Chapter 17: Fiancé.
Ten minutes after my first meeting with my siblings.
“……”
“……”
There was an awkward air in the restaurant. Even though they’re clearly family, it’s awkward as hell.
My gaze shifted to Willie for a moment. He looks somewhat surprised, as if he still can’t believe Kane is here early.
I can practically see what is on his mind.
‘What the hell is going on?
‘Is the world going to end?
“Is the rumor that my brother has changed really true?
I can almost visualize them thinking these thoughts.
Obviously, Willie’s set-up is that he’s an exceptional talent in the David family, unlike Kane.
Usually, the children of House David are gifted in swordsmanship and aura manipulation, and Willie is supposed to be the greatest genius of all time.
But the makers have done a great job of balancing things out: he’s incredibly gifted at using his body, but he hates using his head.
So despite being a genius, there’s no guarantee of becoming a head of household.
This time I glanced at Mark.
He was a bit surprised at first, but after ten minutes, he’d had enough and started reading the book in his hand.
He’s a very normal boy, just like he looks.
Normally, the David family likes to use their bodies, but he seems to prefer reading and using his head, unlike most of the family’s children so far.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. No, he’s not.
He may not be as talented as Willie, but he’s still in the middle of the pack when compared to the other members of the family.
Well, except for the fact that Mark is the second son.
Just as the three of them were awkwardly glancing at each other, Thomas walked into the dining room.
The three immediately jumped to their feet when they saw him.
“””Welcome home, Father.”””
“Yes, good. You’re all early, everyone, take your seats.”
All three did as he said and took their seats. Thomas also took a seat at the head of the table.
And so the David family meal began.
…
Kane sliced the steak on the table, his gaze shifting briefly to the empty seat next to Thomas.
Was it Kane’s mum? I can’t remember exactly because she’s not even in the game.
but I know she got sick and died.
Well, that’s irrelevant.
What matters now is the steak in front of me.
It slices so smoothly that you wonder what the ingredients are, even though I’ve barely put any pressure on the knife.
-Yum
I poke my fork into a juicy piece of steak and pop it in my mouth.
Delicious.
Though it’s no wonder it’s the food of the nobility, the quality is different from the food I usually eat in my room.
Of course, the food I ate in my room was hard for commoners to eat, but the steak I was eating now must have been good enough for the chairman of a large company to eat on Earth.
But why does it seem like it’s only me eating it?
Kane raised an eyebrow and looked around.
Thomas eats with a nonchalant face, while the other two stare at Kane with puzzled expressions.
What the hell?! Why are you so surprised to see me?!
They look at each other in surprise.
You can read their minds.
‘What the hell, he’s just eating without saying anything, Mark, what’s going on?’
‘I don’t know. But I think the rumors are true’
‘Rumors that Kane has changed? That’s real?’
… I mean, he’s eating like this, and normally he’d be all over the steak right now.
I wonder if I’m having this internal dialog with myself.
By the way, Kane, what’s with all the complaining about the dishes?
I’m just eating a normal meal and my brothers look at me like I’m crazy.
I’m doing the obvious, and they’re surprised?
I don’t need to tell you what the real Kane has been doing.
“Yeah. So, Kane, did the contract with the shop go well?”
“Yep. Father, it’s done.”
Why the f*** would you say that!
Well, actually, it’s probably going to spread eventually, but I have to say it here.
Both of them dropped their steaks onto their plates in shock at the sudden mention of the contract, and then looked at Kane with wary eyes.
Damnit. I knew it.
I could feel the two of them getting a little wary of the changed Kane, but as soon as they heard the word contract, their expressions changed.
Just like. You guys do it. I don’t want to be involved in family succession!
I almost let the words spill out of my mouth, but it wouldn’t do any good, so I swallowed them back down my throat.
“Okay. That’s good. By the way, isn’t it only a month until school starts?”
Yes. That’s right.
Kane nodded without hesitation at Thomas’ question.
But. I’d forgotten. In fact, I’d been so caught up in being possessed and trying to survive, I’d forgotten that I went to the Academy.
Then… I should start preparing for the original game.
In the original game, the story takes place during the first semester of the first year. But now, Kim Soo-yong is on holiday.
In the original game, after destroying the Shadow Guild a few days earlier, the story skips forward and the semester begins immediately.
This means that at this point, they’re not progressing in the story, but rather in the process of being skipped.
Hmm… She’s doing well, right?
I’m a little worried that the story has changed from the original, but it’s only a skip, so it shouldn’t have much of an impact.
Obviously, the skip part is an unimportant story, so it’s okay.
