Chapter 171.
“Ha, ha …… ha …… ha …… ha ……”
The eyes turned red. I laughed between collapses.
“Hey, you ……”
Was it strange for me to suddenly laugh like a madman, Leonard called out to me with an unfamiliar face. My strange laughter gradually quelled the whispers. Probably because I noticed something strange, the Duke with his anger, the antagonistic Derrick guy also looked in surprise. Everything went as expected. Hardcore mode was over, leaving only misery, and I was still cheating in the game. In the fucking, fucking game. The hand holding the cup shivered. …Never mind.
But not yet frustrated. Because there’s another way I’m not using. But it’s not like I can sit back and do nothing.”
At this rate, can’t you become a fake male female who is forcing a real male female? Sure, it wouldn’t be me after leaving the damn place, but then. In the end, if I fall into the role of a wicked girl like the original story. Wasn’t it too pathetic for me to be groveling and begging for my life in front of them all this time.
I clenched my teeth violently and then spoke.” Everything my brother said was right.”
Lifting my chin as high as I could, I looked around the left center. Always as haughty, dang Penelope. Then fixed his eyes on the trembling, slender woman.
“Iben.” I stride.
“Penelope…!” The Duke shot up late, calling me eagerly, but too late. I rounded the podium and approached Iben. Not caring for the sight of the cone-like Derrick either, I gently took her hand.
“Thank God my only sister is home, guys.” Iben looked at me with wide eyes. Not just her, but all the male leads and NPCs as well. But I smiled with all my might.
“Dad wanted me to know that Iben was back, but I was worried about confusion among the guests, so I was asked to announce it at the wedding reception.”
“I can’t believe you tried to hide it from your sister, so it seems there was a misunderstanding in communication with your brother. Right, dad?” I look back at Duke for his approval.
“You came to my room this morning and talked about him.”
Without wiping my spit, the fabricated words come pouring out all at once. Hearing it for the first time startled Duke. He wanted to say something to me, his lips moved, and finally closed his mouth. It was the only thing that could be done to stop the current scandal.
Creepy silence. My stiff expression ignored Derrick and grabbed Iben.
“Come here, Iben-san.”
A horrible chill passed through the sitting hands, but it didn’t show. I led her around back to my seat. Feeling alarmed, Iben leaned close to me, then pushed hard at the gold cup in front of her.
“Will you drink with me? We’re family now.”
“Penelope!”
The duke warns sternly, but I plead with exaggerated pretenses of sulking.
“Dad, it’s my birthday.”
The Duke’s mouth shut tight. Wordlessly speechless, I smile sweetly.
He eventually waves to the butler. It’s a sound that comes with an extra cup. Under the circumstances, calmly organizing the situation and acting calmly he looks remarkable. Unmanageable subtlety loomed, but it was up to me to force the final procedures of the Bar Mitzvah.
Shortly afterward, at the butler’s instruction, a maid ran over with a golden cup. It happened to be Ibn’s temporary maid. A similarly patterned cup was placed next to Penelope’s golden cup. I immediately picked up the flask and handed it to Ibn.
“You’ll drink with me, right?”
The eyes of Iben, who was overwhelmed and inexplicably trembling at that moment, were filled with joy.
“That, then ……!”
She was led by the nose by me, watched the eyes of others, and drank as quickly as she lied. I picked up one of the folk-printed cups sitting on the table and held it out.
“Thank you, Penelope. And sorry for ruining the bar mitzvah …….”
I poured sherry for the Iben cup as she carefully whispered.” Don’t say things like that. Ruined.”
I smiled sweetly and took the bottle she handed me. Instead, she poured sherry in her glass, mimicking a loving sister.” You don’t need to apologize. Anyway …….”
It was instant. Suddenly, the chest felt a slight jolt. Grunt. Not only did I stop talking, I stopped tilting the bottle and peeked down. The ancient magic necklace that I didn’t end up being able to take off under the Crown Prince’s persuasion. The white beads embedded in the middle changed color. Yellow.
I froze, barely lifting my sight and looking at Iben. Because of the bright sunlight, hasn’t she noticed it yet? she stared in surprise at me who suddenly stopped moving.
But didn’t that kid ask me the way to Top Street?
In a flash, Emily’s voice tapped relentlessly against her ears. I remembered the bottle of purple liquid sitting in the desk drawer of my room. The one remaining method I hadn’t used. That was to come back from the dead. Putting Hardcore Mode in front of me, caught up in the drama, it was the only option I had to get out of this place. Even at the risk of possibly actually dying. I had commissioned the poison for Winter to die as quietly as he slept. And, had wanted to perform this act during the recognition process.
Watching me dying, trying to doubt the angelic Ibn. But just before the Bar Mitzvah, a change of plans. Emily’s words and actions were also gaffes, but the conversation with the Duke had a big impact.
He who wanted to make the best of his two daughters’ Bat Mitzvahs and Penelope who disappeared when the once-in-a-lifetime Bat Mitzvah didn’t take place. Can’t bear to mess up a bar mitzvah when I think of that one. It’s poison, isn’t it always available. Anyway, wanting to confirm how the hardcore mode ended, I simply abandoned that plan and hung up the drawer. Apparently, shortly after the Bar Mitzvah, no one knew and wanted to be left alone to try …….
“Penelope ……?”
