Chapter 14

'There's no reset button!'

I felt like I was about to faint. The reset button wasn't at anywhere I looked.

Meanwhile, the crowned prince seemed like he was actually planning to kill me because he raised his sword up.

"W, wait! Wait!"

I shouted in panic. Then the crowned prince spoke, tilting his head.

"Looks like now you have the mindset to speak."

"That's right! I'll tell! I, I will tell you!"

I nodded my head crazily. The sword he has lifted up was now once again was set by my neck.

"Go on."

"W, well...."

I did say that I would tell him because I was panicking but my mind went blank now that I was going to tell him.

I mean, what do I say really. I cannot say I followed because I intended to die, and I shouldn't die as long as I knew that the reset button didn't exist.

'Should I turn on the choices?'

However it wasn't guaranteed that I could live even if I do turn it on.

It was actually because it was not on that I survived until now.

"I can hear your brain rolling to come up with something from here."

It was then when the crowned prince smirked coldly, not being able to wait a moment of me crazily trying to come up with something.

"I'm very excited of what you'll say."

The interest gauge bat shined dangerously over the top of his head.

"It'll have to be a reasonable excuse, gong-nyuh."

"...."

"I really dislike someone blocking my way in the middle of anything."

He muttered, bringing the sword to my skin with a little more pressure than before. Warm blood streamed down my neck.

Fear of death and pain.

That took control of my brain.

"... I, I like you!"

Therefore, without thinking anything anymore, I spit out the words that even I found was stupid.

"...What?"

His crimson eyes widened. I shut my eyes closed tight, and shouted. My mouth was already out of my control.

"I, I've been liking you the whole time!"

"...."

"I thought I could comfort you from the previous incident because I thought you would be hurt by it...."

This was a totally idiotic dialogue that didn't appear in either the hard or the normal mode.

It was true that in the normal mode, the heroine faces the crowned prince and comforts him, but that was only possible because the heroine didn't witness the scene where he sliced the murderer's neck off.

'Shit.'

Even though I didn't know what to say, why did I have to say that I liked this insane brat?

But if you think about it, there could only be one reason why a noble lady would follow a man into this kind of creepy maze... is what you could say IF it's a talk between a 'normal' man and a women.

'Bye, you crazy game. I'm (possibly) going back home because I'm going to die now. It'll be a one star review with me curing it.'

I closed my eyes and trembled, prepared to feel the pain that'll come down on me soon.

But no matter how much I've waited, the sound of a sword slicing through the air couldn't be heard.

"Hm. A duke family's crazy dog in love with the royal family's wretch, huh."

The night breeze tickled my nose bridge. I carefully opened my eyes, listening to the low mutter of a crowned prince.

"That is...."

"...."

"Such an unexpected excuse."

The blood-like red eyes was right in front of my eyes. I was not breathing sinceI didn't know when.

He stared at me with his face filled with interest.

"You probably didn't see me that lot though. You probably just took a glimpsed at me for the first time at my safe-return ceremony."

Actually, I didn't see him then either. I only saw him today for the first time in my life. It was obvious since it was after that ceremony that I reincarnated into this body.

I replied, my body tense.

"I, I fell in love at first sight that day."

"What part of me do you like?"

"Well...."

I was speechless for good this time.

What could I say? No, HOW could I. I remember drawing 'X' several times by his name when I reorganized the novel last time!

I glimpsed at him and forced a reason out my brain before he loses his cool.

"Your facials make you very attractive...."

"To think my only charm is my face, this is making me sad."

"...Y, you are very brave, and is very skilled with your sword...."

"You're reasons are just things that could come out inside any box. Do you not have more original and interesting reasons?"

"That's... Well...."

I was now about to faint from all the replies and questions I was getting.

To be honest, I was barely able to stand up right now with my shaky legs.

The cold and keen sensation on my neck scared me very much.

"Uhh... I...."

The crowned prince's smirk grew bigger and bigger each time I tried harder to hold back my tears.

I was crazy for a moment there. It was crazy for me to try and die from this kind of horrible creep.

It was right when I was about to faint backwards.

"Alright. Though I'm not so satisfied, I'll let you free for today."

The blade of a sword that was digging into my skin was removed with those words.

I raised my head in surprise when the crowned prince spoke in a voice filled with excitement, his crimson eyes glowing.

"However, you'll have to explain specifically why and how you came to like me the next time we meet."

I nodded my head like an insane person.

"Go and leave now."

Srr, he spoke while sliding his sword in its sheath.

At that moment. The interest gauge located above the brilliant golden hair, started to shine.

Then.

