CHAPTER 281: ROOM 204, MISSION ROOM - 'HOTEL CINEMA' (5)

0% - Yu Songee

A sudden twist—an unexpected “zoo date” event!

But wait, wasn’t this an event that never appeared when Elena entered?

A creeping sense of unease washed over me.

Noticing my hesitation, the crown prince’s face darkened.

He was such an easy person to read.

“Your Highness, I would be honored to accept your invitation as the greatest privilege of my lifetime.”

I bowed deeply, almost exaggeratedly so, making sure he didn’t sense even the slightest doubt in me.

“Y-you really don’t have to do all that! We’re friends now, aren’t we?!”

Despite his words, a smile crept onto his face—one he couldn’t hide.

His attendant, Galleon, informed me that they would send a servant to arrange a date soon.

Of course, the moment I accepted, the world around me began to shake once again.

***“The progression is changing? An invitation to the palace? This didn’t happen with Elena...”

“It looks like the events shift depending on how you act. Makes sense—some players get a good ending, and some get a bad one.”

***The “Crown Prince’s Zoo” event was... a bit ridiculous.

Whenever I tried to look at an animal, time would suddenly jump forward in an unnatural way, skipping entire segments.

It seemed as though the film had been edited to cut out “unnecessary” parts and focus solely on the relationship between the heroine and the male lead.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

I had been looking forward to seeing the exotic creatures the prince had collected from across dimensions.

But oh well, I hadn’t come here just to look at animals.

I needed to go along with the flow of the movie.

“Your Highness, there’s a riding arena nearby, isn’t there? May I see Motian, the horse you mentioned the other day?”

“...Motian? Lately, he’s been feeling a bit under the weather.”

For a moment, I nearly sighed at the prince’s obvious lie.

It was easy to understand why he was avoiding this—he didn’t want to embarrass himself by getting thrown off his horse in front of the girl he liked.

But I had my own plans, so I pressed forward.

I made up an excuse about wanting to check on my father’s gift—after all, in this story, my father was the one who had given him the horse.

That fact made it difficult for him to refuse.

And sure enough, the supposedly legendary Motian was terrifying in presence.

- Neigh!

“Ugh! See?! I told you something was wrong! He must be sick!”

“One moment.”

I subtly shifted my sleeve to hide my bracelet.

A flash of pale light flickered across my fingers, and the horse shuddered.

Luckily, the prince didn’t seem to notice anything.

Horses were naturally skittish creatures.

Their aggressive behavior wasn’t always due to an innate wild nature—it was often triggered by fear.

The causes could vary.

A rider’s clothing, scent, physique, voice, any of these could be unsettling to the animal.

My guess?

Motian was afraid of the prince.

How can I fix this?

Historically, when dragoons trained their horses for battle, they had a cruel but effective method.

They made them deaf so they wouldn’t be startled by gunfire.

I didn’t have to go that far, of course.

Instead, I simply rearranged Motian’s perception.

The world as he saw it had been subtly rewritten by my hand.

“What the—why is he suddenly acting like this?”

“Hasn’t he calmed down?”

“...Oh... you’re right. I’ve never seen Motian this relaxed before.”

“Perhaps he just needed time to adjust to his surroundings. Why don’t you try riding him now?”

Despite his unease, the prince couldn’t refuse my suggestion.

I could practically hear him thinking, “Please! Please! Motian, I swear, don’t throw me off this time!”

A moment later, my plan was a complete success.

“Yah! Ha-ha! Motian! You’re such a good boy! Why were you so difficult before?”

“Maybe he just needed time to get used to you, Your Highness.”

The prince’s laughter filled the stable, then the open field as he rode freely.

Much later, he returned, grinning ear to ear as he approached me.

“You really know a lot about horses! That was amazing. I don’t know why, but everything just seems to go right when I’m with you.”

Even his knights, who had been watching, looked pleased to see their master so happy.

“Lady Crossbell! You truly have a talent. In fact, Lady Evelyn—“

“Rupert!”

A sharp voice rang out like a whip.

Startled, I turned toward the prince—only to meet his gaze directly.

He was watching me as if gauging my reaction.

For a split second, our eyes locked, searching each other’s thoughts.

Then, we both looked away.

“It—it’s nothing! Rupert was just about to say something useless again. Don’t mind it.”

“...”

...What is this atmosphere?

Rupert, the knight, looked like he wanted to die as he hung his head.

The prince’s attendant was glaring at him with murderous intent.

And the prince himself...

He was clearly nervous.

Watching my reaction.

All of this... over a single name.

Evelyn.

I had a vague idea of who that was.

She was one of the noblewomen present at the first event, the ball.

She had been notably beautiful—so much so that even Ahri mentioned her while teasing Kain-oppa during our discussions.

Beauty...

That word stirred a strange feeling in me.

This wasn’t reality—this was a movie.

And in a movie, a beautiful woman wasn’t just some extra.

Actors, by nature, were already far above the average person in appearance.

And even among actors, there were those who shine even brighter.

