Chapter 12
The moment I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the entrance of the maze garden.
“This is useful.”
I was actually quite worried because I tend to get lost often, but I didn’t know it had a teleporting system, like in the game.
“Now, let’s march straight to death.”
I stepped into the maze garden, already prepared. Thankfully, I didn’t get lost at all in the maze. Maybe it’s the system being polite, because the lights only lit up on the path I should be taking. I walked through the big maze for a while, following the lights.
How much longer?
I’d walked for quite a long time, but the lights didn’t seem like they were going to turn off somewhere. About when my feet were starting to hurt from the high heels, I could see a light a far distance from me that was sparkling more than the other lights were. It was finally the end. I reached that end, then took a turn. The place was very spacious, with a small water fountain and a bench you could sit and rest on.
“What the… Where is he?”
Looking around, I could see no other lights that were on. I was pretty sure that this was the end of the maze. However, no matter how much I looked around me, there were no signs of the Crown Prince. I tilted my head, then hesitantly walked towards the water fountain.
Srr-
I felt something cold and heavy by my neck.
“Ah!”
“I wondered which mouse was wandering around here.”
The Crown Prince walked towards me, his sword circling my neck.
Sting
With the sensation of my flesh being sliced, something hot dripped down my neck, but I wasn’t able to recognize that I’d been cut.
“Huh, isn’t this the Eckart’s crazy fuss-making dog?”
Brilliant golden hair with the moonlight reflecting upon it, and crimson red eyes that seemed to be soaked with blood. The Crown Prince, who was staring at me in interest, smiled with a ghostly expression. However, it only lasted a moment.
“To think you’d come and follow me after witnessing the scene at the ballroom. Seems like you have a death wish?”
I felt goosebumps as the Crown Prince’s expression suddenly turned blank.
“Speak. Why did you follow me like a sneaky little mouse?”
The blade dug deeper into my skin, but what felt more stinging was the deathly aura directed at me. I suddenly realized that the Crown Prince was going to kill me at any moment.
Reset button!
I wandered around with my eyes, trying to find the reset button. Though I’m going to die anyway, it would be nice if I knew where it was before I died.
“Judging from you having no answer to my question, shall you begin your last farewell to your brothers?”
However wherever I looked…
“I’ll be nice, and deliver them your last words.”
The reset button couldn’t be seen anywhere.
Reset! Where’s the reset?! Reset-!
There’s no reset button!
I felt like I was about to faint. The reset button wasn’t anywhere in sight. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince seemed like he was actually planning to kill me, raising his blade to strike.
“W-Wait! Wait!”
I shouted in panic. The Crown Prince paused, and tilted his head.
“Looks like now you have the mindset to speak.”
“That’s right! I’ll tell you! I-I will tell you!”
I nodded my head crazily. The sword he had raised was now once again set by my neck.
“Go on.”
“W-Well…”
I did say that I would tell him because I was panicking, but my mind went blank now that I actually had to do so.
I mean, what do I say, really?
I can’t say I followed because I intended to die, and I shouldn’t die as long as I knew that the reset button didn’t exist.
Should I turn on the choices?
However, it wasn’t guaranteed that I could live even if I turned them on. It was actually because it wasn’t on that I had even survived until now.
“I can hear your brain working to come up with something from here.”
The Crown Prince smirked coldly, not being able to wait a moment more of me crazily trying to come up with something.
“I’m very excited about what you’ll say.”
The interest gauge bat shined dangerously over the top of his head.
“It’ll have to be a reasonable excuse, Lady.”
“…”
“I really dislike someone blocking my way.”
He muttered, bringing the blade to my skin with a little more pressure than before. Warm blood streamed down my neck. Fear of death and pain. That took control of my brain.
“…I-I like you!”
Therefore, without thinking anything anymore, I spit out the words that even I found stupid.
“…What?”
His crimson eyes widened. I shut my eyes tight, and shouted. My mouth was already out of my control.
“I-I’ve liked you this whole time!”
“…”
“I thought I would comfort you over the previous incident, because I thought you would feel hurt by it…”
This was a totally idiotic choice of dialogue that didn’t appear in either the hard or the normal mode. It was true that in the normal mode, the heroine faces the Crown Prince and comforts him, but that was only possible because the heroine didn’t witness the scene where he’d slashed off the head of that assassin.
Shit. Even though I didn’t know what to say, why did I have to say that I liked this insane brat?
But if you think about it, there could only be one reason why a noble lady would follow a man into this kind of creepy maze… Is what you could say if it was between a normal man and woman.
Bye, you crazy game. I’m (possibly) going back home because I’m going to die now. It’ll be a one star review from me.
I closed my eyes and trembled, prepared to feel the pain that’d come down on me soon. But no matter how much I waited, the sound of a sword slashing through the air couldn’t be heard.
“Hm. The Duke family’s crazy dog in love with the Royal Family’s wretch, huh?”
The night breeze tickled my nose. I carefully opened my eyes, listening to the low mutter of the Crown Prince.
“That is…”
“…”
“Such an unexpected excuse.”
The blood-like eyes were right in front of mine. I couldn’t breathe. He stared at me, his face alight with interest.
“You probably didn’t see me that often, though. You probably just took a glimpse at me for the first time at my safe-return ceremony.”
Actually, I didn’t see him then either. I only saw him today for the first time in my life.
It was obvious, since it was after that ceremony that I reincarnated into this body. I replied, my body tense.
“I-I fell in love at first sight that day.”
“What part of me do you like?”
“Well…”
I was speechless for good this time.
What could I say? No, HOW could I? I remember drawing ‘X’ several times by his name when I reorganized the novel last time!
I glimpsed at him and forced a reason out of my brain before he lost his cool.
“Your face makes you very attractive…”
“To think my only charm is my face, this is making me sad.”
“Y-You are very brave, and are very skilled with your sword…”
“Your reasons are just things that could come out inside any box. Do you not have more original and interesting reasons?”
“That’s… Well…”
I was now about to faint from all the questions I was getting. To be honest, I was barely able to stand right now with my shaking legs. The cold and keen sensation on my neck scared me very much.
“Uhh… I…”
The Crown Prince’s smirk grew bigger and bigger each time I tried harder to hold back my tears.
I went crazy for a moment there. It was crazy for me to try and die from this kind of horrible creep.
Just when I felt like I was about to faint, he spoke again.
“Alright. Though I’m not satisfied, I’ll set you free for now.”
The blade of his sword that was digging into my skin was removed with those words. I raised my head in surprise, and the Crown Prince continued in a voice filled with excitement, his crimson eyes glowing.
“However, you’ll have to explain specifically why and how you came to like me the next time we meet.”
I nodded my head like an insane person.
“Go ahead and leave now.”
He said while sliding his sword in its sheath. At that moment, the interest gauge located above his brilliant golden hair started to shine.
[Interest 2%]
I stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded. Not because I was happy and relieved, but because it was very, very…
Ridiculous.
“What are you standing there for? Looks like you want to play the draw-the-red-line game again?”
The Crown Prince teased while looking at me stupidly standing, his thumb motioning a slice on his neck.
“N-Not at all!”
I jumped on the spot, then drew back. I turned around completely and started fast walking. At that moment, I couldn’t think of giving a proper farewell greeting to a Royal like I should. Walking fast and not running when I could feel the Crown Prince’s gaze on my back was the best manners I could provide.
Please let me know if there’s anything inconsistent, or that needs further editing/corrections!!
-emrld
Scarlett Shoujo 