Chapter 23

The suggestion to take a leisurely trip had proven meaningless — Ian had been busier than ever. And no wonder, since he’d suddenly been forced to inherit the ducal title.  

Because of that, they were planning a grand celebration for Ian’s birthday this year. On that day, Ian would officially inherit his father’s title and become Duke Bellocchio. And Duke Bellocchio was…  

“I can’t wait for Erlian’s birthday to come.”  

He was looking forward to it more than anyone — but not out of affection for his son. Adria had finally opened her heart upon seeing the Duke’s recent change for the better. But there was a problem.  

Eager to pursue her magical studies, she had decided to resign from her professorship and travel freely across other empires to conduct her research. Upon hearing this, Duke Bellocchio declared that he would accompany her on her journey — even if it meant passing his title down to his son and leaving everything behind.  

“You’re leaving the ducal estate… Doesn’t that make you sad?”

“Not at all.”

“But it’s the family you’ve led all this time.”

“What difference does that make?”

“…Right. Safe travels.”

“Good. Adria and I will leave as soon as Erlian’s birthday party ends, so don’t come looking for me.”

He was truly relentless. Adria, of course, opposed his decision at first. But then, he’d found a way to win her over.  

‘By giving her every rare magical item he’d ever collected.’ 

She was deeply moved when he presented her with all the rare magical artifacts he’d spent years hoarding just for her. His persistence had finally paid off.  

While the Duke was busy preparing for his long journey, Ian and I were preoccupied with the party. Because of that, we hadn’t had a single chance to discuss the timing of our divorce. Before we knew it, Ian’s birthday had arrived.  

‘There are so many people.’  

For the first time since the party that had trapped my father, the ducal mansion opened its doors to guests. Nobles flocked in, eager to see the new Duke Bellocchio.  

I stood beside Ian, greeting guests with a practiced, artificial smile. I even linked arms with him to complete the act of a loving couple. Though he’d once recoiled from even the slightest touch, at least today he didn’t pull away.  

‘And we still haven’t finalized the divorce.’

A week ago, I’d told Ian plainly that I wanted to end things. He’d ignored me — evading my words and avoiding me entirely until the party drew near.  

So I’d planned to run away until he agreed to the divorce. After all, he needed his wife present on his birthday. I thought that might force his hand. But, as if reading my intentions, he’d assigned a maid and a knight to stay by my side — claiming it was for my safety, though it was obvious he just didn’t trust me not to run.  

‘Tonight, I have to make it happen.’

Otherwise, it would be a confirmed bad ending.  

I kept my false smile in place and scanned the room. My sister was there with her fiancé; Celine and Liam had come too. Liam offered us polite congratulations, but kept sneaking wistful glances at my sister. His expression was so lovesick that I almost laughed.  

The greetings with unfamiliar faces continued endlessly.  

“Don’t you ever get tired of this?”  

I whispered to Ian when I had the chance. He turned his head away immediately. He still loathed physical contact with me. I couldn’t believe we’d once hugged.  

“Hi, Sia. Congratulations, Erlian.”  

That familiar voice brightened my mood—Angelo and Ethel had arrived. Seeing them lifted some of the tension.  

“You’re officially an adult now. How’s your plan going, Sia?”  

It was easy to guess what he meant—he was talking about the divorce.  

“I’ll make it happen.”  

“Good. I’ll be cheering for you.”  

He used to say he’d help me; now he only offered support. I guess he’d realized that helping someone get divorced wasn’t as simple as he thought. Ethel skipped a verbal greeting and pulled me into a hug. I patted her back, but she whispered so only I could hear:  

“It’s almost over.”  

“Yeah.”  

“Did you convince him?”  

“Not yet. Tonight, for sure.”  

“What about us?”  

“We’ll go back.”  

As soon as our hug ended, Ian and I followed the butler to the center of the stage—right beside Duke Bellocchio.  

“Thank you all for coming,”  

The Duke’s voice boomed, and all attention turned toward him. He didn’t boast about the family lineage; that wasn’t his style, and everyone already knew it anyway.  

“Our family has always cherished our loved ones—sometimes to a terrifying degree.”  

Says the man who’d been obsessively devoted to his wife.  

“My son will be the same, and I’m sure the two will continue to live harmoniously even after his coming of age.”  

I had told Adria at the dance party that I was going to divorce Ian. Duke Bellocchio had overheard. But since it came from a mere daughter-in-law and not his beloved Adria, he must have forgotten.  

He went on, praising Ian’s diligence and upright conduct, like he was narrating a perfectly happy family drama.  

“From now on, my son will lead the Bellocchio family well. I trust you all to support him.”  

Amid the nobles’ applause, the Duke presented us with matching bracelets adorned with purple gemstones. The Bellocchio family apparently had a tradition of giving these to their heirs. The Duke looked unusually pleased as he handed them over. Ever since Adria began writing him back, he’d been smiling more often—a sight that still felt strange to me.  

Ian and I received matching bracelets. They felt less like gifts and more like handcuffs—ones designed to keep us from divorcing.  

“I’ll do my best to uphold the honor of House Bellocchio—together with my wife.”  

Ian took my hand. His ears turned red—whether from embarrassment or discomfort, I couldn’t tell. But one thing was clear: he still refused to accept our divorce.  

And then—  

[Would you like to view the final status window?]  

 

▷ Yes  

 

▷ No  

It really felt like the game was nearing its end.  

