kscans

Chapter 52 - Interlude: Falling, Sinking, and What Was Gained Beyond That

A dark place, devoid of any light. Falty looked around frantically.

"…Where… where am I…?"

It was pitch-black. There was truly nothing here. If she didn't recognize herself as herself, just being conscious like this would likely be difficult. I have to get out of here somehow, she thought, but Falty didn't know how to dispel this all-consuming darkness.

"I… Why am I…"

She questioned herself in a dazed tone. She couldn't remember why she was in a place like this or how she had gotten here. A sharp pain shot through her head whenever she tried to recall, yet she felt as if someone was screaming at her that she had to remember.

"…Ngh, ugh…"

A throbbing ache forced her to crouch down, clutching her head.

That's right, I hosted a tea party.

She had wanted to get closer—so much closer—to those two who remained unfriendly toward her, no matter how much time passed. She had wanted to be their friend.

"But… I couldn't… do that."

The sharp, throbbing pain morphed into an indescribable, festering ache. The intervals between the waves of dull pain grew shorter until a constant agony, as if she were being repeatedly struck in the head with something, began to assault her.

"…Ugh… ah, aaah…!"

Neither Vernella nor Carla had opened their hearts to her. Of course they hadn't. They both understood Falty's position all too well—that of a counterfeit. There was no way to win them over. After all, one was Lupia's true childhood friend and the daughter of a distinguished, historic family. The other was the fiancée of Lupia's precious younger brother.

"But, but… she has everything, so what's wrong with giving me just one little thing…?!"

Envy and jealousy toward the duke's daughter, Lupia. A mix of emotions swirled within her, and her mouth wouldn't stop moving.

"What's wrong with being ambitious…?! I… I worked hard, too! I had help from another power, but still…!"

Tears streamed down her face, and before she knew it, Falty was sobbing uncontrollably. This was a jet-black space where no one could see her. She decided she might as well expose every corner of her heart, so she held nothing back.

"What 'perfect duke's daughter'?! She couldn't even hold on to Liam's heart! That stupid woman is a perfect example of trying to have it all and ending up with nothing!"

She laughed mockingly at Lupia through her tears, even though she had no right to. Still, she couldn't stop herself. Her emotions were a tangled mess, and though she knew how pathetic she looked, she had no other way to cope but to cry and scream. It was all she could think to do.

So you ruined someone else's life for that?

"Eh?"

She faintly heard her own voice, but it wasn't coming from her.

And after all that, you refuse to take responsibility, telling yourself you did nothing wrong. I wonder what's left after that.

The words pierced her to the core.

If you had truly achieved it all on your own… I doubt anyone would have said a thing. They might not have even had grounds to complain.

"Ah…"

Deep down, she had known. She knew that even if she borrowed the power of a counterfeit 'Pseudo-God,' stole Lupia's position, and acted as if she were perfect, she was not Lupia. It was all being done by another person named 'Falty-Ardia.' It was only natural to be compared. She had ruthlessly trampled on everything Lupia had spent over a decade building, mashing it into a chaotic mess.

Cassandra had been the first to understand and distance herself. Vernella and Carla had never opened their hearts to begin with.

And then there was Lupia, her 'friend' according to the numbers displayed for her.

"None of it was something I earned through my own effort."

That final year at the academy, she had taken the hand of some unknown entity and basked in a constant sense of superiority. Everyone had praised her, hailed her as Crown Prince Liam's fated partner, and offered their blessings. Liam had returned her feelings as well.

All because the Will of God (System) had existed.

Once the 'game' was over and the ending was reached, the path forward was one she had to forge with her own hands. The main road was paved, to be sure. But the finer details would test her own strength and willpower. She had been asked if she was truly okay with that.

"I remember."

A tear fell from Falty's eye.

"…I remember…!"

She had kept blaming others. It was Lupia's fault, Rupert's fault, Vernella's fault, the Duke of Calmond's fault. It was all the fault of the 'System' that had tempted her.

She had tried to run from responsibility, running and running until she stumbled and fell flat on her face—right here, right now.

"The one who caused this situation…"

It was my fault.

Falty felt as though she had finally reclaimed the person she was before that final year. No amount of apologizing to Lupia would ever be enough. She had manipulated someone who wasn't even her friend, controlling her to get the answers she wanted. She couldn't even begin to imagine how painful that must have been.

At the same time, she felt the terror of that 'System' entity, which had been capable of such an incredible feat.

It had controlled people with something that wasn't magic, made them do its bidding, guided Falty—the chosen protagonist—in every way, and produced the results she desired.

Come to think of it, hadn't it said something about this being a romance ending? Were there other young ladies who had been complicit in things like this? But it had also said, 'they did it well.' Didn't that mean they had been flawless? They had flawlessly built a relationship with their rival and snatched their target away from their original partner.

…They were surely living lives full of happiness right now.

But was that truly happiness? Wouldn't it feel empty someday?

As she thought that, Falty realized with a start that she had done the exact same thing.

"Haha…"

A self-deprecating laugh escaped her lips. If an apology could fix things, she would have done it long ago, but it wouldn't erase her foolish words and her disregard for others. Besides, it was far too late to apologize now. She had thrown the country into chaos; a suitable punishment was surely waiting for her.

"I really was a terrible person…"

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, she repeated again and again.

"Lupia-san, …I…"

She looked up at the endlessly stretching, jet-black space above.

"I hated you so much."

To see someone she hated move exactly as she wished—what a feeling of superiority it gave her. The higher that lady's station was above her own, the more she could delude herself into thinking she was superior. Even though she now recognized her own mistakes, she had no idea how to escape from this place. But Falty's expression hardened. She would not give up.

"I'm going to get out of here and say it to your face. I'm going to say I'm sorry."

Those words held many meanings. But first, she had to get out of here, or she wouldn't be able to face Lupia as herself. She would risk everything to escape.

And after that, it didn't matter if she wasn't forgiven. She just wanted to apologize properly, as 'Falty-Ardia.'

Falty began to act, determined to do something about the very space that imprisoned her.