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Chapter 36: Club (3)
Eisel didn't do the stupid thing of accepting an attractive offer out of the blue. There had to be something dark hidden in this favor.
She narrowed her eyes and asked, “What are the conditions?”
“Conditions…? I'm upset. It's purely because I like you, but you do calculations first, don’t you?"
"Yes. Between people, calculations are necessary. Especially for a woman like me."
Eisel was obviously an attractive girl. She was a genius among geniuses who achieved Class 3 at the age of seventeen, and her beautiful appearance made her stand out wherever she went in the world.
However, on the other hand, the title of the traitor’s child stuck to her wherever she went.
Because of that, no one wanted to keep her near them. Like Kashif Derek, whom she hunted with the other day, she wouldn't know if he swallowed her whole without even leaving bones.
But Crown Prince Jeremy was different.
A dirty snake coiled around that man's heart.
He never did anything without a hidden motive.
He had to have a reason for approaching her. It would be nice if there were political reasons, but if not…
'It’d be because of my looks. I’d be no more than a trophy to him.’
Her deduction was not wrong. To Jeremy, her past didn’t matter.
As the prince of Skalven, he could do whatever he wished.
It was perhaps even easier to approach Eisel because of her past. He was good at latching on to other people's weaknesses and holding them hostage so they couldn't leave his side.
“Eisel.” Jeremy smiled softly and drew closer to her.
“I don't care what you think. I'm not imposing any conditions on you. Just join my club and be with me all the time. That's all.”
“...”
"In return, I can do a lot for you. You know who I am."
‘I know. I know it very well. The moment I join Jeremy's club is the moment you fall into a bottomless pit.’
Despite knowing the truth, Eisel kept silent.
The one thing that shook her was…
The Skalven Empire was in a confrontation with her enemy, the Adolevit Kingdom.
Beyond that simple reason, with Crown Prince Jeremy's power, she could put an end to all her struggles.
She no longer had to settle for 1,200 credits of cheap bread.
She wouldn’t have to live as an outcast, receiving discriminatory treatment and being ignored.
She could, once again, build connections as an aristocrat.
She would be able to plan for her future and be able to receive an education in a great environment.
Vengeance might be easier if she just wore nice clothes, ate good food, got a good education and as a bonus, used his powers.
‘Ah.’
She was very tempted.
All she had to do for all those benefits was live as a trophy.
She didn’t even know if she could do it.
Right now, it was so hard.
She really wanted to choose the easy way.
"I’m—"
The moment Eisel opened her mouth to say something…
Smack!
Her head turned sideways.
‘... Ah?'
She didn't understand the situation. Her left eye was tingling, and it seemed that tears were welling up in them.
She raised her left hand and touched her cheek, and only then did she feel the pain.
‘It hurts.’
‘Why?'
‘Who?’
When she turned her head, she saw a cute girl with short black hair looking at her with an expressionless face. In contrast to her expressionless face, harsh words came out of her mouth. “You piece of crap! Flirting with a man behind my back after everything you said to me?”
“What?”
“You said you liked me! But now… Now... you’re trying to abandon me?"
The girl suddenly burst into tears. Even then, she still had those emotionless eyes. Eisel couldn't help but be embarrassed.
'Flame...?'
Her name was written on the badge on her chest. She was a Class S student Eisel had encountered a few times.
‘What’s going on...?’
She couldn't understand that situation, but just as she opened her mouth to ask, Flame grabbed her wrist.
"Follow me! We need to talk!”
"Wait a minute. Eisel and I are having a conversation.”
“Stay out of it!” Flame snapped.
Jeremy's eyes widened in embarrassment.
After confirming everything was fine, Flame led Eisel out of the place.
It wasn't until after a long walk, when Jeremy was no longer in sight, that Eisel came to her senses.
“Wait, wait! What is it? What is this about?” she yelled, snatching her hand from Flame’s grasp.
Flame turned to look at her, and unlike before, this time, those eyes contained human emotions. She looked relieved.
“Phew. That was close.”
“What just happened?”
"Ah, that? I said those things out of the blue to get out of there. If you refused without reason, you’d probably be hounded to death. So I made an excuse for you. You should thank me, by the way. Thanks to you, I won't be able to date until I graduate cause I’ll have to watch out for that bastard." Flame gritted her teeth.
“No, I mean. Why did you do that?”
“Why? You know why. Joining that kid's club would be suicidal. Life will be a little—just a little—better than it is now. But is there any meaning to such a life? Do you want to live with your head bowed down under a barrage of curses all your life?”
“Do you know me?”
