The Nickname

When someone’s life turned a complete 360 degrees, that’s when everything became shaky just like this carriage. I completely understood why Miuerella’s been acting like she lost her mouth. 

For sure, there were lots of questions inside her head and answers would arrive soon. I’ve been in her shoes before, that’s why I was in this kind of predicament. 

I held her hand, and that’s when she glanced at me. 

“I don’t know what would be the right words to say to erase your pain, but I will make sure that everything will be alright, Ella.” 

A sweet smile lit the spirits of people riding in this carriage that forced me to give one as well. 

“Thank you, Beth, I didn’t know how would I repay you for all the help you’ve given me.”

Words left me. The muscles in my mouth hardened like a block of cement. At first, she meant gratitude for the “real me”. However, I forgot that was impossible so my useless ideas ended up in the trash.

I won’t buy this incident as a coincidence. Miss Heart deliberately chose a name that was closer to my name. Were the engineers I saw in the control room making any game improvements as of the moment? Hold on, I had to stop this, or else I won’t accomplish anything. 

“I’m sorry if the nickname doesn’t suit your taste, let me think of a better one.”

 You made your target get the wrong implication just because emotion took over you.

I tucked some strands of her hair in her ears because it blocked her eyes.

“It was my first time someone called me by that nickname, I loved it.”  

Lines formed in her eyebrows. So I had to be an entertaining narrator for the next few hours while she leaned on my shoulders. 20 million pesos. 20 millones de pesos.

This reminded me of Linus Torvalds's speech about why Linux was a good OS--- it’s a positive feedback cycle that when I put in something, it wouldn’t go to waste, and the reason was my effort would multiply itself.

The energy-draining process of socializing would bear ripe, juicy, sweet-tasting fruits. 

I turned to Nora when the carriage stopped. Seconds later, Frederick’s envoy opened the door of the carriage and said, “Lady Bethany, we’re here,”

“Where in Molgoss, right? And was that the rumored NASDAQ hotel?” 

I pointed at the Victorian-style building nearby. 

The envoy lost its voice; I had to reconfirm.

“Yes, it is, My Lady.” 

 There’s no way I would never forget work-related facts.

In the novel, when Frederick killed Miuerella’s father, he accompanied her and let her stay at his hotel in Molgoss. 

Molgoss was a small town in the Nolkur district just right outside Larson. Count Montgomery, Miuerella’s future godfather, headed it, and Bethany’s soon-to-be father-in-law. 

And yeah, you read it right. The name of Frederick’s hotel is NASDAQ. When I read that in the novel for the first time, it gave me an excellent source of comedy. Was Frederick a stockbroker or a trader? I didn’t know if the author underwent writer’s block when he/she wrote that chapter. 

Anyway, let’s head inside because for sure, my distressed parents were waiting for me.

When we entered the building, I turned to Miuerella to know if she’s alright. 

“Don’t worry, Beth. Darkness is my friend. I had a great relationship with him for the last 16 years.”

I hope I had a good relationship with darkness too. When it is dark, our eyes become more sensitive, and it gets bigger. Darkness also means uncertainty; it created blind spots and obscured creepy creatures whose souls didn’t transcend heaven.

Where are the staff and my parents? 

“Joseph, is this hotel on the brink of bankruptcy?” 

“It’s not, My Lady. I was also wondering what happened here.” 

Our voices echoed, sweat droplets fell on my skin, which was one thing that shouldn’t happen in this freezing weather.

I almost tripped. Fortunately, Joseph, a vigilant knight, caught me when I’m about to fall. He reminded us to be careful of every step we make. 

For the second time around, a glowing protective layer that handled our safety appeared. We heard a loud thud as arrows fell to the floor. 

“He was right. Nothing bad will happen to you, my dear daughter.”

After the monologue, I closed my eyes because of the blinding light coming from my brother’s mana.

“Bethany, my dear daughter. We put you in danger, I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have let you come with us even if you protested.” 

When I opened my eyes, my mother already hugged me. Maybe the entire gang got jealous, so they joined as well. Please, don’t squish me!

When they halted the hug, Charlie noticed Miuerella’s presence. That’s right, my dear sister; do not ignore the female protagonist of this series.

I introduced Miuerella to them and asked if it was okay for her to stay with us. Since I am their favorite child, who was in a vulnerable state because of kidnapping, they agreed. 

I bid my farewell to Joseph, and a staff member guided me to my room. I immediately took a hot shower to clear up my mind.  

As I scrubbed myself with a loofah, the GUI flashed in front of me.

Achievement: Surviving the kidnapping incident 

XP Points: +500 

Dynastic Points: +500 

Achievement: Getting a nickname from Miuerella

XP Points: +200

Dynastic Points: +300

Wow, I already gained 1200 XP points and 1300 in just a brief span of time! I would let it accumulate since I have Duke Frederick’s blessing. When I checked the game’s progress, it was already at fifteen percent. 

I applied the liquid made from plant extracts. This was their version of shampoo plus conditioner. Seconds later, another notification popped.

Task: Help reveal Miuerella’s identity 

XP Points: +1000

Dynastic Points: +1000

Wait, why would I have to do it in the OG novel, it was Frederick who discovered this secret. I guess I have another to write in the report--- burden of proof. Since I am the one who knew the truth, I must present “the proof” that Miuerella is a Le Merck.

How should I present it? There’s no way that I could move freely after the kidnapping incident, for sure, they’ll increase the number of my guards. 

“Hello, Lady Bethany!”

I immediately grabbed my bathrobe, I looked around, but I didn’t see any signs of that perverted Duke. He really had the audacity to snoop on me during my bath time!