Chapter 82

Chapter 82
To be frank, I could not bring myself to open that system notification right away. Only two individuals had ever been recognized as the Game Developer so far: a certain man representing Cthulhu Games, and my mother, who represented the Salvation Project. If this transmigrated possession had originated from the representative of Cthulhu Games, the sender was likely him. However, because the game he created had initially launched as a simple otome title, the person dropping a message through the system could just as easily have been my mother.

One might wonder why I would hesitate to check a message from my own mother, but I had spent all this time carrying deep resentment toward her. What if opening it revealed some excuse—some unavoidable circumstance that forced her to abandon me? If I heard it from her directly after logging out, I could at least confront her and give her a piece of my mind. I certainly did not want it delivered in a one-sided manner inside a place like this. This can wait until next time. Ultimately, I abandoned the idea of opening the message, hoping whatever lay inside held no real importance.

The next day, having left Luna with the commander and completely neglected to pick him up, I found myself scolded for my absence. I watched in silence as he fussed over me. If Luna Moon truly was my mother, and this little fellow was the genuine Haydam, that would make him my older brother.

I am not Haydam, I keep telling you!

Anyway, I set off for Daphne’s Mansion accompanied by Shin Eun-jo, carrying a few props. Shin Eun-jo glanced between the object in my hand and my face before asking, What is this?

The key to unlocking Daphne’s heart.

Her expression turned faintly bizarre. These are tarot cards. And ridiculously crude ones, at that.

Hey, do not call them crude. I stayed up all night crafting them.

Though I still had not read the Game Developer’s message from the previous night, I had spent hours pondering how to get Daphne to meet with me so I could finally uncover what was truly on her mind. The tarot cards were the product of that brainstorming.

And what exactly am I supposed to do with these tarot cards?

Just put your major to work.

Which is what, exactly?

Tarot reading.

What is a tarot reading?

A technique for discovering someone’s true feelings, I suppose you could call it. Well, something along those lines. Unlike the innocent Luna, Shin Eun-jo put up stubborn resistance.

Tarot reading, my ass. I am a shaman.

No, listen. I am already well aware that you are a shaman.

And?

Do you seriously think Daphne would accept you if you walked in claiming to be a shaman?

And you think she will just accept a tarot reading?

Tarot still fits the worldbuilding more or less.

Shin Eun-jo stared in speechless silence for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. I seriously have no idea how to perform a tarot reading.

It is fine. I am not asking you to actually read them. Just pretend you know enough.

Pretend I know enough?

When Daphne picks a card, put on a serious face and ask if she is having trouble with men.

At that, Shin Eun-jo nodded as though a lightbulb had finally gone off. In short, you want me to run a scam.

You really never think about anything besides scamming people, do you?

This scam was not even for my own personal gain, so I hoped they would cut me some slack. No, more importantly, are you still curious about what Daphne thinks regarding Meursault? I have told you repeatedly that Meursault is not a romanceable character.

All the way to Daphne’s Mansion, Shin Eun-jo muttered endlessly about how absurd it was to dig into Daphne’s feelings for Meursault through a tarot scam. I offered her only a single sentence in response.

When you meet Daphne, open her Character Info.

Shin Eun-jo stared at me as though I were speaking a foreign language. Being told to check an NPC’s Character Info, coupled with the persistent reminder to conceal that we were players, naturally sounded bizarre. Yet, in a short while, everything would click into place.

Try not to look too shocked.

With that final warning, I stepped into Daphne’s Mansion carrying Luna in my arms.

A woman I recognized instantly—possessing dazzling silver hair and a cloak of pure white fur draped over her shoulders—descended the stairs. I had already swapped out my title beforehand to neutralize the item effect, since that beauty’s charm had caught me off guard before, but Shin Eun-jo stood frozen and dazed.

I heard you have been going around with a cat lately, but it seems you brought other company as well?

Daphne looked surprised to see me with a guest. Having likely assumed I came to question her refusal to meet Meursault, the presence of a stranger clearly puzzled her. Even so, she offered Shin Eun-jo a gentle smile. You must be that child everyone has been talking about. Come along, I will serve you some warm tea.

As we followed Daphne’s lead, Shin Eun-jo whispered to me, Was that the thing I was not supposed to be surprised about? That she is excessively gorgeous?

As if. Character Info.

I mouthed the words silently, and fortunately, Shin Eun-jo caught on, shifting her gaze toward Daphne. An instant later, her expression twisted into a strange look, resembling someone who had accidentally witnessed something forbidden. She was likely reeling from the shock of discovering Daphne was a player as well. Meursault’s Wife made for a rather jarring username, admittedly. But once she registered the username and realized Daphne was a player, she would finally grasp why I insisted that the desire for a divorce stemmed from Daphne’s side.

We entered a salon decorated with various art pieces and sat across from one another at a small tea table. The moment I sat down, I put the question to Daphne.

