Reina's Loving Penalty
The next day after chapter 50. I opened my eyes in bed to find someone gazing down at me. Strands of black hair cascading downward, jade-green eyes.
“......Huh.”
“......You were about to say, ‘How did you get in here?’ right? I know all about it. Kalen let me in.”
Hm. Well, if she put it that way, I had nothing to say.
“Could you move aside a bit? I’d like to get up.”
Reina smiled and replied, “No thanks.”
“......”
I thought she was joking at first, but no—her expression was deadly serious. She stared at me intently.
The reason... well, I had a pretty good guess.
“Let me apologize first.”
“You know what you did wrong, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry for not telling you anything.”
“......”
Reina let out a deep sigh at my words and finally stepped back. Only then could I sit up.
“Good. You seem to have a rough idea, so explain yourself. Convince me.”
“......And if I can’t?”
“Then I’ll stay right here. No food, no water—just sit still until Adrian spills everything.”
She crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and turned her head away, looking every bit like she meant it. I shook my head.
“Reina, as I’ve said time and again......”
“Adrian.” Her finger poked my forehead.
“You tried to shoulder it all alone again. You nearly got us into real trouble this time. Ah, but if I say that, you’ll just go, ‘It was for you—for all of you.’ What does ‘for you all’ even mean? Do you think that’s what we wanted?”
Tears welled up in her angry eyes.
“For my family and me? Ever since I chose you, things have been broken between me and my house. My trusted butler says I’m already out of the line of succession—my little brother’s preparing to take over the family.”
I had no response to that.
In nearly every route, she inherits and becomes Countess Wolfgang. The only path where Reina von Wolfgang doesn’t claim that title is her death route.
“Do I regret it? No, not one bit.”
She said it firmly.
“I was prepared for all of it. My family? Not my problem anymore. I have my own power—and with Adrian by my side, that’s more than enough.”
“......”
“But when Adrian keeps pushing himself like this, hiding everything from me, brushing it off with ‘it’s for you’... it hurts.”
She rested her hands on her knees, tilting her head with a faintly sad expression.
“Adrian, we’re in this together, aren’t we? Holding hands, sometimes pulling each other along, sometimes holding back—walking through the thorns, sharing the pain.”
For some reason, her words left me speechless.
“......”
“So tell me everything. What you’re hiding. What you’re planning. All of it. Then accept your punishment sweetly.”
“......Punishment?”
“For making me worry. When I heard you’d been kidnapped out of nowhere, I... No, that’s not enough. You’re getting punished properly today. But first—the story. Come on, spill it all.”
Was this really okay? I hesitated.
But those pure eyes, that unwavering trust... I couldn’t ignore them.
“......Alright.”
And so, I laid it all bare—everything I’d been holding back.
“Hehehe.”
“......Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, nothing... It’s just exactly what I’d guessed. I’m thrilled you were thinking the same thing. Thanks for telling me, Adrian.”
She stretched her arms with a yawn.
“Now then—time for your punishment. Brace yourself.”
Punishment, huh. To be honest, I’d imagined something terrifying.
“This is the punishment you’re giving me?”
“Something like that.”
I’d figured it might be push-ups or handstands or something, but no.
“Reina, this isn’t punishment.”
“Oh? But it is.”
We each carried a book toward the self-study hall. No classes today, so in a way, it was punishment...
“This was our promise from before, wasn’t it?”
“Adrian, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
She pushed up the glasses perched on her nose—who knew where she’d gotten them?
“This is far from over.”
With that, she hummed cheerfully and strode ahead.
Truly.
After about two hours of studying in the self-study hall, Reina dragged me back outside. What followed was nothing special: wandering the shopping district together, grabbing a meal...
Things we did almost every day without lectures.
Except for one thing. Shopping.
“Oh, new clothes?”
“This would suit you better than that.”
“Is this Adrian’s taste?”
“No—the one you picked is way too revealing. Even with summer coming, isn’t it a bit much?”
That was one reason, but honestly, it was the exact outfit I’d always bought for the skinship system once unlocked.
