If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 26

Chapter 14.2

Looking at the door where not even a trace of his shadow remained, Ariel averted her eyes. She quickly glanced through the transfer recommendation letter held in her hand. It bore the Prince’s official seal, which would undoubtedly be of great help later.

Holding it carefully, she stowed it in her bag alongside the other important documents.

‘Should I keep it in the safe when I’m home?’

Considering the official seal of the imperial family, it seemed like the right thing to do. Still, since she didn’t have a personal safe at the moment, she’d need to buy one first.

‘Maybe I should stop by on the way home…’

As Ariel was lost in her thoughts with miscellaneous distractions, Skylar’s words suddenly came to mind.

Go home on your own.

Everything was settled now… that meant that there was no reason to stay or linger here any longer.

“But… how am I going to get home?”

As far as she knew, there was quite a distance from the imperial palace to the Count’s estate, so walking was out of the question.

‘He told me to go on my own…’

After much consideration, she reached the conclusion that it would be faster to head to the lobby and request someone to make a call to the Count’s estate on her behalf. Surely, they would arrange something for her promptly.

Before leaving, Ariel swiftly scanned the room to ensure she hadn’t left anything behind. Since she hadn’t unpacked, there wasn’t much to gather except for her bag. During her arrival, she had been accompanied by the Prince, but now that she was leaving alone, a sense of loneliness tinged her emotions. Wandering through the corridors, she eventually arrived at the lobby near the entrance.

It was when she approached a long table to ask for a phone call that one of the maids guarding the table stepped forward to greet her.

“Princess Ariel, your vehicle is waiting. Please follow me.”

Even before she had a chance to bring up the matter, the maid mentioned it first.

It seemed that the Prince, who had told her to go on her own earlier, had the preparations arranged separately by the maid. Ariel couldn’t help but find it amusing how his words and actions didn’t seem to align.

‘It wouldn’t hurt if he was more amiable.’

At the same time, she felt a bit disappointed that she couldn’t even bid him farewell or thank him properly. Come to think of it, she remembered Skylar feeling reluctant when she expressed gratitude earlier as well.

Lost in thoughts, Ariel followed behind the maid.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

Upon arriving home, Ariel briefly recounted the situation to the Countess, who merely responded with, “I see.” The same unenthusiastic response followed when discussing the Crown Prince’s invitation. As their dry conversation concluded, Ariel felt a sense of tranquility settling in as she entered her room.

However, the familiar sight of her room, just as she had left it, somehow felt lonely.

“Young Lady, are you back?”

Canon spoke to her, who stood still in the doorway.

It appeared that she had entered the room with the door ajar, and Ariel could see her face beyond the entrance. For some reason, seeing Canon made her inexplicably glad.

“Yes, I’m back.”

When Ariel gave a small smile, she responded with a smile of her own as well.

Then, after exchanging brief greetings, Canon excused herself, giving her some time alone to rest. Although Ariel appreciated the gesture, instead of resting, she sat down at her desk. With the end of the quarter approaching, she needed to organize her thoughts about the people she had met so far.

Aside from her phone, she took out a small notepad and began to write down her thoughts.

「 List of targets:

Skylar: One and a half a heart of favorability. He’s sharp-tongued but occasionally shows a gentle side. Not very honest… and surprisingly caring underneath it all? So far, he’s easy to deal with. If it goes like this, it should continue smoothly.

Racine: No favorability. Not only does he ignore you even when you attempt a conversation, but he also seems difficult to meet, so I should anticipate resistance. Let’s give our best if we have a chance to interact.

Devoncia: No favorability shown either—error. It appears that he conceals many secrets and is enigmatic. Not a good first impression. The person who caused the first branching. He seems dangerous, so for now, let’s keep a distance and observe his personality.

???: Haven’t met yet. Presumed to be a high-ranking noble associated with the three mentioned above. I also expected to have a formidable personality. Meeting this person is a top priority.

※ Goal: Favorability of all targets to be three or more. (Though there’s a possibility of ending after three.)

It’s important to progress the strategies for all targets simultaneously at a similar pace! 」

Having completed her impressions on each target, Ariel set her pen down.

It felt that she had a rough idea of the direction she should take from now on. For a while, she memorized the contents before tearing the note up into pieces. Even though she had written them in Korean, keeping a clean slate would be better.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

After the decision was made for her academy enrollment, Ariel’s daily life remained unchanged. She would occasionally go for walks, receive necessary education, and spend her spare time reading books or chatting with Canon.

In truth, there wasn’t much else for her to do.

It was because she had to wait for a specific enrollment date from the palace, and she could only find out the academy’s guidelines and subjects after completing the enrollment process. Especially since her enrollment was recommended by the Prince, most things would be taken care of by them in advance.

Honestly, from Ariel’s perspective, her current life was comfortable. The only thing bothering her was the invitation she had received from the Crown Prince beforehand.

『 A target has been detected far away. 』

『 Devoncia von Elios Lévretin

▷ Favorability towards you: [ Unable to verify ] (Due to a temporary error, the verification of the affection is delayed.)
▷ Current Location: Imperial Central Hall — 4th Floor Private Guest Room. 』

Looking at the Crown Prince’s profile, she couldn’t shake off a subtle feeling of unease, as his favorability, still showing as an error, was terribly bothersome as well. Besides, the distance had become too far to accurately track his location, crowning his profile as a highly mysterious and concealed nature.

The thought of getting entangled with such a person filled her with anxiety.

“It’s been a week since I left the imperial palace…”

It was the day she had promised to the Crown Prince.

‘I need to take the magic aptitude test to enter the imperial academy, so it makes sense to take it now. Besides, the Crown Prince’s proposal won’t cause me any harm in the end…’

Still, she couldn’t shake off the lingering unease at the thought of meeting him. After all, the impression she had of the Crown Prince from their encounter at the imperial palace was far from pleasant.

Knock, knock, knock.

Startled from her thoughts by the sound of knocking, Ariel had a hunch that the appointed time had come.

“Young Lady, a vehicle has been sent by the palace.”

“I’ll be leaving now.”

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