The Terminally-Ill Rejects the Approach (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

“You want me… to eat this…?”

Hezen asked, his pupils trembling.

“Yes, I’ll feed it to you with all my love. Come on, open up, Hezen.”

I speared a bite of dessert with my fork and brought it straight to his lips.

Seeing him hesitate, unsure of what to do, gave me a smug sense of satisfaction.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally accepted the bite—but swallowed it whole without even chewing, as if gulping down poison.

He clenched his eyes shut and grimaced in obvious agony.

Meanwhile, he opened his inventory (*the in-game space where players store acquired items*) and checked for an antidote—a pathetically suspicious act.

‘Does he really think I’d poison him?’

Though he’d swallowed the dessert, nothing happened to him.

Of course, I never expected something so trivial could actually harm him.

“How can you swallow without even chewing? Here, at least drink this.”

I handed him a drink with an innocent look.

“Thank you, Lulu.”

Now reassured that his body showed no ill effects, he sipped the drink more calmly than before.

And at that very moment—

Plop!

His denture—no, dentures—plunked straight into his glass.

“Oh my, Hezen! Your teeth…!”

I fluttered my fan open and covered my face, feigning shock.

Of course, behind the fan, the corners of my mouth were already twitching upward.

[SYSTEM] You have lost your dentures. Charisma decreased by 500. (Charisma: 499) [SYSTEM] You have acquired the rare title 【Toothless Tiger】. [SYSTEM] You received 2490 experience points as a reward for obtaining a rare title. [SYSTEM] Your experience points have exceeded the maximum. During the tutorial phase, your level is capped at 10. [SYSTEM] Due to your new title’s effect, Honor decreased by 300. (Honor: 699)

With five front teeth missing, leaving a gaping hole, his plummeting charisma was hardly surprising.

“Good heavens, Lord Hezen’s teeth…”

“My word, all five front teeth…”

I could see scattered drops in people’s affection toward him from all around.

Watching it all unfold, I curled my lips into a satisfied smirk.

It had all started when I happened to peek into his interface window—more precisely, his [Player-Exclusive Shop].

The [Player-Exclusive Shop] served as the in-game monetization system, essentially a real-money payment feature.

I sneaked a look at his purchase history, but found nothing particularly noteworthy.

Item: x1

The belt once worn by the ancient hero Aslan. Increases the player’s charisma by 500%.

‘Obsessed with charisma, this fool.’

Item: x1

The ring stolen from Miriam, Goddess of Fate, while she napped. Equipping it reveals characters’ ideal types and views on love.

‘I already knew he’d bought Miriam’s Ring…’

Item: x999

The tail of a notoriously fertile male electric eel. Using this item enhances the player’s virility…

‘You damn bastard! Why hoard 999 electric eel tails? You absolute lunatic @##%%^…’

Peeking into his purchases only soured my mood further.

I vaguely recall a system alert popping up around that time: “[Louise Belle Azester]’s killing intent has intensified.”

In any case, there was nothing truly useful in his transaction records—aside from confirming he was exactly the trash I thought he was.

Then, I discovered his weakness in his search history.

‘Dentures?’

Hezen had apparently been searching for dentures but couldn’t find any in the Player-Exclusive Shop.

I had someone discreetly look into it to confirm whether it was the kind I suspected.

Sure enough, the day after I punched him silly, I learned he’d secretly gotten custom dentures fitted.

And not just one or two—five front teeth!

‘Wait… could it possibly be because I knocked out his corn kernels?’

I did punch him once in a fit of rage after witnessing his shameless antics…

‘So he locked himself away for three days just to get dentures, then finally came looking for me?’

Everything suddenly clicked into place.

Without teeth, his charisma would drop—and with it, the affection of all the characters he was trying to woo.

For someone obsessed with charisma like him, this made perfect sense.

Once I knew that, I immediately plotted to humiliate him.

In the Azester Empire, dentures were crafted from polished [Bone of the Horned Shark] and affixed using [Sticky Secretion of the Honey Snail].

Thanks to the item description beside [Sticky Secretion of the Honey Snail] in his inventory, I learned something crucial:

[Honey Snail’s Moist Tears] neutralize the viscosity of [Sticky Secretion of the Honey Snail].

Item:

The gooey mucus secreted by the honey snail. Binds any object firmly in place. Loses its stickiness upon contact with .

Of course, obtaining [Honey Snail’s Moist Tears] was no easy feat—but as a powerless imperial princess with nothing but money, it was well within my means.

I slipped some into the drink he’d just consumed.

“H-how could this happen…?”

Hezen’s face flushed red, then turned pale.

Unable to bear the crowd’s stares any longer, he activated [Luce’s Footsteps] and vanished like an arrow.

As he fled, I watched with amusement as he pitifully scooped up his five fallen dentures before disappearing.

Truth be told, my goal wasn’t just to break his dentures—but something else entirely.

Namely, cooldown!

That is, “skill reuse delay.”

Like all other skills, [Luce’s Footsteps] had a waiting period before it could be used again.

Hezen kept annoying me by flaunting himself in front of me, then escaping every time with [Luce’s Footsteps].

But that skill had one fatal flaw: its cooldown was absurdly long.

All because he’d neglected skill leveling, obsessed only with raising his charisma.

