TIRS 03

CHAPTER 3: 

Terminal… Illness?

Hezen was wearing the exact same look he always had when he was with me—that gaze that said he was hopelessly in love, and a smile as if drawn by an artist.

I stared at Hezen and the woman beside him, utterly stunned.

[Captain of the Imperial Knights] Lv.10 Hezen Ainshein

Above his head floated a blue system window slightly different from the others—and another one above the woman’s head.

‘Why does only Hezen have a level shown? And who the heck is that woman?’

Saint of the Kingdom of Taal: Clara
Affection: 537

Her affection wasn’t directed toward me, of course.

Unlike the noble ladies from the tea party earlier, this was someone I had never seen before.

Granted, as a princess of Azester, she might know me, but still…

Suddenly, options popped up again with a ding!

[Calm ‘s sulky mood ⸜(♡’ᗜ’♡)⸝

1. Give her a peck.
2. Kiss her.
3. Go to the bedroom.]

Seeing those choices again, a bolt of horrifying realization struck me.

‘No way. Don’t tell me I transmigrated into… that world?!’

The novel Chronicles of the Hero of Light had been a beloved classic in its time.

And then there was the VR game adaptation: Chronicles of the Hero of Light: The Four Heroes.

Fans often nicknamed it Trash Chronicles to distinguish it from the original—because it was widely despised.

The “trash” in the name wasn’t for nothing. It came from the game’s infamous Affection System.

Despite its high freedom, the game let players build affection with female characters.

Even worse, it used dating sim terminology like “target character,” and forums were flooded with seduction strategies.

As a result, the righteous heroes of light were turned into womanizing sleazeballs who “conquered” every woman they met!

To make matters worse, the original heroine, the Saint of Light Maria, was excluded as a main hero and reduced to a mere sidekick for the male characters. Fans were outraged.

The final straw was the affection system that completely derailed the source material and earned the game endless scorn.

So—I hadn’t transmigrated into Chronicles of the Hero of Light, which I loved.

I’d been thrown into the godawful game version I hated.

And not even as the player—but as one of the freaking target characters!

“Oh, Clara, my precious little dove,” Hezen cooed in a disgustingly sweet voice, tapping her cheek.
“That engagement with that other woman was political. You know the Empire demanded it. But the one I love is only you. You know that, right? That my heart belongs only to you…”

“Really?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Hezen’s hand slowly traced down her face.

Just then, the previous system message vanished, leaving only the third choice flashing brightly.

[SYSTEM] You have selected “3. Go to the bedroom”…

It was that moment.

WHAM!

A thunderous punch landed squarely on Hezen’s filthy mouth.

The sparkling choice window above his head shattered to bits.

“Wu… wuwu? (Lu… Luru?)”

Clutching his bruised lips with one hand, Hezen looked up at me in shock.

[SYSTEM] Emergency situation!
[SYSTEM] You have been caught by fiancée with !
[SYSTEM] ’s anger is rising.
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: 341/999
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: 508/999
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage is reaching abnormal levels.
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: 692/999
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: 814/999
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: 999/999
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage has maxed out.
[SYSTEM] ’s strength is temporarily surging!

With cutesy sound effects, my system window now included new stats like “rage” and “strength.”

So it could display other values, not just affection?

I might’ve been curious under other circumstances, but right now, my fury eclipsed everything.

“Hezen.”

My voice came out in a low, deathly tone that made it sound like I might kill him on the spot.

“Eep!”

The gasp didn’t come from Hezen, but from Clara, the Saint of Taal, standing beside him.

[SYSTEM] is experiencing fear from this situation.

I turned my head slowly toward her.

Our eyes met, and Clara trembled, stepping back.

Saint of the Kingdom of Taal: Clara
§FEAR STATUS§
Affection: 537

A new line had appeared above her head.

[Warning! has entered FEAR STATUS. Calm her down or receive a penalty!]
[Warning! Your fiancée is extremely angry after witnessing your affair with . If you fail to soothe her rage, a serious penalty awaits!]

Two choices appeared for Hezen:

1. Soothe ’s fear.
2. Soothe ’s rage.

The scumbag didn’t hesitate for a second and picked the one with the “serious penalty” warning—option 2.

“L-Lulu, it’s not what it looks like…!”

Hezen didn’t even glance at Clara now, clinging to me in desperation.