‘Maybe it’s just showing Ian’s stats before the ending?’

As long as I could finalize the divorce before the night was over, I’d be fine. I’d already maxed out his Temperament to 99 over the summer. If I succeeded tonight, I’d reach the happy ending safely.  

‘Yes.’  

Excited, I opened the window — and froze in shock.  

[Name: Erlian Bellocchio (19)  

 

Temperament: 101  

 

Affinity: 99  

 

XX: 74  

 

Relationship with Ethel: None]  

Wait. His Temperament was 101?  

That couldn’t be right. I’d always assumed the max stat was 100—but it had exceeded it. I blinked a few times, sure I was mistaken.  

‘Why 101?’

It was correct.  

‘Does that mean I did too well and broke the limit?’

Just as I was trying to make sense of it, more text appeared.  

[Name: Erlian Bellocchio (19)  

 

Temperament: 101/999  

 

Affinity: 99/99  

 

XX: 74/99  

 

Relationship with Ethel: None]  

As if mocking me, the upper limits appeared beside each stat.  

‘Does that mean even if I divorce him, it’s not a happy ending…?’  

Ridiculous. The max Temperament was 999? No wonder the game had felt easy until now.  

But 999? That was absurd. Not even Ethel, the original game’s expert, could pull that off.  

‘And what on earth is ‘XX’ supposed to mean?’

Before I could think further, another window popped up.  

[Unfortunately, you’ve reached Bad Ending #12 – “Unchanged Character.”]  

‘That’s harsh.’

Unchanged Character? Ian was much kinder now than in the original story! And of all things, I hadn’t expected the ending to trigger *during the dance party.*  

So what would happen to me now? Would I die?  

‘Lala, come out.’  

Predictably, Lala didn’t appear—he must’ve known I’d argue. Instead, a different message appeared.  

[Shocked by the bad ending? Don’t worry — there’s still hope!  

 

Clear the special quest before the game ends, and you can reach the Hidden Ending.]  

Lala was giving me one last chance. If I could find this hidden ending, I could survive. But how? What was I supposed to do?  

Just as confusion overwhelmed me, I realized that the nobles were watching us with warm smiles.  

“Oh my, they’re still shy.”  

“Well, they did just come of age.”  

Right — Ian was still standing beside me, having just inherited the title. When I turned to him, his ears were red as he looked at me.  

“What a bashful couple. I suppose a kiss here would be too much?”  

What? A kiss?  

I glanced at the now–former Duke Bellocchio, silently begging him to intervene. But instead, he nodded approvingly—as if saying, “Go ahead.”

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

I turned back to Ian. Our eyes met, and his throat bobbed nervously.  

‘Let’s just pretend — make it look like our lips touch.’

I whispered, quiet enough that no one else could hear. He said nothing — no yes, no no. Maybe he’d just given up on resisting physical contact altogether.  

Whatever. I cupped his face in my hands and pressed my thumb lightly against his lips.  

‘Close enough. They won’t notice.’

It was all just an act, after all. I steeled myself and leaned closer, slowly.  

“Ah—?”  

Someone gasped in surprise.  

Crash!  

A loud bang echoed through the hall, followed by screams.  

“What the—?”  

I froze and turned toward the noise. The grand chandelier that had decorated the ceiling had fallen to the floor — shattered into pieces.  

***

The sudden accident abruptly ended the party. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the chandelier’s rope had been intentionally severed with magic. Moreover, the culprit was said to be so skilled that no trace of the magic remained.

I was told it would take a long time to find the culprit, but everyone vaguely guessed it would be difficult. However, I immediately suspected who the culprit was.

[★Lala★’s Quest has occurred! Would you like to check it?]

 

▷ Yes

 

▷ No

Lala, who gave me a quest right after the party ended, must be the culprit.

I always wondered why he bothered to pretend to ask my opinion when he was going to force the quest on me anyway.

‘I just have to clear the hidden ending.’

With a hopeful heart, I chose ‘Yes’.

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<For the Hidden Ending>

 

Tonight, separate from Erlian and become a free woman.

 

TIP. If the other person doesn’t want a divorce, why not eliminate them?

 

(Check the inventory window!)

‘Is he crazy?’

It was content that made me swear. As I understood it, if Erlian refused the divorce, I should kill him.

‘Inventory.’

Checking the inventory window, I saw an item I hadn’t seen before. It was a dagger. The intention was too obvious.

‘Lala.’

‘Crazy Lala.’

‘Lala, I won’t hit you, just come out.’

I called his name several times in anger, but Lala never showed himself. This quest made me believe the hypothesis that this was not a game even more. There’s no way a quest to kill the male protagonist would appear in an otome game. Could the entity ‘Lala’ really be Erlian’s enemy, as I suspected?

‘I must get a divorce.’

Then Erlian won’t have to die. I had a job to do.

Just as I thought that and entered the room, Erlian and I were aghast.

“What is this…”

Countless red rose petals were scattered on the white duvet. Not only that. On the side table were a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. The maids must have prepared this in advance, not knowing about the accident at the party.

‘So that was it.’

This morning, the maids who were dressing me up had their eyes sparkling as they promised to prepare diligently for the two of us. I nodded, assuming they meant the party preparations, but they had prepared this kind of thing.

“These are things we don’t need.”

I walked straight to the bed and swept the rose petals onto the floor.

