Heroine Netori

I couldn't remember when I had fallen asleep. Surely, I had been reading the kingdom's newspaper, but the next thing I knew, I was in bed. Just last week, I would have dismissed this as simple fatigue, but now that was impossible. A disturbing reason had emerged, one I had never considered possible.

Muttering in disbelief, "Please… it can't be...", I trembled as I turned on the hidden phone…

[Hehe, father…]

It was Cecilia. My stomach turned.

With shaking legs, I stood up and walked toward the door.

—Clunk, clunk—

"Sigh…"

It was securely locked, just as it had been before bedtime. Walking over to the window to check, I found it was the same story there. These locks were the pinnacle of the kingdom's technological and magical security. Thus, my room was supposed to be an impenetrable chamber unless I decided otherwise. But it was supposed to be.

Yet, Cecilia entered my room as if such security measures were child's play. It was completely beyond my comprehension.

"How on earth…"

What was more shocking was that I had already been asleep before she even entered. The kingdom’s vaunted magical security was no more a deterrent to Cecilia than a toy to a child.

"Ha, ha…"@@novelbin@@

In this bizarre situation, I found myself ironically proud of Cecilia’s formidable magical skills. Yet, as the video continued, my laughter stopped abruptly. There on the screen, my daughter was laying me down on the bed and deftly removing my trousers and underwear. It was not the skill of a novice.

"Ugh, ugh…"

Acid reflux surged up my throat. My heart ached at the betrayal of my trusted daughter, and I was disgusted with myself for the arousal that followed.

—Thump!—

I threw the phone away, unable to watch any longer. The impact was too great, increasing my self-loathing.

[I love you… more than anyone else… I love you, father.]

But the video did not stop. Like in the infirmary, Cecilia began servicing me. The vile sounds of her actions flowed from the phone. Ridiculously, even those sounds seemed endearing because they were made by Cecilia.

"I'm really losing my mind…"

Listening further felt like it would drive me mad. It seemed I needed to sort out my feelings for Cecilia before I could watch more. With that thought, I moved to turn off the video, but then Cecilia in the footage started talking about something different than before.

[On the next full moon, everything will come to fruition.]

[I’ll finally be able to demand father’s love openly.]

[You liked Luina Obeur’s looks, didn’t you, father?]

[So, I will become Obeur.]

I froze in my steps. My mind went blank. I couldn’t grasp what Cecilia was implying.

"What… what does that mean?"

But instinctively, I understood. I understood but didn’t want to accept it.

[If I take Obeur’s body, I won’t need to sneak around anymore.]

[Hehe.]

"Lies… right?"

The confirmation of my fears stirred up more acid reflux. I felt nauseous from the turmoil.

Yet, Cecilia on the screen was smiling brightly. How could she look so adorable yet say such terrifying things?

Dizzy, I barely made it to the bed. Thankfully, there were no more bombshell revelations. After finishing her ‘service,’ Cecilia left the room with a satisfied expression.

"Phew…"

For a moment, I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to organize my thoughts.

Cecilia loves me, not just as a father but as a potential spouse. However, as father and daughter, we could never be together. Therefore, she planned to take over Luina Obeur’s body to be with me.

"My head is spinning."

The idea of her thinking of me as a marriage partner was somewhat bearable, but taking over Luina’s body? That was incomprehensible.

Is this how much she loves me? I'm happy she feels this way, but her method…

It was too much to process. What would happen to ‘Heroine NTR’ if she took Luina’s body? And what does taking over mean? A body swap? Isn’t that essentially the disappearance of Cecilia Asil as she is now?

The cascade of questions was mind-splitting. The light-hearted ‘Heroine NTR’ had suddenly turned into a serious drama. Was this what romantic fantasy was supposed to be? Wasn't it supposed to be lighter?

What exactly did Cecilia mean by her words? What repercussions would there be if she went through with her plan? How should I deal with Cecilia going forward? No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t find any answers.

But one thing was clear. I didn’t want to lose Cecilia Asil. If she became Luina, she wouldn’t be Cecilia anymore.

"That’s absolutely not acceptable."

Even if I were to accept Cecilia's feelings, I couldn't allow her to transform into Luina. No matter what others might think, I didn’t want to lose her for such reasons.

