I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 80

My current task is to uncover the cause of the Emperor’s illness and craft a potion to cure him. I already know the Second Prince is the reason for the Emperor’s condition, but without evidence, no one would believe me if I said so.

Considering the Emperor is nearly under the Second Prince’s control, it would be fortunate if he doesn’t try to kill me.

While attempting to combine what I knew about potions to craft a cure, a system window appeared, and I stopped my work.

<Insufficient information to craft the ‘Emperor’s Cure.’>

<Potion crafting failed!>

“This method won’t work.”

“Who comes up with the idea of crafting a cure without even knowing the illness?”

Lucius, who had been watching my repeated failures, flicked a finger against one of the potion bottles and spoke. The many bottles on the table were all my failed attempts.

Knocking over one of the bottles, Lucius rolled it across the table before asking, “You said you wanted to meet the Second Prince, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t say I wanted to meet him. I said I needed information.”

On the day I told Lucius I would help him, I mentioned that I needed information about the Second Prince—where he goes, who he meets, and his activities.

Following his tracks would eventually lead the system to tell me how to craft the cure.

Except for the occasional logout attempt, the system had been quite cooperative. It was trustworthy regarding anything related to capture or survival.

“You refused to help the Second Prince yet claim you need information about him. Why?”

“Can I be honest with you?”

Watching the potion bottle roll under Lucius’s finger, I tilted my head and asked in return.

He stopped the bottle and set it upright before replying, “Of course.”

“I find the Second Prince suspicious.”

“Is that so? I find you more suspicious.”

“What kind of attitude is that after telling me to be honest?”

Perhaps because his affection level was low, Lucius seemed unwilling to have a normal conversation with me.

Is it because I haven’t even started his route yet?

As I grumbled under my breath, Lucius faintly smiled, though the ambiguous expression quickly vanished as his face hardened.

“You suspect the Second Prince but not me. Why?”

“Well…”

Lucius was one of the capture targets, and his setting depicted him as lethargic and disinterested in power, so there was no reason to doubt him.

As I collected the scattered potion bottles, I answered, “After spending a few days with you, Sir Lucius, I couldn’t doubt you even if I wanted to. You stay cooped up in your room, showing no intention of leaving, and aside from Sir Adrian’s occasional visits, you don’t meet anyone.”

With every word I spoke, Lucius’s frown deepened.

“If you want me to suspect you, go outside more often, Sir Lucius.”

Stop lazing around in your room.

“Meet people other than Sir Adrian and engage in some social activities.”

After gathering all the potion bottles in front of Lucius, I dusted off my hands. Lucius responded to my criticism in a sharp tone.

“Forget about being honest. Don’t answer honestly in front of me from now on. It’s unpleasant.”

“Yes, yes. I get it. Let’s go look for information together since you can’t stand the sight of me wandering around alone.”

“Your current attitude is just as unpleasant, Saintess.”

As I stood up from my chair, Lucius rose as well, voicing his dissatisfaction. He left the room ahead of me.

***

“Is there no way to talk directly to His Majesty? I’d like to check what kind of herbs are in his room.”

“There are plenty of ways to verify that without meeting him in person. Do you need that information?”

“Yes, and also…”

“Sir Lucius!”

Someone interrupted our conversation as we walked in step.

“Beatrice.”

Lucius frowned at Beatrice, who approached with hurried steps. Her sharp gaze scanned me, filled with open hostility.

Beatrice glared at me with a piercing look before blocking Lucius’s path and speaking in a rapid, clipped tone, “I heard about Lucinda. You arranged for her to meet Oliver. Was it the Saintess’s suggestion, Sir Lucius?”

Pointing an accusatory finger at me, Beatrice demanded an answer, her voice seething with anger.

Lucius, glancing at her wagging finger, nodded indifferently. “So what if it was?”

“That was my jurisdiction!”

“It was a jurisdiction I gave you.”

“Yes, I know it was granted by you, Sir Lucius. That’s why I’ve been doing my best to lead the attendants in the right direction—until the Saintess ruined it!”

What? Me?

Blinking in surprise at Beatrice’s unexpected accusation, I looked at her. Beatrice, who had been fuming with anger, took a deep breath to calm herself and continued.

“Oliver will betray Lucinda, Saintess. He’s behaving so strategically because he knows the story about Lucinda returning to her hometown is a lie. Because of you, the poor Lucinda…”

“Hold on, Beatrice.”

“If anything happens to Lucinda, it’s entirely the Saintess’s fault!”

“How is that my fault?”

Puzzled by Beatrice’s baseless accusation, I asked her directly.

It was true I had intervened and brought the two together, but how could their future troubles possibly be my fault?

In a reprimanding tone, Beatrice replied, “You should have stayed out of it if you didn’t know. I’m the one who knows Lucinda and Oliver’s relationship best. For someone like you, who hasn’t even been here long…”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Interrupting Beatrice, I spoke in a calm tone, “I asked why it would be my fault if something happens to Lucinda. Don’t deflect.”

