I had no idea what that “one and only mirror” mentioned in the tip was supposed to be. I didn't particularly want to go on some grand adventure just to find it, either.
For now, I focused on figuring out how to use the mirror shard I had just obtained.
“Lady April?”
At that moment, the Crown Prince called out to me.
“When did you arrive?”
“Your Highness!”
He looked completely composed, as if he hadn't collapsed moments ago.
Of course, the fact that his entire neck had turned purple made that composure rather meaningless.
“Just a little while ago. Your Highness, are you in a lot of pain?”
His eyes grew misty with tears, like someone distressed because a friend was suffering.
“It does not hurt.”
The Crown Prince smiled faintly.
“A member of the imperial family must not show pain, even when he suffers. But strangely enough, your concern is comforting. Could it be that I am finally nearing death?”
I sat in the chair beside his bed as we talked.
It was a strange conversation.
“Did you say you have a doll at home, Lady April?”
“Pipi! How did you know that?”
“I overheard it on the way here. I had a doll once as well. A cherished one. But my father tore it apart.”
“Then both the doll and Your Highness's heart must have hurt.”
As though sharing a secret, the Crown Prince lowered his voice.
“It was torn apart so that it would hurt. One must never appear weak. If something has no value, it will be discarded just like that doll. If you are not perfect, you become the one who gets torn apart. Or something precious to you does.”
He paused and looked at me.
“Ah. That expression says you don't understand. Which is why I told you, Lady April.”
Suddenly, I felt like I understood why Crown Prince Azef always seemed so relaxed.
Is this the darkness every male lead in a romance fantasy carries around?
The tragic backstory. The trauma.
The kind of thing he was supposed to tell the heroine.
Not me.
I was supposed to be the idiot noble lady, not the female lead.
Wait. Have I been raising his affection too efficiently?
“Then what would you have done, Lady April?”
“Hmm... I don't know. That was a very long story.”
I smiled brightly.
“But April won't get torn apart. I'm very sturdy.”
I meant it sincerely.
I'm planning to ride comfortably on everyone's backs and escape while enjoying the easy life.
The Crown Prince chuckled.
Then, with a fond look in his eyes, he asked,
“Lady April, has anyone ever told you that you have a talent for putting people at ease?”
Crown Prince Azef's affection has increased dramatically!
I was about to answer when his crimson eyes slowly closed.
He had fainted again.
He really does have it rough.
As I pulled the blanket over him, Yeniel entered the room.
“Lady April, thank you so much. I'm relieved nothing serious happened. The others can take care of things from here.”
I brushed my fingers over the mirror shard hidden in my pocket.
One of its abilities was to reveal an unconditional truth about affection.
Naturally, I should use it on Yeniel, the center of this faction.
“Sir Max, please open His Highness's mouth.”
“Your Highness! Your Highness...!”
Max disliked Sian, but his lord was hovering between life and death. He clearly didn't have the luxury to worry about personal grudges.
Seeing that made me realize these weren't just characters.
They were living people.
Sian poured the antidote into the Crown Prince's mouth.
“He's swallowing well. Just in case, I'll use magic to prevent regurgitation.”
The hand resting on the Crown Prince's forehead glowed briefly.
Almost immediately, his condition began to improve.
As everyone watched in relief, I approached Yeniel.
“Lady Yeniel, may April ask you something?”
I asked innocently.
I had noticed something.
The people on the heroine's side already seemed to consider me one of them.
Otherwise, they never would have left the injured Crown Prince in the care of an idiot noble girl from the aristocratic faction.
They would've dragged me away immediately.
“Of course. If it's you, Lady April, I'll answer anything.”
The moment she replied, the item activated.
Mirror Shard (Rare Item) has been activated!
The shard will disappear after revealing one truthful answer.
“Who is your favorite person in the Otherworld, Lady Yeniel?”
Thanks to the item's effect, the target would find nothing strange about any question asked.
Even though I used the term Otherworld, Yeniel didn't react at all.
This would be more useful than asking whether she liked me.
I was completely casual about it.
As the heroine, maybe she'd already started romancing the Crown Prince or Sian.
If so, I'd rather stay out of the way.
As for Max...
No. I refused to believe Yeniel's standards were that low.
Yeniel answered calmly.
“Lady April.”
...What?
I thought I had misheard.
“The person I like most in this place is Lady April.”