“You’re right. We don’t need things like that.”

Erlian also agreed with me. As the rose petals piled up messily on the floor, the bed became clean.

I casually sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to me. Erlian, who was gulping down water as if thirsty, understood my intention and sat down next to me.

“Congratulations on becoming the Duke. Even if the party ended awkwardly, it must be upsetting.”

“I was bored anyway, so it doesn’t matter much.”

Thank goodness. Erlian wasn’t upset.

Then I didn’t need to humor him, and I didn’t plan on dragging it out. I opened my mouth to get straight to the point.

“Now that you’re an adult, as promised, the divo—”

“No.”

He refused before I could finish my sentence.

“It’s convenient for you too. Can’t we just live together without getting a divorce?”

“Don’t keep thinking of it so simply. How can you and I have a child?”

“…Our relationship isn’t bad, so we can do it. I just have to try.”

He was desperately pleading. Saying he would really try, Erlian held my hand. But even that seemed reluctant, as he turned his head and avoided eye contact with me.

His personality score is high, so why won’t he grant my request? Is it because it’s not 999? A long sigh escaped me in frustration.

“Erlian. There are some things that don’t work even if you try.”

I pulled my hand away from Erlian and continued.

“I want to be with someone I love, not someone I’m just moderately close to. I mean, I want to experience a fierce love, the kind where you feel like you’d die if the person wasn’t by your side. But I can’t do that while married to you.”

I gave a plausible excuse. Of course, I know that kind of love only exists in games, novels, and dramas. But I had no choice to persuade Erlian.

“I don’t understand. Father didn’t seem particularly happy.”

“You might realize it someday.”

Although he might never know since he can’t end up with Ethel. Our eyes met. He seemed deep in thought and couldn’t speak easily.

“Erlian, divorce is my last request. Please help me out of consideration for our time together.”

“Who is the person you love? Is it Angelo, by any chance?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“If there isn’t anyone, couldn’t you just live with me?”

“Ah, then how would I find the person I love?”

“If you don’t find anyone, we can just keep living together. Just like this, forever.”

My fighting spirit was gone. I’m about to become an adult. I can only survive if we divorce by mutual agreement.

“Go to sleep. You must be tired.”

“I can’t fall asleep until this conversation is over.”

I tried to grab Erlian’s arm as he attempted to leave. However, sensing my intention, Erlian quickly shot up from the spot, as if he didn’t want to touch me.

Trying, my foot.

“Do you really not want a divorce? Even if I told you I’d die?”

“…Was living with me so terrible that you wanted to die?”

Erlian’s voice trembled. Seeing his hurt eyes, I felt sorry. But I had no intention of clarifying the misunderstanding. My survival was more important.

“If I say yes, will you divorce me?”

“You must be tired. Go to sleep.”

He lay down in his spot and closed his eyes, as if he didn’t want to talk to me anymore.

“Erlian, stop pretending to sleep.”

I poked and shook him, but he stubbornly pretended to be asleep.

‘What should I do about this…’

Giving up, I also lay down quietly. 

Thump, thump. 

My heart was pounding fast. In the end, to survive, I had to kill Erlian.

My worries were enormous. If I kill Erlian, what will happen to me afterward? Will I immediately return to reality? If not, I will be severely punished for murdering a duke.

No, there was an even bigger problem.

‘Can I kill Erlian?’

Of course, I’ve never committed murder. But the opponent is Erlian, of all people. Yet, if Erlian doesn’t die, I’ll be the one to die immediately.

‘This might really not be a game.’

My head was full of all sorts of thoughts. And I hated this situation where I could do neither one thing nor the other. Just then, while I was deep in thought.

[Last Chance]

 

Erlian has finally taken a sleeping pill and fallen asleep.

 

Now is your chance! Execute the final quest to survive ♪

Lala was kind. He even informed me of the right time to kill Erlian through a notification window.

Erlian definitely gulped down water right after entering the room. Was there a sleeping pill in it? It was very thorough. I slowly got up, making sure the rustling of the blanket was minimal.

‘Use dagger.’

As I muttered inside, a small dagger appeared in my hand. I looked at Erlian. He was lying straight, peacefully asleep. How would his expression change when this dagger touched his heart? Would it contort?

I lifted the dagger high above my head, and the blade glinted in the moonlight. Now, all I had to do was bring the dagger down, and I would live.

‘I have to stab him quickly.’

But my arm wouldn’t move as intended. My hand only trembled as if it were broken. If I just closed my eyes and stabbed, I could live. I wouldn’t have to suffer over my personality score or quests. Foolishly, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

What did I think when I heard the story of a certain princess who couldn’t kill the prince in her childhood and turned into sea foam?

‘She lost her life just for a man. I thought she was pathetic.’

But now I could understand that princess. I couldn’t kill Erlian. I felt self-loathing at my own appearance. Who is Erlian that I have to sacrifice my life for him? Just as tears were streaming down,

  – You failed to kill Erlian and have met the Bad Ending after all.

It must be past midnight and a new day. Lala looked at me with a pitying expression.

Am I really going to die now? Thinking about it, it was inevitable.

‘I’m already dead from a car accident anyway.’

 I was just lucky enough to enjoy someone else’s life for a while through game play. There was only one thing I could do now.

  ‘I hope it doesn’t hurt.’

  If I was going to die, I just wished to end my life without pain. The moment I closed my eyes quietly and waited for the end.