“Well, obviously, it’s because you brought the two together and caused all this…”

“They talked to each other. I didn’t intervene in their conversation. If anything happens, it’s between Lucinda and Oliver. I see no reason for you to reprimand me for this.”

I grabbed Lucius by the wrist and walked past Beatrice.

“Let’s go, Sir Lucius.”

“Saintess!”

Beatrice wanted to criticize and belittle me, using any excuse to sway me. But I had no intention of engaging in such a fruitless argument.

This wasn’t the first time I’d faced such treatment, and there was no need to endure it even in a game.

<Lucius’s affection has slightly increased.>

As I held Lucius’s wrist and walked away, a system window popped up. I glanced back at Lucius.

He was looking at Beatrice but slowly lowered his head and shifted his gaze forward. His languid movements conveyed a sense of emptiness, as though he didn’t care about the outcome of anything.

Lucius, who followed me without any resistance, made no attempt to shake off my hand.

Gently, I squeezed his hand. When I applied a bit of pressure, Lucius seemed to snap out of his daze.

“What are you doing?”

Lucius violently shook off my hand and exaggeratedly wiped his palm as if he had touched something dirty. Enthusiastically rubbing his hand, he suddenly curled his fingers as though sensing something odd.

Lucius stared at his palm, tilting his head curiously, before extending it toward me and saying, “Saintess, give me your hand.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

At his insistent tone, I hesitated but eventually held out my hand. Lucius grabbed it without delay, intertwining his fingers with mine as he murmured something under his breath.

“Sir Lucius.”

Each time he muttered something, a dizziness clouded my vision. The sensation was similar to when Gillian had grabbed my hand, though no system error occurred this time. My strength seemed to drain from my body.

“Wait, can you explain what you’re doing…!”

I tried to pull my hand away, but Lucius’s firm grip wouldn’t budge no matter how much I twisted and struggled.

“Hah…”

A few more seconds passed, and I could no longer support myself. Gasping for breath, I swayed weakly, and Lucius released my hand only to catch me by the waist.

“What… are… you… doing…”

As Lucius held my waist, he abruptly tugged at my collar.

What if someone saw this?

Frowning at Lucius for fiddling with my clothes in the middle of the hallway, I saw no signs of him stopping.

“You’re lucky, Saintess. Even if you meet Gillian, your holy power won’t drain to the point of death.”

Lucius spoke meaningfully as the cold air brushed against my exposed skin.

Why was he acting like this, even without the excuse of any strange herbs, as with Dion or Dietrich?

Surely, he wasn’t planning anything inappropriate here, was he? Even though he was an R-19 game character, this sudden behavior was too much without any warning.

As Lucius continued to tear open my clothes with a satisfied expression, I stared at him in disbelief. Seeing my expression, Lucius grabbed my head and pushed it downward harshly.

“What’s with that look? See, it’s because of this.”

Forced to look down, I saw a shimmering seal on my exposed chest. I squinted at the glowing pattern.

Was it supposed to shine like that?

“What’s wrong with it? Is Gillian controlling it?”

“No, it’s me.”

“…What?”

<The control of the binding seal has transferred 20% to ‘Lucius.’>

• If it reaches 100%, Lucius will gain full control of the seal.

I checked the system notification that appeared in time and looked back at the seal.

20%?

Narrowing my eyes, I saw that a golden glow covered roughly 20% of the seal. The light soon faded, but the area it had occupied was now a noticeably different color from the rest of the seal.

Lucius curled his lips into a smirk and said, “I didn’t expect to take this much control at once.”

“How did you do that? If you could gain control, you should’ve done it when Dietrich had the seal!”

Trying to stop Lucius from staring intently at my chest with a scholarly gleam in his eyes, I weakly pushed at his chest. Unfortunately, my weakened strength had little effect.

Despite my efforts, Lucius didn’t budge. He firmly held onto me and replied, “I tried everything back then, but it all failed.”

“But you succeeded now.”

“Dietrich didn’t work, but you did. Is it because of the holy power?”

“Ugh…”

“Oh, there’s still some magic left on my fingers.”

Poking the seal with curiosity, Lucius quickly withdrew his hand when I groaned in pain. Golden sparks flickered from his fingers, and he seemed unable to hide his excitement. Clenching and unclenching his hand, he concealed the magic.

“Sir Lucius!”

Despite withdrawing his magic, Lucius resumed poking at the seal with his finger, oblivious to its location on my chest. Immobilized, I sharply called out his name.

What are we doing in the hallway?

“What?”

“Enough. Are you even aware of where you’re touching?”

I wish he’d understand that my body is practically designed for an R-19 game. Though I couldn’t explicitly tell him, it was frustrating.

Even though Lucius was poking and prodding with a curious attitude, I…

“…Ah.”

He let out a sigh as he withdrew his hand from the seal he had been poking. It seemed he had finally realized what he had been prodding.