The Mirror Shard has been consumed!
In other words—
It was the truth.
Does this count as successfully conquering the heroine?
Of course, I had no way of knowing whether Yeniel's affection level toward me was over ninety percent.
It didn't seem likely she'd accept a confession or anything.
Wait a minute.
Maybe it wasn't that she liked me so much.
Maybe the Crown Prince and Sian simply had even lower affection levels.
Honestly, that made sense.
Once the Crown Prince's condition improved, the atmosphere relaxed.
“How did you stop the monster outside? I heard a loud noise, but I was too distracted to check.”
Yeniel directed the question at Sian.
“I summoned a high-ranking spirit. It seems the trait I received enhances my mastery of spirit arts.”
Lucky bastard. I'm jealous.
Max, who had finally relaxed now that the Crown Prince was recovering, frowned immediately.
“Tch.”
Pretending not to notice, Yeniel continued.
“I also received a special ability. A qualification called Key.”
What?
Wasn't that the thing that looked like the gallery feature from the game?
Yeniel nodded.
“It felt as though someone had directly implanted the knowledge into my mind. I learned that I am one of two Keys, and only the Keys can open the door leading out of the Otherworld. Since that qualification itself is special, I didn't receive an additional trait.”
Yeniel was difficult to read.
Still, she wasn't the type to lie for no reason.
So which version was true?
“Two Keys, you say? Then there's a high chance the other Key is someone who entered the mansion with us.”
Sian sounded thoughtful.
Personally, I thought the answer was obvious.
Yeniel, the heroine.
And Evelyn, the villainess.
Both were playable characters.
Surely the second Key was Evelyn.
“Regardless, it's fortunate that at least one Key is on our side.”
“As for me!”
Nobody had asked, but Max suddenly shouted.
“I gained tremendous speed and stealth! My strength has increased tremendously as well!”
He grinned smugly.
No.
Smug wasn't the right word.
It was pure arrogance.
“And what about you, Lady April?”
At last, everyone's attention turned toward me.
April Sharon: Awakening... (83/100)%
How should I know?
I was still awakening.
If I'd known this would happen, maybe I should've listened when my brother rambled about April.
If I made something up now and later gained a completely different ability, people would think I had lied.
That would raise suspicion again.
“April is in a very good mood today.”
“Not that! Your trait! Your special ability! Ah, I see. You don't have one.”
Max puffed out his chest proudly.
So now he's picking a fight because he got an ability?
Typical bully behavior.
He waited until he thought I had no power before getting brave.
“Sir Max!”
Like lightning, I grabbed him by the hair.
He tried desperately to dodge.
His movements really were faster than before.
Unfortunately for him, he still wasn't faster than me.
Max needed discipline.
The fact that I was becoming more and more like a true Sharon family member horrified me.
“April was very surprised! Sir Max, you mustn't shout at your friends. That's not gentlemanly!”
“AAAAAGH! OW! MY HEAD!”
Shake.
Shake.
I would keep going until the top of his head shone like polished marble.
April's strength seemed extraordinary.
Even with his new abilities, Max couldn't pry my hand away.
“When April was three years old, her tutor taught her this! If you shout at your friends, that's bad!”
I tightened my grip.
“Very bad!”
Crunch.
A clump of hair came free.
Since awakening had apparently made him forget his place, I decided this was a good opportunity to educate him.
Hair fluttered to the floor.
“Sir Max! Are you listening to April?”
“AAAAAAAGH!”
“Yes?”
“AAAH! AAAAAH! You mon—! No! I was wrong! I said I was wrong!”
Even though he was practically begging through the agony of having his scalp squeezed, I pretended not to hear him.
Instead, I put on a hurt expression.
“Sir Max never listens to April. April is very sad.”
“AAAAH! PLEASE!”
I had intended to pull out every last hair on his head.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince woke up before I could finish.
With a low groan, he blinked and looked between us.
Should I let go now?
The Crown Prince stared blankly.
The first thing he saw upon waking was Max dangling helplessly by his hair.
I almost felt bad.
“Am I hallucinating?”
Apparently, he still thought this was all a dream.
Crown Prince Azef's affection has increased dramatically!
Crown Prince Azef's affection has increased dramatically!
Crown Prince Azef's affection has increased dramatically!
Apparently, it was a reward.
His affection went up three separate times.
