'Why on earth is this bastard here again!'
Presepe's eyes trembled violently as she looked at Ivan.
"I apologize for this unexpected visit, but I ask for your understanding. I have something very urgent to give you."
"..."
"However, it seems you are more surprised than I expected. Judging by your silence."
"..."
"Lady Presepe?"
The answer...
What do you want me to do, you crazy bastard?
[◆ Slap the cheek.]
[◆ Pour tea over.]
[◆ Kisses while saying hello.]
A gold-plated, flashy, blinking bug option.
Nowhere among them was there anything she wanted to choose.
[Notice: A penalty will be imposed if you fail to select an option within the allotted time.]
However, that damn bug, just like last time, showed absolutely no consideration for Presepe's position. The same was true for her inability to move.
Since leaving the Imperial Palace and the game progression itself went awry, she thought she wouldn't see this wretched choice again...
Was that a story that didn't apply to the male character?
[Note: If you do not provide an answer within 3 seconds, the game will be completely reset.]
'This shit...'
Presepe's head spun.
Of course, she wanted to slap him with all her heart and strength, but that guy was a psycho among psychos.
Hitting was fine, but she couldn't even guess what would happen afterward.
A kiss. Needless to say, she would rather hang herself than do that.
...In the end, the answer Presepe would choose was already decided.
"..."
Presepe's hand, holding the teacup, trembled. But that was only for a moment.
Soon, the lukewarm red tea was poured nicely over Ivan's white face.
"..."
Tap tap tap.
Along with the sound of water dripping down Ivan's face...
An unbearably uncomfortable, icy silence settled in Fenrir's study.
Ivan showed no reaction, and Hannah, the maid, and the knights looked at Presepe with bewildered expressions.
Presepe is...
"That..."
"..."
"Hmm..."
Anyway, since she chose the bug option, she can ramble on as she pleases.
The problem is that her mind went completely blank, to the point where she couldn't even figure out what excuse to make.
"My hand slipped."
In the end, Presepe chose to just blurt things out as she pleased.
"It looks like it didn't slip, but rather poured it on yourself."
"No? That can't be. It's a misunderstanding. It must be your imagination."
"This is the first time I've heard that mood and eyesight are related."
"The world is incredibly complicated. How can everything possibly go exactly as it is set in stone and known?"
At this point, it was almost at the level of giving up hope.
"Just as the Archmage mentioned, I guess I was quite surprised by the sudden visit. I suppose that’s why."
Presepe, speaking rapidly, had her gaze fixed on the favorability window floating above Ivan's head.
[Archmage Ivan / Affection???]
The favorability window, darkened as if by fog, was filled only with question marks, just as it had been with Attar and Dietrich.
"Is there something on my head?"
"Yes?"
"It seemed like you kept staring at me."
"No. I just felt so sorry that I didn't know where to look."
...You don't look sorry at all.
Ivan thought to himself.
"..."
Ivan stared intently at Presepe, then slowly raised his hand. He then haphazardly wiped away the red tea still dripping down his chin with the hem of his sleeve.
"Please hand over the person. I have come because I have something urgent to give you."
You have something to ask me?
She couldn't even meet Ivan in this episode. However, it was strange that he showed up so suddenly, and it was also strange that he had something to ask.
...Could this be because Attar and Noah died?
Normally, she would meet Ivan for the first time only after the event of being imprisoned in the ice prison is completely finished.
It was a founding festival event, and since the founding festival is also the biggest in Ateloia, Dietrich allows Presepe to attend.
Given the scale of the event, Ivan, who has a pathological aversion to mingling with people, also attends. There, Presepe gets entangled with Ivan.
To be precise, she caught Ivan's eye. Despite being someone who didn't fit in with any group and was just holding her ground, she was shining with sparkling eyes.
Then, Presepe suffered humiliation at the hands of a noble lady who was nothing more than an extra and harbored feelings for Dietrich.
Since she was close to the Emperor, they couldn't harass her openly, but they humiliated her in a very petty way so as not to draw attention.
[Ah...!]
