Chapter 5

I searched for a pen and a piece of paper as soon as I got out of the bathroom.

I needed to figure out a way to survive as long as I've become Penelope.

In this hard mode, it was hard to raise the interest of one, and a drop to a negative leads to death.

It was even worse for the duke's second son. His interest was already in the negative. It would be death that'll come for me if his interest didn't rise to a positive soon.

There was a need for me to organize some information about the game.

It was fortunate that the fake lady at least had some things she deserved as a lady.

In the large room stood a luxury bookshelf and a desk.

I didn't hesitate to go to it and take a seat. I dipped the end of the quill into the ink.

"Characters first."

There were 5 male characters in total in the game.

The 2 sons of the duke and the crowned prince, the wizard, the knight.

The hard mode started with their interests at 0% or negative unlike in the normal mode where it started with 30% of interest in each one.

I started to write down everything I remembered, on the blank sheet of paper.

First, Derrick Eckart.

(Korean Pronunciations: Derrick Eckart)

He was was the first son of the duke, technically the young duke of the family. Derrick was a typical noble man.

He was generally uninterested towards Penelope as he was too busy preparing to be the next duke of this family.

However there were strong and intense contempt and hatred towards her for taking his blood-related sister's place.

In the game, Derrick killing Penelope himself was rare. However, he didn't forget to punish her whenever she made a fault.

Then the player will be given a penalty and their choices of lines to choose from would be restricted.

Just like today, I cannot leave the room due to the punishment given yesterday.

Anyways, next. The youngest son of the duke, Reynold Eckart.

(Korean Pronunciations: Re Nuhld [Rennald] Eckart)

This kid, well, there's really nothing much to explain.

A very wacky and active guy with a bad -temper, having a critical personality and is always picking a fight with Penelope on every single thing whenever he encounters her.

As he's the leader to those who abuse Penelope, him being first to abuse Penelope is not even surprising. What is surprising is that he's always the one who brings Penelope to her death through some unexpected weird ways.

"Now that I see, these two are somewhat similar to the bastards in our house, aren't they?"

I clicked my tongue, going over the information of the two that I've written down.

These two had the easiest routes to master in normal mode.

It was because these two had 'family love' and not 'lover's love' for her since they were blood related.

That being said, Penelope was not the least related to the two through blood. Therefore, it had the higher chance of having a different ending than in the normal mode.

However I shook my head.

I scribbled a big 'X' on their names I've written.

"They have no answers. These two are hopeless."

Adding to that, Reynold's interest starts at a negative.

Not even a 0, but a negative.

Why would negative be a negative.

This was what the producer was telling me:

There's no hope in the first place, so just give up on an ending with Reynold.

Besides, I was a person who go nauseous even just hearing the word 'Oppa', so I decided I'd fully give up on them.

"Next, the crowned prince."

Callisto Régūlus, the crowned prince.

(Korean Pronunciations: Callisto reguleuce)

The only information I have about him were all from the normal mode.

The crowned prince who depreciates his life due to his unfortunate childhood events, meets the angel-like protagonist and heals his heart before he punishes the villainess Penelope.

That was a justice-has-been-done but from Penelope's perspective, the crowned prince was a grim reaper.

He was the one who killed Penelope the most in the hard mode.

I pressed the reset button so many time during his route that I don't even remember what happened in the whole game.

"Let's not even go close to where this guy is."

I remembered the illustration with Callisto slicing my neck several times.

I felt chills down my spine.

Criss cross. I drew 'X' on the crowned prince's name many times.

Then I quickly moved onto the next.

The next was Buinter Verdandi. He was a wizard and a marquis.

(Korean Pronunciation: Vuinter [Bwinter] Berudandi)

As a wizard, he works with his identity as a marquis, hidden.

He exchanges information and mysterious objects, and thanks to that, he is able to find out that the protagonist is the duke's lost daughter.

After that, he gains information about the villainess making evil plans. He either warns the protagonist or blocks the danger himself.

Besides that, he was a character who was the most helpful in getting her honors and glamors.

He presented romantic magics in normal mode. He was a sweet man who helped the protagonist from behind.

But I don't know how he was in the hard mode.

I was already busy, dying from the crowned prince and the 2 sons of the duke before Buinter's route even started.

