CHAPTER 22: TRAP

Even though I absolutely did not want to and tried with all my might to resist, my legs stubbornly led me to Angela.

I suddenly realized that I had completely lost control of my body — it was as if it had become independent, acting against my will.

It was both strange and frightening. It was as if an invisible force had taken control of me and directed me to a place I categorically did not want to go.

In such a situation, all I could do was curse silently. Don’t tell me the settings of this damn game have finally gone haywire! What other story quest am I not aware of?!

While I was cursing the system, it suddenly dawned on me. I suddenly remembered seeing something similar when I was playing Lionel’s branch. It was an exclusive scene that could only be found in this character’s branch.

According to the plot, Angela did not leave her native village until she came of age — with the exception of one important episode.

At the age of ten, the heroine came to the capital for the first time with her adoptive father. And then she accidentally got lost, which could have led to serious trouble.

Fortunately, Angela was saved by little Lionel. At that time, the boy’s heart was not as hard as it later became. They spent the whole day together until her father found her. This warm memory remained in both of their minds forever.

Now that I remembered this, I realized that today was supposed to be the meeting between the love interest and the heroine.

Realizing all this, I was even more perplexed. Why the hell did they need me there?! I just wanted to go home...

However, even my inner pleas did not work, and the system did not spare me at all. My legs led me to the heroine, and she looked at me in surprise.

"Auntie, who are you?" the girl asked timidly.

I sighed. It would be better if you didn’t know.

"Are you lost, little girl?" I asked, speaking as gently and softly as possible, even though a real storm was raging inside me.

Angela Stone looked down sadly, her little shoulders trembling with excitement.

"My dad and I came here together to sell things at the market... But on the way back, we accidentally got separated. I don’t know where he is."

No one could bear that look. Needless to say, even I was moved by the sight of a child on the verge of tears. But not enough to make me decide to scrap all my plans and help the girl. The system did everything for me.

"What’s your name?" I asked gently.

"A-Angela..." the girl replied quietly, struggling to pronounce her name.

"What a beautiful name," I smiled, trying to hide my inner tension. "My name is Grace. Nice to meet you!"

Of course, I didn’t expect it to end so easily. All this time, I was nervously looking around, but, as luck would have it, little Lionel didn’t show up. In this situation, he was the only one who could save me.

But it seemed that the system had really decided to finish me off.

Dialogue options appeared on the screen in front of my eyes:

"Angela, how about waiting for your father at my house?" (Free)

"You look hungry and tired. Would you like to rest at my estate?" (Free)

"I’ll help you find your father. Let’s go to the police station together." (Two hundred and fifty crystals)

And as the time bar continued to tick away, I was, to put it mildly, freaking out.

Of course, I assumed that the main character couldn’t just be sent away. Even culturally. But I didn’t expect my response options to be so limited. I literally couldn’t help her!

The first two options seemed worse than hell. In the original plot, Lionel took the heroine to a brothel to wait for her father, as he didn’t know any other places. And now the location had changed to my house...

But I couldn’t allow that to happen. After all, Ruby also lives in this house!

What could be worse than bringing the villain and the heroine together before their time? Even though they didn’t have any issues with each other yet, they definitely would in the future.

Based on that, I was ready to spend all my crystals and choose the third option. After all, I still had plenty of time. I could save them up again.

But...

Your balance: two hundred and forty-nine crystals.

If it weren’t for the system that controlled my facial expressions, my face would have contorted with rage at that very moment. Are you kidding me?! How can I be so unlucky?

I admit, I used to be dismissive of some linear quests. For example, if the payment for them was less than thirty crystals. But now I deeply regretted my laziness.

Damn it, how could I be missing just one crystal at such a crucial moment? This is definitely a joke!

And while I was lamenting the world and myself, I completely forgot that time was still ticking. When the timer ran out, my mouth automatically uttered the first option on the list:

"Angela, how about waiting for your father at my house?"

Damn it, no!!!

The heroine looked at me in surprise.

"Can I really?"

No!!!

"Yes."

Damn it, Angela, at least you should think twice! Some strange woman approached you and offered to take you to her house. Shouldn’t that make you suspicious?

Although, what kind of logical reasoning can I expect from a ten-year-old child? Angela, who was kind and naive and hadn’t seen many adults in her life, believed me without hesitation.

The girl was deeply moved.

"Auntie, you’re so kind!"

The bright, fake smile on my face was starting to look more and more neurotic.

I could feel the muscles in my face tensing as I tried to maintain a friendly expression, but inside I was seething.

"Come on, let’s go. I’ll treat you to something tasty."

And that’s how I found myself trapped in the role of "main character." And damn it, that was only the beginning.