𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒' 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐎𝐆 | 𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘥 𝘹 𝘔.𝘺/𝘯 |

(7) An Uninvited Guest.

୨⎯ "  Ρєиєℓσρє'ʂ ΡσƲ  " ⎯୧

The world narrowed to a single point – the masked figure towering before me.

His gaze, intense and unexpected, held me captive.

A flicker of fear, a primal instinct, snaked through me.

Then, something shifted.

The coldness in his eyes softened, replaced by a glimmer of… sympathy?

An alien emotion, one that sent a wave of confusion crashing over me. 

'Why?'

I thought, a bewildered frown on. 

A surge of panic flooded my veins.

Hovering above the masked figure's head was a glaring bar:

[Interest -68%]. 

It wasn't the usual interest meter. 

This one sported a broken pink heart, a stark contrast to the typical blank ones.

'How am I still alive around him?'

The question hammered in my skull.

Every interaction in the game with a love interest with a negative score, even a fleeting one, resulted in my demise. 

But this stranger… he defied the game's cruel logic. 

A cold sweat prickled my skin. 

'He can't be another love interest, can he? There's no way the game snuck in a hidden character!'

The weight of this realization settled on my chest, stealing my breath.

Exhaustion, not just from the night's events but from the relentless cycle of death and despair, threatened to overwhelm me. 

Memories of countless playthroughs, each ending in a gruesome demise, blurred in my mind. 

Had I truly forgotten a potential love interest? 

The game seemed to revel in these cruel twists.

Desperate for a lifeline, I reached out to the only source of help I knew. 

With a silent plea, I asked the system to activate the choices.

A familiar box materialized in the corner of my vision, a beacon of hope in the suffocating silence. 

Relief washed over me, momentarily pushing aside the chilling truth about the masked stranger. 

This time, however, the choices that materialized sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over me.

1-¦|Ha! The Grand Duke's trying to pick a date with the mad dog of the Eckharts?!

(This would surely be social suicide.)

2-¦|My my, (Y/N)!? Was eyefucking my elder brother not enough for you?~

(This one reeked of a guaranteed death flag.)

My stomach lurched.

Both options were laced with malice, designed to push me further down the path of destruction. 

But the alternative third – glare at him without saying a word – could be just as deadly.

Scanning through the choices, I felt a surge of defiance.

This time, I wouldn't be a pawn in the game's cruel hands.

With a silent snarl, I mentally shouted,