The Romance Fantasy Novel MC is Only Into Me

“Hmm. He’s asleep.”

Merigold brought the lantern’s light closer to Lancel and carefully observed him.
What on earth was he trying to do? Lancel lay still pretending to be asleep, not moving a muscle, only sensing her movements.
‘Stealing? That can’t be.’

If he had the guts to do something like that, it might have been a relief.
No sooner had he thought that than Merigold opened Lancel’s wardrobe. Judging by her actions, she was unmistakably a petty thief.
‘……?’

Just as a slight confusion entered Lancel’s mind, the bustling sound of rustling soon followed.
“Ah, snap!”
The sudden voice was accompanied by a glance checking around nervously. Lancel opened his thin eyes slightly and looked at Merigold.

What he saw was unexpected.
‘Sewing?’
She was repairing clothes.

Earlier that day, holding the coat torn by a drunken man’s knife, Merigold was diligently mending the torn area with a sewing kit she had somehow obtained.
She leaned on the lantern, which she carefully covered to prevent any light from escaping.
===========
— Empire Year 816, June 22. Dawn.
— Merigold mends the clothes of a young noble to not bring shame upon her mother in heaven.

※ Elegance, Morality, Faith, Condition UP!!
“Ouch. Ugh.”
Objectively, Merigold’s hand movements were still quite clumsy. Even repairing just one torn spot required several times of seeing blood.

But she never gave up.
As if it was a mission given to her, she busily moved her small hands and finally finished sewing the torn area.
“Phew.”
Lancel quietly watched Merigold sneak away with a satisfied look on her face.

When he checked the sewing, it was a bit crooked.
The threads showed on the outside clearly, so anyone could tell the coat had been patched.
‘Merigold.’

Lancel chuckled softly.
The next day, when he wore the same coat, the maid opened her eyes wide.
“My lord, your clothes…”

She immediately noticed the roughly sewn patch.
Merigold, wearing an apron nearby, blinked and pretended not to hear.
“I’ll fix it for you, my lord.”

“It’s fine. It looks casual, so it’s actually nice.”
“But still……”
“Enough. I like it. I’m hungry, so prepare some food for me.”

“I’ll get it ready right away.”
Merigold hurried after the maid toward the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) communal kitchen.
Lancel checked the sewing patch again on his coat. Now that it was daytime, the crooked marks were even more noticeable.

“A mess.”
 
“Merie. Where did you go? I was worried.”
“Huh? Some others asked me to help with laundry, so I went….”

“What are you doing? Don’t you know those people have nothing to do with our lord? They obviously looked down on you and dumped their chores on you. Come back quickly.”
During the four months toward the empire, Lancel’s maid faithfully kept the phrase ‘make full use of her.’
Wherever Merigold went, she was made to do all the chores: cleaning, laundry, cooking.

“No rest, Merie. Get up quickly. From today, you’ll make the soup. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Merie! Cleaning!”

“Yes……yes!”
“Merie, what is this with the dishes? They’re a mess.”
“I’m sorry!”

===========
— Empire Year 816, June 30. Evening.
— Maid, is work always this busy? (Stamina up! Condition down!)
Although Merigold was difficult to find, there was no intention of pampering her.
Being the protagonist, wasn’t it necessary to observe how she lived?

Lancel decided to keep a distance this time and watch how Merigold’s life went.
“Everyone, disembark. We’ve arrived at the empire. Thank you for your hard work on the long journey.”
Four months passed in an instant, and when they arrived at the empire, the maid said tearful goodbyes to Merigold, to whom she had grown fond.

Lancel only looked at her coldly. He had no intention to help anymore.
“Is an attic room enough for a child to live alone?”
“What are you talking about?”

Baron Ibil Shen looked at Lancel during dinner as if he was talking nonsense.
“Let’s suppose you are a 15-year-old girl.”
“Not bad. I always wondered how convenient it would be if these boobs were attached to me.”

“That’s not what I meant in such a crude way.”
“Is there any other use for them?”
The faces of the servants serving the meal twitched.

“I mean, imagine suddenly living as a young commoner girl. By the way, she has about six silver coins and seven copper coins right now.”
“That’s quite a specific assumption.”
“What would you do, Baron Ibil?”

“I’d try to hit it big with gambling. If that fails, I’d go to a brothel. I’d aim for a high-class courtesan and live off the fools’ money.”
“Is that all you think about?”
The servants’ gazes seemed to empathize.

Baron Ibil Shen scratched his mustache awkwardly and began to think deeply.
“If you want to live properly, you’d have to find a sugar daddy, right? Even though six silver coins might be enough for travel expenses, it’s not nearly enough to settle down.”
Sugar daddy.

That made sense.
Come to think of it, the ‘Fallen Noblewoman Simulation’ was basically a dating sim game where you try to seduce a marriage partner.
The genre was romance fantasy, after all. The ultimate goal seemed to be marriage to princes.

“How likely do you think it is to seduce the prince as a sugar daddy?”
“Hahaha!”
Baron Ibil Shen laughed so hard he almost fell. The maid quickly wiped the spit that flew toward Lancel’s face with a handkerchief.

