The Terminally-Ill Rejects the Approach (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4

I was in perfect health.

Aside from my childhood, I had never been seriously ill, and my stamina was excellent.

So much so that the royal physician once praised, “Her Highness Princess Louise Belle has a naturally robust constitution.”

Yet I was given a terminal diagnosis?

Worse, my remaining lifespan was barely two weeks.

The number—just over thirteen days—was ticking down by the second, yet it felt so unreal that I couldn’t even feel fear.

I simply stared at the impossible words, unable to believe them.

Then, as if to explain further, new lines of text suddenly popped up one after another.

[Awakening] Condition – Death of Your Lover

Hero Hezen awakens through the death of his lover, becoming the Sacred Knight of Light.

Maintain a lover relationship with for 30 days to fulfill the Awakening condition, then achieve Awakening through her death!

Caution: If your lover status with is terminated, you must restart the Awakening scenario from the beginning. (Time remaining until Awakening: 13 days, 11 hours, 46 minutes)

‘Awakening…?’

It was a strangely familiar term.

‘Now that I think about it…’

As I stared at the word, I suddenly remembered the game’s [Awakening] system.

I’d never actually played this damn game myself, so I didn’t know exactly how the [Awakening] mechanic worked.

All I knew was secondhand information.

Players needed to Awaken to clear the tutorial scenario, and each hero character had different Awakening conditions.

Once Awakened, the main scenario—and the original story proper—would begin.

That was all I knew.

‘So Hezen’s Awakening condition is his lover’s death… meaning I have to die for him to Awaken?’

There was no way someone as healthy and free from illness as I was could suddenly become terminally ill.

Moreover, the time left until his Awakening matched my remaining lifespan exactly.

‘He confessed to me, and when I accepted his confession, that’s what made me terminally ill!’

The realization left my head reeling.

That sweet confession had actually been a declaration—he intended to kill me to achieve his Awakening.

In that instant, my fury toward Hezen escalated beyond anger into outright murderous intent.

But I had no time to tremble in rage.

Watching my life tick away second by second filled me with anxiety and impatience.

First, I had to break off the lover relationship.

‘But how?’

Even though I’d witnessed his infidelity and our relationship had clearly gone south, we were still officially lovers.

‘There must be another way. This is a game world, so there must be some specific condition…’

Even in a game with high freedom, they wouldn’t let something as major as Awakening proceed blindly.

The same likely applied to the [Lover Relationship] status.

There must be specific conditions required to maintain that status…

“Hmm…”

Focusing on the word ‘lover’ with my now somewhat familiar intuition, another detailed description unfolded before me—as if I’d clicked it with a mouse.

[You and are engaged lovers. This relationship cannot be terminated as long as your engagement remains intact.]

“As long as the engagement remains intact…?”

That meant, conversely, the only way to break this status was to cancel the engagement.

But it was an engagement officially endorsed by imperial decree—there was no way it could be canceled easily.

It would take at least a month or two.

Given that my mother held Hezen in high regard, it might take even longer.

Yet, with my remaining lifespan flashing above my head, I couldn’t afford to wait idly for months.

I needed a powerful, immediate reason for the royal family to issue an annulment at once.

‘Simply witnessing his infidelity won’t be enough.’

Unless his affair involved producing an illegitimate child, annulment wouldn’t be granted so easily.

‘There is one way to completely invalidate a royal engagement as if it never happened, though…’

While I was deep in thought, trying to break that damn lover relationship, Seira entered again, accompanied by a knock.

“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“Lord Hezen is waiting in the reception room.”

At that moment, hearing the name I least wanted to hear caused my expression to darken instantly.

Nearby, a translucent system window flickered into view with a soft chime.

[Side Quest: Prevent the Annulment!]

, having witnessed your infidelity, is seriously considering annulment. Raise her affection to restore your relationship and prevent the annulment!

▶Reward upon success: Title

▶Penalty upon failure: Annulment, Honor -100, Charm -100, Compensation Fee 300,000,000G

This looked just like the quest window Hezen had seen that day.

It seemed that the closer I was to him—the player—the clearer the window became; the farther apart, the fainter it grew.

‘Huh? A title?’

Seeing such an absurd reward made me fume with outrage.

Hezen, though exceptionally talented, was born a commoner.

However, marrying into the imperial family would instantly grant him rights to the throne—even if his bride was merely a nominal princess.

I’d known they were preparing to elevate him to nobility by bestowing a title before our marriage, since a commoner couldn’t possibly inherit the throne…

‘Now I see—was he courting me just for that?’

Seeing the word ‘Title’ blatantly listed under [Reward upon Success] made my blood boil.

And the compensation fee for annulment was a staggering 300 million gold?

