The Terminally-Ill Rejects the Approach - Chapter 1

“I’ve always liked you.”

Hezen smiled brightly as he held out a ring to me.

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

My heart seemed to stop at his sweet voice, as if dipped in honey.

“Hi-hiccup!”

I quickly covered my mouth with both hands at the sudden hiccup that escaped.

Seeing me like that, Hezen gently curved his eyes.

As if he found me so adorable that he didn’t know what to do, with such a sweet expression.

“N-no way! H-how…!”

“Do you dislike my proposal that much?”

Hezen asked in a seemingly upset voice, drooping his eyes.

Even that regretful expression on his face was so beautiful like a masterpiece that my heart pounded fiercely.

“N-no, that’s not it…!”

I shook my head while blushing.

‘How could I dislike it!’

Beautiful golden hair as if extracted from sunlight. Jewel-like green eyes revealed every time he blinked.

His appearance so beautiful that no one in the empire could dare compare, a kind and affectionate personality, and even the perfect setting of becoming the empire’s youngest Swordmaster.

‘As expected of the protagonist…’

This place where I was possessed is inside the classic fantasy novel .

Abbreviated as , it was the 21st century’s greatest masterpiece that once again sparked a classic fantasy craze worldwide!

Hezen, the hero of light who later becomes the hero who saves the continent. He was the protagonist of this story.

Countless ladies of the empire, regardless of social status, loved Hezen.

I was no exception.

However, the protagonist Hezen had a beautiful and kind heroine destined to be with him, Maria the Holy Maiden of Light.

And I was… an extra whose name didn’t even appear in the original work.

So from the moment I first saw him, I made constant efforts not to fall for him.

But when I came to my senses, I found that such efforts of mine had become bubbles at some point.

I discovered myself falling in love anew and fluttering at his every word and gesture.

I ended up falling in love with him as if it were a predetermined fate.

But that didn’t mean I hoped for my love to be reciprocated.

Because I knew the ending of this story.

So this situation where he was confessing to me was completely unexpected.

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

This was a development different from the original.

“If you don’t dislike it.”

Swoosh—

The approaching fingertip gently touched my cheek.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded fiercely.

Hezen, who had been looking at me with profound eyes, slightly tilted his head towards me and asked.

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

Thump…!

My chest felt like it was going to burst.

“Uh… yes!”

I nodded without even realizing it.

Wham!

“I love you, Lulu!”

Hezen embraced me and whispered sweet love.

“I’ll make you happy for life.”

It still felt unbelievable, like I was dreaming.

Is this the so-called twisting of the original story, the privilege of being possessed?

…Until then, I thought I had twisted the original story.

Believing that the world I was possessed in was the novel I had loved in my previous life.

* * *

[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has increased by +100! (Affection: 999)

[SYSTEM] The increase is not reflected as the affection is already at maximum!

‘Hmph, how tasteless?’

Hezen inwardly sneered at the system window appearing before his eyes.

In reality, he had never even held hands with the opposite sex, but in this world, he could raise the affection of the opposite sex so easily.

Unlike Luibel’s belief that she was possessed in the great fantasy masterpiece , this world was inside the virtual reality game , adapted from the original novel.

The player must awaken their power, gather companions, and defeat the Light Dragon threatening the empire.

The game structure is simple.

1. Choose one of the four heroes
2. Complete the tutorial quest [Awakening] 3. Progress through the scenario and gather the remaining heroes as companions
4. Defeat the Light Dragon (final boss) threatening the empire

Hezen, the player, was in the middle of progressing through the tutorial quest [Awakening].

[Awakening] is an original element unique to the game that wasn’t in the original novel. Once the player clears the awakening conditions, the original story begins.

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

3rd Princess of the Azester Empire

Affection: 999

Hezen grinned as he looked at the affection window above Luibel’s head.

“Will you accept my proposal, Lulu?”

“Uh… yes!”

Luibel answered with a blushing face.

[SYSTEM] has accepted your proposal!

[SYSTEM] You have successfully conquered !

[SYSTEM] ‘s attribute is upgraded from [Conquest Target] to [Lover]!

[SYSTEM] [Time-limited] attribute is added to !

[SYSTEM] Maintain lover status with for 30 days to fulfill the awakening condition, then achieve awakening through her death!

Luibel Azester is the sacrifice he chose for awakening.

In other words, if Luibel, who just became his lover, quietly dies 30 days later, he will complete the awakening and clear the tutorial!

The reason he specifically chose Luibel, an extra, was because she was the only one among the emperor’s daughters who didn’t have a fiancé yet.

The protagonist Hezen had everything, but he lacked just one thing – ‘status’.

Although she was a powerless princess, being royalty meant he could receive a title by getting engaged to her.

Therefore, Hezen planned to conquer Luibel to gain a title, and then kill her to complete his awakening.

‘But her appearance is too good to just die.’

Luibel Azester was so pretty it was hard to believe she was an extra.

It was puzzling why such a great character wasn’t known in the community boards and strategy tips.

While Hezen was licking his lips, that’s when it happened.

Ding!

[SYSTEM] A new conquest target has appeared. Would you like to view the character’s information?

The system window notified that a new character to conquer had appeared.

At that moment, Hezen’s eyes lit up.

In fact, he wasn’t very interested in defeating the Light Dragon or progressing through the scenario.

