Chapter 21

I shook my head.

“I’ll pass. I prefer being alone.”

“Would you reconsider? Lady Astell, you’ve never appeared before the public, so you may not understand.”

“What is it that I don’t understand?”

“People… tend to be rather rude to those they don’t favor. And they cross the line even more when in groups. I’m worried you’ll get hurt, Lady Astell.”

‘Me, get hurt? I don’t even have the heart for that anymore.’

I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

“Ahaha! You’re even cuter than the Tower Master, aren’t you?”

“Pardon? The Tower Master?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking of something else… Hmm, that won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

“…There’s still time, so please think it over. If you change your mind later, you can call for me anytime.”

“I will.”

Johan was neat and polite even as he departed.

I watched Johan ride away on his white horse, his entire body reflecting the light.

— Anonymous Constellation: I’ve decided. Johan is the one.

— Anonymous Constellation: Nah, a guy like that will get crushed by Astell.

— Anonymous Constellation: Picking a twenty-year-old brat over a grown man like Kaiel. Are you serious?

— Anonymous Constellation: If he’s younger, you should be grateful. What kind of spoiled talk is that?

[Mission: Interlace fingers with Johan. (200,000 Points)]

[Accept] / [Decline]

“*Cough! Hack!*”

I’d inhaled the wrong way, and a cough erupted from my throat.

After a long coughing fit, I checked the mission again.

I hadn’t seen it wrong.

‘It really was 200,000 points…’

More profitable than killing dozens of monsters just to interlace fingers with Johan. Does that even make sense?

<Viewers: 51>

I happened to check the viewer count and saw the number had skyrocketed.

‘Why the sudden commotion?’

Could it be because the scene where I met Kaiel at the Magic Tower yesterday was posted on the Constellation community boards?

By accepting the mission involving Kaiel, perhaps their expectations for a dating sim scenario had risen.

‘Wait… this could be a good strategy.’

What would happen if the Johan faction and the Kaiel faction started competing?

‘The missions and sponsorships would increase, and I’d rack up more points.’

As soon as I accepted the mission, the chat window filled with a mix of cheers and sighs. There were also accusations of me playing the field.

‘Well, they’re right about me playing the field.’

The only difference is that I’m not after the men, but the Constellations’ points.

I calmly left the drawing room.

* * *

As afternoon arrived, the mansion grew noisy.

It was because Alex Ruthius, the Young Duke and scoundrel of the Ruthius family, had finally returned.

Alex stepped out of a lavish six-horse carriage.

Did he expect Duke Ruthius to come running out barefoot to greet him? His triumphant expression crumpled as he scanned his surroundings.

“Can’t you move faster?”

His roar at an innocent servant echoed loudly.

“Idiot.”

I offered my brief assessment and stepped away from the window.

As I sat on the drawing room sofa, Zenia brought out tea and cookies for dessert after lunch.

As she poured the black tea, she asked cautiously.

“Princess, the Young Duke has arrived.”

“I know. I can hear his voice all the way up here.”

“Will you not be going down? The Young Duke’s temperament is a bit… sensitive, you know.”

“Not sensitive. Vile.”

“…”

Zenia ducked her head low. Her expression was strange, as if she were trying to suppress a laugh.

As I was nibbling on a cookie, loud footsteps echoed.

“Is this the bedroom Father prepared for me? Hmm, I like the size, but isn’t it a bit too dainty? Not my style.”

“Uh, sir, Young Duke, th-that’s not…”

It seemed Alex had mistaken the fourth floor for his own bedroom.

The servant’s stammering voice trailed off.

“Still, the drawing room is quite… Huh? Isn’t that Astell?”

“…”

I stared blankly at Alex as he appeared in the drawing room, sipping my tea.

Like a true scion of Duke Ruthius, Alex was a handsome man.

His height, over 190 cm, his bursting muscular physique, and the combination of silver hair and green eyes were quite a sight to behold.

To be honest, he didn’t have the calm, cool-headed aura of Astell and Duke Ruthius.

But he certainly possessed a charm that drew people in.

A rebel whose actions were rough and selfish, but who seemed to harbor pain deep inside.