If Evelyn was one of those, then she couldn’t have been just a background character.

She must have a role to play.

***“Songee’s analysis... it actually sounds pretty convincing.”

Ahri nodded in agreement at Eunsol’s remark.

“Yeah, that Evelyn girl was way too pretty to just be an extra. Is she the villainess? The movie’s past its midpoint, so it’s about time for one to show up.”

“Hmm... Ahri, that joke you made earlier? It might not have been a joke after all.”

“Joke?”

“The one about how Kain should’ve gone in and possessed Evelyn. If he had, maybe we wouldn’t have to worry about the villainess right now.”

“Eunsol, that wasn’t a joke. Kain’s going in next. No exceptions.”

“S-shut up! Evelyn’s about to show up—pay attention!”

***So that was what kind of character Evelyn was.

Unlike the knights and the crown prince, who had desperately tried to keep the truth from me, his attendant must have realized there was no point in hiding it and cautiously filled me in.

I didn’t have much time to process it before the world shifted once again—signaling the start of the next event.

It was the New Year’s Festival in the city.

Elena had experienced this event as well, but the progression was different.

For one, there was no sneaky abduction attempt by the prince’s attendant.

Instead, he came to me openly to deliver the prince’s rather adorable request.

“He wants to go on a date... as commoners?”

“Indeed. His Highness believes that walking among the people and observing their daily lives is part of his duty as the Crown Prince—“

The attendant continued on with a long-winded explanation, but the point was simple: instead of wearing a lavish dress, I was to dress modestly and blend in with the commoners while enjoying the festival.

Of course, a disguised escort would be following us at all times.

The pacing had clearly sped up.

So much so that it actually startled me.

Just three seconds ago, I had been standing in my room, talking to the attendant. I blinked—only to find my clothes had changed, and I was suddenly standing in the middle of the festival.

“L-Lady Songee! Over here—“

“Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

Elena had a way of setting the mood in moments like this.

Maybe I should try mimicking—

No. Stop thinking like that.

I needed a different approach. Someone else to use as a reference...

How about Kain-oppa?

Kain-oppa was exceptional at pulling off over-the-top, dramatic speeches—practically scamming people with how convincing he sounded.

...Not to mention, he looked good doing it, so even if he spouted nonsense, it somehow worked—

STOP THINKING LIKE THIS!

***“Songee really sees me as some kind of scammer, huh?”

Ahri looked at Kain with an exasperated expression.

“Put your hand down. We all know you’re smiling right now.”

Eunsol muttered in a terrified voice, “I... I really don’t want to go into this movie...”

***I did my best to maintain a graceful, elegant presence as I spoke, “Just for today, could you call me ‘Songee’?”

The prince’s face flushed red as he hesitantly murmured, “...Then... call me Joshua.”

After that, the event turned out to be surprisingly fun.

Maybe it was just me, but the prince had started to seem... kind of cute.

Walking through the streets, watching performances, tasting street food—it was all enjoyable.

But still, something gnawed at the back of my mind.

“Things are progressing too smoothly....”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. J-Joshua, how about we head toward the central plaza next?”

“The central plaza? That’s where all the couples go to dance, right? I don’t really feel like dancing.”

Why does this kid dislike everything?

“We don’t have to dance, just watch.”

And so, we arrived at the heart of the New Year’s Festival—the grand plaza where couples gathered to dance.

The moment we laid eyes on the scene, both the prince and I fell silent.

Right in the center of the plaza stood a couple so strikingly beautiful that they almost felt like the true protagonists of this world.

***“Wow...! What kind of plot twist is this?!”

Eunsol gaped at the screen, while Ahri muttered in disbelief, “I mean... it is an interesting turn of events. I’m just glad I’m not the one dealing with it....”

“Songee, PLEASE! Just finish this! I’m begging you!”

Listening to Kain’s desperate prayers, Sanghyun couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m already curious about how the next movie will play out at this point.”

***The plaza was filled with music, swirling couples, and a radiant atmosphere.

But among them, one couple stood out—as if all the light in the world had gathered around them.

A tall, strikingly handsome man with strong features—Pendleton, the young duke heir.

A breathtakingly beautiful girl, like a goddess of the night—Evelyn, the noble lady.

The two of them danced in a way that felt almost otherworldly, their movements fluid and mesmerizing.

The sheer grandeur of their presence made it clear: these two were different.

And yet, despite the beauty of the scene, I found myself unable to fully appreciate it.

After all, beside me stood the prince—his expression utterly shattered.

His hands trembled.

His entire body was stiff.

Even without using my bracelet, I could feel the storm of emotions raging inside him.

What is he thinking right now?

...

I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

How would it feel...?

To watch your ex-lover waltzing in the arms of the one man you despise most?

Before I could fully process it, Evelyn turned to us and smiled.

Whether she was aware of the situation or not...

Whether she was ignorant or cruel...

I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

Pendleton, that grinning bastard beside her, was completely oblivious.

“Oh my, Your Highness! I never expected to see you at the festival. And beside you... who might this be?”