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Chapter 93 - I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game

I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines,but characters keep taking an interest in me.DBT,Korean,Novel,Translation,NEPG,Academy,Fantasy

Roses (4)

The agonizing diagnosis was concealed by a brief lie.

A faint breath continued quietly.

Rose, asleep so deeply she was unaware of her surroundings.

Leaving the girl to rest, we had a light tea in the next room.

A platinum-blonde girl was visible from the plush sofa.

"......"

Charlotte remained silent.

She seemed lost in thought.

The hot teacup just hung between her fingers, cooling untouched since a while ago.

Complex emotions could be glimpsed beyond her transparent pupils.

She's been like this the whole time.

I gave a wry smile.

A sudden glimmer of hope.

The girl seemed to have something to say, but hesitated, unable to utter the words.

Her occasionally flickering gaze held wavering emotions.

Is she in shock?

I gently set down my teacup.

At this rate, we would be up all night, so I decided to broach the subject.

I asked in an extremely casual tone, "What do you think?"

A lightly tossed question.

It was a short sentence, but its meaning was clear, referring to Rose.

It must have been a while since Elise looked so peaceful.

As I quietly waited for an answer, a subdued voice soon reached my ears.

Her blue eyes sank.

"......Can she really be cured?"

The question was tinged with desperation.

It sounded more like a wish than a question.

I didn't nod immediately.

I just smiled, as if deliberately teasing her.

"Would it be difficult...?"

Charlotte's anxiety grew.

With her beloved sister's life on the line, the girl was sensitive to even the slightest twitch of my lips.

Her shaken gaze betrayed her usual stoicism.

Charlotte was currently emotionally fragile.

Hope, and despair.

Two intense emotions swirled within her.

She was hopeful that a way to save her sister had been found, but simultaneously tormented by the fear that even this might fail.

The endless ups and downs of her emotions were enough to shake the girl.

"It's not difficult."

I thought, ‘Now's the time.’

It was time to tame the Little Prince.

A crack had appeared in her hardened heart, a momentary opening. I saw this as an opportunity to wedge myself in.

I stood up, subtly hinting, "Didn't I tell you? It's entirely possible."

I was aiming for this moment of confusion.

Humans are powerless in the face of despair, and in their weakest moments, they unconsciously seek hope to cling to.

Even a girl who belonged in a different dimension wouldn't be any different.

I intended to offer myself as a wall to lean on, while simultaneously becoming a deep swamp to engulf the princesses.

To do this, I had to instill trust.

The belief that I was someone they could rely on.

"Your Highness."

"......"

Her transparent pupils stared blankly at me.

I slowly walked over to the sofa opposite the princess.

I smoothly moved behind her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

I brought my lips close to her white ear and said, "The treatment won't be easy."

"......"

"But if Your Highness follows my instructions precisely, it's not impossible."

"......What do I have to do?"

"It's nothing much. Just follow my instructions absolutely regarding the treatment."

"If I do that, can you save Elise?"

"I swear on my honor. If I'm lying, you can bury my head in the ground."

"Yes... I believe you. I'll do whatever you say."

The girl nodded as if mesmerized.

Even as she stepped into the swamp, her blue eyes shone transparently.

I smiled deeply, touched by her innocent trust.

"That's a good attitude."

It was just the baiting stage, but it wasn't a bad start.

I whispered in a low voice, "Please remember."

In this despair.

The only person who can save you.

"Is me."

This was the beginning of the princess's gaslighting in earnest.

***

Elise Rose von Staufen.

The Empire's Second Princess and Charlotte's younger sister. However, the girl's treatment within the Imperial family was far from favorable.

It was all because of the illness she suffered from.

Mana Stone Disease.

Despite the word "disease" being part of its name, it was widely perceived as a curse.

It even carried the superstition that it was the result of divine wrath.

The problem was that even academia accepted this superstition as an established fact.

Medicine, magic, divine power... Despite centuries of research, they hadn't even found a clue for a cure, so in reality, even the experts had given up.

As a result, Stone Disease had become a symbol of ill omen.

It's not that I don't understand.

I thought it was understandable.

It appeared without warning, its cause unknown, with no solution found, few cases to study, and ultimately leading to unavoidable death.

There was no other way to explain it than divine abandonment.

Besides...

The afflicted person's mana channels hardened.

This caused the internal flow to reverse, and the sharply broken fragments circulated, tearing apart their internal organs.

Even the process leading to death was so horrific that its perception couldn't be anything but terrible.

Indeed, looking at cases from past centuries, there were records of sufferers being burned at the stake for purification, deemed cursed by the gods.

And this curse, remembered like a nightmare.

Had afflicted the Empire's princess, no less.

Naturally, the Imperial family was in an uproar.

The Rose, who had been the people's flower just the day before, had become a sinner under divine wrath overnight.

This phenomenon was bound to be interpreted as a bad omen for the Empire.

It was sure to cause unrest not only within the Imperial family's political circles but also among the citizens of the Empire.

Therefore, the Emperor took swift action.

The matter was covered up as an Imperial secret.

Those involved were all silenced, and no one except a select few close aides were allowed to know.

