Chapitre 20: Seducing Miranda ? [2] (Last Edited)
Miranda looked at me with a calmly. "Yes, I'm in my second year."
"Wow, that's impressive," I said, my voice tinged with awe. "If I may ask, are you highly ranked in your year?"
Before Miranda could answer, Lea jumped into the conversation with a proud grin. "You bet she's highly ranked! Mira is in the top three of the second year!" She declared, as if her friend's achievements were her own.
"Amazing…" I murmured, letting a hint of wistfulness creep into my tone. "I'd love to join the academy someday…" My voice trailed off, carrying a subtle note of longing, designed to make her lower her guard. Perhaps it would work.
Anyway my acting abilities were reaching another level.
"Oh? Why don't you ask your father, Miranda?" Lea suggested with an easy laugh.
"Eh?" Miranda and I blurted out simultaneously, both equally dumbfounded by the unexpected suggestion. It wasn't part of my plan. I was already registered at the academy, so the question threw me off balance.
"Lea, I can't just do that. Besides, he's a stranger," Miranda replied.
"Yeah, exactly! Don't say such nonsense, Lea!" Dylan chimed in, glaring at me.
This guy...
Lea sighed theatrically. "A shame. Anyway, what's your name? We haven't even asked."
I hesitated, carefully considering my response. "Nyrel."
"Nyrel? That's quite a unique name," Lea commented, her lips quirking into a curious smile.
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard it before," Theo agreed, nodding in approval.
Seizing the moment, I turned back to Miranda. "Still, you must be incredibly talented, Lady Stormdila. Your father may be a Monarch, but what you've achieved is entirely your own. Personally, I don't think I could handle the pressure of being a Monarch's child. It must come with perks, but also significant drawbacks."
Miranda's expression faltered for a moment, her lips parting slightly as if to respond, but she remained silent. Beneath her composed exterior, I could sense a crack. She hated being compared to her father. How many times had she heard, 'She inherited her father's talents"'? People were quick to attribute her success to her lineage, ignoring the tireless effort she had poured into her craft. Only a few—a rare few—had ever acknowledged her struggles.
Among them was Edward Falkrona himself a more than ten years ago when he and Miranda were still close and the other one might be in the near future, Jayden Rayena, the [Protagonist] of the [First Game].
"..."
Miranda's tangerine eyes locked onto mine, wide with something resembling shock. Her lips quivered briefly before she schooled her features back into neutrality. For a fleeting moment, I thought my words had struck a chord.
'Jarvis, did I just earn affection points from Miranda?'
[No.]
His answer was short and almost mocking.
'Why?!'
[In the obvious high probability that she just met you, a stranger with a strange mask on his face, wearing beggar's clothes and who is clearly suspicious.]
Why my system is this harsh toward me?
'Fuck off! Still, it should have shaken her!'
Lea's voice cut through my thoughts. "Hey, Theo, don't you think he's trying to seduce Myra?"
Theo chuckled. "I know, right? Think he stands a chance?"
"If Dylan doesn't kill him first, maybe," Lea quipped with a grin.
Ignoring their teasing, I turned back to Miranda, carefully picking my next move. "Um, Lady Stormdila," I began again, feeling the weight of several annoyed gazes on me. Lea and Theo looked amused, but Dylan's glare was downright murderous followed by Miranda's guards glares. Thankfully, Miranda didn't seem too bothered.
Maybe.
"I'm debating whether to choose a sword or a bow as my weapon of focus. Since you're an expert with bows, I was hoping to get your opinion."
It was a blatant lie.
I had no intention of ever touching a bow.
In my eyes, bows were the weapons of cowards!
But if flattery could earn me points, then so be it.
Miranda glanced at the bow resting across her thighs, her fingers brushing it with fondness and somewhat nostalgic. A faint smile curved her lips.
'Jarvis! Did I get affection points this time?!' I asked, again seeing her smile.
[No.]
[<You're too impatient, Amael.>]
'But she smiled! I saw it!'
[<You sound like a virgin misinterpreting the first girl smiling at you.>]
Cleenah's voice in my head was as blunt as ever.
'I haven't stooped this low, useless Goddess!'
"I chose the bow because someone once told me I looked beautiful with it," Miranda said softly, fortunately replying.
I froze.