"But… how do I even bring that up?"

A sigh escaped me. Eventually, I would need to sit down and have a deep conversation with Cecilia, but I couldn’t muster the courage to start.

Go to my daughter and ask, "Do you love me?"

"Insane…"

I felt like I was going mad! Really, I felt like losing my mind!

"Ah… I miss Sophia."

—Knock, knock!

"Father! It’s Cecilia. I have something to tell you, so I came to see you."

"Uh!"

Just when I thought of another woman, Cecilia appeared as if she had heard me. Had she listened in? Was there some spying magic involved? No, no… there was nothing like that in the video earlier. It felt like a thief getting cold feet.

"Just, could you wait a moment?"

But why had she come? Was it frightening? Was she going to put me to sleep again? Or was it genuinely just to ask something? But what would she ask about? About Luina Obeur?

The thoughts were relentless. Once a doubt surfaced, it led to another, and soon I lost the courage to open the door.

Can I really face Cecilia and act as if nothing's wrong, as if I'm unaware of everything? No, beyond that, I don't even know what expression to wear when I see her. What happens to our relationship if Cecilia realizes that I've caught on? What happens to this ‘Heroine NTR’? I don't want to end it as anticlimactically as the last ‘Heroine NTR’.

"Father? Aren’t you opening the door? I've been waiting."

Ultimately, I need to be honest. Pretending when I'm terrible at acting will only make things worse than telling the truth. I must come clean and discuss what lies ahead together.

But... I just can't do it. I'm not ready emotionally! Cecilia! I do love you! But whether as a father or as a man, I still don't know!

"...Sorry, Lia... I'm really sorry..."

"...Yes?"

So... could you give me a little time? My head's too cluttered to see your face right now. I'll answer you once I've sorted things out.

So...

[Pause the game]

Just wait a bit.

====

[Achievement Earned: 'Forbidden Love – Father and Daughter (Stage 1)'] [Achievement Earned: 'Heroine Training (Stage 1)'] [Achievement Earned: 'Conquering 50 Virgins']

"Phew..."

I'm truly disgusted with myself. To think that I, who was a real man in ‘Heroine NTR’, am behaving like Siwoo... If I get into a royal hero story, I'll have to take care of that.

It really makes you act like this when you're put in such a position. I'm sorry… I won’t covet a secondary heroine and will connect you directly with her.

"Disgusting, damn it."

I need a drink.

—Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz—

"What now?"

Heading to the kitchen, suddenly my smartphone started buzzing. Having it on vibration made the buzzing sound almost mockingly like Siwoo’s whining when he ran away, which annoyed me. Irritated, I opened the chat.

[Uncle! Thank you for yesterday!]
[(An emoticon of a cat bowing its head)]
[The hangover food was amazing!]
[(A picture of an empty pot)]
[I'm totally recovered thanks to you!]
[(An emoticon of a cat saluting)]

[But… did I make any mistakes yesterday?]
[I can't remember haha…]
[(An emoticon of a cat looking embarrassed)]
[If I did make a mistake, please don't hide it and tell me!]
[And…]
[Can I buy you a meal today as a thank you?]
[(An emoticon of a cat smiling hehe)]
[It was supposed to be a celebration for you, but I couldn’t celebrate properly!]
[So today, I'll definitely treat you well!]
[Uncle?]
[Haven’t you woken up yet?]
[(An emoticon of a cat looking curious)]
[You must have been really tired.]
[It’s all because of me, right?]
[(An emoticon of a cat looking sad)]
[I'm sorry…]
[Oh! 1 disappeared!]
[Are you awake?]
[(An emoticon of a cat getting excited)]
[How’s your stomach?]
[Uncle?]
[Ugh…! It's bad to leave me on read!]
[(An emoticon of a cat getting angry)]
[Are you going to keep this up?]
[(An emoticon of a cat blushing with anger)]
[Ah… are you mad at me…?]
[I guess I made a mistake yesterday…]
[(An emoticon of a cat covering its face with both hands)]
[I'm sorry ㅠㅠ… so as an apology!]
[I was thinking of buying you a meal today…]
[(An emoticon of a cat peeking slyly)]
[Is your schedule… okay?]

It was from Lee Hyun-ah. No, it was coming in.

"..."

Why is she acting like this?