episode_0007

When I opened my eyes, it was morning. The end of a day spent groaning from a cold was followed by a simple meal and then a deep sleep.

I remember Claire realizing my condition late and the arrival of the porridge, which irritated me as I ate it. But after lying down, I don’t remember anything else.

So, it seems I slept through the day.

“Sigh. Is this what they call recovering from fatigue and sleep deprivation?”

On second thought, realistically, is there any other way to recover? Well, there’s nothing as good for recovery as eating well and sleeping deeply.

It was inevitable that time had passed.

-Knock, knock.

“Breakfast is served.”

Already, breakfast had arrived like this.

Today, it was Miyeum again. Perhaps Claire’s urgent order for the maids to clean up my room yesterday had been quite helpful; it seemed unlikely that I would suffer from discomfort today.

However.

“I will go and see.”

The only difference was that firstly, the maid attending to me had changed. Normally, Camilla should have been the one doing this, but given the recent events in the game’s story, the maid had been replaced.

Secondly.

“Just by looking at her expression, she seems full of dissatisfaction.”

The fact that this maid seemed to dislike me was the second point. While I knew well how Carcyn perceived things within the mansion, the maid’s intimacy box was slightly darker than it had been yesterday.

Whichever way you looked at it, it wasn’t a good sign.

Camilla had tried to feed Carcyn strange things first, but she wasn’t a character who spread rumors or gossip.

But what about this maid? She might become a threat to me, teasing me somewhere and causing my intimacy with the mansion’s staff to continue to decline.

“In the end, the mansion is a place I must escape from… but I can’t do that right away.”

There are strict social hierarchies, and a world so treacherous that it can’t even be compared to Korea awaits me. Perhaps things are happening that I’m not fully aware of.

Ironically, the most dangerous place can also be the optimal place to cower in fear. That’s why escaping right away is nothing but a pipe dream.

“First, while progressing through the story, we need to avoid choices that trigger a bad ending. If we go further from here, it means turning off the dead trigger itself.”

In a certain community, a user directly referred to choices leading to a bad ending as “dead flags,” and events that could activate these dead flags were called “dead triggers.”

That description was spot on.

The term “flag” needs no explanation.

“Trigger.” Literally, a trigger. It aims the gun until the situation where the dead flag pops up changes with the flow of events.

So, everyone was bewildered because they didn’t know when, where, or for what reason this choice suddenly led to a bad ending.

Now that I’ve entered the game, I must be facing a significant dead trigger.

“…Should I start by removing Camilla?”

Even after possession, the story hadn’t changed much. Karsein fell ill, and his dedicated maid, Camilla, came under suspicion. Thus, Camilla, a strong suspect, was locked in solitary confinement.

If things continue like this, I’ll definitely die because of the tremendous dead trigger held by the character Camilla.

There are faint hints. The maids’ intimacy boxes and direct reactions.

Camilla is the most popular and sociable among the maids, so she’s highly regarded within the mansion.

As luck would have it, she was my maid, so the arrows of blame will undoubtedly be aimed at me. Therefore, getting Camilla out of solitary confinement isn’t a choice, but a necessity.

But before doing that, the episode must progress first.

-Clatter.

When the maid arrived, my door, which used to be knocked on, opened on its own. Well, she was someone who could be allowed to do that.

“What’s the matter, Arina?”

She was the first daughter of Viscount Bagrand.

***

Arina walked over briskly and glanced disdainfully at the meager table with only one dish laid out.

“Even though you said you wouldn’t eat anything I painstakingly prepared, was this measly thing all you were going to eat?”

I knew it would be like this, but hearing it directly still dampens my mood. Still, there’s no need for me to convey the truth with my own mouth.

After all, speaking would be futile in this situation.

“The food is from the same chef. What’s the problem?”

“The same? If the chef who served that dish at your table yesterday hears this, he’d be horrified.”

“Hah.”

“You seem to be laughing even in this situation. It’s a matter of great shame for the family because of you.”

It was a hollow laugh born out of sheer disbelief.

Despite looking pathetic, this saved my life. Not the extravagant and flashy dishes that Claire and you instructed me to prepare, but this saved my life.

It was a struggle to hold back the voice that almost escaped in a fit of anger, resulting in a hollow laugh.

There’s much to say, but I held back with great effort.

-Ding!

▶Episode II – The Maids’ Discontent Begins!◀

▶Answer Ariana’s Question!◀

[ 1. Why are you so touchy? Don’t ruin the taste of the food and just back off a bit, okay? ]

[ 2. Why bring up Mother again? She wouldn’t even bother coming if I were sick. ]

[ 3. It’s not stubbornness…! Sigh. Forget it. What do you want to talk about? You crazy woman. ]

…

…

Finally, the main story begins.

Some very impressive choices have appeared.

As soon as the episode starts, it branches into multiple choices, ranging from things you can’t bear to see to outright traps.

[ 6. Isn’t that why you’ve come? ]

“Isn’t that why you’ve come?”