– I will give you a very last chance. If you fail this time, you won’t even be able to see the Hidden Ending.

I opened my eyes wide again at the word ‘chance’. I can live. Lala gave me hope once more. I stared intently at the small life form and asked a question that was a little out of place for such a moment.

‘Lala, so what is XX? Is it perhaps obsession?’

– It’s not a good thing, so it’s better not to know. Please be careful not to let it fill up to 99.

With those words, Lala disappeared, and a quest window floated before my eyes.

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<Escape from the Duchy of Bellocchio>

 

You failed to divorce Erlian!

 

How about hiding so well that he can never find you?

 

Escape from Erlian with the help of a friend.

 

(Duration: One week, Failure results in death)

This time, he didn’t even ask the polite question of whether I would proceed with the quest and just immediately brought up the quest details.

‘To escape with the help of a friend in just one week…’

It was much easier compared to killing Erlian. Unfortunately, I didn’t have many friends.

‘I’ll exclude Celine, as she’s Erlian’s cousin anyway.’

Getting help from my sister, who is family, could lead to being discovered quickly, so that was difficult. The only people I could possibly ask for help were Angelo and Ethel. However, there was no guarantee that Ethel was still in this world. She might have ended the game and returned to reality by now.

‘Still, you never know.’

I sent letters to both of them as soon as dawn broke.

***

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

She waved her hand with a composed expression. Erlian kept hesitating in front of me instead of getting into the carriage.

“Still, I can probably come back faster than when I caught the Red Dragon before.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“You’ve been saying you’ll be back soon since this morning? You’ve said it five times already.”

When I spoke sullenly, Erlian laughed out loud. Five days had already passed since Erlian became the Duke. Without his knowledge, I was smoothly preparing to leave with the help of both Angelo and Ethel, who was still in the game world. Of course, Angelo’s help was the biggest factor.

The contents of the letter Angelo sent two days ago came to mind.

「There’s a rumor that monsters are approaching the capital from afar.

 

Before they attack inside the capital, His Majesty will probably order Erlian to subdue them.

 

That will be your timing to leave.」

Honestly, when I received that letter, I didn’t believe it. Because if monsters were approaching, Erlian, as the Duke, should have heard about it, but he seemed completely unaware.

However, a letter urgently arrived from the Emperor early this morning. It said that monsters were suddenly approaching the capital and asked him to protect it with the empire’s swordsmen, magicians, and the Imperial Knights.

I also planned to quietly leave the mansion after Erlian left. But I didn’t know how I was supposed to do it. Since my talk of running away right before Erlian’s birthday, the knight and maid, who were assigned as both guards and protection, were still by my side. Angelo knew this fact but told me not to worry and just wait in my room.

“I’ll come back unharmed. When I return, let’s really go on a trip then.”

“Okay.”

My voice trembled just saying that one word. Because it was a lie. Guilt washed over me when I saw Erlian smiling, completely unaware of my true intentions.

“Come back safely. Hurry up and go. The monsters will enter the capital.”

When I waved my hand, motioning Erlian to hurry, he suddenly held out his hand.

“What?”

“We won’t see each other for a while.”

I often felt that Erlian was truly trying to engage in skinship because he didn’t want a divorce. When I stopped talking about running away or getting a divorce, he would occasionally reach for my hand. He was so nervous his hand trembled, and he couldn’t even meet my eyes.

‘Fine, since it’s the last time.’

Without much thought, I took the hand he offered. I only did that, but…

“Oh, oh?”

Because Erlian pulled my hand, I rushed towards the solid chest in front of me, regardless of my intention. Before I knew it, I was hugging Erlian. My heart started beating fast.

But it was less than Erlian’s. Erlian’s heart was beating faster than mine.

Just as I was processing the situation, he pulled away, turned his back, got into the carriage, and didn’t look at me. The carriage carrying Erlian gradually became a dot and disappeared. That was our final farewell.

I returned to my room without hesitation. As if planned, my maid and the knight followed close behind.

“I’m tired, so I’ll rest in my room. Please don’t disturb me for a while.”

“Understood, Madam.”

There was one good thing about becoming an adult. It was just that the servants no longer called me ‘Little Madam,’ and nothing more.

I entered the room, locked the door, looked around, and checked every corner of the room.

“What is he planning to do?”

Angelo clearly told me to wait in my room. So I wondered if he had secretly infiltrated the Duke’s mansion while Erlian was busy seeing me off, but there were no signs of anyone having entered the room.

Only two days were left until the quest deadline. How on earth am I supposed to run away? I paced back and forth in the room, worrying.

‘What if I weave dresses and the blanket together to use as a rope?’

I remembered seeing a scene in a cartoon from my childhood. A scene where someone escaped by weaving blankets and clothes together.

I flung the window open and looked down.

‘No, that won’t work.’

Not only was climbing down the blanket scary, but there were knights standing guard. In fact, the knights who made eye contact with me greeted me politely.

“How am I supposed to get out of here?”

It was the moment I was muttering irritably while closing the window.

“Hello, Sia. I came to pick you up.”

An familiar voice came from behind me. As if to prove I wasn’t hearing things, a man was faintly reflected in the window.

Clearly, there was no one in my room. I slowly turned around, and the owner of the voice waved and greeted me.

“Did you wait long?”

“You… How did you get here?”

“The Duke’s mansion is so strict that it wasn’t easy to teleport.”

