How to Survive as the Horror Game Villain’s Fake Fiancée - Chapter 127

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and gore. Reader discretion is advised.

Cynthia, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, was more beautiful than ever.

The beauty that had never faded, even when she endured all manner of humiliation at the count’s estate, had now blossomed in full, like a flower at its peak. The golden dress draped over her body looked like it cost the price of a whole house, and she was adorned from head to toe with the most luxurious jewelry.

He cheered inwardly. No matter how he looked at it, she was clearly being treasured. Not only that, but the two were sitting side by side. She had certainly been chosen as the lady of the duke’s household.

But Cynthia, from the moment she faced the count, couldn’t even open her mouth, just trembling with a pale, stricken face. It was the instinctive fear and trauma ingrained in her body. Segleninde said nothing, only holding her hand and sweeping a cold gaze over the count.

Count Obel, on the other hand, was very satisfied. Seeing the duke, whose expression was fierce but who seemed to be taking meticulous care of Cynthia, he felt sure that the man would do anything for her. And Cynthia had always been the sort of child to obey her father’s words, so there was nothing to worry about.

Even the mansion, which had once seemed like hell, had returned to its pristine state as if nothing had ever happened before the banquet. Like the gambler he was, Count Obel laid down his hand.

“So, when will the wedding be held? If you’ve set a date, you should have informed me. Your Grace the Duke is still young and lost your parents early, so perhaps you do not know these things, but there are proper transactions to be made for a marriage. If you’re taking her, you must give something to her poor father who will be left behind.”

At last, the hard work he’d put into raising his daughter was paying off.

Even though the king had changed, there was a tradition in this country that had remained steadfast over the years.

The amount a man must give to his bride’s family is determined solely by his wealth. If a wealthy man wishes to take a family’s daughter, he must pay her parents their due. This doesn’t end with a single payment, but must be paid again whenever requested.

The bride’s dowry could be less than that. Though most of them had been sold off to pay gambling debts, there were still a few pieces of jewelry left from the late countess. Those would be enough.

“As you can see, she’s a truly splendid bride. Do you know how much effort I put into raising her? She’s as beautiful as her mother was, and since you’ve already spent more than three months together, you must have seen her body as well, haven’t you? She’s more than capable of pleasing a man, wouldn’t you say?”

“……”

“I hope you’ll give her a reward worthy of her value. If not, who knows, I might have to give His Majesty the King a very detailed account of what happened here at the mansion. There are more than a few witnesses, after all, so I doubt it would be dismissed as a mere rumor.”

The count was inwardly afraid as he said this, but he had an excellent hostage. Surely, this man wouldn’t kill a father in front of his daughter. And Cynthia, who had been abused and raised by him, didn’t look like she was capable of even asking Segleninde to kill her father.

Segleninde’s expression was not just cold, but almost indifferent. Still, the count believed his gamble had succeeded.

But then.

“I, too, am offering the daughter I raised with care, so I want to be properly compensated. So, please…”

“How strange.”

It was only then that the count recalled one fact.

“Is this a bug?”

His gambles had never once succeeded before.

* * *

It all fell apart.

Cynthia saw her father slowly dissolve before her eyes, his flesh melting away. The very person who had carved deep trauma and scars into ‘Cynthia Obel’ was vanishing helplessly at a single word from Segleninde.

“Uh, uhh? Ugggh, gkk, kuk! Kekek! Higigik…!”

His flesh melted. His eyeballs fell out. Even the remains that fell from his body dissolved into a viscous, blood-red liquid and disappeared. Cynthia stared blankly at the scene.

To her surprise, she felt no shock. Even if he was her father, to her he was no different from a stranger, and she had no good memories of him anyway. The reason she was startled was something else.

‘Bug…? Is that what he said?’

Why would Segleninde, a character from inside the game, know the word ‘bug’?