I stood for a long time without moving, I do not know if it is strange, Iben carefully called me. I tilted my momentarily stopped wrist, spilling even my wine with it. The light spewing out from below gets stronger.
“That, the necklace is ……”
The undeniably yellow bead-like appearance of the necklace finally comes to Iben’s attention. She eyed the necklace.
Gulp. After I filled my glass, I put it on the table and said.
“Iben.”
“Uh ……?”
She suddenly takes her eyes off my necklace in surprise and stares at me. Making a short conclusion.
“The cups were changed.”
“Hmm?”
“The cup was mine. There’s no pattern, as if it’s confused.” I pointed to the gold cup full of sherry she was holding.
It was a lie. Ibn’s makeshift maid had placed the exact cup she’d brought in front of her, and there was nothing to confuse.
“He, did you do it? Ah, sorry …….”
I looked at her with a panicked look and snatched the cup from her hand with tears and laughter. It spilled full of sherry and wet the back of my hand. The red liquid dripping down looked like blood from a wrist.
“Hark, Penelope. The wine, the wine is flowing …….”
“Pick up your glass.”
I said briefly before the startled hostess woke up and interrupted. Then turned around, not really caring if I picked up my glass or not.
“Today’s hero is not me, but the returning Iben, folks.”
I said to the audience as I held up the mug I had snatched from Iben. Occupying the back up once again. I smiled brightly.” Please congratulate everyone. The return of the true male female.”
“Penelope!” I felt the sight of the lowly Duke of Might and the shock-filled Leonard. Whether this was a game story or a trap by Iben, it didn’t matter now. Because escaping this place was over.
“It’s over.”
It wasn’t planned, but it really did, and it hurt inside. It would be like this in the end, and I don’t know for what it was so scary.
I skimmed the faces of the male leads one last time. Derrick who stared expressionlessly at my actions with his arms wrapped around him.
The Crown Prince who suddenly returned looking perhaps a little strange and frowning. And a bunch of uneasy smiling faces.
It’s a little weird to still have the box on top of their heads, but turns off the nerves. And now it’s the end of the day for looking at those tiresome face portraits.
(For the sake of the main character.) I gave a low grunt, then drank the glass raised in front of me in one gulp. The moment someone didn’t have time to dry it off and swallow all the liquid inside after snapping and putting down the cup.
“Miss!” Clang! Suddenly, Winter rose roughly from his seat. His face was twisted in a terrible way. Only now did he seem to notice the color of the necklace.
Suddenly, people looked in surprise at the Marquis de Belldandy who happened to be in his seat. I made no expression and froze staring at him like that.
Suddenly, I felt a hot sensation in my chest. The heart rate gradually increased. The thorns that occupied my eyes one day at a time stabbed me in the head and staggered.
Seemingly sensing something unusual, the squirmy-eyed Crown Prince jerked to his feet and looked as if he had swept away.
“Doctor, call a doctor at once…!”
The “escapee” who was continuously observing me with uneasy eyes let out a loud voice.
“Uh ……”
The chest was hot as if it was on fire. The immense pain caused the eyes to blacken. The sensation of a thousand fire teeth gurgling and boiling under my neck, I gave a small cough.
“Poof!” Suddenly blackness came before my eyes. No, what came out of my mouth was really blood.
“Aaaah!”
“Penelope!”
People’s screams inexplicably echoed in my ears. But slowly my body collapsed I had no way to feel it. While grabbing the end of the table to support the upper half of my body that was barely falling. Suddenly there was a bright light in front of me.
< System > main quest ~Where the disappeared children went~ [Third time. Rescue Children Kidnapped by Evil Forces] compensation is activated!
What is it In between the vague vision, I saw a snow-white square window.
< System > You who solved a difficult mission! Isn’t it a shame to end it like this? You enthusiastically play Hardcore Mode and have a chance to see the exciting ending as a special compensation!
1,000,000,000 Gold > 500,000,000 Gold
[Payment/Refusal]
…ending?”
While everything became a distant blur, it also felt refreshing. I did my best to hold up my body that kept collapsing. But always blurring before my eyes, Li Zhi, his arm barred and snapped. At the same time, the words in the system window changed.
< System > Reserved funds are sufficient and will be paid automatically. < System> 4
Shit, what! No, no!
I shook my head wildly. Then reached out to press [Deny].
“Bah!” But at that moment, once again, blood spurted out of my mouth along with my shaking body.
“Penelope Eckhardt!”
At that moment, someone embraced me roughly. The finger that touched [refused] was broken.
“Please call a doctor, call a doctor!” The someone who hugged me howled.
Whether it was or not, I pinned my eyes to the system window and shook my head eagerly.
“No …… turn off ……”
To press deny, turn it off!
The numbers became fast. I struggled desperately in order to press [Reject]. (Ah!)
But, once again, my body is shaken roughly, and once my eyes go black. Emotions of screaming, shock, confusion, condemnation, crying, all of these come rushing over.
No, get out of the way! No! Shit!
The myriad of people who instantly pounced on me made it ultimately impossible for me to choose.
Pay < System> [500 million gold] to enter! (Remaining reserved funds: 999, 999, 999+)
What was finally reflected in the blurry eyes was not a Duke, nor a Crown Prince.
Finally the countdown finished and the rising system window. That look felt like a demon that had just come up from hell. Iben. The sound of what seemed like something collapsing rang in his ears. Please don’t kill me anymore …… female …… give me ……” I closed my eyes and cried out silently.