Anyways, he had some high possibilities and hopes unlike the three previous brats so I decided to let it be for now.

"And last, Eclipse."

(Korean Pronunciations: Eclise)

Being a knight of the duke family, Eclipse was a commoner.

The duke, who went out to the town at night, happened to see Eclipse who was outstanding in swordsmanship, bought him at a high price to bring him in and make him into a knight-in-training.

Later, he becomes the youngest sword master and is given a status as a noble. He wins the title of 'young and handsome guy'.

Eclipse was the one character you can most expect an ending from, out of the five males.

He was the only one who felt sympathy towards Penelope until the end.

Penelope was his last master he had served, and I think that's why he was the one, least to stop Penelope from bullying the protagonist.

Even though I never even met him in the hard mode....

"Hahh... There's nothing much that'd help me at this point."

I let out a deep sigh, looking at my finished list.

I didn't know much about the hard mode since everything blocked the way in it.

Even if I did, I don't know if it'd be useful or not since I don't know how the system may differ from the game in reality.

The one thing I know for sure though, is that I die when the male character's interests reaches negative and that there's a time limit I have to reach an ending in.

Penelope's coming-of-age ceremony.

I must finish the route of at least one of the capture characters before that day.

That's because it is that day when the protagonist makes her debut in the story.

'Poor Penelope.'

She loses everything due to the real daughter of the duke appearing just when she becomes an adult.

That was the start of the normal mode.

If I didn't end up with anyone until then, then I was most likely to die from one of them even if I don't act like a villainess.

Of course, there wasn't a guarantee that I wouldn't die before that even starts.

"...I can't die."

I clenched my teeth thinking about my sorrowful future.

Yes. I can't die.

I've just escaped from that rotten house. I can't just die in a game like this.

"I'll not die no matter what."

My morning class at school is waiting for me.

I'll live and go back to where I belong.

I decided, blankly staring at 'I don't know what', that I'd live.

It was then. Knock knock-.

I heard the knocking sound from the door, twice. Before I even had the time to hide the papers with the information I've written down, the door opened abruptly.

"Lady."

The person who appeared in front of me was an old white hair butler.

He didn't come in but stood by the door as he spoke.

"His grace is commanding for your presence."

I knew that the words written on the paper wouldn't show in his eyes, but I felt unpleasant at his rude attitude.

There was a manager when I lived at a house.

Even though that manager didn't seem to like me, he didn't open the door like the butler did just now.

Moreover, this world wasn't based on democracy but classism.

(Democracy: Citizens vote for who gets the power over them.)

(Classism: Power is by social class- Duke, Marquis, Commoners, ect.)

I was deciding on rather I should just deal with it or do something about it.

But before I decided on what to do, a white box appeared in front of my eyes.

1. (Throwing the objects in the room) You dare open the door to my room without my permission? Do you wish for death, oldie?!

2. If he has something to say, tell him to come himself!

3. (Glares at him for 5 seconds, then gets up) Okay.

'Ah.'

I forgot about it again. That I'm not in the state where I can get angry over things however I want....

However I also didn't want to act like what any of the three choices that are given to me are forcing me to do.

I thought while choosing the third one as my option, annoyedly.

Interest or whatever, I need to do something about this option chart.

"... Okay."

It was fortunate that the duke was calling me at this time.

I hid the papers I wrote on, deep in the drawer before getting up from the spot.

Then I followed the butler out my room.

I only knew about this mansion through just a few illustrations, so I took this chance to carefully look around the places.

The mansion was gigantic in size just like some buildings you can see in a movie that showed a castle in Europe.

Penelope's room was on the second floor.

Inside the mansion seemed busy. I met quite a lot of workers while walking through the halls.

The gazes of the workers who glanced at me when I walked by, didn't seem kind.

However I ignored them without any fuss.

These kind of gazes don't even bother me the least since I've felt these gazes way too much before I even came here.

The butler who was leading the way, got down to the first floor and soon arrived at the well-decorated door.

It seemed to be the duke's office.

Knock knock knock.

"Your grace. I escorted the lady here."

"Come in."

Creak- The door opened with the butler opening the door.

I stepped in the room, feeling a bit nervous.