In this highly free game, Hezen’s goal was none other than building a harem!

The title he would gain from his engagement to Luibel would make his harem even more solid.

* * *

The engagement with Hezen proceeded swiftly.

Despite worries that the engagement might fall through due to the original story’s compulsion, no disturbances occurred.

And the news of our engagement spread quickly.

“Oh my, you’re so beautiful, Your Highness.”

“How can your hair be like silk?”

The maids kept exclaiming in admiration as they styled my hair.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

A fairy-like woman with delicate features sat there, with soft flowing cherry blossom-colored hair and warm amber eyes.

At first, I thought I might have been possessed by a female protagonist from some romance fantasy novel because of the unrealistically beautiful appearance.

It wasn’t long before I realized I was an extra in that I had loved so much in my previous life.

Princess Luibel of the Azester Empire was merely mentioned in passing in the original work as “I heard the 3rd princess of Azester is such a beauty,” an extra whose name never even appeared.

Despite being a direct descendant of the emperor, she was excluded from the succession struggle in the imperial palace because, unlike the emperor’s other children, her father’s identity was unclear.

As a result, she couldn’t get close to her other siblings, and the 2nd prince Orent in particular openly disregarded Luibel.

A royal in name only, powerless and unloved by the emperor. However…

‘This is even better!’

It wasn’t a bad possession.

‘A super-rich unemployed life born with a diamond spoon!’

Wasn’t it said that the best possession is being an extra?

Moreover, not just any extra, but the emperor’s daughter.

Since I was pushed out of the imperial succession, I didn’t have to get involved in troublesome affairs, and although I had no power, I was overflowing with wealth as a royal.

‘On top of that, being set as the empire’s greatest beauty and even getting engaged to my beloved Hezen…’

My heart started pounding again at the thought of Hezen.

The emperor, my mother, promised Hezen a title as an engagement gift.

Of course, it was absolutely not out of affection for me, the trash princess.

Mother had always highly regarded Hezen’s abilities. So much so that she mentioned him several times in official settings.

It’s clear that she intends to shower him with all sorts of good things, including a title, using the engagement with me as an opportunity.

‘Well, Hezen receiving mother’s trust is good for me too…’

“It’s all done, Your Highness.”

Today was the day of the tea party hosted by sister Elizabeth in the imperial garden.

“It’s still chilly even though it’s spring, so please wear this.”

Seira, my maid, warmly said as she wrapped a shawl around me.

“Thank you.”

I went out wearing the shawl Seira had wrapped around me.

I chose to walk rather than take a carriage.

My steps towards the garden were very refreshing and light.

Since my engagement to Hezen, every day felt like walking on clouds.

‘I wonder what Hezen is doing?’

He was always busy, but he became even busier after the engagement. However, I understood the situation of not being able to meet often rather than complaining…

“Oh my, Your Highness! Be careful!”

Thud!

Lost in thoughts of Hezen as I walked, I bumped into someone and fell right on my bottom.

“Ow ow ow…”

As I let out a faint groan at the slight pain spreading, a huge shadow fell over me.

The first things that caught my eye were neat white pants and a fluttering light purple cape.

I slowly raised my head.

There stood a snow-white man, like the first snow falling on a winter’s day.

Silver hair as white as I had never seen before in the Azester Empire, and red eyes like a drop of blood fallen on clean snow.

The man, who seemed to be staring slightly at the empty space above my head, slowly moved his gaze to look at me.

“…”

“…”

The moment I met that frosty gaze, goosebumps rose all over my body.

It wasn’t particularly surprising to see unfamiliar faces in the imperial palace, as envoys from all over the continent were flocking in for the upcoming celebration of mother’s birthday. However…

‘W-what?’

What I felt in the man’s eyes looking down at me was clear annoyance and irritation.

Usually, even people who disliked Luibel would blush or soften their hardened expressions when faced with this lovable face, despite themselves.

But the gaze of the man looking down at me now was as dry as if observing a microorganism.

Nervous at that unfamiliar, inorganic gaze, I unconsciously swallowed.

Gulp.

Was the sound of swallowing too loud?

The man slightly furrowed his brow, then immediately let out a crooked smile.

‘Huk.’

This time I almost lost my breath for a different reason.

It was a smile close to a sneer, but that cold face with a hint of a sardonic smile was surprisingly handsome.

Even more so than Hezen, the protagonist of this world!

The man indifferently took his gaze off me and brushed past me.

“Oh dear, Your Highness. Are you alright?”

Seira’s worried voice came from behind.

I blankly stared at the man’s retreating back.

‘In a world where Hezen is the protagonist, someone with an even greater presence than Hezen. Who on earth is he? Could he be a character from the original work that I don’t remember?’

As I turned my gaze, newly impressed, I suddenly noticed an object fallen on the ground.

“Huh…?”

It was a pendant necklace with a delicately crafted red jewel.

The man must have dropped it.

Since the man had already left, I picked up the necklace intending to return it later if we met again.

“My goodness, to bump into the princess and leave without a word! How can there be such a rude person?”

Seira grumbled towards the already vanished man as she supported me.

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

However, as I stood up grasping Seira’s outstretched hand, I immediately paused.

‘Huh?’

A blue window that wasn’t visible until just now was sparkling above Seira’s head.

3rd Princess’s Maid

Affection: 999

What is… that?