I Put all my Stats into Charm - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Put All My Stats Into Charm Episode 069

“The person I like isn’t Your Highness, but the Duke.”

“….”

Jerome’s eyes wavered.

He hadn’t expected to hear such an answer from me.

But I was just as flustered inside as Jerome was.

‘Did I jump straight to the main point too quickly?’

I had planned to clear up the misunderstanding first. I never thought I’d end up confessing right away.

But since I’d already brought it up, I couldn’t take it back, so I decided to push forward.

“The person I like is the Duke. That confession—I made it thinking it was the Duke. Because we were supposed to meet there.”

Why am I getting nervous over something like this?

I clenched my sweaty fists tight, then took a deep breath.

And looking straight at Jerome, I spoke with determination.

“I like you, Duke. Please go out with me.”

In the distance, I could faintly hear the knights bustling about in the kitchen.

Occasionally, I could hear the sound of leaves rustling in the night breeze.

But here, it was so quiet that even breathing seemed foreign.

The surroundings were so silent that I had the illusion my heartbeat was leaking out.

“….”

“….”

Jerome gave no answer at all.

He simply gazed at me silently with quiet eyes.

I waited for the system window to chime, but even that maintained its silence.

As the silence dragged on, anxiety began to creep in gradually.

‘Why isn’t he saying anything? Give me some kind of reaction!’

In the suffocating quiet, Jerome finally opened his mouth.

“…Do you remember what I said about having someone I’m looking for?”

“…I remember.”

“Do you also remember me saying that if not for that person, I wouldn’t be here now?”

“…Yes. I remember that too.”

He had also said it wasn’t a lover, but someone he could never forget for the rest of his life.

When Jerome brought up that story, I had felt an impenetrable wall around him.

After a brief silence.

Jerome continued.

“It was someone I met when I was kidnapped. Like me, they were brought in after being kidnapped at a young age.”

His voice was low and calm, as if bringing up a story long buried.

“Thanks to that person, I was able to escape from the kidnappers.”

So it was someone he met when he was kidnapped, someone from his childhood.

They even helped him escape. With such a history, it would have been a special connection indeed.

But Jerome didn’t seem to be simply telling me ‘how we met.’

For mere information sharing, the shadow cast over his eyes was far too deep.

As the story continued, Jerome’s darkness grew thicker.

“That person who helped me escape… couldn’t get out.”

As if each word was difficult to utter, his voice carried the pain of reopening buried wounds.

The very act of speaking those memories aloud seemed to feel like punishment.

“If only they hadn’t saved me, that child would have succeeded in escaping and returned to their family’s embrace.”

His eyes, mixed with regret and guilt, looked like the confession of a survivor who couldn’t forgive themselves for living alone.

“After returning, I investigated the entire Empire to rescue that person, but couldn’t find them.”

Jerome’s gaze turned forward.

I felt an unreachable distance in his gaze, as if his feet were bound to the distant past.

“This disappearance case isn’t a simple kidnapping. It must be related to what happened that day. So until I find that person….”

He shifted his gaze back to me.

The earlier wavering had disappeared, and quiet determination settled deep in his eyes.

Quietly catching his breath, he put a period to his story in a low voice.

“I don’t have the luxury to pay attention to anyone else.”

“….”

“I’m sorry.”

Jerome’s answer to my confession was a gentle rejection.

‘Did I just get turned down?’

Unable to accept his answer, I deployed my last resort.

[‘Charm’ skill is being activated.]

[Skill activation failed.]

[To activate the skill, special conditions must be met.]

Like a confirmation kill, a system window appeared saying the skill activation had failed.

‘Is this really how it ends?’

I stared blankly at Jerome.

I had come this far with only the thought of conquering Jerome.

In a situation where my confession and even my skill didn’t work, I had no idea how to react.

“Lady Emmerbier?”

“…Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

I felt Jerome’s cautious gaze examining me.

Normally I would have enjoyed that gaze.

But for some reason, right now his gaze felt uncomfortable.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

“…No, it’s fine. I’ll go by myself.”

“It’s dangerous to wander around alone.”

Jerome looked at me with worried eyes.

What’s this? He rejected me but now he’s looking at me so tenderly.

At that sight, resentment suddenly washed over me.

“…You’re not going to date me anyway.”

“….”