That unique atmosphere matched his appearance exquisitely.

‘What good is that? His personality is trash.’

After a brief pause, Alex lifted his chin arrogantly.

“When you see your older brother, you should jump to your feet and greet him. Look at you, just sitting there. No wonder they say you’re mad.”

“You’re a Hunter, I hear?”

“…Did you hear that from Father? But why the hell is that your reaction? Then again, how would you know how amazing that is.”

Alex grumbled, plopping down on the sofa.

Surprisingly, he was calmer than in Astell’s memories. Though his words were harsh and his actions thuggish, this was practically cute.

‘Do even scoundrels mature with age?’

Alex, who had been pressing his tired eyes, tilted his head.

“So what are you doing in the main estate? Did you come all this way just to welcome me? Or to see a Hunter? Now that you’ve seen my face, get lost. Stop being a nuisance.”

“Didn’t the Duke tell you? I live in the main estate now.”

“What…?”

“I live here. In the main estate.”

Alex muttered as if to himself.

“…That can’t be right.”

“Why? Am I not allowed to live in the main estate?”

“Of course not! You’re…”

“I’m what?”

Hesitating with a flustered expression, Alex suddenly roared.

“Because you’re a murderer! You! You killed Mom!”

“…”

My thought that he had calmed down with age was a delusion. Alex was the same old piece of trash.

It seems he was just quiet a moment ago because he was tired.

“*Sigh…*”

Alex had a habit of spouting the most ridiculous logic. As a sane person, I couldn’t comprehend it at all.

For instance, it was always like this.

“It’s your fault! Mom died because of you!”

“B-brother…”

“Why do I have to suffer because of you? Why do I have to sacrifice for you!”

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”

“Do you want to live that badly? You think you’ll be happy living alone after killing off your whole family? Wasn’t killing Mom enough for you?”

“…”

“You should have died instead of Mom.”

Seriously, what harm had Astell ever done to him for him to talk like that?

‘And what sacrifices did he make? Astell grew up without a mother too, didn’t she?’

To me, it sounded like a form of gaslighting, but Astell had taken it seriously.

She thought there was genuinely something wrong with her.

I set down my teacup.

“This is my space, provided by the Duke. Go up to the fifth floor. Your bedroom should be there.”

“Why should I have to use the fifth floor? In terms of rank, shouldn’t you be on the upper floor? Starting today, I’m using this space.”

“Hey, stop barking and get lost.”

‘Oops. My past life’s way of speaking slipped out.’

I feigned innocence, taking a prim sip of my tea as if I’d said nothing.

Alex was too stunned to even get angry. It was probably the first time Astell had ever spoken to him so crudely.

The girl who used to be too intimidated to even look him in the eye was now acting so confident. It was no wonder he was surprised.

Just then, the silent Alex’s jaw dropped.

“You… don’t tell me you’re a Hunter?”

The Constellations must have told him. They really have loose lips.

“Yeah, I’m a Hunter.”

“R-really? You’re really a Hunter?”

“I told you I am.”

“…Could just anyone become a Hunter?”

“What, did you think you were the only one in the world chosen by the Constellations? Hunter selection is a random gacha system. You seem to think it’s something special, but sorry, it’s not. You were just picked from a spinning wheel.”

“A spinning wheel…?”

Alex’s expression went blank.

To me, Alex’s feelings were as clear as day.

To Alex, being a Hunter was his source of pride.

Only he could see the messages ordinary people couldn’t, and only he could kill monsters with his own hands.

It was only natural for his ego to inflate with the feeling of being special.

‘Above all, he must have unbearably loved the attention from the Constellations.’

They were the ones who explained things to him when he was flustered and confused at first, and who helped him adapt to his newfound power.

He must have been so happy that the Constellations never once told him he was inferior to his father, words he’d heard until his ears bled.

And if he received a sponsorship, he must have been over the moon.

He must have been convinced that he was truly chosen by the Constellations.

But now, to hear it was just a spinning wheel…

‘His precious pride must have taken a serious hit.’

I watched impassively as Alex struggled to piece his crumbling pride back together.