Chapter 384:

Daphne

Well. This is interesting.

I didn’t have to do anything.

System. I’m requesting her profile summary.

A holographic screen flickers before my eyes, visible only to me.

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==

Nancy EastWillard

Race: Human (Distant bloodline: Seer)

Affection Level: 40%

Personality: Reserved, Adventurous, Ambitious, Weak to compliments

Current Status: Afraid, Determined, Admiration

Risk Level: 20%

==

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Oh, this is interesting.

I didn’t know you’d improved this much, 404. Why didn’t you tell me about the profiles?

[You didn’t ask.]

I glance at Nancy. She’s still standing there, waiting for my response, her eyes wide, her hands clenched at her sides.

I look at the System. The world turns black and white.

Well. They weren’t useful before, were they? I last saw profiles in the academy beast world, and they weren’t useful.

[The System has since upgraded.]

What’s this "Current Status"?

[Emotional status.]

Oh? I raise an eyebrow. That is useful.

Could have used this feature with Elliot.

[Host.]

Okay, okay. I’m sorry.

I study the screen again.

The Risk Level is the risk the harem member poses to the world, correct?

[Yes.]

How disappointing. I look at Nancy’s trembling form. I could leave her in the harem, and nothing would happen.

But I look at her and I still think she’s too good for him.

What about the others?

I almost regret asking when I see the profiles.

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==

Penelope Ashworth (Caspian’s fiancée at home)

Race: Human

Affection Level: 60%

Personality: Narcissistic, Bloodline Purist, Cold-hearted, Ruthless, Cunning

Current Status: Annoyed, Bored

Risk Level: 85%

==

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==

Larissa of the Silver Depths

Race: Merfolk

Affection Level: 80%

Personality: Naive, Adventurous, Childlike, Reckless, Spoiled

Current Status: Happy

Risk Level: 90%

==

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==

Marina O’Malley

Race: Human

Affection Level: 50%

Personality: Bold, Open-minded, Greedy, Ruthless, Selfish

Current Status: Worried

Risk Level: 20%

==

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Well. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It’s not surprising the prince’s fiancée has those traits. Looking at her personality, it’s only natural she killed the mermaid princess in the original timeline.

And Larissa..this insane little fish how is she already this in love with him? Her affection level is eighty percent. They’ve barely spoken. She hasn’t even told him her name.

Looking at her personality traits, this is her father’s fault. How did he raise her like this? No wonder she got herself killed.

And Marina? Not surprising. She’s a pirate’s daughter. Greedy and selfish is practically a requirement.

Well, well, well.

At this rate, things are going exactly as planned. The little mermaid princess will be killed.

But I need her to be in love with him if I’m going to have access to the mermaid kingdom.

System. Can the mermaid princess be convinced otherwise?

[In the original, despite desperate attempts from her family, she could not be convinced otherwise.]

The System shows me images—flashes of scenes from the original timeline. Larissa arguing with her father, her voice rising, her tail thrashing the water. Her father pleading. Her mother weeping. Larissa’s face, stubborn and blind.

The last major argument, her father asked: "If he truly loved you, wouldn’t he make you his only wife?"

And Larissa said: "A man as great as him deserves to be shared."

How ridiculous.

And she tried to befriend the first wife. The one who would eventually kill her.

I tap my fingers on the armrest.

Does the prince have to go back to the kingdom? If he’s not there, Larissa won’t be there. She won’t be killed. No war. No destruction of the world.

[You cannot kill the main character, Host.]

I wasn’t talking about killing him.

The System tilts its little head.

I pat its head and don’t elaborate.

So why is she here? I look at Nancy, frozen in the black-and-white world. Asking to make a deal with me?

The parrot’s eyes glow. It looks at the frozen navigator.

[It appears that due to the faint seer bloodline she possesses, she was able to glimpse the future. The original plot.]

Oh?

[She was not happy with what she saw.]

I see.

I raise my hand. Color returns to the world.

"The greatest navigator, huh?" I ask.

"Yes." Nancy takes a deep breath. Her voice is steadier now. Firmer.

"I want to go down in history. I want my name to go down in history. I want to map the world."

I stare at her.

Is this the part where I say I want to be king of the pirates and invite her to join my crew?

[Host.]

What?

[Please focus.]

I am focused.

I lean back in my throne, studying Nancy’s face. Her determination. Her fear. Her want.

"Big dreams," I say. "And you’re sure I can help you with that?"

Her chin lifts. "If even you can’t help me, then my dreams are futile."

Wrong answer.

I stand.

Nancy’s eyes widen. She takes a step back, but I close the distance before she can retreat. My hand shoots out—not fast, not aggressive, just there. I grab her jaw. Grip it firmly. Make her face me.

"You should have said—" I hold her gaze. "—that you’d try anyway. That you’d do anything in your power. That you wouldn’t give up so easily." I release her. Step back.

"If you want to be the greatest navigator in the world, you can’t afford to doubt yourself."

Nancy’s hand rises to her jaw. She touches the place where my fingers pressed.

"I..." She breathes in. Exhales. "I will not give up on my dream."

Meh. I wave my hand. "We’ll have to work on your confidence."

"Does that mean..." Her eyes light up. "You agree?"

"Yeah."

"Do I need to—" She glances at my belt, where my pistol hangs. Then at the coins in her pocket. Then at her own hands, whole and unscarred.

"Don’t worry." I settle back into my throne. "There will be no blood spilt."

"Why?"

I study her. The question catches me off guard. Why am I helping her? I don’t need her. Don’t owe her. Don’t gain anything from this deal.

"Because I like you," I say. "You remind me of myself. Ages ago."

It’s not a lie.

She does remind me of me. The original me. The one who felt suffocated, trapped, erased. I vaguely remember feeling that way—being told to be a perfect wife for the family, to smile and nod and disappear into someone else’s shadow.

Of course, I kicked them in the ass instead.

Became a billionaire worth fifty times the family net worth. An absolute nuisance in their lives until the day I died.

Well. The past is the past.

"Thank you," Nancy says.

I wave her off.