Flame glanced at Eisel and then cleared her throat. "Know? I’m your fan. That's why I fucking hate you.”
"What?"
"Why do you get swayed by such sweet talk, you foolish girl? I stuck my neck out for you, so don't ever forget what happened today. Oh, and buy me a drink later."
“We’re minors...”
"Ah, you talk too much. Buy me a drink in three years! If you don't, I'll kill you."
After saying that, Flame waved her hand and disappeared in an instant.
Eisel heard the class bell ring.
Despite Flame’s actions, she was more of a model student than she seemed.
"Sigh..."
Realizing the choice she had almost made, Eisel slumped down on the ground.
‘Yeah. She’s right.’
‘If I’d gotten into Jeremy's club, I would’ve become his trophy. Would my life really be better than now?
Would he really change his personality for her?
Would he have treated her with kindness?
No way.
All the benefits that could be received by joining Skalven’s club were actually Eisel’s delusions and hopes.
She stood there, holding her face in her hands, and she did not move for a long time.
Ding.
"Huh..."
As soon as the bell rang, signifying the end of class, Flame sat down on a desk. She had to move on to the next lecture, but her head was still confused, perhaps because of what happened two hours prior.
'I did a good job, right?'
In the original novel, Eisel joined Jeremy's club.
There, she fell into a very terrible hell.
As a woman, she would endure all kinds of shameful insults and gossip, and no one would acknowledge her achievements, attributing them all to Skalven.
After that, Eisel’s depression got worse and worse, but for Jeremy, it was a good thing.
The more impoverished the girl became, the more she would be easily suppressed and controlled.
It meant that the only person she could rely on was him.
So Jeremy tortured and constricted Eisel even more fiercely in private and showered her with affection in public.
'You can't live without me.’
It was a pretty scary development as a reader. Jeremy was a rumored flirt, and it seemed like he didn't truly love Eisel.
If he lost interest in her, he would throw her out in no time and drag another woman into his trap.
Later, it was revealed that Jeremy eventually came to love Eisel sincerely through a series of events. However, it was better that the plot where she got destroyed didn't happen.
'No, I did well. I did a good job.’
Until now, Flame had tried changing small variables without interfering with the development of the original plot as much as possible.
She was afraid that a future she did not know would happen.
However, when she saw Baek Yu-Seol's behavior, she changed her mind.
Even though he had lost most of his memory of the future, he was doing his best to change the events that remained dim.
Even though he didn’t know as much as her, he was more active.
Seeing him try to change the future made her feel ashamed.
‘What the hell am I trying to do?'
‘Am I afraid of changing the future?’
‘Isn’t that ironic?’
So for the first time today, Flame actively intervened in the original plot.
Thanks to that, Crown Prince Jeremy would pay attention to her, but that was okay.
In any case, it would be enough if the main character could grow more upright.
'...But, surely, he didn’t realize I was lying, right?’
To be honest, it was a little scary.
Jeremy did not particularly enjoy eating. It wasn't that he had no taste for delicacies, nor was there a problem with his sense of taste, but he just couldn't quite grasp the feeling of delicious. Sweet, salty, bitter. Those were the kinds of sensations he felt.
He only consumed the minimum amount of nutrients and even had an exclusive chef.
“It was delicious today.”
Jeremy said that to his exclusive chef every time. There was no reason for that either. It was just a habit.
Wiping his lips with a napkin, Jeremy put out his plate, and the servant quickly cleared the table.
Perhaps the chefs would research the food he had today, thinking, 'His Highness does not like this dish, but he likes that dish.’
They didn’t know that everything was pointless.
After finishing the meal, Jeremy was soon lost in contemplation. He often thought of what had happened and anticipated what would happen.
Today, however, he only thought of Flame.
She was a cute girl.
It wasn't because her face was cute, but her behavior itself was cute.
The act of taking Eisel out in front of him while telling obvious lies was so cute.
'Interesting...'
The reason he approached Eisel was his simple curiosity.
The fallen Duke Morph.
‘The descendants of a genius mage with outstanding looks... What a great trophy!’
He was planning to find her weakness, firmly grasp it, and not let it go.
However, a more interesting being had appeared.
‘I’m curious.'
He was curious about her.
Where she came from.
What she did to pass the time.
What she liked.
What kind of food she enjoyed.
What she thought about.
What kind of clothes she wore.
What kind of friends she had.
He was curious about everything.
It was like a boy on his first crush.
Therefore, Jeremy regarded her as his first love.
‘I want her.’
He had become possessive, yet he remained unaware of the fact.