“You could teleport?”

I couldn’t help but be flustered. It was said that after Adria left, the Duke’s mansion was protected by a barrier that even a skilled mage couldn’t bypass with teleportation. Just as Erlian commuted when the dormitory exploded, no one was supposed to be able to come and go this easily without a special magic circle, yet Angelo had entered so easily.

“I barely managed to break through it. Come on, let’s go.”

Angelo held out his hand to me. I hesitated right before grabbing his hand.

‘If I leave, Erlian will…’

He would be very disappointed. And he would be lonely. He endured skinship and tried his best to keep me. He promised to go on a trip when he returned. I was worried about Erlian being left alone. I knew he would only feel a momentary emptiness and would be fine without me, but I couldn’t easily leave.

I couldn’t bring myself to take Angelo’s hand, and instead just clenched and unclenched my fist.

“Sia, you don’t mean you don’t want to leave, do you?”

Frustrated, Angelo urged me. Right, now is not the time to worry about Erlian. I need to survive.

‘Once I leave the Duke’s mansion, I’ll know.’

Whether the game will end and I, in reality, will survive, or if the game was a lie. And even Lala’s true identity.

I closed my eyes tightly and took Angelo’s hand.

“Where is this place?”

With a dizzying sensation, the place Angelo and I teleported to was in front of a small cabin. I looked around, but only an endlessly vast field was visible; there were no people or other houses. The back of the cabin was even a cliff. The view was nice, but it looked dangerous for a long stay.

“We escaped from the capital. You could say this is the edge of the Verati Empire. I wanted to go farther, but I couldn’t teleport to another empire.”

“The fact that you escaped the Duke’s mansion by teleportation is amazing in itself.”

My fool, as expected. To attempt teleportation from the Duke’s mansion just to help me escape. Moreover, the Bellocchio Duke’s mansion was said to have a barrier as strong as the Academy’s, making teleportation difficult, yet he succeeded. Just as I was about to smile at my admirable fool, I couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Contrary to his answer, Angelo’s condition didn’t look good. Sweat was streaming down his temples, and perhaps because he was completely exhausted, he couldn’t stand anymore and sank to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I showed you a weak side of me.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“It’s because I overexerted myself breaking through the Duke’s mansion barrier. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

Angelo pointed to the cabin and smiled faintly.

It looked like I would have to help him walk… I doubted if I could support a man much larger than me. As I reached out my hand to help him up, he immediately took my hand as if he’d been waiting.

Worrying that lifting an adult man might be too difficult for me was for naught.

“Holding your hand gave me strength.”

For someone who was exhausted, Angelo got up very easily and even smiled brightly. It was a distinctly different reaction from a certain other guy who would be startled if he accidentally touched me.

As if it were true that he had regained strength, Angelo trudged toward the cabin on his own. He hadn’t let go of my hand, though. It was good that I didn’t have to support him strenuously, but I felt somehow uncomfortable.

“We’re here.”

Angelo opened the door and announced our presence, as if someone were inside.

‘Ethel is here.’

I was sure as I smelled the savory bread scent that tickled my nose. The person inside must be Ethel.

Passing a small table and a rocking chair visible upon opening the door, I walked a little further and came to the kitchen, where I saw the back of a woman bending over. The woman carefully lifted an oven tray with bread from the oven and placed it on the table. The way she looked down at the bread was like a gentle grandmother looking at her well-grown grandchild.

“Miss Ethel, we meet again.”

“Oh, you’re here? I’m sorry. I was going to greet you, but I was concentrating and didn’t notice. Timing is important in baking.”

“What kind of bread were you making right now?”

“I tried making a baguette to commemorate Lady Sia’s escape.”

I looked down at the baguette Ethel had just made. Seeing how long it was, almost like it could be used as a weapon, I felt like she meant to beat anyone who came to catch me with it.

“Please sit down first.”

Because the house was small, there was no separate dining room. There was a small table and four chairs in the middle of the kitchen. As Angelo and I sat down, Ethel placed a small box in the center of the table. Inside the box was a whipped cream cake topped with fruit.

“It’s a celebratory cake for the end.”

I immediately understood the ‘end’ she meant. It probably meant the end of the game.

The large whole cake was sliced and placed in front of me. To repay her kindness, I forked a piece and put it in my mouth. It wasn’t overly sweet, and thanks to the soft texture, I couldn’t stop eating it.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“Angelo seems to have overexerted himself today, so it would be better to rest and leave tomorrow.”

“What if Erlian comes looking for you then?”

Ethel asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry. He’ll still be fighting the monsters. Sia, but just in case, it would be best to leave before dawn tomorrow.”

Angelo replied confidently, as if he had been watching Erlian’s situation all along. Of course, that made sense. Since we left by teleportation immediately after Erlian left, he must have encountered the monsters by now. Therefore, it would take a considerable amount of time for him to hear the news that I had left the mansion and then come looking for me. Or maybe, surprisingly, he wouldn’t even look for me.

When I scooped up a bite of cake with my fork, a strawberry rolled away, having missed the fork. I stared blankly at the strawberry nestled in the corner of the plate.

It was a bitter night.

“Is Miss Ethel returning home?”

“Yes, I need to go to my real home.”

The dawn before sunrise. We exchanged our final farewells. Ethel said she wouldn’t leave and would wait for Erlian here. She mentioned that she could only return home after meeting him and executing her final quest.

