“Shut your mouth—”
“You’re done for.”
— Raaaaah!
A heavenly song echoed throughout the room. The ‘Scale’ that appeared while twisting the space shattered the handcuffs that bound me in a single moment. My body floated freely in the air.
“Huh? Huh? What the heck—”
Unlike the dazed prince, the knights who lined up behind him were far more competent. Some drew their guns, while others brandished swords, gathering before the prince.
Of course, it didn’t matter much.
Consider the kidnapping and torture-murder plot you tried. Consider the fact you just butchered a servant right before my eyes. The determination to protect and save someone who did all that? The verdict is death for all of you.
— Crack!
Before my eyes, a knight’s torso burst like a cake under a punch.
“Get the lord to safety! I’ll—”
I’ll what? Whatever I was about to say didn’t hold much weight, considering the person who was splitting in half mid-sentence.
What a relief. The frustration I had felt all this time was suddenly replaced with a refreshing feeling. Is this what the kids call a ‘soda’ moment these days? The knights babbling meaningless crap and the prince screaming and losing control were no longer in my sight.
…
…
Now, just one remained.
“Ugh, what… what is this? Who the hell are you?! How can a human do this?!”
I hadn’t been able to control my actions while using justice in the past, not even able to utter a word.
But now I’m beginning to understand. Mindset, control.
It must be because I’ve grown. By gaining a clearer grasp of the constraints justice places on me, I realized what I can and cannot do.
“For instance, let me explain…”
“What?”
“Once I’ve used my power, I have to kill all of you right here. That’s a fixed rule, and there’s no breaking it. Furthermore, I can’t stop the ‘execution.’ Each moment, every second, I must move forward for the execution. That’s why I’m approaching you now.”
“What are you talking about… what do you mean… please, please! I’m the crown prince of the Aterrant Empire! If you kill me—”
“But as long as you keep that principle, the rest is somewhat blurry, you know? The order and method of killing are entirely up to me. For instance, the reason I’m coming closer to you is that I intend to pluck your eyeball out.”
The tongs were in my hand. The prince’s wails filled the room.
“This isn’t easy. Were you planning on using something like this to pluck out someone’s eyeball? You can’t even manage a fox hunt… Let’s just end this already. I’m getting a bit tired.”
At that final moment, it was just a flash.
And then…
The ending credits rolled.
*
“…”
“…”
The theater was filled with silence as everyone stared blankly at the credits filling the screen. Eventually, a heavy voice pierced through the silence.
“Guys… this… is definitely a disaster, right?”
“… Mooksung, watch your language. You have Seungyub here; choose your words carefully.”
“In this situation, are pretty words even a thing?”
Elena, sensing the impending doom, leaned against the wall with a dejected expression, gazing up at the sky. After about three minutes had passed in silence, the ‘Crown Prince Taming – Elena’s Chapter’ ended, and the lights in the theater came back on.
While everyone was still too stunned to even speak, something absurd began to unfold.
“Ding ding ding! Tara-ra-ta-ra ding!”
“… Why are you making sound effects with your mouth?”
“We spent too much on security for the movie production, you know.”
Suddenly, a guide emerged, babbling the most ridiculous stuff.
“Alright! Participants, we need your ‘evaluation’ for the movie now, right? I know this ‘unique’ storyline doesn’t seem like it’ll score well, but hey, there’s a procedure! The hotel’s esteemed judging panel, please come up!”
There’s a judging panel too?
“Ding ding—”
“Shut it!”
The doors to the theater opened, and three people walked in. They sat in the chairs that had appeared in front of the screen.
All three faces were familiar.
“Merchant, you do this kind of thing too?”
“Hahaha! Lady Eunsol, how’s the eye you bought last time? Hope it’s working well?”
“It’s doing fine. Seriously, you manage to do everything, huh? I hope you’re getting paid well?”
“Hah… I’m just glad someone acknowledges me. They expect you to juggle all these roles, and now I’m being made to evaluate a movie? This hotel’s really hopeless.”
“When we get outside later, you can come work under me. I’ll give you way less work and pay you correctly.”
“Thank you.”
The merchant seemed to have become pretty close with Sister Eunsol. The person next to her was also familiar.
“Long time no see.”
“Ga-in, hello!”
It was the NPC from the souvenir shop we saw back in the hotel basement. This time, she had changed her hairstyle and donned a cute bun.
“Merchant and the Dumpling Girl—”
“Just call me the Souvenir Girl.”
“I got the Souvenir Girl part down, but what’s with that over there? Does that thing over there even talk?”
The third judge, the Lego Mystical Craftsman from the second floor, didn’t respond.
The guide laughed heartily, as if it was nothing special.
“Hahaha! While I can’t talk, I can definitely rate! Shall we get started? I believe the judges will deliver their evaluations thoroughly, even if they just chit-chat!”
The merchant stepped up first. No longer trying to hide, revealing an inhuman, monstrous form, he whipped out an O-panel from his waist.