In the Azester Empire, the annulment fee was double the dowry.

That meant this bastard had already received a dowry of 150 million gold from my mother!

And that was just for an engagement—not even a full marriage!

‘You damn gold-grubbing thief!’

I gritted my teeth, glaring at the system window that was growing steadily clearer.

“Your Highness… aren’t you going to see him…?”

Seeing me sitting still and staring blankly into space, Seira asked anxiously.

“No. I’m not going.”

I stood abruptly, my voice icy cold.

Was I mad enough to meet that man?

The one who deceived me, betrayed me, and made me terminally ill?

Besides, he’d come here only to raise my affection and stop the annulment, hadn’t he?

‘Do you really think it’ll go your way?’

Not wanting to deal with him if he decided to chase me all the way to my bedroom, I stormed out, claiming I wanted to take a walk.

“Don’t tell anyone where I am—I want to be alone!”

“Y-Your Highness…!”

Seira called out in a desperate, flustered voice, but I ignored her pleas and walked away alone.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to be with anyone—not just Hezen.

Every time I saw floating text above people’s heads, I was reminded that I was truly just a character in that damn game, and it filled me with gloom.

Even when I’d first realized at age six—alongside sudden memories of my past life—that I’d been reincarnated, I’d never felt this despondent.

It would be a lie to say I held no attachment to my previous life.

I’d lived under my aunt’s roof, eating meals earned through wary glances, and studied obsessively just to escape that miserable household.

My last memory was joyfully reading my university acceptance message—only to fail to notice an oncoming drunk driver.

My first feeling had been injustice.

But I’d known that wallowing in injustice wouldn’t accomplish anything.

So I’d resolved firmly: since I’d been reborn into a new world, I’d make the most of this new life.

had been a radiant masterpiece, where every character—including the main protagonist Hezen—shone brilliantly.

During my difficult school years, this story had been my ray of light in the darkness, a comfort I returned to again and again.

Reincarnated into such a world, I’d believed I could surely live a good life.

But to learn that this entire world was created for just one person!

That countless people—including me—were merely disposable characters meant to serve someone else!

And worse—that I was fated to die just to Awaken that miserable bastard!

‘This is really too much.’

Pouring my resentment toward the world, I stomped heavily as I walked.

Who cared about imperial dignity when no one was watching anyway?

With every forceful step, the pendant around my neck jingled softly.

Rustle—

I sensed someone behind me.

“I told you not to follow me!”

Assuming it was Seira or another maid, I snapped irritably.

“You.”

But the low, rough voice that answered was unmistakably male.

I turned to see the man I’d bumped into recently in the palace corridor.

His striking face—snow-white silver hair and crimson eyes—was unforgettable. He was the owner of the pendant now hanging around my neck.

‘Huh…?’

My eyes widened as I realized something.

‘It’s gone!’

There was nothing above his head.

Not even the damn floating text that should appear above every game character’s head.

“Indeed.”

A chuckle, light as the wind, slipped through the man’s teeth. Then, almost immediately—

“Necklace thief.”

His voice dropped sharply, laced with icy menace as it struck me.

“Fearless little thing.”

Startled by the murderous glint in his fierce eyes, I instinctively clutched the pendant and stumbled backward.

“You dare lay hands on what’s mine?”

His chilling gaze locked onto the pendant around my neck.

Around him, spheres of pure white energy began to coalesce.

“Wait, hold on—this is a misunderstanding… Aaah!”

Boom!

My desperate explanation was cut short by a deafening blast.

The madman had hurled a white sphere straight at me.

If I hadn’t sensed his intent and barely dodged in time, I would’ve taken the full force of that attack.

Behind me, a massive tree had been completely obliterated, reduced to splinters.

My eyes bulged.

‘Holy shit! Did he just blow up a tree?’

“Oh ho.”

At the sound of his amused exclamation, I turned to see him smiling faintly, as if entertained.

“So you’re a nimble little thief-cat, quick as a mouse. Was it with that skill you stole my pendant?”

“I didn’t steal it—I found it… Aaah!”

Boom!

Another sphere came flying.

I couldn’t dodge it fully—the hem of my dress grazed the attack and vanished instantly in a hiss of black smoke.

‘Eeek!’

If that had been my skin instead of fabric, I shuddered to think what would’ve happened. Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

“Wait, calm down—please calm down…!”

If I couldn’t pacify him, I’d end up vanishing like that tree and my dress.

“I-I’m the Imperial Princess of Azester! This is an assassination attempt on ro…!”

“If I kill you here and bury your body, no one will ever know.”

He added with a wicked smirk curling his lips.

“After all, you’re all alone.”

His narrow crimson eyes glinted with deadly intent.