Presepe, having just been doused in blood-red wine just like Ivan, is left bewildered and at a loss for what to do.
Considering she was stripped of her title as Princess, she is truly shameless beyond measure.
Such mockery could be heard from the surroundings.
In short, it was group bullying.
And Ivan approached Presepe, who was crying alone in sorrow.
[Shall I kill you?]
While spitting out those terrifying words.
[Instead, ask me while crying. To pique my interest.]
Presepe wondered why his appearance was taking so long.
And the moment she heard those words, Presepe realized.
...Ah. I guess the developers arranged them like that because they were worried the users would have a hard time if too many crazy lunatics appeared all at once.
The other male characters weren't exactly normal either, but Ivan was truly the pinnacle of it all. His ending was the worst, too. He used his exceptional magical skills to create illusions and implant fabricated memories, rendering the target unable to do anything without him.
The ending with Ivan was that Presepe, whose mind was completely broken, was endlessly violated.
So, although she had absolutely no desire to be in the same space as that wicked man, she felt she should at least hear what he had to say. Besides, you never know. She might be able to obtain some information from Ivan...
"Lady Presepe..."
"Hannah, take the knights out."
Presepe spoke in the calmest voice possible.
"Instead, could you wait at the door? I'll be able to know right away if anything happens."
"...Yes, I understand. I will do that."
Hannah looked at Presepe with a worried gaze, then, just as she had said, took the maid and the knights and left the place.
And so, a brief silence fell once again in the study, where only Presepe and Ivan remained.
"It seems you think I am going to cause some trouble, Lady Presepe."
"Rather than that, you know it, Archmage, don't you? That there is a high possibility that the culprit behind the murders of Prince Attar and Duke DeVern is targeting me. And that is the reason I came here."
"So, do I look like the culprit to you?"
"Well, I don't know for sure, but as someone under protection, it doesn't hurt to be careful."
Still, the situation has changed. Not only is this not that dreadful Imperial Palace, but if she screams, Fenrir's knights will come to her aid. Besides, Fenrir will be back soon, too...
"..."
Hmm.
Ivan stared intently at Presepe with an inscrutable expression.
To be honest, Ivan knew nothing about Presepe. At best, all he knew was that Dietrich was obsessed with her like a madman.
Of course, that did not mean he was without curiosity. Ivan had an irresponsible interest in Presepe, for reasons and causes unknown, and he also felt an instinctive attraction.
However...
'It's different from what I expected.'
...He thought she was just a mindless woman, utterly stupid and weak-willed, whom he could mold and manipulate however he pleased.
"..."
Just as Ivan stared intently at Presepe, Presepe did the same. She looked back at Ivan as if in a battle of wills.
And then, only after quite some time had passed, did he part his lips as if testing the waters.
"Grand Duke Fenrir said that an urgent message had arrived from the Imperial House..."
“They did it?”
"Did the Archmage do that by any chance?"
Ivan did not answer. He simply wore an amused expression.
"I heard that the Knights and the Magic Tower are investigating that murder case together. Since Duke Noah DeVern's death is said to be related to dark magic, they cannot ignore the Archmage's authority."
"..."
"And since His Majesty is not feeling well, the Grand Duke said he would take his place..."
"So, what you are saying now, Lady Presepe is?"
Ivan parted his lips in a sinister voice.
"I summoned Grand Duke Fenrir to the Imperial Palace for a private audience with Lady Presepe?"
“...Isn’t it?”
Ivan was as clever as he was mad. So, he could pull off such tricks with ease.
The problem is, she doesn't know the reason.
"That’s a pretty interesting story.”
Ivan laughed.
"Also, it is a reasoning based on facts in its own way."
I knew it. This crazy bastard. Presepe unconsciously wore a look of boredom.
"However, you should know this. The fact that the reason I tried to have a private meeting like this was out of consideration for you, Lady Presepe."
...What on earth is this? If this is what consideration is, I’d rather not accept it.
It was around the time she was having such thoughts and cursing to herself.
"Lady Presepe, how much do you know about yourself?"
What flowed from Ivan's mouth, completely unexpected words.
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