“Pass!”
“What?”
“Wait, what?”
We were all taken aback.
“Pass! I’m giving it a passing score! Having worked at this hotel for over a century, I’ve never seen a storyline this unique. What era are we in? We’re in an age where women’s rights are reclaiming their power; isn’t it a woman crush for the ages to have the female protagonist obliterating the male lead?”
Everyone—including the guide—was momentarily speechless.
“A new era, the 21st century! It’s about time for a romance movie where the female lead rips the male lead apart! This is totally MZ! This is completely multiverse!”
“Oh please, shut up!”
The Souvenir Girl next to me looked annoyed, holding up an X panel.
“Ignore this nutjob. You do know what MZ and multiverse mean, right?”
“Of course! MZ stands for ‘Failed Plot’!”
“Ah… how long am I going to be stuck in this hotel with this weirdo? Anyway, I’ve never seen a more ridiculous ending than this, so it’s a fail! Absolutely a fail. And what about the narration? Why was it there? The female protagonist completely disregarded the male lead from the beginning!”
I was cautious enough to raise my hand because I had something to say on that part.
“Uh… can I express my opinion?”
“Yes, Participant Han Kain, of course! If any of you have a dissenting opinion, feel free to voice it. Convincing the judges is also a measure of your skill.”
“Well, please consider the narration. What kind of movie just openly reveals someone’s inner feelings? Even in a masterpiece, if the actors showed their true feelings outright, wouldn’t it come across as ridiculous?”
Sister Eunsol immediately echoed my protest.
“Exactly! For instance, Titanic—with everyone familiar with the climactic cold-water farewell scene between Leonardo DiCaprio and the female lead, right? What do you think his ‘real feelings’ were in that scene? ‘It’s cold! It’s cold! I want this shoot to end already! Who was that jerk who caused the last NG?’ Something like that, right?”
The Souvenir Girl seemed to ponder for a moment before responding.
“Fair enough! I’ll concede on the narration part; it won’t factor into the evaluation from now on. But still, without that, the ending is a train wreck. Elena burst the prince with that scale! Is there anyone here to refute that?”
No one dared to speak up. The second evaluation was decided as an X. The final Lego craftsman didn’t even open his mouth, simply lifting an X, confirming Elena’s first attempt ended in failure.
*
For a moment, everyone—well, everyone except Elena—left the theater. The doctor broke the silence.
“We’ll need to go in and rescue Elena, but first, let’s analyze why it failed.”
“Fox hunt.”
“Fox hunt.”
In an instant, everyone said the same word. The reason for Elena’s failure, and why the prince went berserk in the latter half.
… We all saw the answer. Elena, in there, seemed oblivious, but we outside clearly observed it.
Sister Eunsol sighed deeply.
“The fox hunt, it went terribly… Think about it from the prince’s perspective. He might have been happy on the day of the hunt. But then he ultimately learned the truth.”
Indeed. There had been a scene in between the fox hunt and the New Year’s festival where several mischievous nobles revealed the ‘truth’ to the prince. It seemed Elena had missed that scene.
Jinchul spoke, sounding regretful.
“To be honest, I can understand the prince’s mindset a bit. The hunting competition happens every year. He likely thought he’d be ridiculed again for not being able to shoot well. But for the first time, every fox he shot fell, so how happy must he have been? But then he learned the truth—it was all a setup.”
Songee joined in.
“Actually, the bigger issue isn’t just that it was a setup. It’s about the fact that the nobles all knew about it right then and there. What do you think the shocked prince felt? He must have thought all the nobles were mocking him together, right? That shock alone would’ve shattered his mentality, but when he realized that it was ‘his first love’ Elena who orchestrated it all…”
Then I caught on.
“He went completely insane. Given how small-minded he is, being subjected to this kind of treatment must have driven him very mad.”
Ahri, aging tiredly, wrapped things up.
“Alright, alright. Let’s make sure the next person doesn’t repeat the same mistake. Who wants to go next? Kain?”
“Yikes! Hey, I’m a dude!”
“What does that matter? What about Lady Evelyn from the party? She was quite pretty, wasn’t she? Maybe possess her body or something. Just don’t go touching anywhere inappropriate; we’ll be watching this time.”
That sudden attack left me flustered and gasping! The others were too busy snickering to even help out.
“Ahahaha! What a riot! You’re really scaring Kain, Ahri!”
“Then how about you, Songee?”
“Cough! E-Eunsol is a girl too, so—”
“Oh my, Songee. Consider my age. I’m at least fifteen years older than the prince; do you think that works?”
“Then, Ahri, it’s your turn!”
“The movie title, didn’t you catch it? The horror movie at the end clearly fits me. You’ve seen how many monsters I’ve encountered in my life, right?”
Slowly, gazes began to shift towards Songee. Ultimately, with a face ready to cry, she declared her decision to go in.
“Uh… could you all wear earplugs?”
No one answered.
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