Awkwardness appeared in Jerome’s eyes.

Seeing that look made my emotions flare up.

So regardless of reason, sharp words spilled out of me.

“Whether you’re a good person or a bad person, be clear about it. If not, then don’t act so tenderly.”

“My lady.”

“I understood the Duke’s words clearly.”

I turned my back, leaving Jerome behind.

As the distance between us grew, my reason began to return with the cold night breeze.

‘What did I just do?’

When I should be doing everything to look good.

I had spilled out petty words like someone who had decided to give up on conquering Jerome.

‘…But what can I do? Even after trying every possible effort, it doesn’t work.’

I had done my best within what I could do.

If the result was still like this, it meant it was beyond what I could handle.

On my way to my room, I stopped dead in my tracks.

“…Is it really over?”

As if a hole had been punched through my chest, a belated sense of emptiness washed over me.

How did I even make it this far?

It felt like all the effort and patience I had built up was crumbling down in an instant.

But it wasn’t just frustration I felt.

In one corner of my heart, disappointment toward Jerome had settled.

I said I was fine.

He came to me first and even asked me to dance.

If he was going to reject me anyway, why did he act so affectionately? Making people confused.

This isn’t because I was stupid and misunderstood. Jerome was wrong for confusing me.

So this situation isn’t my fault.

And yet….

‘…Why does my heart feel so empty?’

I hung my head low.

Actually, I knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

If I were in that situation, I probably couldn’t focus on romance either.

But my chest felt stuffy, like I had eaten 100 roasted sweet potatoes without water.

Just as my eyes began to sting, I heard a voice calling me from behind.

“What are you doing here?”

I knew it was Calliton, but I didn’t feel like turning around.

As I just stood there, I heard footsteps approaching with heavy steps.

Eventually, Calliton came in front of me and faced me.

“I told you there are monsters roaming around this village. I said it was dangerous, so why do you keep wandering around alone?”

“….”

“Aisha Emmerbier?”

As I remained silent with my head down, he lifted my chin.

“What, are you crying?”

“Who’s crying….”

I’m not some romance manga heroine. Why would I cry just because some guy rejected me?

I turned my head to the side and brushed off his hand.

Then Calliton cupped both my cheeks with his hands.

The red eyes that met mine examined my face.

“You look like you’ve been crying though?”

“No, I didn’t cry….”

At that moment, hot tears began pouring out against my will.

“No… who said I was crying…!”

Tears flowed down like chicken droppings.

I definitely had no intention of crying!

It’s because this guy kept asking if I was crying!

The frustration and injustice I had barely suppressed poured out like a bursting dam.

Calliton looked at me with surprised eyes, as if my crying wasn’t his fault.

“I’m not crying. I said I’m not crying…!”

As I sobbed, warm arms pulled me into an embrace.

And I felt a hand patting my back.

“Alright. I got it. I understand, so either cry or talk, just pick one.”

The gentle warmth made the emotions I had kept bottled up burst out.

“Huuung… Jerome Winston is a bad guy…!”

“Ah, so the Duke rejected you.”

“Waaaah!”

That’s too much.

There’s no need to deliver the finishing blow!

At his words that drove the nail in, I buried my face and burst into tears for a long while.

How long did I cry?

After crying until I was drained of strength, my sobs eventually stopped. The hand that had been patting me also slowed down.

Before I knew it, the cold wind cooled the heat around my eyes. Even so, Calliton’s embrace remained warm.

‘…Come to think of it, when did I start being held like this?’

Now that my mind was calm, I was starting to feel embarrassed.

As I awkwardly fidgeted, Calliton spoke first.

“Are you done crying?”

“….”

Too embarrassed to answer, I just nodded silently.

As I wondered how I could naturally get out of Calliton’s embrace, he spoke again.

“Let me see.”

“…I don’t want to.”

First of all, my face must be a mess from crying.

And I find this situation very awkward.

How did I end up being held?

I even showed him my ugly crying.

Just imagining making eye contact with Calliton was embarrassing enough to drive me crazy.

“Hmm.”

Then, Calliton gently lifted my chin.

Our eyes met.

The red eyes I faced held a subtle warmth rather than arrogance.

Then, the system window chimed.

[Calliton Grailhart’s favorability has increased by 10.]

[Calliton Grailhart’s favorability: 50]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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