‘I wonder when I’ll be able to return.’

I had clearly escaped the Duke’s mansion, but the quest clear window hadn’t appeared. Does that mean I have to cross into another empire and hide very well so Erlian can’t find me to clear the quest?

‘Actually, I don’t know if I can live well even if I go back.’

I had played the game for too long. To the point where I wasn’t confident I could live as well as before, even if I returned to reality. As if knowing my anxiety, Ethel hugged me. The patting on my back felt warm.

“When you return, send a message to my account.”

I nodded slightly at Ethel’s whispered words, which Angelo couldn’t hear.

“Sia, let’s go quickly. Erlian might come looking for you soon.”

At Angelo’s urging, I broke away from Ethel’s embrace. However, there was one strange thing.

“Will Erlian really come all the way here?”

“He will.”

“How would he know I’m here?”

“Sia, you really don’t know, do you?”

Angelo grabbed my wrist and rubbed the purple jewel set in the center of the bracelet with his thumb. I stared blankly at his action. That bracelet was a gift from Erlian to commemorate his coming of age. Since the design wasn’t bad, I wore it every day.

Angelo’s gaze was fixed on the bracelet with a serious expression. His thumb moved past the jewel setting, along the bracelet band, and then delved into the empty space between the bracelet and my wrist.

“What are you doing?”

I didn’t know why Angelo was doing this. The moment I frowned intensely and looked at him.

“Ah!”

Was the bracelet band weak, or was Angelo’s strength too great? With a snap, the easily broken bracelet fell to the floor. As I was about to bend my knees to pick it up, Angelo grabbed my wrist, shook his head, and spoke.

“That bracelet had a tracking spell on it.”

“What?”

“To be precise, it was on the jewel of the bracelet. So Erlian probably already knows you are here.”

“…….”

To think he used the expensive tracking magic he learned on something like this. I glared at the bracelet that had fallen to the floor.

“By now, he’s probably mostly defeated the monsters that invaded the capital. Then he’ll come straight here.”

“We need to leave quickly then.”

Before getting into the carriage, I looked at Ethel one last time. She waved her hand as if telling me to hurry. For some reason, her expression looked resolute. Did this mean she was ready to part with this game world?

“Let’s definitely meet again.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the carriage started moving smoothly, as if it had been waiting.

***

Ethel went back into the cabin only after the carriage carrying the two people had become a dot.

‘It will hurt.’

She knew the fate that would soon befall her. She was going to die. This was something she had chosen herself.

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<Death in front of Erlian>

 

Your role is over. Die in front of Erlian.

 

Reward: Game over

 

(Quest failure if Elicia is present at that moment!)

If she succeeded in this quest, she could finally end the game and return to reality. She was lucky. Elicia had already left far away and would not be able to witness her death.

In fact, even if the quest had no conditions, she hoped Elicia wouldn’t witness her dying. It was true that she had consciously or unconsciously depended on her since starting this strange game.

‘I feel sorry for leaving alone, but…’

Isn’t it better to leave quickly when the opportunity comes?

Ethel thought that Elicia would be fine without her. Although she was currently on the run, Erlian would somehow find her, and the two would eventually be together.

“So much for a happy ending.”

Actually, in the early stages of the game, she had considered approaching Erlian because Lala and Elicia desperately wanted it. But she had to give up quickly. She realized the seriousness the moment she saw Erlian.

Elicia always said Erlian was different from the original, but Ethel never believed it. Those purple eyes were obsessively searching for only one person. He was just hiding it, but his true nature hadn’t changed. So she quietly rooted for the two of them. Although Lala didn’t seem to want that.

“I wish it would be less painful as possible…”

Ethel rubbed her chest and muttered. Since this was her first time dying, she couldn’t gauge how painful it would be. She was scared and nervous.

‘Let’s just think about something else.’

She grabbed an object nearby.

‘That’s better.’

Ethel looked down at the rolling pin in her hand and thought. The wooden rolling pin had a good grip and was light. It was one of the baking tools she often touched after starting this game.

“I didn’t know I would like baking…”

One good thing about becoming Ethel was realizing what she liked. She planned to resign from the company she worked at when she returned to reality. Well, she might have already been fired, though.

She swung the rolling pin with a grim expression. Ethel knew well that resisting futilely would still end in death. Of course, she had learned kendo before starting the game, but her skill was nowhere near Erlian’s.

‘I just want to hit him once.’

That was her last wish as Ethel. She found Erlian annoying for always ignoring her whenever they met.

Ethel put down the rolling pin and peacefully enjoyed her last moments of leisure. She ate the bread she had prepared to her heart’s content and lay on the bed, spacing out. And as the sun began to set, Ethel got up from the bed and stepped outside with the rolling pin in her hand.

As she opened the door, the broken bracelet lying on the floor caught her eye. It was the bracelet Elicia had worn until dawn. Ethel walked carefully towards the edge of the cliff, making sure not to step on the bracelet.

“He said he’d come around this time…”

Angelo had clearly said it. Erlian, having defeated the monsters, would come here to find Elicia around sunset. So Ethel stood resolutely at the edge of the cliff on time, but no one appeared. Unable to bear the boredom, Ethel stretched, looked down the cliff, and then squeezed her eyes shut. It was a dizzying height that gave her acrophobia that she hadn’t had before.

“Am I going to fail because of this?”

