Chapter 49

"Goodness!"

"Good heavens, the polluted land is returning!"

"God has not abandoned us yet!"

As everyone was moved, I too felt a surge of emotion.

"What a relief..."

If the land's pollution is not properly contained, it will accelerate Demian's bad ending route.

In that case, the commoners will lose their sanity in anger towards the privileged class, and the royal family will calm the masses by executing a suitable figure.

That figure would be none other than the most infamous troublemaker in the empire, Thérèse.

The wolves finished howling, circled around me, and then left.

The guards continued to cheer and celebrate.

"This is all thanks to the lady! Long live the lady!"

"Long live the lady!"

'Ugh. I'm going to be in the spotlight.'

This time, instead of the wolves, it seemed people were going to circle around me.

Then Clyde extended his hand to me.

"Stop dawdling and take it."

"...Why? I can go by myself."

"With those shoes?"

"Huh?"

Looking down, I saw my shoes, which had been completely ruined from sprinting on rough ground.

No wonder the world seemed lower than before.

'But why is he showing me such kindness? Oh, could it be?'

[Goodwill: ♥♥♥♡♡]

What? It's still a black heart.

'Could it be a trap?'

Clyde had a habit of pushing his enemies to hate him even more.

So, it was likely that he was showing me kindness to see my true colors.

I took off my shoes and held them in my hand.

"This will do. You said you have to write a report, right? Let's go."

Clyde's lips twitched in a frown, and he turned around as if to say, "Fine."

"Do as you please."

Then he strode ahead to the temporary base without a single gesture of consideration.

I walked carefully to avoid hurting my feet and suddenly realized that all the villagers had come out of their houses without my noticing.

They didn't cheer like the guards.

They looked as if they were still trying to understand the situation.

At the same time, they were shocked to see me walking barefoot on the dirt ground.

'Now that I think about it, was it improper to show one's feet at this time? Was it only in Joseon?'

I tilted my head in confusion when Demian approached and extended his arm.

He was about to pick me up.

He smiled affectionately.

"At times like this, you should use your bodyguards, Thérèse. It's befitting your noble status."

Ding!

[Seat 'Ropan Poisoned Favored Lady' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[Nobles don't walk barefoot on the dirt ground. Especially not when they have bodyguards. It's not too late to correct this.]

'Fixing this much is easy.'

I quickly wrapped my arm around Demian's neck and scolded him.

"Do I have to tell you everything? You should have known to come just in time."

Ding!

[Seat 'Broadcast Genius Thérèse' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[This is what a 'villainous lady' is all about!]

Demian looked at me, hanging on him like a cicada on an old tree, with a bewildered expression.

"What are you doing? Pick me up, quickly."

He finally came to his senses and picked me up.

'He looks quite slim, but he's definitely built. His muscles are like rocks. How much training does it take to get like this?'

Indeed, as a brilliant assassin, he had an excellent physique.

"…Thérèse."

"Yeah?"

Demian hesitated as if he was about to say something, then frowned and looked straight ahead.

"Never mind."

His voice sounded like a sigh.

Now that I think about it, his face seemed a bit flushed.

'What? Could it be because I'm heavy?'

Ding!

[Seat 'Romance Pass' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[Check Goodwill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

I don't know why it suddenly asked me to check my goodwill, but I complied.

[Goodwill: ♥♥♡♡♡]

"Huh?"

I suddenly made a sound, and Demian looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I also looked at him with a puzzled expression.

He asked first.

"Why? Do you have something to say?"

"...No. Nothing."

'I think the reason my goodwill increased is because I contributed to purifying the polluted land.'

I've already achieved two red hearts from two male leads.

The progress was faster than I expected, and the achievement rate was excellent.

At this rate, I might really see an ending where I connect with someone.

I looked at Clyde's back as he walked ahead.

Clyde started with two black hearts.

Now he has three.

'Then, how many black hearts does the emperor start with?'

Even though Clyde has three black hearts, the real conflict hasn't even started yet.

If I meet the emperor, who hates the Squire family, my life could end quickly.

'If I don't go to the royal palace, the chances of meeting the emperor are extremely low.'

Good. Let's keep it this way.

I don't need to meet the emperor for a while!