“Fine, let’s get this one then. Ah, it’s already May? Time for summer clothes—and with vacation nearing, we should look at swimsuits too.”
“Final exams are still ahead.”
“Ugh, but...”
“Ask your friends like Kelly or Relbrian for that.”
“Hmm, so you’re saying we’ll check them out at the beach?”
What?
Why was my trip to the sea suddenly a done deal?
“I never said I’d go. When did this even get decided?”
“Why so shy? Just say yes. It’s a Wolfgang private beach—no crowds.”
“......”
“Why are you standing there? Come on. Punishment’s not over yet.”
After that, more shopping. And more shopping.
An endless hell of shopping.
Ah, so this was the punishment.
I got it completely.
Reina carried half a dozen shopping bags in each hand; I had three in mine as we walked the street.
“Reina, do people normally buy this many clothes?”
“Season’s changing. My old ones don’t fit anymore. And I got some for you to wear too.”
“Half of it was basically forced on me.”
“Hmm, that’s part of the punishment—accept it sweetly.”
Was that punishment too?
How grave a crime had I committed, exactly?
Reina strolled along, humming as if the bags weighed nothing.
“What a happy time.”
“......Is it?”
Sorry, but I felt like I was about to collapse from exhaustion.
“Adrian, shall we take a quick break?”
“Please.”
She found a nearby bench and sat; I joined her.
Late afternoon. Sunset.
The sky burned red, twilight swallowing the heavens.
After a brief silence, she spoke first.
“Adrian.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want you pushing yourself alone. Your path is rough, sure—but only if you walk it solo.”
She gazed up at the crimson sky.
“That’s why I’m ready. Whatever road you take, I’ll walk it right beside you. I don’t regret choosing you. So if you’re worried about opening up to me today... let it all go.”
“......You knew.”
“A fiancée who doesn’t know her fiancé’s state isn’t much of one, is she?”
She turned to me with a beaming smile.
This smile—this natural warmth—was something I’d never seen in the hundreds of playthroughs of the original Reina von Wolfgang route.
“If I may be bold: Kalen Snowwhite, Millije, even Ebnis and junior Erhan—they’d all jump to help if you asked.”
She wagged her finger.
“You’re not alone. So stop trying to walk it all by yourself.”
......Yeah. She was right.
If they’d chosen to follow me, it was my duty to pull out every stop to keep them as true allies.
That was only proper.
If Reina was willing to burn bridges with her family to walk with me... then I had to make sure she’d never regret coming to my side.
“Reina von Wolfgang.”
“Huh? Calling me so formally all of a sudden?”
“Sorry it’s only this for now. But later, I’ll give you something better.”
“Huh? Adrian, what do you mean?”
In lieu of an answer, I pulled out the precious item I’d kept close.
“This... a ticket...?”
“Something like that.”
A reward from Act 2.
I tore the ticket lightly.
> Used Low-Tier Equipment Draw Ticket!
> Drawing Low-Tier Equipment!
> Calculating...
>> Congratulations!
Fireworks erupted—visible only to me—and the torn ticket glowed, transforming into a pair of bracelets.
“T-Ticket turned into b-bracelets? A ticket engraved with summoning magic?”
“Something like that.”
One half deep blue, the other sky-hued. Cloud motifs engraved on them.
“I’ve never seen anything like it... wow...”
★★
A bracelet containing the sea and clouds.
Slightly boosts the wearer's mana recovery.
A bound item that remembers the wearer's mana wavelength.
*Special Effect: Mana Transfer
Once every three days, transfer a maximum of '2' mana points to a 'trusted' partner. Duration: 1 hour.
“So... it lets trusted partners transfer mana to each other?”
“Exactly.”
“Haha... incredible. Transferring mana like that...”
We slipped them on—mine on my left wrist, hers on her right. A faint mana resonance linked the pair.
“Ah... Thank you, Adrian.”
“Think nothing of it. Sun’s down—let’s head back. Proper classes start tomorrow, right?”
“Sure.”
On the way home.
“Oh, Adrian—about that announcement yesterday...”
“Hm? I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
The man and woman walked side by side, sometimes laughing, sometimes speaking earnestly.