She couldn’t muster the courage to jump because she was scared. Just as she was worrying about that.

“Why are you the only one here?”

A cold voice was heard from behind. Even without having to check, Ethel immediately knew who the owner of the voice was. It was Erlian when Elicia wasn’t around.

‘I didn’t hear anyone coming.’

Ethel observed Erlian. He was alone, without a horse or a carriage. Judging by the blood smeared here and there on his face and clothes, he seemed to have teleported directly after dealing with the monsters.

“Looks like you figured it out already.”

His purple eyes, which had been glaring at her, looked down. He let out a hollow laugh and slowly bent down to pick up the bracelet Elicia had left behind.

“So, where did she go?”

His voice, questioning Ethel, was low and menacing. In response, Ethel held the rolling pin with both hands and shouted.

“Do you think I’m going to tell you?”

“Even if you don’t tell me, it doesn’t mean I won’t find her.”

Erlian quickly drew his sword from its sheath and continued speaking.

“But you will die here.”

She thought it would be better to jump off the cliff than be stabbed by that sword. Ethel swallowed as she looked at the sharp blade. The sword blade was also stained with the blood of monsters.

“That’s why Lady Sia ran away.”

It was the end anyway. Ethel, who had always spoken formally to Erlian, spoke to him informally.

“Live a little nicer from now on and stop showing how much you dislike me. I hate you too. I’d rather be with Manager Kim than be alone with you.”

“Do I have to know about your feelings?”

“You don’t even know your own heart. It was obvious you two liked each other, but you only called yourselves friends, and it was frustrating enough to kill the people watching.”

“I just realized it now. But does Ellie like me too? Why didn’t she tell me that important fact?”

Erlian’s lips curved into a smile, as if he had realized a joyful truth. Ethel couldn’t suppress the goosebumps that rose on her arms and swung the rolling pin in the air, saying,

“Because the way you acted towards me was so messed up, I didn’t say anything, that’s why!”

“If you knew we liked each other, why did you stand by while Ellie left? Tell me where she is.”

Erlian’s only concern was Elicia, regardless of Ethel cursing in front of him. Ethel let out a hollow laugh and shouted.

“Why would I tell you that? Just grow old and die without ever meeting Lady Sia!”

Ethel stretched out her middle finger towards him, squeezed her eyes shut, and jumped off the cliff.

Erlian didn’t stop Ethel’s action. Instead, he thought of the middle finger she had shown as she fell from the cliff. That gesture overlapped with someone else’s hand. It was an action Elicia often did when she was dissatisfied with her swordsmanship teacher or his father.

Even though a person had just died in front of him, Erlian had only one thought. He wanted to see her soon. He missed Elicia even more.

‘You need some time to miss me too.’

Erlian decided to give her a little more time. Besides, he shouldn’t go to meet her looking like this. Elicia probably wouldn’t welcome him seeing his blood-stained appearance.

A sharp pain belatedly struck his right leg. Blood was still flowing from the leg that had been attacked by a monster.

The area in front of the cabin, which had been noisy a moment ago, became quiet again, without a single person, just like before. The red stained grass swayed in the wind.

***

“I finally escaped the empire.”

The carriage, which had been traveling for a long time, crossed the border between the Verati Empire and the Magenta Empire without any problems. It was said that if we had arrived by teleportation, we would have been caught by the Magenta Empire’s guards before Erlian, as each empire had strong barriers.

‘I’m glad we safely crossed the border.’

Just as I was feeling relieved.

[★Lala★’s Quest]

 

<Run further away>

 

You have escaped from the Duchy of Bellocchio!

 

How about hiding farther away so Erlian can’t find you?

‘Damn it.’

I naturally thought I would be sent back to reality, but that wretched Lala gave me another quest. Moreover, there was no reward even after completing the quest of escaping from the Duke’s mansion.

‘Lala, do you want to die?’

I was so angry that I called Lala’s name repeatedly, but he never appeared.

“Sia, is something wrong?”

Only Angelo was in front of me, looking at me worriedly, perhaps because my expression was serious.

“It’s nothing.”

“You must be tired from the long carriage ride. Please bear with it a little longer. I thought it would be better to leave even farther away if possible.”

Angelo then said that even though we had crossed the empire’s border, we still had to travel by carriage, not by teleportation. This was because teleportation was only possible in spaces permitted for citizens of that country. So, I had no choice but to stay in the carriage the entire time, except when sleeping and eating.

‘But when will the game end?’

Even after arriving in the capital of the Magenta Empire by carriage after a week of travel, I was still in the game. I felt anxious. Thinking about it, this quest had no set time limit. It was possible that I might have to keep running away like this for a long time without knowing the end.

Perhaps it was because I was exhausted from the endless escape.

‘It’s a dream about Erlian again.’

Erlian often appeared in my dreams. Sometimes he would stare at me resentfully, and other times he would brutally kill people. It must be a dream born of guilt for running away and leaving Erlian behind.

On days I dreamed of Erlian, my mood would hit rock bottom. I desperately wanted to return to reality as soon as possible so I could forget everything and live my life.

I called Lala’s name several times every day. However, the small life form never appeared before my eyes until the very end.

Angelo, who used to look at me worriedly, gradually stopped caring. He looked happy, regardless of my anxiety. Maybe Angelo was tired of the life of a runaway and had gone crazy. Feeling apologetic, I told him:

“Thank you for helping me, but you can go back to your family now.”

