Dolores still remembered her previous plan to leave the royal city, but it was tangled up with matters concerning Green.
So she would subconsciously think, “It’s fine, it’s unnecessary,” but upon coming back to her senses, she would realize that this thought was being influenced by the system.
As a result, she was stuck at this point. After all, Dolores couldn’t hypnotize herself into believing that leaving the royal city was just to avoid the dragon’s attack.
But she couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Apart from the Maid, she had also found other channels to communicate with the outside world through her acquaintance with Albeco.
When Green came to the palace for the second time, only two days had passed since he left. After talking with the king, Green’s next step was to seek out Dolores.
Dolores had already received the news when Green first entered the capital. According to the Maid, Green had returned a bit too quickly.
Exploring the ruins should at least take two days, not to mention the preparation and the return trip. The Maid thought that perhaps Green hadn’t actually gone to explore the Forest Ruins.
But Dolores thought otherwise; she believed he had gone and even accomplished what he set out to do.
This time, they met in the garden. Green, seeing both the purple-haired Maid and Dolores together, was a little surprised, but he quickly took a seat in front of Dolores.
At this moment, Dolores’s favorability was still displayed as [30 (Friendly)], but Green’s first words were directed not at her, but at the Maid beside her.
“I’d like to have some time alone with Princess, is that all right?”
The Maid looked to Dolores for instruction, and after thinking for a moment, Dolores felt there was nothing wrong and nodded.
Thus, the Maid retreated into the distance, turning her back to them behind a white pillar, about fifty meters away.
As soon as Green started talking, Dolores knew he would try to increase her favorability, and she was already prepared to be stingy with it.
Dolores began to observe Green. He was still dressed in the same leather armor as when they first met, but it seemed there was a new scar on his face?
There was a slight difference in skin tone on his right cheek, like a beast’s claw mark. This should mean he really did enter the Forest Ruins and experienced a battle.
But what did he gain? Or rather, did he achieve his goal?
She could also add the question of why Green wanted to meet her, but it was also possible he just wanted to see her face.
From the fact that he hadn’t stayed at the palace for the last two days, Dolores knew that until Green figured out why her favorability dropped, he wouldn’t try to use words to increase it.
“Is there something you wanted to see me about?”
Dolores’s tone was still cold, since nothing had happened lately to affect her attitude.
Green pushed over a completely sealed wooden box, the surface carved with intricate and beautiful patterns. Each side was outlined from the center with a lovely design, resembling a crescent moon.
“What is this?”
Dolores asked curiously, but Green, to her surprise, said nothing. Instead, he just met her confused gaze and indicated the box with his eyes.
What did he mean by this? Was he giving her a gift and wanted her to open it?
Dolores couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Green was sitting only a meter in front of her, and in the fifty meters around them, it seemed only he was present.
But if he did anything out of the ordinary, the Maid, who was still watching from the corner of her eye, would react immediately.
After all, they were in the palace.
With this mindset, Dolores opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver bangle, its spiral gaps inlaid with purple emeralds, exuding a special aura.
“This…”
It was very beautiful, very exquisite—at least nothing in Dolores’s previous life compared to such fine craftsmanship.
As Dolores rested her hand on the box, Green suddenly reached out and placed his hand on top of hers, both hands coming down almost simultaneously, startling Dolores greatly.
At the same time, Dolores’s favorability jumped to [32], thanks to [Touch ×2].
As soon as his hand touched hers, Green quickly began to explain, pausing as he spoke:
“Princess.”
“This is an item I found in the Forest Ruins. It’s called the Heart-shaped Bangle.”
“I want to give it to you as a gift.”
“To you, the one I admire most, the most beautiful one.”
“Princess.”
Green’s sudden words interrupted Dolores’s thoughts. Her first reaction was, as expected, that he wanted to give her something, and her second reaction was—
This thing was so beautiful. She couldn’t help but think that, in her previous life, no one had ever given her such a gift, but since coming to this world—
Both Albeco and Green wanted to give her things because of her status.
Nobody dislikes valuable things, especially things that look expensive. In her previous life, Dolores and Little Fish had racked their brains just to scrape together funds for games.
Beauty, in Dolores’s eyes, was only secondary.
Value was the most important factor.
So her first reaction was definitely “happy.” And because of Green’s system, this would be directly and numerically reflected as—
[+3 Favorability]
What Dolores saw on Green’s system panel now was:
[Dolores]
[Favorability: 40 (Friendly)]
Dolores’s gaze froze for a moment, and then a sudden sense of crisis rose up from deep within her. But the next second, that number 40 began to rise.
From 40, it soared up to 50, and then stopped.
Dolores shook off Green’s hand with a sudden movement, knocking the box and bangle to the ground in the process.
Dolores’s green eyes—those eyes that Green was looking at—suddenly filled with fear and terror. She instinctively wanted to get up and question him.
Ask—what was she supposed to ask?
Dolores felt like something inside her had changed. A voice deep in her heart was telling her she should hate him, to quickly, quickly, tell herself again and again that she hated him.
But that [50 ()] didn’t move again. And in the next moment, the () changed to (Familiar).
The commotion drew the attention of the Maid, who had been watching. Dolores propped herself up with one hand, barely able to match Green’s seated height.
The purple-haired Maid pinned Green’s hands with magic, appearing by Dolores’s side and questioning him angrily:
“You bastard! What did you do to make Princess sad!?”
Sad? Me?
Dolores, still shocked by her own actions, was pulled back to her senses by the Maid’s angry shout at Green, and she touched her own cheek.
Tears, warm and moist.
But what had he done, really? And why did she—without even knowing why—shed these meaningless tears?
The Touch and his words—maybe Green had even used some favorability item she didn’t know about.
Dolores looked at Green. The purple-haired Maid had already placed a Short Dagger to his neck, but Green’s expression seemed… expectant.
Expectant for what? For me, for my reaction, Dolores?
That [Familiar] beside the 50 on the panel was glaring and disgusting.
He must have used the system, raising it to the next threshold where it wouldn’t drop, before she could lower her favorability out of dislike.
But—
Maybe Green really hadn’t done anything.
A tiny voice in her heart whispered that she could trust him completely, even knowing what he’d done—trust that whatever he did wouldn’t harm her.
Even though a moment ago there was fear, anger.
Tears shed without conscious thought—not sure if out of panic or anger.
An instinctive, almost cathartic outburst that knocked the things on the table.
Even if it all seemed strange.
Seeing the Maid’s dagger at Green’s neck, she felt uncomfortable—because he was a familiar friend, and having the Maid threaten him felt a bit too dangerous.
Dolores, with tear tracks still fresh on her cheeks, placed her hand on the Maid’s arm and spoke with a complicated voice.
Not cold, but carrying compromise, and a helpless gentleness, she said:
“It’s all right, he didn’t do anything… it’s just… just…”
“I just got a little emotional for some reason.”
“It’s probably just… a small problem of my own…”
…right?
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