“Okay. Well, you’re on your own now, but don’t mess up like you used to.”
“Yeah, okay.”
With that, Kane finished his meal and stood up from his seat.
“Dad, my fiancé is here, so I’ll excuse myself first.”
“Okay. I see. Go ahead.”
“Yes, Father. Enjoy your meal. You guys enjoy it too.”
Their eyebrows twitched for a moment as Kane spoke.
He ignored their reactions and left the restaurant.
***
Kane left, and silence fell over the dining room again. Willie stared blankly in the direction he’d gone.
…What was that? Has he really changed?
Surely he wouldn’t have come to a family meal in the first place, or come late. Not only that, but he should have spat out his food on the floor.
But.
Kane was the earliest of them all, and as if that weren’t bad enough, he ate his steak like it was the best thing ever.
And he told me and Mark to enjoy it.
Normally, I would have looked at him like he was looking at a bug, but he just gave me a look that said, “Enjoy your meal”.
Are the rumors true?
Willie felt dizzy from using his unused brain to think about Kane’s change. His gaze shifted briefly to Mark beside him.
He could see that he was just as shocked as he was, and that he had lost his usual cool.
Thomas burst out laughing at their reactions.
“Hahahahaha, your reactions are like me a few days ago.”
“Dad, did he have a change of heart?”
Mark asked curiously at Thomas’ words. Willie looked at him in the same way.
Thomas stroked his chin at his question.
“Hmmm… I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do know that he’s not the same as he used to be. He-he, you guys should be on guard now.”
Mark’s brow twitched at those words, and Willie blinked.
…You should be on your guard, and the fact that Thomas said that meant that he could turn him into a family head as he is now.
With Thomas’ casual remark, Kane had become a target for the two of them.
…
Leaving the dining room, I walked towards the room with a light step, like a shoulder dance.
What is he doing there?
When I came within sight of my destination, it was none other than Philip standing in the doorway.
“Philip. What are you doing at the door?”
“Yes, Master. You have a visitor.”
“Oh. My fiancé?”
He nods, a little puzzled by my question, as if he didn’t realise I knew.
“Okay. Guide me.”
“Yes..”
I’m curious, by the way.
If you’re Kane’s fiancée, you’re practically my girlfriend right now.
We’re a forced couple.
It’s not something I could have ever imagined on Earth, but it’s still kind of exciting to be a couple.
Why is everything going so well these days?
It’s not just the contract with Karin, or the fact that the Constellation left me. It, it’s the fact that I found myself in a relationship with a young lady.
I feel like a protagonist in a .
“That, that. Master, how did you know your fiancée was here?”
“Hmm? Riche told me?”
Philip’s eyes widened at the question, as if he was somewhat surprised that she had told him.
Judging by his reaction, she doesn’t talk about my fiancé.
Well, it’s natural.
Honestly, even I wouldn’t want to mention my crush’s name out loud.
I mean, even just thinking about it makes me feel bad, so how much worse would it be to say it out loud?
Come to think of it, she did look pretty upset.
I feel sorry for her.
While I was thinking about her, we arrived at the guest room.
“Then you wait here.”
Yeah. Alright:
I opened the door, calming my pounding heart as best I could.
-Yay!
Inside the room, a woman who looks pretty from the back is sitting on the couch.
She heard the door open and turned her head towards me.
She had long golden hair, blue eyes, a face that looked like an actress on Earth, and an air of haughty stubbornness about her, and her body was clad in armor, yet she could move easily enough
It must have been love at first sight for most men who encountered her.
But.
Damnit. Why is she here?!
That’s right. The woman in front of me is none other than Eileen, one of the main heroines of the game.
She was Kane’s fiancée.
…No, it must be someone who looks like her.
With the number of people in the world, there must be a similarity.
And so, while I was self-rationalizing for a moment, the woman in front of me spoke.
“Kane, you’re here.”
…F*cked. The voice is the same.
The same voice I’ve heard a million times in games.
No, it must be my ears because I’ve got the volume control at 50.
For a moment, my eyes met hers. There’s an awkward tension in the room.
“……”
“……”
What’s with the look on her face?
She averts her gaze as though she’s sorry for everything in the world, and has a determined look on her face.
-Ding!
[Quest Occurred- Break off the engagement!!]
[Description: Originally, your fate was death, and your engagement should have been automatically broken off. However, you have defied fate and survived, and the woman in front of you, Edaline von Eileen, is the heroine of the game. If you stay like this, you may get a death flag. Do your best to break it off.]
[Reward: 100 points]
Eileen hesitates to speak for a moment, but I beat her up before.
“We’re breaking up.”