Chapter 6

[★Lala★’s Quest has appeared! Would you like to accept?]

 

▷ Yes

 

▷ No

A quest notification window appeared after a long time. If it were me in the beginning, I would have chosen ‘Yes’ without hesitation. But perhaps because I failed once before. I found myself carefully deliberating.

‘Still, if I succeed, Temperament and Affinity will increase…’

Haven’t I succeeded in all of them except once so far? Maybe an easy one will come up, like the last quest, ‘Have a pleasant time with Angelo.’ After a brief deliberation, I chose ‘Yes’. And the quest title that appeared was…

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<Fight with Ian>

 

‘Huh?’

What kind of title is this? Am I reading it wrong? I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but I had read it correctly.

‘Why am I supposed to fight with Ian?’

I calmly examined the detailed description written below.

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<Fight with Ian>

 

Fight with Ian enough to lower his Affinity and win♬

 

(Time limit: One week)

What kind of insanity is this? I stared blankly at the quest window. It was a very strange and dangerous quest.

‘Fight with Ian…’

If it’s enough to lower Affinity, that means fight severely, and if I’m not careful, even his Temperament stat might decrease.

‘Lala, you bastard, are you trying to drive me toward a bad ending?’

Just as I was glaring at the status window and fuming.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

I snapped to my senses at Ian’s voice. His sword training must have already ended, as Ian was in front of me. He’d concentrated so much on training that beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

“What, when did you get here?”

“Just now. I called you but you didn’t respond at all. What were you looking at?”

Ian turned his gaze toward where I’d been looking. But all that could be seen there was one large tree.

“I was just spacing out.”

I was looking at a quest window telling me to fight with you. But since I couldn’t tell the truth, I glossed over it vaguely. Then Ian seemed to look at me with eyes that said I was pathetic. Must be my imagination, right?

“W-well, since your training is done, let’s go eat a snack now.”

To quickly change the subject, I pulled Ian’s arm and headed toward the main building.

As we entered the dining room, delicious-looking éclairs were waiting for us. Normally I would have taken a bite first and gushed about how delicious it was, but,

‘How exactly am I supposed to fight?’

I couldn’t properly enjoy the snack because I was thinking about the quest.

“Are you sick or something?”

“No.”

Even Ian gave me a strange look at how out of it I was.

***

“Ian.”

“What?”

“What do you hate?”

“You.”

“Thanks.”

Two days had passed since I received the quest. Although Ian and I had bickered over small things since the marriage, I was at a loss as to how to fight enough to reduce Affinity. So while I was just worrying, two whole days had passed.

Of course, during my first playthrough, I had said harsh things to Ian for a bad ending. But those weren’t harsh words containing my own thoughts, just choosing one of the options.

‘Come to think of it, dialogue choices haven’t been appearing much lately.’

This is probably also because the game’s difficulty has increased.

I wish at least dialogue options would appear… Right now, Ian and I had developed some attachment to each other, and with my kind nature, I didn’t want to say anything that would hurt him.

Moreover, for smooth gameplay going forward, too severe a fight wouldn’t do. If we fought severely and I died or got kicked out of here like last time, wouldn’t that be game over?

‘I need to get along well even after the quest ends…’

Even if I don’t die or get kicked out, what if we fight severely and he won’t have anything to do with me later? This was the most difficult quest among all the ones I’d received so far.

‘I have no choice.’

From now on, I’ll have to nibble away at Ian’s nerves bit by bit. If I keep nibbling at him like that, even if it seems like nothing at first, he’ll explode eventually. I calmly made a plan to ‘piss Ian off.’

First method.

“What are you doing?”

“Oops, my mistake! …You dodged well.”

“It looked like you blatantly stuck your foot out.”

“It’s your imagination.”

Tripping Ian on his way to the training ground.

But perhaps thanks to his consistent training. Since he normally had good athletic ability, he easily avoided my foot. The pathetic look directed at me came as a bonus.

Second method.

“Why are you sitting here?”

“Because I want to.”

We normally sit facing each other during meals. But this time I specially sat next to Ian.

The reason was…

“Hey, I’m eating that!”

When Ian cut meat into bite-sized pieces, I would nibble away and steal them.

Isn’t there an old saying that even dogs shouldn’t be bothered while eating? If I keep nibbling at him like this, won’t Ian get angry? No matter how I thought about it, this method seemed the most certain.

As I put the meat in my mouth and smiled as if happy, another pathetic look was directed at me.

“Ah, I need to take care of my health too.”

It wasn’t just meat. When his fork headed toward the salad, I pulled the plate with the salad toward me. So that his fork couldn’t easily approach. And that’s not all.

“Oops!”

I knocked ovErlian’s water glass with my elbow. The spilled water settled on Ian’s pants, specifically near his thigh, leaving its mark distinctly.

“It’s just water, so it’ll dry quickly, right?”

Even I thought this line was a bit villainous as I said it. That’s probably why.

“You…”

Ian furrowed his brow and glared at me.

“What? Are you mad?”

Am I going to succeed in the quest like this? My heart suddenly started beating fast. Half expectation, half worry, I swallowed without realizing it.

