The system window, glowing brilliantly, displayed words that felt like a dream.
‘I can choose the ending of the story?’
It was an opportunity I had never considered before—something I hadn’t even factored into my possibilities. I had assumed that once the numbers filled up, I would be returned automatically, regardless of my will.
But the fact that I could choose meant I could decide where I would stay from now on.
Yes. Where I would stay.
By Kyle’s side, which had now become my home.
“…….”
My heart pounded loudly, so much so that I could hear it myself. Almost instinctively, I reached out toward the system window.
But I couldn’t press it so easily.
As soon as I faced the button labeled [Sync], a thought occurred to me—my body in the real world.
‘Will I die?’
Technically, my soul was here, meaning that in the real world, I would become a dead person because of this choice. Ever since I cut ties with my uncle, I was practically without any family, so there would be no one searching for me anyway.
Suddenly, memories of my past life flashed through my mind.
Looking back, not everyone in my life had been bad. There were times when I had received help, and times when I had given it. I simply hadn’t had anyone to deeply connect with or share emotions.
My gaze naturally drifted to Sen. Then to Belial, and a little awkwardly standing next to him, James and the other knights. And finally, to Kyle, who, ever since entering the room, had been staring solely at me, as if nothing else existed.
Our eyes met for a long moment. My hesitant index finger still hadn’t touched the system window.
The first to speak was Kyle.
“Shu.”
Striding toward me, he lifted me into his arms in one swift motion. Startled, I momentarily forgot the situation and let out a hushed cry.
“……Your Highness!”
However, for some reason, the attention on us only lingered briefly before dispersing, as if this were a common occurrence.
“Treatment comes first.”
I glanced over at Sen and Belial.
Belial, now sitting up, had pulled Sen into an embrace, resting his head against her shoulder. He seemed to be murmuring something, but his voice was too soft, hoarse from prolonged disuse, making it hard to discern.
Yet, seeing Sen’s face, tears streaming down as she smiled radiantly, I was certain it wasn’t anything bad.
Kyle gently cradled my shoulder to avoid jostling my injuries and carried me out of the room, heading for the drawing room—the place where we had shared countless moments of clandestine intimacy.
It wasn’t until later that I learned something. Originally, there hadn’t been a first-aid kit here, but at some point, Kyle had brought one just for me.
He set me down on the sofa and, with practiced movements, retrieved the kit.
By then, the pain-numbing effect of the ‘pine nut-stuffed persimmon painkiller’ had completely worn off, and a sharp, stinging pain surged through me.
“Ugh…….”
I clenched my teeth and let out a low groan, prompting Kyle to quickly take out antiseptics and bandages.
“Hiss—ow, ow…….”
It hurt.
A lot.
Kyle, prioritizing treatment above all else, mercilessly wiped away the blood and just as mercilessly disinfected my wounds.
As a result, my shoulders, hands, and legs were all wrapped in layers of bandages, leaving no part of me unscathed.
“You seem rather displeased, Your Highness.”
“If I’m displeased about anything, it’s how much I love you.”
“……I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
Pouting slightly, I fiddled with the neatly tied bandages while he tidied up the first-aid kit. But I widened my eyes and grabbed his wrist firmly before he could put it away.
“Hold it right there. Your Highness needs treatment too. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I have matters to take care of—”
“They won’t be delayed just because you take a moment for treatment.”
Determined, I reopened the first-aid kit and began tending to his wounds.
From the shallow scars on his neck to the deep spear wound along his waist. Even the traces of magic that had clawed at his thigh—I applied ointment to them all with meticulous care.
After carefully wrapping bandages to ensure proper absorption, Kyle ended up looking just as much like a mummy as I did.
We exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
Not because we looked ridiculous, but because we had both survived.
“Seeing Sen so happy put me in a good mood.”
Leaning against the sofa, I murmured softly.
“She deserves it, but she never got to enjoy it before. She’s suffered for so long, lost so much.”
Even when I first met her, she had been a bright person. But back then, it was the kind of brightness that merely masked resilience.
The expression I saw on her just now, however, was entirely different.
It was so radiant and beautiful—so much so that if happiness could take form, it would look exactly like that.
“You too.”
Kyle spoke a beat later. I tilted my head slightly to look at him.
“Pardon?”
“You’re also someone I want to be happy.”
His tone was utterly casual—calm and nonchalant, as if stating the obvious. But the sincerity pressed into those words brushed softly against my heart, just hearing them.
“…….”
My throat tightened, making it impossible to respond right away.
Someone he wanted to be happy. I didn’t even need to think about it to know that no one had ever said that to me before.
