Chapter 53

“What?”

“You’re cute.”

Damian pinched my cheek gently, not hard enough to hurt, and smiled.

Ding!

[Throne ‘RomancePath’ has sponsored 10,000 coins.]

[Do it now!! Kiss!!]

If I had done something meaningless like that in response to Damian’s meaningless physical contact, it would have led to an assassination ending right away.

Besides, I didn’t even want to kiss.

“Look. You’re making that blank expression again.”

This wasn’t a blank expression; it was the look of someone reading a sponsorship window with absurd demands.

I couldn’t explain it that way, so I just lowered my gaze to the spellbook, indifferent to his antics.

But Damian, not seeming to get tired, played with my hair and occasionally spoke.

“You said you’re going to the Sun Palace this week, right? Aren’t you nervous?”

“Of course I’m nervous.”

I’m afraid I might die.

It was already Friday, and in two days, I had to meet the emperor.

The thought of facing the unpredictable tyrant alone made it hard to concentrate on reading the spellbook.

‘It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.’

It was fine even in front of a demon lord, so a human emperor should be… no, it doesn’t seem like it will be fine. Ugh.

Since I had received the invitation, there was no way to avoid the audience.

To ease my tension, I studied as many practical spells as possible in case of any unforeseen situations.

As I was putting the book in my bag, Damian got up first.

“It’s almost time for the lecture to start. Shall we go?”

“Yeah, we should.”

When I also stood up, Damian smiled mischievously and extended his arm.

“Please link arms with me, miss. I want to escort you to the main building.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his sudden playfulness.

Indeed, handsome men were always entertaining.

However, despite my amusement, I pushed his arm away and refused.

“No. If Mimosa sees, she’ll get a headache.”

Lately, Mimosa had been growling at me like an angry cat whenever she saw me, due to student council and bodyguard duties.

“Ah.”

Damian’s smile vanished for a moment as he seemed to ponder something, his gaze falling diagonally.

That was the look of someone considering how to deal with a troublesome opponent.

And usually, when he had that look, he would choose the option that was most convenient for him, which meant getting rid of the trouble.

‘Oh no.’

To protect Mimosa, I quickly grabbed Damian’s arm.

“On second thought, I don’t think I need to worry about being seen with my bodyguard.”

As I clung to his arm, Damian’s sinister gaze softened, and he smiled brightly.

‘The emperor isn’t the only problem. This guy and that guy are all problems.’

It was the original sin of the developer.

* * *

I looked at the olive-colored carriage, which exuded a dazzling presence, with a cold eye.

‘Anyone who sees it would think it’s a royal procession.’

In fact, I heard that this carriage had become a famous sight in Valhalla.

In front of this famous sight, Rivi, who now had the air of a proper noble lady, was surrounded by male students.

“Want to do something this weekend? Why don’t you come to my house?”

“No, let’s go to the lake. The weather is nice, perfect for a picnic.”

“Here, take this flower. I bought it because it reminded me of you.”

“When will you give me an answer to my confession?”

These guys were really pushing it.

I approached them with a straight posture.

Rivi, who had been looking troubled with a kind expression, brightened up when she saw me.

“Sis!”

The male students all shuddered and looked at me with stiff movements. None of them had an expression as clear and bright as Rivi’s.

As I’ve said before, the protagonist is an existence that requires an enormous amount of work.

Of course, the work cost includes labor.

Naturally, my! Labor! Is! Enormous!

‘How dare these automatically generated isekai natives try to make a move on such a heroine?’

Perhaps sensing the murderous intent in my eyes, the male students turned pale and took hasty steps backward.

“Oh, sis is here? I’ll be going then!”

As they all left in a hurry, Rivi tilted her head in confusion and then approached me with a bright smile.

“This is the first time we’re going home together!”

“Yeah.”

I climbed into the carriage, keeping a wary eye on the surroundings to ensure no one was trying to approach Rivi.

“From now on, if any trivial guys try to approach, use me as an excuse. Most of them will back off on their own.”

When else would I use Therese’s notorious reputation?

Rivi laughed, thinking it was a joke.

‘Now that I think about it, even without a male protagonist, Rivi could fall in love with someone.’

Honestly, male protagonists are only charming enough to conquer in games; in reality, getting involved with them would make life miserable.

So I was curious.

“Rivi, do you have an ideal type?”

“An ideal type?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Rivi tilted her head but then wore a thoughtful expression.

“I like honest, quirky, and affectionate people.”

‘There’s no male protagonist like that.’

They were all secretly sinister and cruel.

“Really? But there’s no one like that….”

As I muttered in confusion, Rivi answered brightly.

“There is! It’s you, sis. I like people like you.”

Then she giggled happily.

I frowned.

‘This is bad. Rivi’s standards are too low.’

Therese isn’t just honest; she’s rude, not quirky but bizarre, and walks the opposite path of affectionate.

‘Ah, maybe she’s talking about the day I possessed her?’

Even so, when I reflected on my actions around Rivi, they weren’t much different from Therese’s.

I had only shown her defiance against her father and arguments with friends.

Feeling troubled, I looked out the window.

“…Giuseppe?”

By chance, I saw Giuseppe surrounded by bigger boys.

Without thinking, I made the carriage stop.

‘This doesn’t look good at all.’

“What’s the matter, sis?”

“There’s Giuseppe over there.”

There was no time to explain.

The atmosphere suggested a group beating could happen at any moment.

As I approached the boys, I could hear them arguing in sharp voices.

I was about to call out to Giuseppe.

“You’re not close to Lady Therese, are you?”

Before they mentioned me.

‘Why would they talk about me when friends are fighting?’

Approaching them with a puzzled feeling, I heard their conversation more clearly.

“They say you’re going to be the next duke. How do you plan to beat your sister, who controls the demons? You can’t even purify the demons!”

“Shut up!”

“Our dad said if Lady Therese becomes the heir, you’ll be kicked out. Everyone knows she hates new family members!”

“I told you to shut up!”

Giuseppe was about to use magic, and the boys, as if they had been waiting for it, responded immediately.

The area was a wealthy street lined with high-end shops, and many nobles were watching the scene.

If the fight involved the shops or the nobles, the situation would spiral out of control.

I put my index finger to my lips.

“Shh.”

This was a simplified magic incantation, a way to break the traditional form.

I had modified it to be as concise as possible, using a simple gesture and short words, like setting a shortcut for a spell.

“Mmm? Mmm?!”

The boys, whose lips suddenly stuck together, were flustered.

“Now, everyone cancel the magic.”

This was the second method I was developing.

Using magic in a conversational manner.

Traditionally, magic required precise language to give specific commands.

To use the same spell traditionally, one would need to chant, “O power of the land, cease your creation and vanish!”

‘This method works even in real combat.’

I approached the boys and moved my fingers left and right.

“Attention. Now you can speak.”

“…Huh, I can speak now!”

Giuseppe, who had also been controlled by my magic, shouted angrily as soon as he saw me.

“What are you doing! Let me go right now!”

The boys could speak but had to stand at attention.

“No. If I let you go, you might fight with magic again.”

I smiled at the boys, who were looking at me with bewildered expressions.

“Hello?”

The boys stared at me in shock, exclaiming in amazement.

“Uh….”

“Wow….”

At that moment, Rivi also approached me.

“What’s going on?”

The boys, seeing Rivi, shuffled nervously and only made “uh” sounds.

Ding!

[Throne ‘FaceDiscriminator’ has sponsored 10,000 coins.]

[The reaction of boys seeing an unbelievable beauty for the first time]

It sounded like a YouTube title.