Translator: Nox

Chapter 46

“Tu, Tulia? Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just have a bit of grit in my eye.”

I feigned discomfort and rubbed at my eyelids, though my focus remained entirely on the gauge.

It was blue.

To my relief, it was a particularly vivid, saturated shade.

Perhaps it was a newfound intuition, or maybe just a survival mechanism etched into me after the brutal shock of my first day in Tulia’s body, but I had learned to read the colors of the bar.

The more the gauge leaned toward a deep, angry crimson, the more that person despised me.

Conversely, a rich blue signaled a growing sense of fondness.

Judging by the depth of the hue, I estimated his favor was likely above fifty percent.

Unlike the strange event with Grandfather, no special notification popped up. It seemed that initial reaction had been a one-time perk for the start of the possession. Unless the system chose to be explicit, I was left guessing the exact numbers.

I found myself wishing for a permanent upgrade that would let me see the precise digits of everyone’s affection levels. It would be far more convenient than relying on the system window to show mercy and give me a glimpse every once in an eternity.

I tilted my head, wondering if such a feature existed. Perhaps if I pushed myself to reach an A-grade, I might be granted that kind of utility.

However, the current priority wasn’t the number itself, but the nature of the bar.

I had been too overwhelmed in the beginning to process it, but a realization had recently dawned on me. The first time I encountered that affection bar was during that disastrous encounter with Grandfather.

At the time, the penalty had forced me to lash out at him. I was so panicked by my own behavior and the sudden appearance of that scarlet line that I hadn’t made the connection. But as I settled into this life and reflected on the past, the truth hit me.

I recognized that gauge from the game. Specifically, from the finale.

The ending sequence of the original story was quite distinctive. Once the player successfully raised Coriko, the screen would fade to black for a heartbeat before the climax. Then, a thin, brilliant golden line would slice across the darkness like a horizon at dawn, or a divine boundary separating the heavens from the earth.

When that golden thread reached the edges of the screen, it would shatter into a vibrant explosion of star-shaped light. Back then, I had viewed it as nothing more than a flashy transition to the ending credits.

Now, it all made sense.

The gauge that hovered over Grandfather’s head was identical in form to that golden line from the game.

If that logic held true, then reaching the absolute peak of affection—actual love—would turn the bar permanently gold, mirroring the ending of the story.

It was a theory, but one I felt certain of in my gut.

Lisian’s bar, however, was a bright sky-blue, reminiscent of a clear summer afternoon. While it proved he cared for me deeply, it also meant he wasn’t one of the individuals required for the ‘people who love me’ quota in my main quest.

That left me with a frustrating question: who was it?

In the world of this story, who else was there? Who could possibly harbor that kind of unconditional warmth for Tulia, other than the one person who treated her with angelic kindness? If it wasn’t Lisian, whom I had spent the last few days bonding with, then who could it be?

My train of thought was violently derailed.

“Brother.”

A voice dripping with annoyance cut through the air.

“Are you still wasting your time with this thing?”

Both Lisian and I turned at once.

Standing there was a young man with the presence of a dark lion. His eyes burned with an intense, focused heat as he glared at me.

The sheer disrespect of him calling me ‘this thing’ every time we crossed paths made my blood boil. If it weren’t for the constraints of this miserable main mission, I would have lunged for his hair and settled things right then and there.

He had no idea how lucky he was. He should be thanking the golden stars currently dancing around my head; they were the only reason I could manage a pleasant smile instead of a physical confrontation.

“Leon.”

A sharp, low tone interrupted my internal rant. It was so unexpected that I actually flinched.

“Do not… do not speak to Tu, Tulia in such a manner.”

I blinked in surprise.

It was Lisian. The same Lisian who spent his afternoons reading and writing with me, the silver-haired archangel of a brother who was always the picture of serenity. He was actually standing up to his twin.

I wasn’t the only one stunned by the shift in atmosphere.

“…What did you just say?”

Leon looked as if he had been struck. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing. “Brother—no, Lisian. Are you seriously taking her side over mine?”

Lisian didn’t back down. He rose from his seat, standing tall beside me. Though they were fraternal twins with different features and coloring, they both possessed a striking, formidable stature. Even though they were only two years older than me, they already towered over me by a full head. Given they were still growing, the height gap would only become more intimidating.

Lisian met Leon’s eyes, his brow furrowed with a rare, stubborn resolve.

“She is our… our little sister.”

Leon remained silent for a beat.

“Do not talk about her like that.”

“Ha!” Leon scoffed.

Leon Frazier was a piece of work. Even in the original story, he was a notorious hothead at the Academy, though he was clever enough to avoid actual disciplinary marks. He had a reputation for being a ‘just’ brawler—someone who would beat sense into anyone bullying female students.

But that sense of justice clearly didn’t extend to his own family. To him, Tulia wasn’t a person; she was an object, or worse, an eyesore. He treated her with less care than a piece of discarded furniture.

The irony was maddening. I was the one who had to suffer through this, forced by the system to play nice with a guy who viewed me as trash.

I took several steadying breaths to keep my temper in check before finally speaking.

“Leon.”

His eyes snapped to mine instantly.

I had no intention of groveling. I wasn’t going to apologize for the past or beg for his forgiveness. On my first day, he had already stormed off after accusing me of being manipulative.

Besides, I hadn’t done anything wrong. Tulia had been the one abandoned in this estate. Unlike the twins, who had each other, she had been left to rot in a cold warehouse, surviving the winters by clinging to a deceptive uncle and learning to beg for scraps of affection. She had grown up in a shadow they never had to touch.

As I bit my lip, I saw a flicker of something shift in Leon’s expression, though it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“What? What now? Are you looking for another fight? Go ahead, say it.”

I could feel Lisian watching us intently, his concern acting as a small balm to my irritation. I forced a faint, slightly tragic smile onto my face. The golden stars swirling in my vision served as a constant reminder of my objective, helping me maintain my composure.

“You saw the letters I sent while you were away at the Academy, didn’t you?”

Since that topic had worked with Lisian, it was my best opening.

“I never got a response from you. Lisian mentioned that you might have sent some that got lost in the mail.”

I held onto a sliver of hope. Maybe he had actually written back? If there had been a misunderstanding with the mail, it could be the bridge I needed to fix this relationship. In the original story, he was the quintessential ‘tsundere’—harsh on the outside but soft somewhere deep within. He hadn’t been this cruel to the protagonist, but the archetype was there.

“Did you ever write back to me?” I asked, my voice as gentle as I could make it. I truly wanted to believe the letters had just been misplaced.

“Oh. The letters?”

Leon’s lips curled into a smile, but it was devoid of any warmth. It was bone-chilling.

“I actually felt bad about not responding.”

He reached for a small satchel he had brought with him. It was a standard bag used by Academy students for their books, so I hadn’t given it a second thought when he arrived.

“I wanted to make sure you got them back.”

With a sudden, violent motion, Leon flipped the bag over and dumped its contents directly over my head.

“Leon!”

I squeezed my eyes shut instinctively. When I opened them, I found myself staring at Lisian’s broad back. He had stepped in front of me to shield me, and now his head and shoulders were completely coated in a thick layer of white ash.