“But wait…” I leaned closer to the mirror, gently tracing the line of my jaw.
“How am I even this pretty with just 55 face points and 50 figure points?”
[My standards are higher than yours, obviously]
I scoffed, tilting my chin up.
“So, you’re basically saying, I can get even prettier?”
[Yes, Host’s objective is to become a national treasure, after all.]
I crossed my arms over my chest, watching the mirror change back to the system interface.
“I suppose so.”
[Alert: Damien Blackwood has entered the hospital building!]
I sat up straighter, the hospital blanket sliding down my body.
“He’s here?!
How close is he?”
[He’ll be here in approximately 2 minutes, Goodluck Host!]
I took in a deep breath, fiddling with my hair while waiting patiently for him and exactly 2 minutes later the door was pushed opened and a wheelchair was rolled in.
My gaze locked onto the man in the chair, and my heart skipped a beat.
Holy shit.
W-was that…Damien Blackwood?
Was he really my future husband?!
Honestly, I hadn’t even expected much, Every so called young master from rich families I had seen before, we’re not more than spoiled, medium-ugly playboys, flaunting their branded clothes in mismatched colours like clowns.
But this man…this man was something else.
He wore a simple black shirt, the kind that should have looked plain, but on him it looked effortlessly attractive.
The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing his lean but toned arms that hinted he wasn’t as fragile as people might think.
His hair was a shade of dark brown, slightly messy as if he didn’t care to style it.
His storm-grey eyes looked at me with a quiet intensity, almost as if he could see right through me.
Even sitting in a wheelchair, his presence was impossible to ignore.
He didn’t look pitiful or weak the way Audrey had made him sound.
If anything, the chair looked more like an accessory than a limitation.
He gripped the handrims, rolling forward until he came to a stop right beside my bed “How are you feeling?”
“F-fine,” I stammered, my fingers twisting into the fabric of the hospital blanket.
“I’m great.
How are you doing?”
Damien’s left eyebrow twitched upward, a flicker of genuine shock cracking his stoic expression before his face hardened back into a cool, unreadable mask.
“I am fine.
I have already informed my father about your intention to annul our engagement, so—”
“Huh?!” The word burst out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Annul what engagement?”
System, system, what the fuck is he talking about?!
[The previous Eliana grew to resent Damien due to the constant mockery and increased bullying she endured from her family for being engaged to a disabled man.
She requested to break the engagement before her accident.]
Are you fucking kidding me?!
”Eliana?” Damien’s grey eyes narrowed slightly, studying my face.
I snapped my head back to him, forcing a sudden, nervous laugh.
“Huh?
Oh!
That—that was just a joke!
Why would we ever annul our engagement?”
Damien stared at me, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
He leaned forward slightly, reaching out a hand to press his palm against my forehead.
“You definitely don’t have a fever.
So what are you playing at?
You were the one who demanded the split, remember?
You said you refused to spend the rest of your life tied to a cripple.”
Who gives a damn about a pair of legs with a face card like that?
I softened my features, forcing a small, helpless pout while looking up at him through my lashes.
“I was just joking, okay?
Completely joking.
Forget I ever mentioned it.”
I leaned forward slightly, resting my chin on my hands.
“As a matter of fact…
why don’t we just get married today?”
Damien froze, his palm dropping from my forehead as he stared at me blankly, looking at me as if I had just spoken in tongues.
I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, forcing tears to pool at the lashes before letting them slide down my cheeks.
A soft, trembling sniffle escaped my lips.
“You don’t understand…” I murmured, keeping my voice barely above a whisper as I looked up at him with wide, watery eyes.
“My family hates me.
This truck accident…
it wasn’t an accident.
They want me gone.
If I go back to that house, I won’t survive.”
I reached out, my fingers lightly brushing the armrest of his wheelchair.
“Please, Damien.
Marry me and let me live with you.
Please.”
Damien’s gaze drifted down to my hand on his wheelchair armrest, then back up to the wet streaks on my cheeks.
His expression didn’t soften, but he let out a short exhale through his nose.
“…Fine”
I pushed myself up against the pillows, my chest tightening.
“Really?
You’re actually agreeing?”
He snapped his gaze toward the wall, refusing to meet my eyes.
“This doesn’t mean I believe a word you just said.
I’m just doing you a favor, nothing more.”
My shoulders dropped, the air rushing out of my lungs all at once.
“Thank you.”
”Get dressed,” he said, gripping the handrims to swivel the chair toward the exit.
“My driver will be here in ten minutes.”
Damien exited the room and I slumped onto the pillows with a sigh.
“Well that was a lot easier than I expected, the side quest is completed right?”
[Congratulations on completing your very first mission, Host!
Your acting skills are even better than I expected!]
[Ding!
Rewards distributed: 50 Experience Points, 15 System Points, $500 Cash, Newbie Package.]
[Would you like to open the Newbie Package?]
”Yes.
Open it.”
[Opening Newbie Package…]
[Ding!
You have received: 1x Basic Health Restoration Pill (Grade A), 10 Charm Points, and a free coupon to choose 1 thing from the system’s market.]
[Charm Points updated: 38/100]
I leaned toward the screen, narrowing my eyes at the text.
“System market?
What’s that?”
[Host can use system points to purchase available items in the system market.
With your free coupon, you may select one item at no cost.]
“Oh okay,” I nodded.
“Open the market.”
[Loading system market…]