“No. I’ll stay with you, Sia.”

“But your parents will worry. Especially since they are people who worry a lot about you. Besides, I’ve received enough help already.”

“Don’t worry about things like that. The important thing is the future we will share together.”

Angelo lightly dismissed my suggestion and continued to stay with me. It was to the point where I wondered if he was using me because he wanted to be away from his family rather than just helping me.

We stayed one night at an inn in the capital and moved again. The carriage passed the capital and arrived at a village. It seemed like a place frequently visited by travelers, as stalls selling various daily necessities and low-grade magic stones lined the entrance of the village.

People were crowded around the stalls. In particular, there were many people with sword sheaths at their waists, seemingly having stopped by after monster hunting. Papers with welcoming phrases like ‘Welcome, Travelers!’ were posted on the walls here and there.

“This place seems nice.”

It was not a bad place to stay for a while. Since there were many visitors, I wouldn’t draw attention, and if I couldn’t return to reality, it wouldn’t be bad to come back here and find a job.

Before coming here, I had worn a black cloak every time we stopped in a small village. As foreigners, we stood out too much, and I was worried it might greatly help Erlian track my whereabouts.

I was about to let out a sigh of relief and push the hood of my cloak back when Angelo stopped my hand.

“Just in case, it might be better to keep it covered until we reach the inn.”

Well, Angelo’s words weren’t wrong. I pulled the hood deeper over my head and looked for an inn.

Fortunately, the inn was easy to find. After walking a short distance past the long line of stalls, a particularly large building stood out.

The first floor was a restaurant, and the second and third floors consisted of guest rooms for travelers. Thanks to this, we were easily able to get two rooms. As I opened the door, a small window and white curtains greeted me first.

I slowly surveyed the room. A single bed occupied the right wall, and a small table, chair, and wardrobe were on the left wall. The room was narrow, but not so uncomfortable that I couldn’t stay alone.

‘I’m tired.’

This much distance should prevent Erlian from easily finding me. Haven’t we traveled far from the Verati Empire? As the tension eased, fatigue washed over me. I lay down on the bed as if collapsing, not even having the strength to wash up.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell into a deep sleep. I hadn’t been able to fall asleep easily lately, almost as if I had developed insomnia… It was the first time I had experienced such peaceful sleep since leaving the Duchy of Bellocchio.

“What?”

I couldn’t help but be flustered when I woke up.

The first reason was that Angelo was looking down at me, and the other reason was that the surroundings were very bright, as if the sun had risen a long time ago. Lately, I had been waking up before the sun rose due to my restless sleep. It felt awkward to oversleep like this after a long time.

I slowly sat up and asked.

“Did you come to wake me up because I overslept?”

“No. You looked tired, so I wasn’t going to wake you.”

“What about breakfast?”

“I ate both breakfast and lunch.”

To eat alone without waking me up. My hand trembled with a sense of betrayal more than the shock of oversleeping.

“You must have been tired from overexerting yourself. How about resting here for a few days?”

Angelo brushed my disheveled hair and made a sweet suggestion. I could feel the tenderness in the hand stroking my head. Feeling relaxed, I rested my head back on the pillow. Just as my eyes were slowly closing.

‘Wait a minute.’

My eyes snapped open again. This was not the time to be idly sleeping.

“Is Erlian looking for me?”

Perhaps the quest will be cleared and I’ll return to reality only when Erlian gives up on finding me.

“Just in case, it’s better not to let my guard down.”

Angelo’s hand still rested in my hair. The corners of Angelo’s lips were slightly turned up, as if he was in a good mood. His fine blond hair shimmered in the sunlight. I lowered my gaze slightly and saw his golden eyes. When our eyes met, Angelo’s eyes curved into a smile.

‘Have I ever looked at Angelo’s face this closely before?’

Strangely, as I examined his face, I had a feeling that I was missing an important clue. What on earth was it?

“Sia, you look deep in thought. Go back to sleep quickly.”

I closed my eyes tightly at his touch. Still, I couldn’t easily fall asleep. It must be because I slept too long. I just became a person lying with their eyes closed for a long time. Moreover, Angelo, who was still by my side, was very distracting.

I didn’t know if I was just uncomfortable with someone being next to me, or if Angelo suddenly felt foreign, but I eventually gave up on sleeping and opened my eyes again.

“Can’t sleep?”

As I nodded and sat up again, Angelo’s expression brightened even more.

“You’re just like you were when you were little. When you were little, no matter how tired you were, you couldn’t sleep if I was watching you nearby.”

It was Angelo’s trip down memory lane, which hadn’t happened in a long time.

“And yet, you would often hold onto me so I couldn’t leave first.”

I was uncomfortable with Angelo’s invocation of memories. It was probably because it wasn’t my real story.

“I wondered why that was at the time, but I realized later. It was because you liked me, Sia.”

“What?”

“You were so concerned about me that you couldn’t sleep when I was nearby, but you also hated it when I left.”

My heart felt heavy. Perhaps the real Elicia truly liked him, just as Angelo liked me, or rather, Elicia. I used him like a pushover, but if it had been the real her, she might have treated him quite well after growing up.

“Angelo, I…”

Before I could finish my sentence, a long index finger covered my lips.

“Sia, I can wait longer. It won’t be long now, anyway.”

I couldn’t say anything more because of Angelo’s confident voice.