* * *
I stared intently at the mission window that refused to disappear, lost in confusion.
Then, after a long moment, a realization struck me.
‘Could it be?’
“……Get lost this instant! Who gave you permission to enter as you please?”
I immediately recited the line dictated by the scenario. Inside, I cheered as my hunch proved correct.
[♥♥]
The blinking heart returned to its steady state. It even brought a friend along to announce the mission’s success—another heart.
‘Found it. The way for me to survive in this novel!’
The narrow path through the fog began to reveal itself ever so slightly.
❖ ❖ ❖
Several days had passed since then.
I was cooped up in my room today as well, staring out at the garden to minimize any encounters with Locke.
‘If I use the glitches correctly, I can survive.’
The error in the scenario missions I discovered was this: the system deemed a mission successful as long as the intent and direction of the action were met.
In other words, as long as the intent to “throw” was clear and the act was recognized as being directed toward Locke, it counted as a success.
And one more thing: if the target of the harassment isn’t present when the system window is supposed to appear, the mission doesn’t trigger.
I confirmed my hypothesis using the two precious hearts I had earned.
One failure, one success.
Through that process, I realized that if there is no one to act out the scenario with at the trigger timing, the window simply doesn’t pop up.
It was a victory won thanks to my regression, allowing me to deduce which missions appear in which situations.
‘The plan is to avoid him as much as possible.’
I currently have two hearts. If I don’t run into Locke, it’ll be a tight rope, but I can stay alive.
Should I just tell them I’m going down to the villa outside the capital to recuperate?
I thought idly, watching Locke in the distance as he helped the gardener tend to the trees.
‘By the way, if the title of the book is “The Emperor’s Concubine,” it means Locke, who will become Emperor, is the protagonist, right?
Even from a distance, he carries himself differently.’
As they say, you can recognize a genius from the bud.
Even though he hadn’t “manifested” yet, his broad shoulders looked like a sculpture carved with care.
His muscles, honed by menial labor, looked lean and solid, and his sharp, refined jawline cast a vivid shadow.
The bridge of his high nose caught the sunlight pouring over his head, creating deep contrast.
It was truly a masterpiece.
Honestly, with looks like that, it would be a crime if he weren’t the protagonist.
After a short conversation with the gardener, he began to swing a sickle with his left hand.
Seeing that, I recalled his frost-cold face from the night before I died, looking down at me as if I were a bug.
‘As expected, he’s still a bit scary……’
I thought I was getting better lately, but just thinking about that day made my body shrink instinctively.
I was rubbing the goosebumps on my arms when Locke, perhaps feeling my gaze, turned his head.
My eyes met his golden ones, which burned like the sun.
Startled, I quickly hid behind the curtain, but in my haste, I banged my forehead against the window frame with a thud.
“Ack!”
An electric sting shot through my body.
What if he thinks it’s strange that I was watching him?
What if he thinks I’m spying to bully him again?
No, he might just hate the fact that I looked at him at all.
As I rubbed my aching forehead with worry, I heard a sound from far away—Neeigh.
‘A carriage?’
Hiding my face behind the edge of the curtain so I wouldn’t run into Locke, I peeked out with just my eyes.
A pretty, round carriage shaped like a lotus flower was entering through the garden.
It was the carriage of the Viscounty Labella—one I had seen many times in my previous life.
Inside was likely the Viscount’s daughter, Eclat Beatrix Labella.
Eclat. My sister’s best friend and the woman who had been my eldest brother Cassian’s wife.
In the past, Eclat had come to consult with my sister about a dress for a ball.
She caught sight of Locke by chance, fell in love at first sight, and picked a red rose to give to him.
In the world of ‘The Emperor’s Concubine,’ there was a culture among nobles of using flowers to compliment one’s appearance.
Pink for someone beautiful, red for someone sensual, and white for someone pure.
‘Come to think of it, that incident happened right around this time… Huh?’
I hurriedly turned my gaze back to the garden.
The garden was covered entirely in roses.
“It’s already that day?”
Startled, I let go of the curtain I was holding.
Because of that, I was caught looking like an idiot by Locke, who was still staring up at my window.
‘Why are you still looking!’
It felt like I was stalking him, so I quickly crouched down beneath the window frame.
My heart raced for no reason.
There was a reason I was so shocked.
In the past, the moment Locke received the rose from her, the system window appeared as if it had been waiting.
It was a horrific mission. I remembered the options vividly even now.
[Mission: Command your servant, Locke, to pick ten thousand thorny roses with his bare hands. Choose one of the lines from the examples below.]
1. You must be happy to receive a flower from a noble lady? I’ll make you feel even better. Pick every red rose in the garden with your bare hands. I’ll stuff them all into your room.
