I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 9

Chapter 5.2

‘…Wait, did he just praise me? Did Heron really say something positive? He must’ve eaten something seriously wrong!’

At that moment, the system window appeared all of a sudden.

[〈SYSTEM〉

By rejecting Crown Prince Vien di Elberg’s route, you have achieved the conditions to open the special route!
You can now pursue Heron Aidelis, the leader of the Adeline Knights and your brother.

Would you like to open the special route of Flower of Arbonis, the route of Heron Aidelis now?

[YES / NO]

* Heron Aidelis’s route will be unlocked upon acceptance, while declining will decrease Heron Aidelis’s favorability. (A penalty will be incurred if affection reaches 0.) ]

‘…There’s a route for Heron Aidelis?’

I was greatly surprised when the system window popped up in front of me at the most unexpected moment. That was because I just found out for the first time that there was such a thing as a special route in this game.

‘And it’s Heron Aidelis’s route, not anyone else.’

In fact, from the perspective of a dating simulation game, the fact that Heron wasn’t a target until now might have seemed even stranger. He possessed the looks and abilities that were no less impressive than the game’s target characters, like Vien, Diel, and Allen, who were the target characters of Flower of Arbonis.

Her hair, as if made of silver, and seemingly indifferent gray eyes captured the attention of many women while his deep voice resonated throughout the room.

When Heron had become a sword master at just eighteen, parents with daughters of marriageable age had all, at least once, considered him as a potential suitor. Perhaps if Heron had decided to marry back then, he might have married Count Eleanor’s eldest daughter.

‘Count Eleanor is one of the wealthiest people in the Empire.’

I glanced once more at the system window that had appeared before me, trying to cut off my rambling thoughts. I tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but I could already feel hope sprouting in my heart.

‘…Could it be that the correct route the child was talking about was the Heron route?’

I frowned at the new path, which was unlike the routes of the other characters I had pursued so far, and pressed the accept button first. However, after pressing the accept button, unlike usual, I was once again presented with a series of system windows.

[〈SYSTEM〉

Congratulations! The route for Heron Aidelis has been unlocked and you can now pursue Heron Adelis!
(However, since Heron Adelis is your half-sibling, even if you fill up the favorability status completely, the wedding ending isn’t possible.) ]

Before my brain could even process the belatedly appearing system window, my mouth moved on its own.

“You must be crazy!”

As I read the clearly written words’ wedding ending,’ a vivid image of me in a pristine white wedding dress, holding hands with Heron, flashed in my mind. Even the fleeting imagination that crossed my mind sent shivers down my spine.

‘This is seriously crazy. I’m going crazy!’

“What?”

As I tried to shake off the goosebumps on my arm, Heron’s voice from above startled me and I flinched back. The shivers I felt now were completely different from the ones I had a moment ago, running down my spine.

“I didn’t realize that complimenting you was something that would get me called crazy.”

“Yes? Oh, no, it’s not like that…!”

I thought as I listened to his words ringing in my head and looked at Heron’s cold, frozen gaze. It seemed like things had completely gone wrong even before I even started this time.

[ 〈SYSTEM〉

Penalty due to decrease in favorability!
Heron Aidelis’s favorability decreases by 3%.

Heron Aidelis’s current favorability: 30% -〉 27% ]

As I was about to close my eyes, imagining the pain of the penalty, I quickly opened my eyes when I saw a number other than 0 that seemed to pass by.

‘…Wait, it’s a two-digit number? Not 0, not even a negative number, but a two-digits?’

Even as I looked at the system window that appeared clearly in front of me, I blinked incessantly, unable to believe if I was seeing it correctly.

‘27%? Is Heron’s favorability really 27%? And even that has been reduced?’

It was a completely unbelievable number. Allen, one of the key characters, had some initial favorability towards me, but it was only 10%.

…But Heron was at 27%?

Heron opened his mouth with a frosty expression as I stood there blankly, staring at the system window.

“Go back home, Ardi Aidelis.”

Delivering his words with a brisk, almost biting tone, he turned away coldly. I continued to stare blankly at the system window that hadn’t disappeared, even as I watched Heron’s figure gradually receding into the distance.

“27%… Heron’s favorability towards me is 27%…”

The corners of my mouth kept curving up uncontrollably as I felt like I had finally found a clue to the correct route the child was talking about.

Nabi’s note: I know having Heron as a target might be really strange… ( ‘ ﹋ ‘ ; ) though considering the setting and time period of when this novel is taking place, it’s kind of understandable. STILL! Don’t worry since we all know from the synopsis who is the male lead of this book, so (hopefully—please miss author…) nothing strange should happen! (；・∀・)

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