CHAPTER 5.
Affection Level 999. But Now With a Side of Minus (-).
An instinctive warning blared in my head.
‘This is bad! I can’t talk my way out of this!’
The man truly looked like he’d kill me right here and now.
“You’re going to die anyway. A little sooner won’t make a difference.”
He hummed a cheerful tune as he looked down at me.
“If things reset because I interfered, that would be a bit of a hassle…”
He muttered something incomprehensible to himself—he genuinely seemed insane.
‘W-What should I do?’
Was I really going to die this suddenly?
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Meanwhile, the white orbs around him twisted into the shape of a long spear.
He picked it up and slowly walked toward me.
“Well then… Die well.”
He smiled, raising the spear toward me.
“N-No…!”
I shut my eyes tight and screamed.
And in that moment—
Everything suddenly fell silent.
The murderous presence from the man, who’d just been attacking me moments ago, vanished.
Peeking through one eye, I saw him standing there, staring blankly at something.
I followed his gaze—and my eyes widened.
“……!”
A red light had flowed from the pendant around my neck, forming a shield around me.
‘What… is this?’
The spear in his hand dissipated into a shimmer of light.
“How… did you do that?”
The guy who hadn’t shown even a sliver of interest in talking to me until now was suddenly eager to speak.
“Why do you have that power…?”
He grabbed my arm as if possessed, looking stunned.
At that moment—
Ping!
A cheerful sound effect chimed in my ears.
I turned my head instinctively toward the source of the sound.
[Quest in Progress]
…Raise ’s Affection Level…
‘Goddamn it.’
I swore under my breath.
The cursed system window was drawing closer.
Hezen was coming this way.
‘Of all times, why now…’
Just then, the man holding my arm looked over at the increasingly opaque system window.
Then, he turned to me and narrowed his eyes, as if amused.
“You… You can see that too, huh?”
Not long ago, Hezen was in utter despair.
He had been caught kissing Clara—by none other than Luibelle.
Because of that, all the affection he’d built up with her was lost.
And that wasn’t all. He also lost a few of his precious teeth.
[SYSTEM] ‘s rage is rising.
[SYSTEM] ‘s rage: @%#$^%
The system that quantified the affection and emotions of targets was one of his in-game skills.
Thanks to it, he could see Luibelle’s anger rising in real time.
But unfortunately, he had no way of stopping it.
The moment her rage peaked and her strength spiked temporarily, she punched him.
The swelling on his cheek was painful and rough. A metallic taste filled his mouth—his gums had burst.
‘Stupid game. Did they really need to make it this realistic?’
His only solace was that he managed to block her attack before it hit his groin.
After escaping using a [Skill], he spat out a hard lump he’d been chewing on—only to realize it was a white fragment of tooth.
At first, he had no idea what it was.
Maybe a rock from the ground got in his mouth when he fell?
But back home in front of the mirror, he realized it.
That white fragment… was his tooth.
‘No wonder my mouth felt so empty!’
Furious, Hezen returned to the palace to search for his lost tooth.
But by then, the palace servants had already cleaned up the mess.
He even dug through the trash, but it was gone.
Back at the mansion, scrubbing his hands raw from digging in garbage, he ground his teeth—what was left of them.
The next day, Hezen used an item to heal his bruised face.
But the broken teeth were another matter.
In the end, he had to get dentures.
He couldn’t be seen in public until they were fitted.
There was no way he’d let anyone see him toothless.
Once he got his fake teeth, looking handsome again, he rushed to the palace.
Seyra claimed not to know where Luibelle was, but after some coaxing and using her affection level, she spilled the truth: Luibelle was in the western garden.
“Lulu!”
Hezen hurried over—but Luibelle wasn’t alone.
She was with another man.
‘Who the hell is that guy?’
He had snow-white silver hair and blood-red eyes.
His name and status hovered above his head:
, Prince of the Luenhart Kingdom.
Even dressed in expensive cash-shop gear, Hezen couldn’t deny that the guy was better looking—and even taller.
Impossible. Hezen was supposed to be the most perfect man in this world.
Hezen seethed with jealousy.
“Who are you?!”
he shouted.