“Forget it.”

…Unfortunately, the fight didn’t start. Ian just left his seat.

For several days after that, I continued trying to trip him and picking fights over food. However, unfortunately, I never succeeded in tripping him even once.

As for picking fights over food, at first he found it annoying, but later he ignored it and ate leisurely. Watching Ian like that, only I was getting frustrated.

“I have no choice. I’ll have to use that method.”

So I prepared the third method.

Smack!

“What are you doing?”

“Showing off my strength.”

I suddenly hit Ian’s back and smiled proudly. This also has a reason. Wouldn’t it feel bad to be hit for no reason?

“You call that strength?”

But the reaction I wanted didn’t come out. Ian just laughed as if my actions were laughable.

At that sight, I got annoyed again and tried hitting his arm and kicking his shin, but there was still no reaction. Honestly, only my hand hurt.

“You’re too weak. You need to work harder.”

With his completely unaffected appearance, my fighting spirit disappeared.

Time flowed quickly and fast, and soon the last night of the quest approached.

‘What do I do now?’

Sitting leaned against the headboard, I bit my nails anxiously. I have to make Ian uncomfortable and fight. However, in a way that’s not too severe so we can make up after the quest ends.

What should I do? As I was pondering for a while,

“How unusual, you’re not lying down.”

Ian, who had finished his etiquette and magic lessons, entered the room.

This is my last chance. Now was really the time I had to say harsh words to Ian.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No, well, just…”

Perhaps because we’d grown attached during this time. Bad words that crossed the line wouldn’t easily come out of my mouth. Enough that I wondered if I should just give up on the quest.

“You’ve been noisy every time, but you’re quiet now. You’ve been weird lately.”

Before I knew it, he had approached right in front of me. But even then, since I said nothing.

“Are you sick or something?”

Ian’s hand covered my forehead. As if checking whether I had a fever. At the same time, his face full of worry came right up close.

His black hair slightly covering his forehead, and below that his strongly positioned black eyebrows and sparkling violet eyes. I looked closely at Ian’s purple pupils. Those pupils contained only me.

“You don’t seem to have a fever.”

“I’m not sick.”

“That’s a relief.”

His hand fell from my forehead. But his gaze, as if my behavior was strange, wouldn’t leave me. If it were the usual Ian, he would have been busy ignoring me and doing his own thing.

Anyway, now is my chance. Even if I fail, let me try just one more time.

“Ian.”

In my urgency, what came out of my mouth without going through my brain was, “Want to bathe together?”

Of course I don’t want to either. I just said it because it was obvious Ian would hate it with grinding teeth.

“Ian?”

“…”

Ian said nothing in response to my suggestion. As if his battery had died, he just froze.

“What? Are you embarrassed?”

“…”

“Hey! Answer me!”

Ian, who came back to his senses, glared at me once with a horrified expression and left the room. Obviously. This time too he’ll wash in another bathroom and return. Because that’s what always happened.

‘There’s still a chance left.’

Until Ian returned, I pondered what words to pick a fight with.

‘Should I tell him not to like me, like during the children’s tea house incident? I remembErlian was definitely displeased then.’

Indeed, it seems good ideas come when a person is pressed for time.

I decided to act clingy for the quest. I kept waiting for Ian like that, but…

“Why isn’t he coming?”

Even after 1 hour passed, even after 2 hours passed, Ian didn’t return. With a frustrated heart, I wandered around looking for Ian, but.

“I’m sorry, young mistress. Master Erlian told me absolutely not to tell you where he is.”

“I absolutely won’t say the butler told me.”

“I’m sorry.”

He hid away thoroughly as if he disliked me. As a result.

[You have failed ★Lala★’s Quest <Fight with Ian>.]

 

[Temperament has decreased by 3.]

 

[The game’s difficulty will increase.]

This shitty game. In the end, I failed the quest.

“Damn game.”

I glared at the notification window for a while. If I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have accepted the quest. Still, for a failure, the penalty wasn’t the worst. Of course, the Temperament decrease was a bit regrettable.

As I was lost in thought like that, the notification window disappeared and another one appeared.

“What is this saying?”

I doubted my eyes seeing that notification window. That’s because.

[Another penalty due to quest failure will be revealed next week!]

It cheerfully announced a penalty without knowing my burning insides. Why aren’t they revealing it right now but later? It was just absurd.

In the end, Ian, who didn’t return to the room, continued to avoid me even after dawn the next day. The look of seeing me as a pervert came as a bonus.

“I’m sorry. I won’t play such a prank again.”

“Fine. I’d rather you punch me.”

Only after I earnestly apologized to Ian could we return to an amicable relationship.

‘This is all because of the quest.’

Like that, my anger toward Lala and this damn game only grew. Still, perhaps because the pressure to forcibly fight with Ian had disappeared. My mind was at ease.

***

One week later.

“Father, you called for me?”

“Sit down.”

After a long time, Duke Bellocchio had summoned me. I sat down in the chair the Duke indicated, wearing a falsely crafted smile.

“The results for Verditi Academy admission have finally come out.”