2. How dare a mere slave look at anyone? I’ll make you regret your foolishness in looking at a tree you cannot climb to your very marrow. Pick ten thousand roses with your bare hands. If your hands are still intact, you’ll have to start over from the beginning.
Back then, I only had one heart, so I had no choice but to follow the mission.
That day, Locke had to tear at roses until his entire body was covered in blood.
“……I’m trash.”
I said it was to survive, but it was just a hollow excuse.
I couldn’t keep doing stupid things in this life like I did in the past.
It was while I was crouching there, mulling over my foolishness and racking my brain, that someone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Cedric, it’s me. Eclat. Can I come in?”
It seemed Eclat had entered the mansion while I was writhing in distress.
I hurried to stand up and tidied my appearance.
“Yes. Come in.”
She was one of the few people who pitied me for my terminal illness in my past life and treated me with kindness.
She was someone who worried about me even more than my own siblings.
“Cedric! How have you been?”
A cute girl with brown hair opened the door with a bright smile.
She asked after me briefly and handed me a silver tin.
“I came to give you this.”
‘Ah, right. These were really delicious!’
I remembered receiving the same gift in my past life, and a smile naturally formed on my face.
“My father bought these; they’re a specialty of the Kingdom of Lebolla. I thought of you the moment I saw them.”
Eclat was a truly warm-hearted girl who brought sweet candies for me, as I had to take bitter medicine twice a day without fail.
I wanted things to go well for her, but she suffered a lot after marrying my brother.
‘Wait. Come to think of it, I know the future.’
Maybe I could prevent Eclat from marrying my brother?
I fell into thought while chewing on a candy, and once my ideas were settled, I spoke slowly.
“It’s sweet. So delicious. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it, Cedric.”
“You have one, too.”
I held out the tin to her.
But she shook her head with a laugh.
“I have plenty at home. These are all for you.”
Smiling brightly, Eclat stared at my face.
“But why is your forehead so red?”
I couldn’t reveal that I was a pathetic master who banged his head on a window while spying on a servant, so I put on a frail expression and touched my forehead with the back of my hand.
“……The fever won’t go down.”
“Oh dear, I’ve interrupted your rest. Sorry, I’ll be going now.”
“No. I feel much better thanks to you. By the way, what brings you here today?”
I already knew, but I asked with a purpose.
“Because of the ball being held at the Marquis’s estate. I decided to match dress codes with Ciel.”
“Right, I think I heard my sister mention that. Then, have you found someone to escort you to the ball?”
As I asked, subtly hiding my forehead with my bangs, Eclat blushed and quietly shook her head.
In the previous life, she never ended up finding a partner.
She liked Locke, but nobles valued birth and status above all else.
A servant escorting a noble lady?
It was unheard of.
Maybe as a personal attendant (servant), but even then…
For Locke to attend as a servant, his master—me—had to attend the ball as well.
In the past, she couldn’t bring herself to ask me since I was sick, so she ended up going with Cassian.
That connection eventually led to their marriage.
‘Haa…… Cassian is really not the one.’
He’s my brother here, but Cassian was a total scumbag. He cheated several times, didn’t he?
I didn’t want the kind Eclat to be miserable again.
Since I’ve returned to the past, wouldn’t it be great to change the future of those around me too?
Especially those who would experience rock bottom just as I did.
“Shall I go with you?”
The moment she heard me, Eclat’s expression bloomed like a sunflower.
“Really? Truly?”
Eclat clasped her small, fair hands together, her eyes sparkling.
But it was brief.
Her eyebrows soon drooped.
“But you’re sick, pushing yourself because of me is……”
“No! It’s fine, I can handle that much. I’ve been feeling much better lately. They say staying indoors like this is actually worse.”
Only then did Eclat look relieved.
With a much more comfortable face and slightly flushed cheeks, she asked:
“Then, for a servant… can’t I take that person named Locke?”
“I’ll do that.”
Now that the floodgates were open, the feelings Eclat had been suppressing began to pour out.
Returning to the past… it’s even better than I thought.
Eclat was kind to me from beginning to end, no matter how hard things got for her.
Seeing her happy made me feel proud for no reason.
“Wow! Thank you so much, Cedric! Actually, I saw Cassian taking Locke away earlier, so I thought he was his servant. But Ciel said he was your servant. So……!”
“Wait a minute.”
I urgently cut off Eclat’s bird-like chirping.
In the previous life, the Hestian family was destroyed at Locke’s hands.
Except for my mother, who had taken him in when he was a beggar, everyone was either killed or enslaved.
Our family back then was the absolute “evil” to Locke.
Cruel memories resurfaced along with the scent of blood.
“Who did you say took Locke?”
* * *