I was certain that, humiliated as he was, he’d use the skill again just to flee the scene immediately.

He probably hadn’t even made it far beyond the palace grounds—and would soon return, hoping to salvage the situation.

‘And that moment will be your funeral.’

I retreated into a corner, a sinister smile hidden behind my fan.

The buzz around Hezen’s toothless grin filled me with delight.

Though I still had unfinished business with him, hunting him down while he was in hiding would be difficult.

For now, there was one more thing I needed to do here before he showed up again.

I sipped my drink quietly from the corner, surveying the ballroom.

In the distance, crowds were gathering around Second Prince Orent and First Princess Gloria.

Both, sons and daughters of the empire’s two most powerful dukes, were strong contenders for the imperial throne—but lately, Orent had drawn more attention after successfully completing a monster-slaying campaign.

They were born into privilege, unlike me—an orphaned daughter whose father’s identity no one knew.

Not far off, Elizabeth chatted warmly with her father.

I found myself staring blankly at the scene.

‘Surely I have a father too… Does Mother even know who he is?’

Mother never showed equal affection to all her children.

If she withheld love from the heirs to the throne, she certainly wouldn’t spare any for someone like me.

But just once…

Right after I first realized I’d transmigrated, when I was burning with fever, she actually came to see me.

Through that hazy, dreamlike vision, I still remembered the touch of her hand placing a damp cloth on my scorching forehead.

It was a gesture Yun Senna from my past life—living as a burden on her aunt’s household—had never once experienced.

Even if it wasn’t genuine affection, but mere pity for a helpless blood relative, I’d gladly accept it.

After recovering, I went all the way to the imperial palace to thank her—but she refused to see me.

The yellow flower I’d picked for her fell limply onto the dirt floor.

‘Well, I wouldn’t want to see me either. Useless to the throne, just causing trouble with a fever…’

Lost in that bittersweet memory, I was jolted by a loud announcement from a steward at the door.

“His Imperial Majesty has arrived!”

At Mother’s arrival, the murmurs in the hall ceased.

Without even a glance toward the crowd, she strode haughtily to the head seat and took her place.

People lined up to pay their respects.

When it was finally my turn, I stepped forward and bowed.

“Third Imperial Princess Louise Belle greets Your Imperial Majesty, the brightest sun of the Azester Empire.”

As always in her presence, I felt an oppressive weight pressing down on me, making my fingertips tremble.

But as I lifted my head to meet her eyes, I froze instantly.

Empress Christine Yoanna Azester of the Azester Empire

Affection: 999

“…”

Wow, you damn bastard!

You shameless, ethics-free piece of filth!

Affection didn’t necessarily imply romantic feelings—but the thought of her gaining benefits by raising her affection toward me ignited a blazing fury inside me.

Overwhelmed by rage, I cast aside all lingering tension and spoke in a crisp, clear voice.

“Your Majesty! I humbly request your permission to annul my engagement to Hezen Einsthan.”

“Annulment?”

Mother, who had been looking down at me indifferently, finally showed interest.

“Imperial betrothals are not so easily broken.”

I wasn’t the only one drawing attention now.

Ever since I mentioned breaking off the engagement with Hezen, I could feel everyone’s eyes turning toward me.

In the hushed silence of the ballroom, I carefully began to speak.

“I understand, Your Majesty. That is precisely why this request has cost me great anguish and deliberation…”

I paused briefly, letting my eyelashes flutter delicately.

“The truth is… he…”

Delaying the revelation only stoked the crowd’s curiosity further.

“He…”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted,

“Lord Hezen Einsthan is impotent, Your Majesty!”

“…!”

For a rare moment, even Mother’s composure faltered.

“You mean… Lord Hezen lacks the ability to reproduce?”

“Unfortunately, yes, Your Majesty.”

According to Azester imperial law, those incapable of reproduction were forbidden from marrying into the imperial family.

Concealing such a condition to secure an engagement was a grave offense.

Of course, Hezen wasn’t impotent yet—but he soon would be.

Because I would make sure of it.

‘Hehehe.’

I concealed a wicked smile and dabbed at my eyes with my sleeve, squeezing out fake tears.

Now, the ballroom was even more chaotic than when his dentures had dropped.

“My feelings for Hezen remain unchanged—but an impotent man cannot become imperial family.”

If Hezen had been present, he’d surely have flushed red and protested furiously.

But he’d already fled the scene moments earlier.

In the Azester Empire, infertility was valid grounds for annulment.

And once annulled, our status as lovers would automatically dissolve.

“…I shall soon send the imperial physician to examine Lord Hezen.”

Her response made me silently cheer in triumph.

“If it is confirmed that he indeed lacks reproductive capability, your request for annulment will be granted.”

All around, affection toward Hezen continued to plummet—some even dropping into negative territory.

Even Mother, whose affection for him had been 999 just moments ago…

Empress Christine Yoanna Azester of the Azester Empire

Affection: -999

‘She must believe he’s insulted the imperial house by hiding his infertility. Mother is always sharp on matters like this.’

With -999 affection from the Empress, his future in the empire would be truly entertaining to watch.

Served him right.

‘Of course, if my claim is proven false, the backlash will fall on me.’

I silently reaffirmed my resolve: one way or another, I would ensure Hezen met his impotent end.