Chapter 3

In an instant, the surroundings grew silent.

“……”

I sat motionless on the bed, unable to do anything.

The silence was broken by the system window.

[The thrones are getting bored with the tedious introduction.]

I stared at the system window with dead fish eyes.

How many thrones were watching me?

The thought made my breath catch in my throat.

I felt as if I had become a monkey in a zoo, forced to perform for unknown entities, bound by cold metal chains.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips, like that of a madman.

I am the developer of *God's Play*.

I knew all too well how thoroughly this world revolved around the female protagonist.

The female protagonist was a being who received love just by breathing.

To make her stand out even more, the villain Terese was set up with all sorts of death flags.

What was I supposed to do as Terese?

‘To survive, I have to win the love of the male protagonist.’

It was no different from begging for my family's affection to survive.

It was truly nauseating.

Ding!

[Throne 'RomancePass' has donated 100 coins.]

[When will the male protagonist appear?]

A donation window popped up, like a YouTube donation.

It seemed that they could even speak to me directly through donations.

I thought this situation was a fresh and groundbreaking hell.

Oswald, who had possessed me in this world, was a devil.

To end the broadcast, I had to play *God's Play* without dying even once and see the true ending.

It was daunting, with no idea where to start.

This situation, the impending death, and the penalties all plunged me into a panic.

I wasn't a protagonist who could overcome any adversity.

I was just an ordinary developer who made games.

“...Wait a moment.”

‘There was no condition in the quest that I had to be connected to the male protagonist, right?’

I reviewed the quest content again.

[Quest: See the true ending of *God's Play* in Hard Mode]

“...!”

Indeed, there was no requirement to be connected to the male protagonist.

‘Then there is a way.’

Ironically, being possessed by Terese wasn't the worst in Hard Mode.

There was a true ending [Paradise] that could be seen without being connected to the male protagonist, and it only existed in Hard Mode.

I didn't show my joy.

Considering that the throne 'RomancePass' was looking for the male protagonist and that this broadcast was a romance, no one would like this ending.

Even our development team had only included it as a side feature.

[Paradise] could be seen immediately once found.

So, I planned to show the thrones what they wanted and collect 1 billion coins to return to Earth.

Even if I couldn't collect 1 billion coins, it didn't matter.

If I could reach Paradise, the broadcast would end. If all the threats to Terese were resolved, living as her wouldn't be so bad.

‘No, it might even be good. I wouldn't have to return to the harsh reality.’

With my thoughts organized, I pondered what to do next.

‘To find Paradise, I first need to lift the curfew and enter the school dormitory. The Duke's mansion is full of death flags for Terese.’

The mansion is filled with people who hate Terese.

Her father, Raul Squire, especially despises her.

The game starts just before the female protagonist enters the mansion.

There was only one way for the crazy Terese to score points here.

I threw off the blanket I had wrapped around me like armor and left the room.

My destination was Raul's study.

It was 10:40 AM.

Raul was always in his study at this time.

The servants looked at me with horrified eyes as I walked around in my pajamas.

“What is it, Miss? State your business and come back properly dressed...”

I ignored the butler and barged into the study.

Bang!

“Father!”

“...Terese?”

Raul frowned as soon as he saw me in my pajamas.

Before he could yell, I gasped out my words.

“Father, Rivi is alive.”

Raul looked frozen for a moment.

“...What?”

Yes, it's hard to believe.

“I saw her myself in the lower town. A girl who looked exactly like my stepmother in a short play for commoners.”

[Throne 'RomancePass' urgently tries to stop me.]

[Throne 'RomancePass' scolds me for doing something that will harm the BJ.]

Then another throne opened a donation window.

Ding!

[Throne 'CiderPass' has donated 100 coins.]

[LOL]

The laughter suggested they were trying to mock me.

Raul didn't believe me easily.

“How can I believe you?”

“I swear. If it's not true, you can strip me of my rights as a noble.”

Stripping a noble of her rights was like telling Terese to die.

With my strong stance, Raul couldn't dismiss it as nonsense.

But the matter was too serious to believe immediately.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

Raul had deep distrust of Terese.

He believed she wouldn't be happy with a half-sister and wouldn't reveal Rivi's whereabouts even if she knew.

That's how it was set up.

I had a reason that Raul could believe.

“I was going to tell you after a thorough investigation. But you put me under curfew.”

“So, you want me to lift the curfew if it's true?”

“Yes.”

A trivial deal over a sibling's safety.

This was exactly the kind of thought and action Terese would have.

[Thrones sigh.]

[Throne 'MadMania' says this is what they wanted.]

[Throne 'MadMania' asks if there's no secret about her birth.]

Raul showed disappointment.

“...You, who don't even receive my orders through a servant, are shaking your parents' grief.”

But he also had a desperate hope that he might find his daughter this time.

Raul called the butler.

“Donovan, search the traveling theater in the lower town... No, I'll go myself. Prepare the horse.”

“Yes, sir.”

Raul, a high noble, usually didn't move himself to investigate.

The possibility of finding a lost child made him restless.

That must be what a parent feels like, I guess.

Raul put on his coat and glared at me.

“Terese, you stay here and behave until I confirm the truth.”

“Yes.”

“...”

He paused, expecting me to protest.

“Sir?”

The servant, puzzled, called out, and Raul finally composed himself and put on his coat.

Raul left the study with the butler, and I was left alone.

For a noble, it was quite a shabby treatment.

I sighed and noticed my palms were sweaty.

I was either nervous about the negotiation or intimidated by dealing with Raul.

Maybe both.

I immediately returned to my room.

While Raul was away looking for Rivi, I had work to do.

Moving out of my room.

“Move that furniture to the left. Wait, if we put the vanity here, the light will reflect in the mirror. Move it to the opposite side.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Terese had the second-best room after the Duke and Duchess.

The best room for a child meant the heir, which was a significant matter.

I moved Terese's belongings to a corner where I wouldn't run into the family.

“Put that vase on the console by the window.”

“I understand, Miss. Where should I put this?”

“On that display cabinet.”

However, I was in the original heir's room, not the new one.

The reason I was rearranging the furniture was simple.

“Prepare the room quickly so that your sister can use it immediately. Put a few new dresses I haven't worn yet here.”

“I understand.”

I was interested in actually applying the design I had in mind for Rivi's room.

Seeing my creation come to life was a unique experience.

This was the only advantage of this damn possession.

‘I put so much effort into this room.’

I had a fondness for the room I designed by studying interior magazines and period films.

Ding!

[Throne 'ConspiracyTheorist' has donated 100 coins.]

[I know, lol. You're going to make a secret passage or something, right? That's how assassinations usually happen.]

Did this throne enter without knowing it was a romance broadcast? What assassination?

‘And if I kill the female protagonist, it will lead to a bad ending.’

I had to hope for the female protagonist's success and happiness more than anyone.

Ding!

[Throne 'ConspiracyTheorist' has donated 100 coins.]

[Oswald never picks a normal person, lol. You'll show your true colors soon, right?]

‘Not wrong.’

I planned to find a way to Paradise and escape, whether to Earth or somewhere else in this world.

It might not be the kind of true colors the throne expected.

I enthusiastically decorated Rivi's room.

Raul would return with Rivi before sunset after applying for a paternity test.

At that moment, a maid approached me.

“Miss, the Lady has arrived.”

I turned around to see a beautiful woman standing there, her face stiff.

Duchess Rozan Squire, Terese's stepmother.

[Throne 'MadMania' has some hope for the BJ's actions.]

...What kind of hope? Are they expecting me to throw a fit or something?