Rose was also confined to a detached palace to prevent the news from leaking.

Externally, it was announced that the princess was declining all social activities due to ill health.

Poor thing.

She wasn't even ten years old.

Of course, considering the subsequent political turmoil and the girl's safety, the Emperor's actions were wise, but in the end, Rose was left alone from a young age.

Spending nearly ten years in confinement.

-It's excessively modest for an Imperial Princess's residence.

-...Yes.

The particularly modest residence was also for that reason.

Access was extremely restricted.

The only one who regularly visited the detached palace was the First Princess.

Rose, cared for by a handful of maids, spent each day waiting for death.

That's all I learned playing the original story.

[EP???. For Elise]

-A lonely sanctuary, a rose withering in winter-

The backstory was revealed in a side story.

I uploaded a separate video about it, but the ending wasn't particularly good, leaving a bitter taste.

Rose was a character who met her demise in every route.

"Truly regrettable."

I muttered as if mourning.

As I clasped my hands, I felt a cold gaze from right in front of me.

"..."

Long, flowing red hair.

Lifeless, dull green eyes.

A pale complexion emphasizing her frailty.

It was none other than Elise.

The girl was sitting on the bed, glaring at me.

Her fiercely narrowed eyes seemed to ask directly, "Why are you here?"

I smiled calmly.

"Good morning. I'm Judas Snakus, and I'll be in charge of Your Highness's medical treatment from today."

"..."

"I apologize for my rudeness yesterday."

"Ha."

Perhaps she recalled yesterday's intense memories.

Rose let out a hollow laugh.

Her reaction was filled with blatant contempt.

She looked as if she would jump at me any moment, her fists clenched tight.

A venomous glint still lingered in her eyes.

"You... Shut up. I want to kill you right now."

"Do you still harbor those feelings?"

"Shut up."

"I told you it was just part of the treatment. Moreover, it was Princess Charlotte who entrusted me with that request."

"Your shamelessness knows no bounds. How dare you lay your hands on an Imperial Princess's body."

"I merely fulfilled my duty as a subject."

"You raped an Imperial Princess."

"That's not true at all. I didn't make any contact other than what was necessary for the treatment."

"If it weren't for the First Princess, you would have been executed immediately."

Elise muttered through gritted teeth.

Her eyes were filled with murderous intent, but she couldn't retaliate against me.

Even getting out of bed wasn't easy for her.

"Ugh, ha..."

The frail princess gasped for breath just from that brief outburst.

It seemed the cycle of her seizures was returning.

I subtly added, "I came because it seems you'll need treatment today as well."

"Get out."

"It's Princess Charlotte's order."

"I don't need it... Get out. I never asked for a physician or anything like that in the first place."

"Aren't you in pain?"

"I've lived like this my whole life."

Rose stubbornly refused treatment.

Wasn't she afraid of the seizures?

It was clear she would cough up blood and writhe on the floor, so why was she so adamant?

The girl just fumbled with the desk beside her bed.

Clatter-

The drawer opened roughly.

After rummaging inside for a moment, her hand finally grasped something.

It was a pocketknife, about the size of her palm.

The girl unwrapped the bandages tightly wound around her wrist and then brought the sharpened silver to her skin.

I watched blankly, belatedly realizing her actions.

"No, you mustn't!"

I grabbed her delicate wrist.

Countless straight scars were densely packed beneath the bandages.

They were clearly self-inflicted.

The girl, as if trying to hide them, tightened her grip on her captured hand.

"Let go of this."

It was a kind of folk remedy.

A way to soothe the seizures caused by mana reflux.

By inflicting a wound on a part of the body far from the dantian and letting blood flow, it forcibly restored balance.

While it temporarily alleviated the pain, it wasn't a fundamental solution and was avoided due to its self-destructive nature.

Looking closely, she had bandages wrapped not only around both arms but also around her neck.

Could it be...?

"...Your condition is more serious than I thought."

I had thought she was fidgeting with the bandages because they were uncomfortable.

But it was withdrawal symptoms.

Once the habit formed, it was highly addictive.

Especially when the mana flow was unstable, the sense of stability gained from this act would be extraordinary.

Judging by the state of the scars, it must have been going on for at least three years.

There were hints of it in the original story, but I hadn't realized it was this severe.

"Are you saying you refuse treatment in this condition?"

"..."

"This won't do."

I had intended to treat her as gently as possible today, as I had been too rough yesterday.

But after seeing this, I couldn't afford to be lenient.

Snap!

I snapped my fingers without hesitation.

Shadows sprang forth.

They intertwined like ropes once more, restraining the girl's stiff body to the bed.

It was a replay of the scene from yesterday.

"Wait...?!"

The red-haired girl collapsed onto the sheets in surprise.

I gathered a thick lie at my fingertips and lifted Rose's thin nightgown.

Then, I slowly stroked her stomach.

"I plan to be rougher than yesterday. Please bear with me."

I said to the resisting Rose.


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1 Comments

  1. a trigger warning should probably be on this chapter tbh, i can see people getting triggered over this

    ReplyDelete