Silence became Green’s answer.
It was the first time Green had ever seen Dolores look at him with such a disgusted expression.
It was hard to imagine someone with a personality like Dolores could even form a look of disgust on her face.
He even suspected that the demon’s power, namely the [System], had tampered with Dolores’s Affection Level.
At -50, she didn’t seem like she was at -50, and at +30, she didn’t seem like she was at +30. At least, when it was at -50, Dolores would still smile and talk to him.
Compared to Green, who was forced into silence, Dolores, who realized something was missing from herself, wore a faintly bitter expression at the corners of her mouth.
[Alertness]
That was the thing Dolores immediately realized she was missing. Green’s existence was like a hedgehog with its spines raised, and those “spines” were obvious dangers.
Seeking benefit and avoiding harm is an instinct for all living beings. Green, covered in spines, was someone Dolores had to instinctively stay far away from.
In dating sim games, the affection meter rarely starts too low. It usually begins at zero and gradually rises to the Friendliness stage, and the most you’d get from dialogue at the lowest is:
“Who are you?” to “Oh, you’re Green?”
The most direct way games show Affection Levels is by giving different answers to the same scene and dialogue.
For example, the same person, under the same circumstances, confesses their feelings, and depending on affection, the reply will be either “I refuse” or “I accept.”
Of course, normal romantic progress has its own gradual process.
But Dolores didn’t get that kind of treatment. What’s more, she could see clearly what sort of garbage tactics Green was using.
That only made her feel even more helpless.
A [Friendliness] Affection Level wouldn’t make Dolores act like she’d been hypnotized and instantly stick to Green, calling him “darling” at every turn, but—
It would break down most of Dolores’s mental defenses toward him all at once. After all, at [Friendliness], she should see him as someone she could get along with.
From [Acquaintance] to [Friendliness].
So the system really is disgusting, making Dolores see someone like Green—a “hedgehog”—as someone she could approach.
She knew he was a hedgehog, his spines raised.
She knew what his intentions were, that he meant her no good, and was extremely dangerous.
But the system had dug out her [Alertness].
If it were the original owner’s [Friendliness] level of affection, maybe she would start to look at Green with some sort of different gaze. After all, sheltered girls often have budding feelings.
With a better relationship, interaction would be more direct, and a girl’s directness might mean being more proactive, getting closer.
Yes, because they had a good relationship, they were “friends,” so there would be more “directness” in their interactions.
That’s why Dolores’s disgusted expression toward Green was almost an instinct.
Seeing as a friend someone you dislike and should be afraid of in the first place was unreasonable in itself.
If she’s to be direct, then isn’t it natural for Dolores to show a face full of disgust and contempt?
I know you’re trying to mess with me, and you already have.
Losing [Alertness] doesn’t mean she likes him.
The current Dolores isn’t some sheltered maiden, not the motherly, tolerant wife from Green’s memories.
Before transmigrating, Dolores was a man, so:
She—really—hates—Green.
Disgust, loathing—these are the emotions Dolores can muster toward Green.
And those emotions were written plainly on her face for Green to see, her tone every bit as icy.
Back when she still had [Alertness], Dolores had to think about placating him first, then planning her escape.
But now Dolores knew full well the other person was a hedgehog, saw those glaringly sharp spines, and still had to wrestle her rational mind.
He has spines. Spines are dangerous. But ≠ I must stay away.
“Everyone is watching us, Green. If you have something to say, please say it quickly.”
Dolores said coldly. There was a distance of several meters between them, so Dolores didn’t need to look up to meet his eyes as she spoke.
Green’s two-meter-plus height made him stand out at the banquet, while Dolores barely topped one-sixty. The difference in stature was glaring, and as a Princess, Dolores naturally drew plenty of attention.
Green’s defeat of the vice-captain had earned him some reputation—even if it was by swordsmanship alone, the vice-captain of the Royal Knights was still one of the top thirty strongest in the kingdom.
Although Green wasn’t a noble and had neither power nor connections, he did have strength and “potential.” In this fantasy world, individual power made it possible to take on a hundred men alone.
In the works of cultural writers and the romantic literature penned by cloistered noble ladies, those powerful yet humble knights and warriors would always pursue a noble young lady who could showcase their power and status.
The maiden was often a young noble miss, or a noblewoman longing for true love, locked away due to a political marriage—or sometimes… a Princess.
There were plenty of nobles present. The noble ladies and madams who were most obsessed with romantic novels were not the only ones responsible for giving Green and Dolores such an ambiguous atmosphere.
Dolores and Green themselves bore some responsibility. The two had stood in silence for too long.
When Dolores tried to speak, she would instinctively look up into Green’s eyes.
If Green wanted to see Dolores’s expression clearly and observe her reaction, he’d have to look at her as well.
From the time Green walked up to Dolores, four or five minutes had passed. Other than the three sentences Dolores had said, all that filled the gap was eye contact.
In the eyes of outsiders, a man and a Princess who didn’t even know each other were locked in a silent gaze. The mood was far too ambiguous.
Noble ladies with overactive imaginations whispered among themselves, then cast “auntie” looks their way. In Dolores’s mind, their stares felt like they were scorching her skin.
Dolores was a Princess, not someone who’d be fighting those ladies for a prince with inheritance rights, so all this “ambiguous gossip” felt more like a public execution for her.
If Green were a prince or some other high-ranking man, the looks and whispers from these ladies would not be so gossipy or kind.
“Listen, Dolores… I love you so much. From the moment we first met, I was deeply moved by your beauty.”
“I fell in love with you, Dolores.”
Green spoke.
It was just that, with that two-meter-plus frame, saying something like that gave off a rather threatening vibe.
“Uh… um… uh… mm…” Dolores’s face twisted in pain, nearly breaking out in goosebumps.
Damn, so gross.
So gross. So gross.
Dolores knew that with just his words, there was no way he’d get the King’s approval now. Judging from the outcome, this was by no means a “proposal,” but rather an “announcement of pursuit.”
But, but!
It still made Dolores feel so disgusted!
Damn, the first day! She hadn’t even made it through the first day, and she was already confessed to—no, announced as the target of pursuit by Green—him, a man, male! Confessed to! Damn it!
Was she supposed to give him a rejection speech on the very first day?
After a brief moment of silence, the atmosphere around them exploded into noisy gossip, the sudden burst of rumors igniting the entire scene.
Just as Dolores was at a loss for how to respond and steeling herself to awkwardly reject him, the King, who had been watching for a while, stepped forward.
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