“Mrs. Presby.”
A voice called out, stopping Prisippi from her bent position on the ground. Her tangled hair straightened and became shiny as if by magic, and her messy clothes instantly returned to normal.
Of course, none of this was her doing, it was just the way the game worked.
“Come in.”
Once again, her lips moved uncontrollably, and she uttered words that were not really hers.
[1. Good morning, Ella.]
[2. How dare you disturb your lady at such an unholy time?!]
[3. What's up?]
Familiar options appeared before her, and by this time, she was able to recite them all with her eyes closed.
Prisippi sighed and chose the third option.
“What's wrong?” The words left her lips exactly as written, making her feel like a puppet on strings.
“His Majesty has summoned you, Lady Priscipe. Immediately.”
Emperor. Dietrich. A tyrant like no other in the history of Atiluia. And the man who killed her first. Or rather, the first male character she had to “conquer.”
[1. Escape.]
[2. Agree to go.]
[3. He refused to go.]
She stared at the new array of options and bit her lip.
“Okay,” she muttered, choosing the second option.
As much as she wanted to choose the former and run away, the game had to move forward if she wanted to find the real main man. Moreover, she already knew how the other options ended:
The first time, you will be hit by an arrow fired by Dietrich's soldiers. The third time, Ella will be severely punished by the Emperor, and later, in a fit of spite, she will poison Precipe's food.
“Please don’t be too late this time,” Ella said, pulling Presibe with her. “You always make me take the blame when you waste time.”
Her attitude was a far cry from that of an obedient maid addressing her mistress.
Damn everything. Prisippi cursed silently, unable to express her anger.
Dietrich Atiluya. The emperor who bore the name of the imperial dynasty of Atiluia.
Dietrich despised Precipe. No, hate probably doesn't cover that.
At one point, I wondered, “If he hates me so much, why doesn’t he kill me?” But after “beating” him at her first game, she understood: the reasons Dietrich hated her and couldn’t bring himself to kill her were the same.
Although he now seemed as emotionless as a sword, Dietrich was a sick child. His father, the former Emperor, preferred his youngest son - the son of a concubine - to Dietrich, the legitimate heir to the Empress. It was clear that the emperor intended to transfer the throne to the second son.
To make matters worse, Dietrich's mother died when he was young, leaving him completely alone in the cold halls of the Imperial Palace.
The only person who stayed by his side during those difficult times was Presibe, who was also a child.
Precipe was the daughter of a concubine—a commoner named Vanessa, whom the emperor married late in his life. Lacking any real favor or support within the court, mother and daughter were ignored. Vanessa, who was broken in spirit, could not even take proper care of her daughter.
Thus, Precipe, like Dietrich, was alone.
The two children become close to each other, a bond that is briefly shown during the game's tutorial.
But Vanessa's treachery is discovered, Priscipe is revealed to be not the Emperor's daughter, she is stripped of her status as a princess, and is banished from the palace without even having the chance to say goodbye to Dietrich.
Soon after, Dietrich recovered, got rid of his younger brother, and ascended to the throne. One of his first decrees was to restore Prisse to the throne, but he imprisoned her in the tallest tower of the Western Palace.
Dietrich's misunderstanding of Precipe was profound. He believed that she had abandoned him in favor of an alliance with his rival, the Second Prince. However, despite his hatred for her, a part of him still cared for her. This complex mixture of affection and resentment was the foundation on which their “relationship” was built.
When I first played this game, I felt some pity for him. But after she had endured his cruelty over and over again, any compassion she might have felt disappeared.
“Seriously,” she muttered, breaking the silence, “why would you detain someone instead of just talking things out? What's the point of keeping me here if you're not even going to use words?”
Presibe laughed bitterly and said, "It's not that I'm different. I have a mouth, but I can't use it freely either."
The game gave her no power. All she could do was choose from the pre-set options that appeared.
I sighed deeply and looked forward, finding the imposing red door leading to Dietrich's room.
She swallowed her annoyance and cursed him in her thoughts as she stepped forward.
Her body moved against her will, and she pushed the door open. She bowed down in front of the Emperor reclining on the throne-like chair inside and thought: You bastard. You are an absolute piece of trash.
“…I salute your majesty,” her lips said instead.
“He still looks fine, even though he is just a humble guest in this palace,” he quipped.
Technically, he wasn't wrong. She was no longer a princess, and her stay in the palace was entirely at his mercy. But it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter.
“Filthy slut.”
His tone was full of disdain.
At first, his words had made her angry, but now they were boring.
Just hurry up and say everything you want to say.
She glanced at the status bar floating above his head.
[Dietrich Atiloya / Preference: 0]
Below that the options appear again:
[1. I apologize.]
[2. Remain silent.]
[3. Your voice is not nice.]
Every time she played, she always chose the first option, because she knew that was the safest way to calm his anger. But this time…
A fourth option appeared, different from the rest:
[◆ What are you talking about, you idiot? Mind your own business, you idiot!]
Her violet eyes widened in shock.
“What the hell is this?” She whispered as she stared at the sudden, unprecedented choice.