I already knew through Anna, my maid, that Elicia had submitted an application to the academy before I possessed her body. Ian must have applied as well, of course.

“Erlian got first place.”

“Wow, I’m so happy!”

I knew this from playing the original game, but I clapped my hands and put on a happy expression. It was utterly fake behavior.

“It’s only natural. And as for you, Elicia…”

Would I be second place? I was getting my hopes up as I looked at Duke Bellocchio.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a noble fail to get into the academy.”

“……”

I found myself lowering my head at his look of disdain. What kind of life had she lived? I was resenting the original Elicia at that moment.

[Additional penalty for failing the <Fight with Ian> quest has been revealed]

 

[Academy Rejection]

Looking at the notification that appeared before my eyes, I thought: It wasn’t the original Elicia’s fault—it was mine. The penalty I had forgotten about had finally been revealed.

Verditi Academy.

A prestigious academy that all nobles of the Verati Empire must pass through. This was because all the swordsmen, mages, and scholars who gained fame in the empire with their outstanding abilities had gone through this academy.

Ian, who would become the next Duke Bellocchio, passed as first place. Just like Ian in the original game <Girl in the Cage>.

‘He first met Ethel when he was fifteen.’

The crack in his academy life, where he wanted to maintain first place until graduation, came because of the female protagonist, Ethel.

When Ian turned fifteen, she enrolled late and snatched away his first-place position. Moreover, she maintained the academy’s top rank continuously after that. Ian, who had lost his top spot to an illegitimate daughter of an insignificant baron family, became even nastier in his already bad personality and was always wary of her.

‘Though that wariness later turned into love and obsession.’

Here’s the point.

To see the happy ending of the original game <Girl in the Cage>, you had to maintain first place through various minigames. You had to keep the top spot so Ian would continue to be conscious of Ethel.

And the second important point: Even when Ian grumbled, you had to treat him kindly. Then he would fall for Ethel, who had seeped into his heart without him even knowing. So what I had planned was this:

‘Let’s enroll in the academy alongside Ian and create frequent opportunities to meet her.’

Because if we met often, feelings might develop. Just like I had reduced his hostility toward Angelo. So my plan was to guide Ian to grow up kindly without uttering harsh words until she enrolled…

“I can’t believe I failed…”

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to go to Verditi Academy. My plan had gone up in smoke. Leaving behind Duke Bellocchio, who was looking at me with disdainful eyes, I trudged back to my room.

“Really?”

I was sitting blankly in my room when Ian entered and said just that. Just two syllables. There was no subject, but I could guess what he was asking.

“Yeah.”

“You really failed?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Not at all.”

He even shrugged his shoulders as if to say absolutely not.

“Why did you fail?”

“I don’t know.”

I just lay down. What did the rejection letter say?

「You have been rejected from Verditi Academy’s new student selection.」

There was no reason. Just that one line. Verditi Academy doesn’t have entrance exams, so it wasn’t a grade issue. Some people pass with excellent intellect, magic, or sword skills. But if there was a more important factor than that…

‘Don’t they care tremendously about family background?’

While the academy promotes equality within its walls, family influence cannot be avoided during admission. High-ranking nobles could easily pass just by submitting an application.

I’m the daughter of a marquis family. Moreover, I’m destined to marry the Bellocchio Duke’s son and become a duchess in the future. Aren’t these the kind of conditions the academy would welcome? Yet the reason I was rejected was…

‘Because I failed the quest.’

Damn Lala. I’m never doing quests again.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen someone fail academy admission.”

“Oh, please.”

Whether Erlian was talking to me or not, I just closed my eyes. Perhaps because I refused to engage in conversation, Ian also said nothing more.

‘What should I do now?’

Having received an unexpected penalty, I couldn’t fall asleep easily. I let out a small sigh, slowly opened my eyes, and turned my head to the side. Then I saw Ian’s sleeping profile. A combination of first place and a reject. What a sight.

Just as I was letting out a hollow laugh—

[★Lala★’s quest has appeared! Would you like to check it?]

 

▷ Yes

 

▷ No

That damned quest window appeared. This time, I answered without even thinking.

‘No.’

Like the quest to fight with Ian, if another strange quest appeared this time, I would only gain more penalties and suffer. Wouldn’t it be better not to start the quest at all? That’s what I thought. When I refused the quest, another window appeared.

[Are you sure you want to give up the quest?]

 

▷ Yes

 

▷ No

‘Yes, get lost.’

As I mentally shouted, the quest proposal window disappeared. And then—

[You have given up ★Lala★’s quest.]

 

[The game difficulty will increase.]

 

[As a penalty for giving up the quest, notification windows showing Temperament and Affinity changes will disappear.]

‘Fuck…’

You didn’t tell me there was a penalty for giving up quests, you crazy Lala.

Due to failing the last Founding Day quest, I could only check Temperament and Affinity once a year. But at least I was notified in real time whether Erlian’s Temperament or Affinity had gone up or down, so I could roughly estimate where things stood—now even that was blocked.

‘Are you sure you’re rooting for my happy ending?’

I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time due to my anger at this damned game and Lala.