That someone was me… Or rather, the younger Edward, years ago. Back then, I'd said it without realizing how deeply it would resonate with her.
[<The younger Edward seems more charming than the current you,>]
'Buzz off!'
Miranda's tone shifted, growing colder as she continued. "But that's not my reason anymore."
Her gaze hardened briefly before she looked back at her bow. "I want to help and save people in need. I can't clone myself, but with a bow, I can assist multiple people at once. It's only possible with this weapon. Perhaps others could achieve the same with godly speed, but for me, this is the way."
Her words held no trace of deception. Miranda Stormdila was truly a heroine, through and through. She didn't wield her bow for vanity or fame but out of a genuine desire to make a difference. Even knowing her tragic fate, I couldn't help but admire her. She was truly looking breathtaking like that.
But I wasn't here to play hero. I couldn't risk my life trying to save someone doomed by the story's narrative. Self-preservation came first. Still, as I watched her stroke her bow with a wistful smile, I felt a pang of guilt. She didn't deserve what was coming.
There was a 95% probability of her dying in the [First Game].
Either killed in battle or raped and killed afterwards.
When I played the Game I never managed to save her. I along Ephera had witnessed her horrible deaths again and again...
The game was disturbingly realistic. Every scream, every image, every haunting video felt as though it had been ripped straight from reality and injected into our senses. Watching the scenes play out was a challenge in itself. An ordeal Ephera couldn't bear. She broke down in tears more than once, in my chest asking me to save her.
It was because of her, because of those tears, that I kept trying to achieve a happy ending for Miranda. But no matter how many times I tried, I never succeeded. Honestly, it felt impossible. By the way even if you succeed to keep her alive in the [First Game], there was no saying what would happen to the [Third Game]....
This wasn't just some fluffy game of seduction cloaked in pretty graphics and romantic overtures. It was far more than that—something darker and deeper.
Every time I looked at Miranda's sad smile, it stirred something within me. I couldn't explain it, but there was an ache in my chest—a desperate urge to help her, to somehow rewrite her fate.
Ephera would have acted on that feeling without hesitation. She had that kind of heart, a purity I couldn't match. But how? How could anyone save Miranda when the game itself seemed designed to kill her?
I thought about all the problems Miranda would face, each one more harrowing than the last. Just the memory of them sent shivers racing down my spine. The truth was plain and merciless: I would die if I tried to save her.
Even in the invincible body of the cheat-coded [Protagonist], I couldn't succeed. So how could I even begin to dream of saving her now, trapped in Edward's fragile, flawed body?
I felt a pang of guilt for Miranda but no matter how much pity I felt for her, one truth overshadowed it all. My life came first.
I couldn't risk dying again. I couldn't bear to. I didn't want to. At least until, I see again Ephera.
"What's up, Nyrel? Were you touched by Mira's story?" Lea teased, snapping me out of my thoughts.
She grinned mischievously. "You're quite the compassionate one, aren't you?"
"Right, Mira?" Lea nudged Miranda, who glanced at me, her brows furrowing slightly. Though her tone remained neutral, she seemed cautious.
"I appreciate your sympathy, but there's no need to feel anything," she said. Her walls were back up, impenetrable as ever.
[<Wow, you really know how to understand people's emotions!>]
'Don't underestimate me.'
I snorted inwardly, concealing my understanding of Miranda's guarded demeanor. After all, I had practically memorized her biography from the game. She might have erected a wall between us, but I wasn't about to back down.
"Lady Stormdi—"
"Enough!"
Before I could finish my question about the recent hot weather, Dylan snapped.
"Don't you see you're annoying her?! Mind your status before speaking again!"
"Dylan, calm down—"
"Shut up, Theo! He's clearly trying to seduce Miranda! Are you blind?!"
"Eh?"
The sound escaped my lips before I could stop it, a mix of shock and disbelief.
The group fell into stunned silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Their expressions ranged from awkward confusion to bemused skepticism.
Wait... Were they thinking this whole time that I was into her?
[<It's painfully obvious.>]
[Absolutely.]
The combined snark from Cleenah and Jarvis didn't help me at all.
'What?!'
My brain short-circuited as the realization struck.
Had I been too pushy? Did my efforts to boost favorability come across as… desperate?
This misunderstanding was mortifying.
"Wait—"
—BOOOOOM!
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