Chapter 3: The Affection Meter

The breakfast hall was bathed in golden morning light that streamed through towering windows. Long tables draped in white linen groaned under the weight of silver platters filled with fruits, pastries, and roasted meats. Nobles chatted in clusters, their laughter light

Liliana entered like a storm cloud in burgundy silk.

Heads turned. Whispers rippled through the room. She caught fragments—"bold color," "unusual choice," "does she think she's mourning something?"

She ignored them all. Her eyes were locked on the head table where Cedric sat, Seraphina nestled beside him like a kitten claiming the warmest spot. Klaus stood nearby, nursing a cup of black coffee, his silver hair and colder eyes surveying the room with detached boredom.

As Liliana approached, the blue system screen flickered to life unbidden.

[MULTIPLE TARGETS DETECTED.]

[DISPLAYING AFFECTION METERS...]

Suddenly, floating numbers appeared above each man's head, visible only to her.

Above Cedric: -85. The number glowed an angry red.

Above Klaus: -50. A sullen orange.

She scanned the room, looking for the others. Elio the Archmage wasn't present—he rarely attended social functions. Ren was nowhere to be seen, likely lurking in some shadow. The mysterious fifth target with the horns remained a question mark.

And then she saw her.

Seraphina.

The system did something strange when Liliana's gaze fell on the honey-blonde girl. The screen flickered, static crawling across its surface like interference.

[WARNING. TARGET: SERAPHINA DETECTED.]

[DATA CORRUPTED. AFFECTION METER UNAVAILABLE.]

[CLASSIFICATION: ???]

Liliana's step faltered. What does that mean?

"Lady Liliana!"

Seraphina's voice cut through her thoughts like a sweet, poisoned honey. The girl rose from her seat, beaming, and hurried toward Liliana with open arms. Behind her, Cedric watched with that same cold expression, but Liliana noticed something—a flicker of curiosity? Concern?

She didn't have time to analyze. Seraphina was already there, grabbing her hands, squeezing tight.

"I was so worried when you were late!" Seraphina exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with innocence. "I thought perhaps you were unwell. You look... pale. Is everything alright?"

The touch burned.

In her mind, Liliana saw Seraphina smiling against Cedric's chest as the blade fell. She saw her weeping false tears at the "tragedy of the traitor's death." She saw her stepping into Liliana's shoes, wearing her colors, taking her life.

Every instinct screamed to pull away. To slap her again, like the system had suggested yesterday.

But Liliana was not the same woman.

She smiled. A perfect, practiced smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"How kind of you to worry, Seraphina," she said smoothly, gently extracting her hands. "I'm perfectly well. Just a restless night."

"Dreams?" Seraphina tilted her head, something sharp flickering behind her innocent facade. "I do hope they weren't unpleasant. I've heard restless sleep can be a sign of a guilty conscience."

The room quieted slightly. Nobles nearby pretended not to listen, but their ears strained.

Liliana's smile didn't waver. "Then I suppose you must sleep like the dead, Seraphina. After all, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Do you?"

The question hung in the air.

Seraphina's eye twitched. Just slightly. Almost imperceptibly. But Liliana saw it.

Got you.

"Shall we sit?" Liliana continued, gesturing toward the table. "I'm starving. And I'd hate to keep the Prince waiting."

She swept past Seraphina toward the head table, making sure to take a seat directly across from Cedric. The proximity made her skin crawl, but she needed to see him. Needed to understand.

Cedric's gaze met hers.

[AFFECTION METER UPDATE: CEDRIC]

[CURRENT: -80]

[+5 INCREASE DETECTED]

Liliana blinked. What?

She replayed the last minute. The confrontation with Seraphina. The subtle verbal sparring. Cedric had seen it. And something in his cold heart had shifted, just slightly.

He still despised her. But he was watching. Noticing.

Interesting.

"My lady," Cedric said, his voice formal and distant. "You seem different today."

"Different how, Your Highness?"

He studied her for a long moment, his dark eyes searching her face. In her past life, she would have melted under that gaze. Would have blushed and stammered. Would have read affection into simple observation.

Now she saw it for what it was: suspicion. Curiosity. The detached interest of a man studying a puzzle.

"Louder," he said finally. "You seem... louder. In the silence."

It didn't make sense. But somehow, Liliana understood. The old her had been quiet. Compliant. Eager to please. The new her sat straighter. Met eyes directly. Didn't flinch.

"You mistake confidence for volume, Your Highness," she replied, reaching for a pastry. "Perhaps I simply have more to say today."

Seraphina returned, sliding into the seat beside Cedric and latching onto his arm. "Cedric, darling, you promised to show me the royal gardens after breakfast. Remember?"

Cedric's expression softened slightly as he looked at her. "Of course."

Liliana watched the affection meter above his head. When he looked at Seraphina, it didn't change. Still -80 for Liliana. But there was no meter for Seraphina. Nothing. Blank.

The system couldn't read her.

What kind of person was invisible to a magical interface?

Breakfast continued. Liliana ate mechanically, observing everything. Klaus watched her from across the room, his silver eyes thoughtful. [Klaus: -48] —another tiny increase. Seraphina chattered endlessly about flowers and dresses and wedding plans. Cedric listened, nodded, offered empty affirmations.

And in the corner of Liliana's vision, the timer ticked down.

1094 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes.

At one point, a servant refilled her glass. As he leaned close, a small slip of paper slid onto her lap beneath the table.

She waited until no one was watching, then unfolded it.

The shadows remember. Meet me at midnight. —R

Ren.

Her heart hammered. The assassin who killed her wanted a meeting. Why? To finish the job early? To warn her? To explain?

She folded the note and tucked it into her sleeve, her face betraying nothing.

The breakfast ended. Seraphina dragged Cedric away toward the gardens. Klaus departed with a final, lingering glance at Liliana. The hall emptied.

And Liliana sat alone, the note burning against her skin, the system hovering silently in the corner of her vision.

[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE.]

[QUEST: MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS. MEET THE ASSASSIN.]