“I don’t even know her! She just came up to me all of a sudden! You know you’re the only one for me, right? Lulu, please, don’t doubt my feelings!”

His beautiful face, the one I once liked so much, now wore an expression of pitiful sincerity.

But I saw right through him.

Everything he said now was just to manipulate me and lower my rage meter.

Which only made me more furious.

[SYSTEM] You have failed to calm ’s rage.
[SYSTEM] Her rage is intensifying.
[SYSTEM] ’s Rage: @%#$^%
[SYSTEM] SYSTEM ERROR! SYSTEM ERROR! ‘s rage is off the charts! Run immediately!

The system window screamed warnings.

But Hezen wasn’t the only one who saw it.

As he tried to flee, I grabbed him without hesitation.

And drove my knee right into his most valuable area.

It’s been three days since I discovered the truth about this world.

Lifting my head, I saw the familiar pink system window still floating above me.

Third Princess of the Azester Empire: Luyvel

Mine was the only one that sparkled pink, unlike the others.

I sighed deeply, feeling deflated.

Even if this affection system was part of a game mechanic, the feelings I’d had for him weren’t fake.

When he confessed to me, my heart had genuinely fluttered. I’d been happy.

I had even imagined our future together and smiled quietly to myself.

For me, it was real.

But for him, it had all just been a “game.”

To him, I wasn’t Luyvel—I was “target character .”

Sadness mixed with fury.

I was angry that someone had used the character I liked, “Hezen,” just to build some stupid harem.

“Your Highness, are you okay? You seem so down lately. Did something happen with Lord Hezen?”

A concerned voice came from beside me.

“Did he do something wrong? Even if he did, please give him another chance. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”

Maid of the 3rd Princess’s Palace: Seira
Affection: 999

Seeing Seira’s affection score made my chest turn cold.

Because that 999 wasn’t directed toward me—it was toward Hezen, that damn player.

Seira was my most cherished maid.

‘That psycho went after Seira too.’

And she wasn’t the only one.

Elizabeth, Sylvia, every single noble lady at that tea party… All of their affection meters sparkled for Hezen.

That scumbag player, disguised as Hezen, had been seducing every woman in sight—regardless of age or status—like a heat-crazed stallion.

And I hadn’t even realized it.

I actually believed their affection was directed at me.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth unnie. I didn’t even realize you were waiting for me…”
“Poor Sylvia. You need to learn how to express your feelings honestly.”

Suddenly, I remembered the things I’d said to Elizabeth and Sylvia after misreading their affection meters.

No wonder they looked so confused!

‘Aaaaagh! This is so embarrassing! I wanna crawl into a hole!’

Unable to contain myself, I started kicking the bed in frustration.

“Y-Your Highness?”

Seira looked startled and called out to me.

“DAMN IT!”

I screamed and jumped to my feet.

Seira yelped, “I-I’m sorry!” and ran out of the room.

Left alone, I panted and stewed in my fury.

Punching Hezen’s jaw and knocking out a tooth or two hadn’t been enough.

I should’ve turned his precious jewels into popcorn kernels—but unfortunately, he had escaped using a skill.

That sparkle effect when he used it reminded me again that this world was a game.

‘But if this really is a game, and he’s the player of this god-awful game…’

A question that had haunted me for the past three days returned:

‘Why can I see the system windows that should only be visible to the player?’

I tried to recall when the windows first became visible.

‘Right… that guy. I bumped into him and picked up his pendant…’

Ever since I’d touched the stranger’s necklace, the windows had appeared.

‘So that’s the trigger, huh?’

I pulled the pendant from my pocket and examined it.

The cold metal chain slipped through my fingers.

‘This has to be the key to seeing the system.’

I clasped the necklace around my neck, resolving not to take it off.

“I’ll think of it as borrowing it until I find its owner.”

There were too many suspicious things going on.

The necklace, the visibility of the system windows…

Third Princess of the Azester Empire: Luyvel

“And why is mine the only one in pink?” I muttered, staring at the unpleasantly cute system window.

Ding!

Like a mouse click, the system updated and added new information.

Third Princess of the Azester Empire: Luyvel
Attributes: Lover, Terminal (Remaining lifespan: 13 days 11 hours 47 minutes)

“…What?”

As I read the text, my eyes grew wide.

“Terminal…?”

My jaw dropped.

My remaining life—was counting down by the minute.