[Interest 2%]

I stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded. Not because I was happy and relieved but because it was very, very.

Ridiculous.

"What are you standing there for? Looks like you want to play draw-the-red-line game again?"

The crowned prince spoke while looking at me stupidly standing, his thumb motioning a slice on his neck.

"N, not at all!"

I jumped on the spot, then drew back.

I turned around completely and started fast walking just when it seemed like I've arrived at the entrance of the maze by back stepping.

At that moment, I couldn't think of giving a proper farewell greeting to a royal like how I should. Walking fast and not running when I could feel the crowned prince's gaze on my back was the best manner I could provide.

I started to run like crazy just when I turned to a corner.

The cold air grazed passed me, stinging my cut neck, but I was too busy in my head to even feel the pain.

'There's no reset button.'

It was that fact that scared me the most just before the crowned prince was going to slice my neck.

The fact that my insurance I've trusted up until now doesn't exist.

(NOTE: The reset button seems to appear a few moments before she dies so that she could tell if it exists or not when she is about to die.)

It meant that I cannot die like how I wanted to.

'What if it's really the end when I die? What if I don't go back to where I came from, but really just die...?'

I was just a normal female student. I didn't have the biggest guts to deal with these kind of dangers.

The only choice left for me now was to reach the ending with one of the characters.

'But how?'

Just how could I endure and reach an ending with one of the characters who tries to kill me the moment I make even the smallest mistake?

The fact that all the male characters' interest went up wasn't important to me.

That kind of thing, even though you try hard to raise them up, they'll always drop in one go like a sand castle would.

'What if I work my butt off trying to raise their interest on me, but it all just drops in a go like it did in the game?'

Then its death.

But I didn't want to die.

'Why should I.'

When I survived, risking my life trying to escape from my blood-related brothers.

'Why do I have to die that ridiculously in a crazy universe like this when all I'd do is curry favour with the bastards I don't even know!'

"Hnn, mm."

Tears fell from my eyes and the sound came along with the huffing but it was all out of my control.

Thanks to me running all the way back by following the lights, I found myself back at the entrance of the Maze Garden faster than I reached the centre of the maze.

I was only a few steps away from actually exiting the garden for good.

Bump-. I bumped into a person in front of me who I couldn't see from the dark.

"Ah!"

Me who wasn't mentally stable at all, felt immense fear rushing over me from the thought that the crowned prince may have chased my back.

I was going to start running again when my wrist was grabbed.

"Let go!"

I screamed, scared for life.

"Let go of this!"

"Lady?"

"Why do I have to die! I don't want to! I don't want to die!"

"Lady! Lady!"

I, who was shaking the hand I was caught, came back to my senses at the sensation of someone grabbing tightly onto my shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

The ultramarine blue eyes that were wide with surprise came into view. Then I saw the silver hair shining under the faint light.

Then I came to see the shining [Interest 0%] above it all.

"Ahh, hnn...."

"Shh, calm down. I am not going to hurt you."

I gasped from crying when the guy spoke with a pleasing voice, making me stiff.

'Is it one of the main character again?'

I felt despair when I realized who it was that I bumped into.

Buinter Verdandi. He was a sorcerer and a marquis.

"I'm... I'm fine now."

I calmed down quickly just from the fact that it wasn't the crowned prince.

I raised my hand up shakily up to my eyes and wiped the tears down.

I wanted to go back home. I didn't want to be here at this place even for a second longer.

Adding to that, I didn't have any mentality left in me to face Buinter either.

"I've caused a trouble to a person I've never met before. Please forget what happened right now. Then."

I spat the words out after roughly wiping my face.

I bowed as a greeting, then tried to walk pass him.

But then I was stopped again.

"You're bleeding a lot."

He said, pointing at my neck.

"You're also so pale. I'll take you to the doctor here."

"It's fine. I need to hurry back somewhere...."

"Then at least take this."

Unlike me who didn't want to deal with this right now any longer, Buinter didn't let me go but took something out his breast pocket and handed it to me instead.

"Lay this over your wound and press on it. It will stop the bleeding."

It was a white handkerchief.

I stared at it for a moment before accepting it.

I couldn't walk back into the ballroom when I was bleeding like this anyway.

I bowed once again, and opened my mouth to speak.

"Thank you. I will be sure to return the favour."

"There is no need for that."

He rejected as he reached his hand out towards me. Then.

"Instead, I wish for the sadness to be gone in these beautiful eyes the next time we meet."

The warm hands were so close to touching the areas around my eyes that I could faintly feel the heat.

[Interest 9%]

I was all too focused on the letters shining above his head that I couldn't check to see how he was looking at me.

~~~~~