I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 165

⚠️ Content Warning – Adrian’s Side Story: Contains depictions of cruelty and suicidal ideation. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Whenever I was alone with Adrian, I always felt drowsy. Maybe it was because, in Adrian’s office, not a single sound could be heard.

I was sitting sideways on Adrian’s thigh, leaning comfortably against him. He had seated me there on his own, but it was more comfortable than expected, so I didn’t try to leave and stayed nestled against him.

Adrian would occasionally pull me closer with the arm wrapped around my waist or play with my messy hair while focusing on his work.

I was moving my fingers as if playing the violin, reading the sheet music Dietrich had given me, but the drowsiness made me lower the music onto my lap.

Even when I fidgeted, Adrian’s pace of work didn’t slow down at all. His concentration was frightening.

As I continued to lean against him, I felt like I had become a doll meant to help him focus. I glanced up at Adrian’s face, then rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. Drowsiness crept in.

It felt a bit wrong to lounge so leisurely in front of someone working hard, but since I’d have to reenter the system soon, I wanted to rest comfortably for now.

I already had a bad feeling about how prickly Adrian would be in the game.

Being in his arms like this would probably only be possible in the later part of the game, after completely capturing him.

“Saintess.”

Just as I was about to fall asleep, Adrian stopped working and called me.

“Are you aware that Sir Dion is preparing to hold a wedding with you?”

“…No.”

“Then it’s something you should know. If Sir Dion really proceeds with the ceremony, you’ll have to hold five more weddings.”

He didn’t seem to be trying to wake me up but rather casually mentioning something that had come to mind. Startled out of my doze, I sat up straight.

So that’s what he was preparing behind the scenes while acting so busy lately?

I should’ve realized when he looked so disappointed about not having a ceremony. I pressed my fingers to my forehead and lifted my head from Adrian’s shoulder. As I gathered the sheet music from my lap, Adrian perceptively released the arm around my waist.

When I stood up, the low heels I wore made a sharp sound on the floor.

I was hoping to relax a bit before diving into the game again, but they’re not giving me a chance.

Sighing and rubbing my forehead, I said to Adrian, “I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Yes.”

Just like Adrian said, if I held a wedding with Dion, I’d have to prepare five more ceremonies. A bride having six weddings—what kind of absurd situation is that?

I wouldn’t even be able to face Hella, who looked up to me like a parent. If Hella, having grown up watching me, ended up bringing home six grooms someday, I might just faint on the spot clutching my neck.

Of course, if that’s what Hella truly wanted, I’d congratulate her… but still, showing her someone who’s had six weddings probably isn’t good for her emotional development.

***

I was completely exhausted from trying to talk Dion out of it.

A venue discreet enough not to attract attention despite marrying a saintess, rings, the bare minimum number of guests and an officiant. He had prepared everything to the point the ceremony could be held tomorrow.

When I returned to the office, utterly drained, Adrian and Hella greeted me. Adrian was brushing back his hair, clearly annoyed by whatever conversation they’d just been having.

Hella was nervously glancing at Adrian, but when she saw me enter, she quickly ran behind me and hid.

“What were you two talking about?”

“They said there was a fire in the herb chamber.”

“A fire?”

“It wasn’t extensive, just a few herbs got burned. But among them was one of the ingredients in the medicine Miss Dahlia is currently taking.”

Ah, so that’s why they wanted to take herbs from Adrian’s herb chamber?

I gave a small nod.

I’d heard from Tricia that Dahlia had caught a cold—not a serious one, but she had allergies, so care was needed when giving her medication.

“Then just give it to them.”

“I can’t. That herb chamber is managed for you and Sir Lucius. If it’s not something the two of you need, I can’t allow it out,” Adrian said firmly.

He continued, “And it’s not like Miss Dahlia absolutely needs that herb, is it? It’s not a serious illness. With some good rest and care, she’ll recover even without medication.”

“Ugh…”

Hella, clutching my sleeve, trembled in frustration.

“As if he’s the only one managing the herb chamber… I’ve helped turn that soil so many times…”

“…Are you saying that for me to hear?”

Hella murmured in a small voice, but there was no way Adrian couldn’t hear her. The atmosphere between Adrian and Hella instantly turned tense, as if they were about to start a fight.