“That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard lately, Lancel. Seduce the prince? A commoner? Maybe if you were reborn a million times.”
A million times meant ten million years. A hundred years was already a pain; ten million years was beyond comprehension.
‘My sanity would collapse before then.’

Baron Ibil Shen continued while picking meat stuck in his teeth.
“Look at the women flocking around the prince. All are well-dressed and beautiful daughters. Would a rat like you, who nobody knows where they came from, catch his eye? Would you marry someone like that?”
No answer was worth giving.

Obviously, he wouldn’t.
Of course, there were cases of nobles marrying commoners, though rare. They bore social finger-pointing for ‘tainting’ noble blood. Human feelings sometimes break taboos.
But marriage between royalty and commoners was impossible. Simply did not happen. It was unprecedented.

‘But this game is that kind of game?’
The main ending of the game was marriage to a prince.
Oddly enough, this game was exactly that.

But.
Although so.
‘Will it work?’

 
———
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
Creating the schedule for the 2nd week of November.
Mon – Part-time serving at a tavern.

Tue – Part-time serving at a tavern.
Wed – Part-time serving at a tavern.
Thu – Looking for work.

Fri – Looking for work.
Sat – Rest (street).
Sun – Rest (street).

※ Pickpocketed by a vagabond. All money for the inn stay is gone. From now on, I have to live on the street. (Emotion, Stamina down!)
———
The next day, Lancel nearly spat out his tea when the screen appeared before his eyes.
“Get me a decent attic around here and deliver it quietly. Don’t forget to make sure no one knows I gave it.”

“Yes, my lord.”
The maid brightened as if she’d been waiting for those words.
Having grown attached to Merigold over four months, she quickly left the mansion to deliver the news.

Most news about Merigold afterward came through her.
“There’s a nice house on the outskirts of the empire that I bought. It’s an attic, but she seemed to like it.”
“Alright. Got it.”

Or,
“There’s no money going to lodging fees, so her savings seem to be increasing. She wants to go on a picnic, but I don’t know what to do….”
“Why not just go? Even if you’re gone for a day or two, there are plenty of people to attend to me.”

“Thank you, my lord!”
And so on.
“They say some ruffians tried something weird at the tavern again. I’m worried, my lord.”

“Is that so? That’s her problem to deal with. What does it have to do with me?”
“She’s young, so I’m worried about her working at a tavern….”
“If you want to survive in the empire, you have to endure that kind of thing. You’ll face worse things ahead.”

After saying that, Lancel was silent for a long time.
Ruffians. Lancel suddenly recalled a phrase that had appeared before his eyes two days ago.
===========
— Empire Year 818, December 21. Dawn.
— Merigold had a tiring day today. Still, she decided not to hate people. She already knew there are as many good people as bad. She shakes off sadness and anger overnight and watches the dawn sun rise. Her motivation is full.

※ Elegance, Morality, Faith UP!!
Many had quarrels or made advances at the tavern. Surely, serving at a tavern was no fit work for a child.
In the game, working continuously at a tavern sometimes leads to a ‘bad end’ route.

“I’ll tell Baron Ibil to see if there’s a job at the stable. Tell her to quit the tavern.”
The maid’s face brightened.
“…Yes!”

Actually, most of the information was already received through the game system.
Having the maid was a safeguard to keep Lancel’s connection with Merigold unbroken.
Perhaps it was helpful. Merigold gradually settled in the empire with a little attention from Lancel.

Later, she even built a small house with some money she earned somewhere. It was the fourth year since arriving in the empire.
She didn’t dream of marrying a prince like in the game, but her life was quite decent.
Working, earning money, decorating the house, eating delicious food, meeting people. Merigold’s life had stability.

And ten years passed.
.
.
.
[Playtime 10 years 0 days]

— Merigold turned 25 years old.
— Has a marriage partner.
— No achievements.

[Marriage Ending 23. Marriage with young noble ‘Lancel Dante’]
— Ending recorded in the ‘Memory Album.’
— Viewing the album.

.
.
.
Merigold already knew the identity of the person who had supported her these past ten years.
One day, she noticed his back on the street. She ran up, grabbed his arm, and asked:

‘Why do you treat me so well? Was I worthy of it? Why didn’t you show up in front of me? What kind of person am I to you?’
‘You’re nothing to me. I just find it interesting. That’s why I helped. Don’t worry about it.’
‘It’s okay. You’re all I have. Please live with me.’

They got married.
Merigold felt happiness for the first few years, but it didn’t last long. She spent days in sadness and self-blame.
[Marriage with young noble ‘Lancel Dante’ – fin]

— Would you like to restart the game?
.
.
.
“What is this?”

Lancel Dante doubted his eyes as he faced the result of the past ten years.
He expected a poor ending, but he never imagined it would be like this. Forcibly marrying off someone he had been watching over—it was such a ridiculous ending.
He bitterly pursed his lips.

This could not end like this.
So he made a decision.
“This won’t do. You just have to marry a prince.”

To end this damn cycle, he decided he would give her ‘true happiness.’
[Because it’s more fun. - End]