Surely she didn’t come all this way for such a trivial matter. If she’s Ariana Vagrand.

“You don’t really need to tell me what you came here for. You’re here to show me what you’re holding, aren’t you?”

“Hmm. Right. You didn’t come for your meal. Wait here for a moment. I have more to bring.”

A while later, Ariana returned with another stack of documents. At first glance, it seemed far larger than what she had brought earlier.

The documents were profiles of the servants working within the Marquisate, detailing their assignments and duties meticulously.

Then why am I showing this? That’s the point, isn’t it.

“The duke is currently going through a very busy period. He spends a lot of time preparing for a big event and there are other reasons as well. But since you caused an accident here, there’s no choice but to pay even more money.”

I can guess.

If all the servants are handling such tight schedules, there’s only one thing for me to say.

“So, should I hire a maid?”

“Right. Due to your mischief, Camilla, who was working diligently despite your misbehavior, is under suspicion because of you. I plan to find her another job, even if it’s out of pity. The suspicion will be cleared soon.”

Ariana seemed to be giving me the choice, but in reality, she was criticizing me.

The master, Karsein, didn’t want to employ any servants due to his severity, and he’s particularly focused on the fact that Camilla worked despite breaking through that attitude.

Yeah, I just didn’t say anything.

“All this has created more work for the already busy duke. It’s all because of your negligence in taking care of your health.”

It’s nothing short of a scolding.

But I just can’t understand.

“Why is that Karsein’s fault?”

He’s the victim, isn’t he? He had to shower in cold water, went with aching body, received lukewarm responses, and returned without eating proper food. He’s nothing but a victim, having to endure malicious desserts. He’s not in a position to be scolded, setting aside everything else.

“Your mother must be distressed because of this too. If you have a conscience, handle it quietly so she doesn’t hear about it. Don’t cause more trouble for the family members—”

And that damned word “family” keeps coming up.

I felt it at first, but even his personality is no different from hers.

“Kim Minhyuk, why do you always make our family ashamed? I can’t hold my head up because of you. Do you understand?”

“Unlike other kids, your mother works hard to support our family and provide a harmonious home with the money she earns. So please, have some shame. Stop bringing disgrace to our household.”

The words I heard from my older sister in that house were exactly the same.

*Ding!*

It was the moment when my anger was about to erupt. The options appeared. It would be right to choose the correct answer quickly and drive that girl away, but I couldn’t hold back and blurted out,

“You’re causing harm to me right now…!”

*Beep! Beep!*

At that moment, as if my speech was being controlled, a warning window popped up.

▶Warning!◀

▶Warning!◀

▶Warning!◀

The surroundings seemed to be filled with flashing red warning lights, and in my ears, it continued to spread sound as if an alarm was going off.

Finally, a status window appeared.

▶Warning! You cannot take this action!◀

▶A serious error that could lead to story collapse has been detected!◀

▶Please choose the option again.◀

▶If the same action is detected again, a penalty will be enforced!◀

“Damn it.”

▶Current accumulated warnings: 1 time◀

▶Penalty will be enforced at the next warning.◀

▶Forced random choice 5 times.◀

Even though it’s called “random,” with this kind of penalty, it’s practically telling me to die.

Disappointingly, I can’t even say what I want to say. In the end, I had to sigh as I looked at the timer that appeared in front of me, indicating that the game would soon resume.

“Your mother must be suffering because of this too. If you have a conscience, handle it so she doesn’t hear about it. Don’t cause harm to the rest of the family in the same way—”

The lines that Arina delivered echoed in my ears as if they were being input again. My voice might have been heard, but there was no response. No, it felt more like it had all been undone.

“At least intervene within the story, is that it?”

I obtained information. Even though I can twist the choices, I can’t fundamentally refuse the choice itself. At the very least, it seems to imply that I should whisper the key lines. Also, there are constraints on actions other than these choices. Moreover… the warning that next time, I’ll be killed without mercy. For information obtained at the risk of my life, it was quite unreasonable.

“First, it’s not the time to complain, but to live. First, choose the correct answer… Hmm?”

As I grumbled, I noticed an object falling from the shelf to the floor, emitting light. It was undoubtedly a memorial.

“If it’s the map of Carsein’s room… is it a carriage figurine?”

The memorial reveals Carsein’s past and sometimes points out important key points in resolving episodes, although it can be difficult to find at times.

I already have a rough idea of the content here, but…

“Surely that’s not all.”

This wasn’t just my intuition.

As the choices appeared, as soon as I reached for the carriage doll, everything before me flashed white.

***

It was a warm sunny day, just like any other ordinary day.

The faces of the Imperial citizens were full of vitality as they began their energetic day under the spring sun.

Even in this slum, the spring sun had arrived. For children abandoned on the streets, who knew nothing of their parents’ existence, the warmth of the approaching spring was comforting.

On one such day,

A woman, wandering the country with lifeless eyes in search of a single child, suddenly regained her spirit.

“Oh…! Here, here you are!”

The person before the revived woman’s eyes was none other than Carsein.