I let out a deep sigh, caught between the two. I had just finished talking Dion down, and now it was Adrian and Hella?

I was tired, but if I didn’t step in, who knows what could happen. Both Adrian and Hella had no sense of moderation.

“Are you two trying to fight again? Cut it out.”

The two of them subtly didn’t get along. I’d optimistically thought that, having similar experiences, they might be able to understand each other—but that had been naïve.

The moment they saw each other, they fought. Like siblings born a year apart.

“But, Saintess… Dahlia has such a high fever. If she can’t take her medicine, she’ll suffer all night…”

Hella tugged at my arm as she spoke.

Hella almost never whined to me. Her worried expression about Dahlia tugged at my heart.

I wrapped my arm around Hella’s shoulders to soothe her and turned to Adrian.

This time, it seemed Adrian was in the wrong. Dahlia was someone even he knew, and yet he was cutting her off so coldly.

“Adrian, please give Hella the herbs she needs.”

“I already told you those herbs are for you and Sir Lucius…”

“It’s fine. I’ll be using the system again soon, so I won’t be getting sick, and I’ve never even seen Lucius fall ill. And Hella doesn’t ask for favors often, right? You should make exceptions for things like this.”

“…Understood,” Adrian replied with a furrow of his brow.

As soon as he answered, I heard a short giggle from Hella, who was still in my arms. It was so brief that I thought I might have misheard it—but Adrian’s eyes sharpened. The kind of look that said he’d shake Hella by the shoulders if I weren’t standing between them.

When I glanced down, Hella couldn’t hide the upward twitch at the corners of her lips, her mouth twitching with smug amusement. Seemingly believing I had taken her side, she cast a mocking look toward Adrian.

Oh, Hella… No wonder she and Adrian didn’t get along.

I pressed down the back of Hella’s head so Adrian couldn’t see her bratty expression.

At this rate, she’d get hit when I wasn’t around.

“Hella, go back now with the herbs from Adrian.”

“Yeees.”

“Give my regards to Dahlia. I haven’t been able to visit her once because Tricia’s worried it’ll be contagious and won’t let me go.”

“Yes, yes, I will!”

Hella responded brightly and left with the herbs from Adrian. Adrian, displeased, checked the remaining quantity of herbs.

Looking at the now-empty shelf, Adrian grumbled in dissatisfaction, “The herbs used in Miss Dahlia’s medicine are difficult to cultivate. They also don’t store well, so we only kept a minimal amount, and now it’s just…”

Adrian complaining was a rare thing. When clashing with Hella, he turned so human—almost childish—it was actually kind of amusing.

As I giggled beside him while we tidied up the herbs, he sighed in exasperation and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

I patted the arm around my neck and replied, “Still, there was no need to cut her off so coldly.”

“I simply prioritized you, Saintess. To me, you are the most important.”

“I know, Adrian. Thank you.”

When I said that with a smile, Adrian sighed once more and murmured quietly, “Maybe if I use the system this time… will I become someone more important to you…?”

His voice sank with a hint of gloom.

“More than the Pope…”

***

It seemed Adrian had been jealous of Orias all along.

Before connecting to the game, I recalled how to capture him and grimaced in frustration.

It would be great if it ended as smoothly as it did with Orias, but no matter how I looked at it, Adrian’s capture route was difficult. To capture him, I had to travel to his village and make contact with his past self.

Just the thought of crafting potions like mad again made me shudder.

If I mismanaged my time while making potions, I wouldn’t even make it to the village before getting a bad ending.

“If I could skip that part, the capture would be a lot easier. But is that even possible?”

I opened the system and thought aloud, hoping for an answer.

A moment after I spoke, a system window appeared at my command. At first, it was blank—then text began to form.

<If capture data from a previous playthrough exists, relevant information can be retrieved.>

“You mean I can overlay Adrian’s capture info from a past playthrough, right?”

<You may retrieve capture data for character [Adrian].>

• Overlaying data from a previous playthrough is not recommended.

It seemed to be within the system’s capabilities, and a confirmation followed.

The “not recommended” part was concerning, but it was still better than having to make hundreds of potions.

Alright, time to connect.