I had been loved—so much that it almost felt overwhelming. But it was a love I never wanted to put down, no matter how heavy it was.
Rolling my eyes around, I cleared my throat a few times before finally managing to say something.
“Your Highness is that person for me, too.”
With more sincerity than ever before.
“I see.”
Kyle let out a quiet chuckle and lowered his head. His lips met mine, soft and warm.
I closed my eyes. In that moment, he was the only thing in the world that felt real.
***
Time passed quickly.
Belial’s rehabilitation progressed smoothly under Sen’s lead. At first, he had collapsed like a newborn fawn with every attempt to stand, but in just a week, he had improved enough to walk along the wall with support. It was obvious how much Sen had worked to make it happen.
Of course, Belial seemed to be struggling quite a bit, too.
“Your Highness Belial! Just a little more, please. Oh, come on. I bet Shu has eaten twice as much as you!”
“……Isn’t he always like that?”
“So you’re not going to eat?”
“…….”
“Here, say ah~.”
“……Ah.”
Once again, Belial was no match for Sen’s determined and shining eyes. He begrudgingly opened his mouth.
I stopped mid-bite into my sandwich—packed with fresh tomatoes and crisp lettuce, my favorite—pausing as I chewed.
‘So this is what it feels like?’
For some reason, it reminded me of when Kyle and I had just started dating, and Blake’s servants would hurriedly avert their eyes whenever they saw me. Back then, I didn’t understand, but in hindsight, it made perfect sense. Considering Kyle’s public image, the contrast must have been unsettling.
Yeah, I get it now.
Seeing it firsthand, I could tell—it was the kind of thing that made you squirm with secondhand embarrassment, the kind that sent a chill down your spine.
But still, they looked happy, so I couldn’t really complain.
“Oh, right. Shu, can you deliver a document to His Highness Kyle on your way? I left it on the desk.”
“Sure, why not.”
Sen, who had been clearing away the dishes and cups, turned to me as she spoke. I nodded and picked up the document she had mentioned before heading out.
“Good afternoon, Lord Shu…….”
“Good day, Lord Shu…….”
“Pleasant lunchtime…….”
The servants I passed in the hallway were all terrifyingly gaunt. Their faces were beyond pale, drained of any vitality.
The reason for their exhaustion was simple.
Even in victory, war was still war. The walls had crumbled, trees had fallen, and a great deal of blood had been spilled. In a game, winning was enough—you didn’t have to worry about what came next. But reality was different.
Everyone in Blake was enduring the harshest season yet.
Especially James, who looked half-dead.
“…….”
I stared at his face, then instinctively checked his lifespan.
[This person cannot be queried!]
I had fought so hard to keep him alive—was he really about to drop dead from overwork?
……No, that couldn’t be.
“Ah.”
James, staggering toward me, bumped into my shoulder. He was so weak that he, not I, was the one who stumbled back. And this was a man built like a fortress of muscle.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
No, he absolutely was not.
But James continued walking like a zombie, not even noticing my concerned gaze.
‘Yeah… I should gather a few items to help restore his strength.’
With that thought, I made my way through the corridor and stopped in front of a familiar door.
It was dead silent inside, but I knew without a doubt who was there.
“I’m coming in.”
I knocked twice and didn’t bother waiting for an answer before turning the handle.
Sunlight streamed through the large south-facing window, flooding the room with golden light.
Sitting with his back to that radiance was the only person I never had to wait for—Kyle Blake.
“Shu.”
He removed his glasses and rose from his seat. I grinned and stretched my arms toward him. Kyle caught me effortlessly, laughing as he pulled me into his embrace.
“What if you had fallen?”
“But you were going to catch me anyway.”
“That’s true, but still.”
His arms wrapped around me with firm resolve, as if he would never let go. I drew him closer by the neck, laughing softly.
A system window hovered in the air.
Beside an emoji that looked both apologetic and sullen, the words [Calculation Complete] were displayed.
[Current Miracle Score: 100%]
Yeah.
The time had finally come to choose.
Which life would become my true reality?
Just as the “Reload” process began, enveloping me in a brilliant light, Kyle loosened his hold slightly and cupped his hands together.
I instinctively landed in his palms, looking up at him as a hamster.
Our eyes met, and for a moment, we remained silent.
Then, he spoke. Slowly, deliberately, as if he had been holding onto these words for a long time. As if he had rehearsed them.
“It’s time for you to leave this inconvenient life behind.”
Trying to sound detached.
“You’ll be okay, Shu. No matter where we are.”
Carefully.
“Because the fact that I love you will never change.”
Gently.
