The Terminally-Ill Rejects the Approach (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

“I’ve always liked you.”

Hezen held out a ring to me and smiled broadly.

“I love you, Lulu. Will you spend your whole life with me?”

His voice, sweet as if dipped in honey, made my heart feel like it had stopped.

“Hi—hic!”

I quickly covered my mouth with both hands as a sudden hiccup escaped.

Hezen’s eyes softened gently at the sight of me.

He looked at me with such a sweet expression, as if he couldn’t handle how adorable I was.

“N-no way! H-how could…!”

“Do you dislike my proposal that much?”

Hezen pulled down the corners of his eyes and asked in an exaggeratedly hurt tone.

Even his pitiful expression was as beautiful as a masterpiece, making my heart race wildly.

“N-no, it’s not that…!”

I shook my head rapidly, my face turning red.

‘Of course not!’

Hair like spun gold, as if distilled from sunlight itself. Emerald eyes that shimmered like gems with every blink.

His beauty was unmatched anywhere in the Empire, with a gentle and kind personality to match—plus, the perfect setup of becoming the Empire’s youngest Swordmaster.

‘He really is the protagonist…’

I had reincarnated into the classic fantasy novel *Chronicles of the Hero of Light*.

Commonly abbreviated as *Hero of Light*, the 21st century’s greatest masterpiece that reignited a global obsession with classic fantasy!

The Hero of Light, Hezen, who would one day save the continent—was the protagonist of this story.

Noble or commoner, countless young ladies across the Empire adored Hezen.

I was no exception.

But the protagonist Hezen already had his destined, gentle, and beautiful heroine—the Saintess of Light, Maria.

And I… was nothing more than an extra, never even mentioned by name in the original work.

Thus, from the very first moment I saw him, I had made relentless efforts not to fall for him.

Yet somehow, without me even noticing, all that effort had dissolved into nothing.

Every word he spoke, every gesture he made—I found myself falling for him anew each time, my heart fluttering uncontrollably.

It was as if fate itself had destined me to love him.

But that didn’t mean I expected my love to be returned.

After all, I already knew how this story ended.

So this situation—him confessing to me—was completely unexpected.

‘But there’s no way Hezen could like me…’

This was a development that didn’t exist in the original.

“If it’s not that you dislike it…”

Swoosh—

His approaching fingertips gently brushed against my cheek.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded fiercely.

Hezen, gazing at me with deep, serene eyes, tilted his head slightly toward me and asked,

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

Boom…!

My chest felt like it was about to burst.

“U-uh… yeah!”

Before I even realized it, I found myself nodding.

Whoosh!

“I love you, Lulu!”

Hezen pulled me into his arms and whispered sweet words of love.

“I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life.”

It still felt unbelievable—as if I were dreaming.

Was this what people meant by “changing the original plot,” the special privilege of a reincarnator?

…At that moment, I truly believed I had altered the original story.

I was convinced this world was the very novel I’d loved so much in my past life.

[This is the timeline separator] [SYSTEM] Louise Belle Azester’s affection has increased by +100! (Affection: 999) [SYSTEM] Affection is already at maximum—no increase applied!

‘Hmph, that was too easy.’

Hezen silently scoffed at the system window that appeared before his eyes.

In real life, he’d never even held a girl’s hand—but here, raising a girl’s affection was effortlessly simple.

Unlike Louise Belle, who believed she had reincarnated into the legendary fantasy masterpiece *Hero of Light*, this world was actually a virtual reality game titled *Chronicles of the Hero of Light: The Four Heroes*, adapted from the original novel.

Players had to awaken their power, gather allies, and defeat the Mad Dragon threatening the Empire.

The game’s structure was simple:

1. Choose one of the four heroes

2. Complete the tutorial quest [Awakening]

3. Progress through the story and recruit the remaining heroes as allies

4. Defeat the Mad Dragon (final boss) threatening the Empire

Hezen, the player, was currently progressing through the tutorial quest [Awakening].

[Awakening] was an original game-only element absent from the novel—once the player met the awakening condition, the original story would begin.

And Hezen’s awakening condition was [The Death of a Lover].

Louise Belle Azester, Third Imperial Princess of the Azester Empire

Affection: 999

Hezen grinned wickedly as he looked at the affection indicator hovering above Louise Belle’s head.

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

“U-uh… yeah!”

Louise Belle replied, her face flushed crimson.

[SYSTEM] Louise Belle Azester has accepted your proposal! [SYSTEM] You have successfully courted Louise Belle Azester! [SYSTEM] Louise Belle Azester’s status has been upgraded from [Target] to [Lover]! [SYSTEM] The attribute [Time-Limited] has been added to Louise Belle Azester! [SYSTEM] Maintain your relationship with Louise Belle Azester for 30 days to fulfill the awakening condition, then achieve awakening through her death!

Louise Belle Azester was the sacrifice he had chosen for his awakening.

In other words, now that they had just become lovers, all he needed was for Louise Belle to obediently die in 30 days—then he’d complete his awakening and clear the tutorial!

He’d specifically chosen Louise Belle—the extra—because she was the only one among the Emperor’s daughters without a fiancé yet.

Though the protagonist Hezen had everything, he lacked just one thing: status.

Even as a powerless princess, her imperial blood meant that marrying her would grant him a noble title.

Thus, Hezen intended to secure a title through courting Louise Belle—and then complete his awakening by killing her afterward.

‘But it’d be a waste to just kill her—what a stunning face.’

Louise Belle Azester was so beautiful it was hard to believe she was just an extra.

It was baffling why community forums and strategy guides never mentioned such an incredible character.

Just as Hezen savored the thought—

Ding!

[SYSTEM] A new romance target has appeared. Would you like to view their profile?