“Who are you?”
Luibelle replied coldly.
“L-Lulu…?”
Startled by her icy tone, Hezen turned to look at her—and froze in shock.
‘What the—!’
Luibelle’s affection level still read 999.
But…
Affection Level: -999
With a minus.
Hezen, barging in out of nowhere, was clearly stunned when he saw the affection meter floating above my head.
Affection Level for Hezen: -999.
Meaning: I didn’t want to see his face ever again.
‘No, that’s putting it mildly.’
More accurately, I wanted to murder him.
“Hezen Ainshern.”
I stared him down and spoke in a cold, eerie tone.
“Come to think of it, I never told you this before.”
“……?”
“If I ever see you again, I won’t stop at your teeth—I’ll go for the crown jewels next.”
“……!”
Hezen’s jaw dropped.
Until now, I’d always acted like a sweet princess around him.
Because… I liked him.
I first realized I’d been transmigrated into this world when I was six.
Back then, I thought I had reincarnated into some romantic fantasy novel as the gorgeous protagonist.
But over time, I started suspecting I wasn’t the main character.
That suspicion was confirmed when I saw the statue of the Light God Lus and the sealed light dragon Helheim at the palace archives.
‘Helheim… The one the heroes defeat in Light of the Eternal Yearning!’
And just like that, I realized—I was inside that novel.
Disappointed that I wasn’t the protagonist?
No.
I was thrilled.
That story had gotten me through tough school years. Just being in it filled me with joy.
From that day on, I’d eagerly awaited the moment I’d meet Hezen.
I first saw him three years ago at the Royal Autumn Tournament.
“Princess, Princess! A commoner knight is competing this year!”
Seyra had told me excitedly.
“And his name is…?”
“Hezen Ainshern?”
I couldn’t hide my pounding heart.
“Wait, how did you know? Did you already hear about him?”
“……”
I just smiled and blushed.
Yes—I liked him even before I met him.
It was inevitable.
Hezen was the brightest star in the story I loved.
“They say this is the first time in Azester history a commoner made it into the tournament. Usually, they’re disqualified way before the prelims.”
Seyra’s eyes sparkled.
The tournament was so prestigious even top knights struggled to enter.
But Hezen not only entered—he won.
He defeated the Second Prince Orent, the favorite to win, and received a sword from the emperor.
At the celebratory banquet, I watched him from afar, sipping champagne.
Despite being a commoner, he was beautiful, kind, skilled—everyone loved him.
I didn’t expect to exchange names or speak with him.
He was a lead. I was an extra.
Watching from afar was enough.
But… he approached me.
“Good evening, Princess Luibelle. I’ve long hoped to meet you.”
“M-Me…?”
I blushed and fumbled, unable to speak.
He smiled gently.
“Are you alright? That must be strong alcohol. Your face is flushed—just like the flowers over there.”
I was drinking non-alcoholic champagne.
Embarrassed, I kept quiet.
“You’re as beautiful as a flower, Your Highness.”
My heart thumped.
Looking back now, those lines were so cheesy they were cringe-worthy.
But I was always dizzy from his sweet words.
We grew closer. Naturally, I fell in love with him.
I never imagined the man I loved was just a gamer playing a garbage game.
Even back then, he must’ve seen messages like:
[SYSTEM] ’s Affection Level is rising.
The betrayal I felt seeing him with the Saintess from the Ta’al Kingdom was resurfacing.
To think… all his words, all his kindness, had just been scripted “strategies” for winning me over?
“L-Lulu… Are you… really that mad…?”
As he stammered in fear, a system window popped up in front of him:
[SYSTEM] Emergency Alert!
has begun to feel intense murderous intent upon seeing your shameless face!
Kill Meter: 13/999
Kill Meter: 94/999
Kill Meter: 215/999
…
Kill Meter: 999/999
WARNING: is targeting your groin!
If you don’t escape immediately, you’ll trigger the Bad Ending: “I’m No Longer a Man” Route!
Hurry! Escape the Kill Meter! ⌒(o＾▽＾o)ノﾟ
‘The Eunuch Route…?’
My eyes sparkled as an ominous, gleeful smile spread across my lips.
