“I think I’m not mature enough, which is why I said those things — the kind that are poorly thought out and easily misunderstood.”
Dolores spoke with a look of such sincerity that it made Viseliane feel somewhat uneasy, and even Grin was a bit surprised. It was an intuitive sense of discord; the word ‘disconnect’ appeared clearly in Grin’s mind.
“I met with my father a short while ago. He asked me to inquire about what kind of reward you would like. Of course… this gift does not include me.”
“Whether through emotion or logic, we should give a gift or an honor to a brave Hero like you.”
“Master Grin, what you have achieved is remarkable and deserves our gratitude.”
Grin opened his mouth but made no sound. These words felt so familiar, especially coming from Dolores’s mouth. He had heard Dolores say things like “doing things that everyone will be grateful for” countless times.
On the surface, aside from that recent outburst where she seemed to break down and say she hated him, Dolores was indeed following the System’s lead, gradually becoming friendlier and even showing him favor. She just wasn’t as clever as she had been in her previous life. It wasn’t that he was looking through rose-colored glasses, but rather that the current Dolores always seemed to be in an unstable state.
She was prone to impulse, occasionally taking nonsensical actions and saying strange things. However, she still maintained a façade of kindness, which was no different from her previous life.
Grin accepted Dolores’s apology, but as for the reward she proposed, he had no idea either. After all, he had only come for Dolores; saving people was merely a side effect. This action would earn him recognition and a reward, but what he wanted… he still hadn’t decided.
The things in Land that were truly useful to him couldn’t be obtained with just this amount of merit, and there were things in the treasury he could use but couldn’t mention. Otherwise, how he knew about them would be a major problem. He couldn’t exactly tell the still-living Felts IV that he had been the King of Land for several decades after the man died in his previous life, could he?
Though it was the truth, it was not something fit to be said.
“So, what do you think, Princess? What do you think I should… no, rather, what kind of reward might I choose?”
The question was tossed back to Dolores. She blanked for a moment, like a disconnected line, before remembering the question Grin had just asked. Dolores actually knew exactly what she was doing. After all, her so-called System Affection Level had only reached **[Like]**, not **[Unswerving]**.
She had planned these words before Grin arrived. Her previous outburst and resistance had indeed been a vent for her, relieving some of her emotions. But at the same time, she had to face the consequences. She had to explain the reason for those words and dispel Grin’s suspicions.
Grin was wary of her identity, while Dolores was wary of the System — and love.
When she looked at Grin, Dolores did feel a peculiar sentiment, a feeling she had never experienced before. The Affection Level had an obvious influence during the earlier **[Familiar Stage]** and **[Trust]** phases. It had largely eliminated Dolores’s desire to resist.
However, generally speaking, those stages didn’t manifest “love” for Grin very clearly; they felt more like the attitude one has toward a friend. Perhaps it was because if a “love” component were forcibly inserted at that stage, Dolores would have felt a strong resistance.
It was a gradual influence, like a frog unable to jump out of a pot of slowly simmering water. It wasn’t until the **[Like]** stage that the System truly began to affect the “love” part of her.
In the previous stages, Dolores could still use her best friend from her previous life, Xiao Huayu, as a reference from a friend’s perspective. But in the realm of “love,” Dolores was as blank as a sheet of paper. This blankness referred to the lack of experience in “loving or being loved by others” in a romantic sense. Of course, this didn’t include fictional works like movies and novels.
Dolores could clearly recognize that she was being influenced by the System. With Xiao Huayu, Dolores would never have felt the urge to get close or take the initiative to touch her body like she did now. After all, her best friend from her past life, Xiao Huayu, had been a boy just like her, and she had never had serious contact with girls.
This vague throb was fresh and strange, but Dolores absolutely couldn’t fail to realize it was an attraction — and essentially an attraction under the System’s influence. This would interfere with many of Dolores’s thoughts and affect her decisions, but she had to adapt to this discomfort and the influence.
She couldn’t escape interacting with Grin. It was too naive to think he would just let her go. But Dolores had been dazed for too long, prompting a reminder from Grin.
Both Dolores and Grin knew that his purpose was her. The most important thing he wanted was already clearly laid out on the table.
‘So the prize is actually myself…’
Ignoring that part, Grin himself didn’t know what he wanted, so Dolores certainly wouldn’t know either. Dolores subconsciously applied her male mindset to think: women, money, and power?
But while she was thinking, her gaze would uncontrollably land on Grin’s cheek, her attention drawn away by the scar there. Dolores felt the scar was very charming. As a creator, she naturally had some affection for the things she created.
Combined, she could see elements on Grin’s face that made her heart flutter. She would even suddenly discover hidden shining points that she originally wouldn’t have been interested in. Dolores had already been deliberately avoiding thinking about the fact that Grin was a character she created. Only by ignoring this point could she prevent her inevitable favoritism and pity from falling upon Grin.
“You could ask for some precious potions or something. Those things are consumables. High-quality ones are only stocked by major powers. For most people, they are life-saving items.”
“Is it because you think the scar on my face is ugly?”
Dolores’s gaze was too obvious; it was hard for Grin not to notice where she was looking.
“Nothing of the sort. I think something like a scar is very handsome on a man. It has a special meaning bestowed upon it.”
“Danger leaves a scar, and the scar is viewed as a badge of courage… especially a scar left behind for a righteous act. We must give it positive meaning and recognition.”
“After all, we cannot do things that discourage those who sacrifice, right?”
Dolores spoke with logic and reason. In truth, even without the System’s influence, she would have paid more attention to a man’s scars than his looks. She could appreciate a man’s appearance, but it would never be love — not that kind of love. Even the word “handsome” meant something cool, not the kind of “handsome” that made her want to get married.
It was the same principle.
Grin was touched, but after nodding, he steered the conversation back to the part Dolores was reluctant to mention.
“Yes, we cannot discourage those who sacrifice. You are quite right about that, Princess.”
“I will seriously consider your suggestion, but I still have some questions.”
“What is it?” Dolores asked.
“It’s about the hate you mentioned not long ago. Those words… were they really just said in anger?”
This question put Dolores on the spot once again.