The system window announced the arrival of a new romanceable character.

Instantly, Hezen’s eyes sparkled.

In truth, he didn’t care much about defeating the Mad Dragon or progressing the main story.

His true goal in this open-ended game was nothing less than building a harem!

The noble title he’d gain from his engagement to Louise Belle would make his harem even more secure.

[This is the timeline separator]

The engagement between Hezen and me progressed swiftly.

Contrary to my fears that the original story’s plot armor might cancel the engagement, everything went perfectly—without a single hitch.

And news of our engagement spread quickly.

“Oh my, you’re absolutely radiant, Your Highness!”

“How can your hair be as smooth as silk?”

My maids kept sighing in admiration as they styled my hair.

I glanced briefly at my reflection in the mirror.

Sitting there was a delicate, fairy-like girl with flowing cherry-blossom-pink hair and warm, amber eyes.

Her unreal beauty initially made me wonder if I’d reincarnated as the heroine of some romance fantasy novel.

But I soon realized I was merely an extra in *Hero of Light*, the very story I’d adored in my past life.

Louise Belle, the Third Imperial Princess of the Azester Empire, was only fleetingly mentioned in the original as “The Third Princess of Azester is said to be breathtakingly beautiful”—never even named outright.

Despite being a direct child of the Emperor, she was excluded from the imperial succession because her mother’s identity remained unclear—unlike her siblings.

Because of this, she couldn’t grow close to her brothers and sisters—especially the Second Prince, Orent, who openly ignored her.

A powerless imperial figure without the Emperor’s favor—but…

‘Actually, that’s perfect!’

This wasn’t a bad reincarnation at all.

‘Living as a diamond-spooned, wealthy idle noble—awesome!’

Wasn’t it said that the best kind of reincarnation was as an extra?

And not just any extra—I was the Emperor’s daughter!

Being excluded from the line of succession meant I wouldn’t get dragged into complicated politics, and despite lacking power, my imperial status guaranteed overflowing wealth.

‘Plus, I have the setting of the Empire’s most beautiful woman—and I’m even engaged to my beloved Hezen…’

Just thinking of Hezen made my heart flutter again.

The Empress had even promised Hezen a noble title as an engagement gift.

Of course, this wasn’t out of affection for her “worthless” daughter.

The Empress had long admired Hezen’s abilities—she’d publicly praised him on multiple occasions.

She undoubtedly intended to openly shower him with titles and other privileges through this engagement.

‘Well, Hezen gaining Mother’s trust benefits me too…’

“It’s all ready, Your Highness.”

Today was the tea party hosted by Elizabeth in the Imperial Palace’s rear garden.

“It’s still chilly despite being spring—please wear this.”

Seira, my maid, wrapped a shawl gently around my shoulders.

“Thank you.”

I stepped outside, wearing the shawl Seira had given me.

I deliberately chose to walk instead of taking a carriage.

My steps toward the garden felt especially light and cheerful.

Ever since my engagement to Hezen, each day felt like walking on clouds.

‘I wonder what Hezen’s doing right now?’

He’d always been busy, but even more so since our engagement. Still, instead of complaining, I understood how hard it was for us to meet often…

“Oh dear, Your Highness! Watch out!”

Thud!

Lost in thoughts of Hezen, I collided with someone and fell right on my backside.

“Ow ow…”

A soft groan escaped me as a dull ache spread. Above me, a large shadow loomed.

The first things I noticed were crisp white trousers and a fluttering lavender cloak.

I slowly looked up.

Standing there was a man as pale as the first snow of winter.

I’d never seen such pure silver hair in the Azester Empire—and eyes as red as a single drop of blood on pristine snow.

The man, who had seemed to be staring vaguely into the air above my head, slowly shifted his gaze to me.

“…”

“…”

The moment our eyes met—his gaze as cold as frost—I broke out in goosebumps.

Ambassadors from across the continent had been gathering lately for the upcoming Empress’s birthday celebration, so strangers in the palace weren’t unusual. But still…

‘Wh-what is this?’

The man looking down at me radiated clear annoyance and irritation.

Usually, even those who disliked Louise Belle would still blush or soften their expressions when faced with my lovely face.

Yet this man’s eyes were as dry and indifferent as if he were staring at a microbe.

Under that unnervingly detached gaze, I nervously held my breath.

Gulp.

Was my swallow too loud?

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly—then he let out a faint, crooked smirk.

‘Huh.’

This time, I nearly stopped breathing for an entirely different reason.

Though his smile was almost mocking, his cold face—with that faint, sharp smirk—was astonishingly handsome.

He was even more striking than Hezen, the protagonist of this world!

Without a word, the man carelessly averted his gaze from me and walked past.

“Oh dear, Your Highness—are you alright?”

Seira’s worried voice came from behind me, her face twisted in distress.

I stared blankly at the man’s retreating back.

‘In a world where Hezen is the protagonist—how can someone else have an even stronger presence? Who on earth is he? Could he be a character I don’t remember from the original?’

As I turned my gaze away in renewed wonder, I suddenly noticed something on the ground.

“Huh…?”

It was a pendant necklace adorned with an intricately set red gemstone.

He must have dropped it.

Since he was already gone, I picked it up, planning to return it when we next met.

“Good heavens! To bump into the Imperial Princess and then just leave without a word—what appalling rudeness!”

Seira grumbled, helping me up while glaring in the direction the man had vanished.

“Oh dear—we’ll be late if we don’t hurry! Let’s go, Your Highness.”

But as I took Seira’s hand to stand up, I froze.

‘Huh?’

A blue window I hadn’t seen before was now shimmering above Seira’s head.

Third Princess’s Maid

Affection: 999

What… is that?