The Impact of the Author's Intervention on a Blank Page - Chapter 34
[Checking future timeline for character ‘Ezekiel B. Viestra’…]
[Character ‘Ezekiel B. Viestra’ will be purged by Crown Prince ‘Elai J. Viestra’, future Emperor of the Viestra Empire. (Probability: 87%)]
[▷ Sub-quest completed!]
Ah, shxt, that startled me. When I flinched at the sudden fanfare, my brother turned with a concerned look. I shook my head.
[Important Guest Visiting the Grand Duke’s Mansion]
[Task: Meet with the imperial family member visiting the Grand Duke’s house and activate Plot Development.]
[Reward: Crystal Points – Random amount between minimum 100 ~ maximum 1,000 points]
[▷ Reward being distributed.]
[▷ Reward: 100 points!]
Of course, it was the minimum points. Getting just 100 points while hearing that pompous fanfare was incredibly irritating. Everything about this system was just like this.
I decided to ignore the quest window and observe something else. While watching the Prince’s face as he prattled on, I checked his character information again.
[Character Information has been activated.]
[Ezekiel B. Viestra]
[Third Prince of the Viestra Empire.]
[Relationship Status: Vigilant, Suspicious, Sympathetic]
[This character does not exist in the original timeline. Additional information viewing will consume a small amount of World Points.]
After reading the last line I’d missed earlier, I felt even more annoyed.
‘I came here to earn points, and they want me to spend them? Are they crazy? Especially after giving me just 100 points?’
Damn, if my blood pressure keeps rising like this, I might end up with another nosebleed.
It felt like getting scammed by those shady fishing boat recruitment agencies where you have to pay first to make money. The ones that give you 10,000 points upfront but demand 200,000 points in recruitment fees.
Since I wasn’t that curious anyway, I quickly dismissed it. Getting angry would only hurt me.
‘This character does not exist in the original timeline.’
That sentence held multiple implications.
He doesn’t exist in the original timeline, yet he’s alive right here before my eyes? There weren’t many ways to interpret this. It must mean we’re in a different time period.
One possibility was that this was before the original story’s starting point.
I pondered this new information. The administrator had spoken as if they were resetting a ruined world to its starting point, but what if we’d actually gone back even further than that?
I looked at the Prince’s picture-perfect face. He appeared to be in his early twenties at most. A character who existed neither in the original story nor in the previous failed timeline. And at this rate, someone who would die just the same.
That’s what it meant. The Third Prince was a character who didn’t exist in the original timeline. That much was certain.
[Script Verification has been activated.]
Because… that war-maniac who would become Emperor had already killed all his siblings. He must be one of those imperial descendants mentioned in that single line about being killed by the Crown Prince.
Then what year is it now? How many years before the original story’s starting point? Was there even an exact year mentioned in the original?
And… why specifically this time period? Could it be related to this Prince’s sudden visit?
‘If this timeframe wasn’t randomly selected, but chosen for a specific reason…’
Ja-hyun glanced around with these troubling thoughts, eager to confirm the time period but finding it difficult in the current situation.
Meanwhile, his brother and the Prince seemed to have finished their opening pleasantries, now sipping and critiquing their tea. After rambling about northern tea flavors, the Prince’s eyes met Ja-hyun’s wandering gaze.
An ominous feeling crept in. The Prince’s fixed stare seemed to signal he was about to address him. Unfortunately, that premonition proved correct.
The Prince spoke with an elegant smile.
“I must say, I’m surprised. To think I’d meet the Grand Duke’s heir, whom even Altria’s social circles have never glimpsed.”
“…”
“I knew the Grand Duke was particularly protective of his bloodline, but I never imagined he’d keep him hidden even from visiting guests. This is my sixth such meeting at your mansion, yet my first time seeing Lord Raijin.”
So this wasn’t even the first time? That means he’d been refused five times already. Well, it made sense – if they needed to eat his heart, letting him freely roam social circles would make cleanup quite difficult. It seemed like a logical setting.
Glancing aside, his brother maintained his cold, weary expression while watching the Prince. Ja-hyun stepped in to respond.
“I’ve only recently become able to walk even a little. Since I couldn’t receive guests while bedridden, I believe my brother declined on my behalf.”
“I was concerned there might be some issue, given how thoroughly you were hidden away… but seeing you now… if it weren’t for those pajamas, I might not have recognized you at all.”