Why did you refuse to meet Meursault?

I anticipated two possible reactions. If my inquiry flustered Daphne due to the presence of a complete stranger like Shin Eun-jo, that would not be entirely bad. In that scenario, remaining behind alone to speak with her would grant a strong chance of hearing an honest confession about her situation. But instead:

You are still so young, Haydam. You do not understand yet. The only men permitted inside my mansion are Hayden and Haydam.

When she responded like that—acting entirely oblivious—it spelled trouble. I vividly remembered her telling me she intended to gather the courage to confess to Meursault. If she spoke this way now, something had clearly changed her mind, and she was likely attempting to pretend her previous statements never happened. This exact possibility was why I had prepared the tarot reading.

In a situation of this sort, my departure was necessary. Had I stayed, Daphne would have kept offering that same mechanical smile.

When I stood up, Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise, wavering with faint unease. She was undeniably hiding something.

Actually, I came today to ask if you could look after this child for a while. My surroundings are crawling with rough men, leaving no one else to watch her.

Ah, so that is why you brought her!

Would you mind keeping her company for the day?

Of course not. A guest of Haydam’s is a guest of mine.

Realizing I had no intention of pressing further about Meursault, Daphne accepted my request with visible relief. Shin Eun-jo, who had been sitting quietly in deep thought, shot me a betrayed look—evidently unprepared to inherit the remainder of the task—before turning to Daphne with a shy smile.

Leaving me behind like this is so cruel.

A girl who runs a pseudo-cult in her own territory should easily handle managing one Daphne.

Still, I feel a little sorry for her.

Do not. You are staying too.

What?!

I had to ensure Shin Eun-jo did not say anything inappropriate to Daphne.

You—!

Luna was scooped out of my arms and unceremoniously transferred to Shin Eun-jo. In any case, a total stranger like Shin Eun-jo would find it easier to prompt openness from Daphne than I could as Hayden’s son and Meursault’s closest ally. Above all, Daphne viewed Luna as an ordinary child, which meant she kept her guard up around me. She had no inkling that the person left sitting before her was an even more relentless veteran player than I was.

Shin Eun-jo did not return to the commander’s quarters until nearly evening. Upon finding me lounging lazily on my bed, her fists shook with suppressed rage.

How did it go? Did you manage a good conversation?

Haydam is an idiot!

Luna, returning nestled comfortably in Shin Eun-jo’s arms, shouted that grievance before vanishing into the ring. Handing the cat off to someone else twice in a row might have crossed a line. Unlike Luna, Shin Eun-jo appeared resigned to my abandonment, flopping down on the edge of the mattress.

I hate to admit it, but the tarot reading was a brilliant idea.

Really? What did you do?

Precisely what you instructed. She spilled every single detail before even drawing a handful of cards.

Splendid. The tarot scheme had succeeded. Honestly, even if I had substituted tarot with some other vague counseling gimmick, Daphne would likely have caved. She possessed the temperament of someone whose bottled-up emotions were primed to burst the moment someone recognized her true status as a player.

So, why did she change her mind?

She was terrified.

Terrified?

I sat up straight. Of what? Of confessing to Meursault?

No. Terrified of divorcing Commander Hayden.

I blinked, failing to comprehend why a divorce from Commander Hayden would spark fear. Shin Eun-jo sighed and continued. From what I gathered, you recently took out two pro-Daphne officers, Max and Anton.

I did not do that. They brought it upon themselves.

If those two still wielded their full influence, Daphne likely would not fear a divorce. But since you purged the pro-Daphne faction, even I would hesitate to divorce Commander Hayden.

Ah. That explained where the complication arose. In short, everything Daphne had stated previously regarding her desire to divorce the commander was entirely genuine. Yet that truth only held while her power matched his. Now, the power balance had tilted decisively in the commander’s favor. I had calculated that divorcing Daphne under these conditions would cost the commander very little, but for Daphne, the fallout would prove devastating.

I had failed to anticipate that angle. Her shifting attitude finally made complete sense.

I cleared out her inner circle and then urged her to divorce my father and marry Meursault. From Daphne’s vantage point, my motives naturally looked deeply suspicious.

So what is your next move?

If fear is what prevents her from divorcing, we simply eliminate any reason for her to be afraid.

Knowing you, you are hardly about to reinstate Anton…

Naturally not. The person tasked with resolving this dilemma was someone else entirely.

What did you just say, Young Master Haydam?

Meursault repeated the question, wearing the expression of a man who doubted his own hearing. For Lady Daphne to secure a divorce, she needs me to do what, exactly?

I smiled and reiterated my previous statement word for word. Meursault stared back at me in speechlessness for a long beat. Do you genuinely believe such a feat is possible? No—this is pure madness from the start!

Did you not know, Meursault? Marriage has always been a mad act.