The 0% Sibling

“Emma?”

The maid who had been preparing breakfast had long since vanished somewhere.

I stepped outside cautiously to stretch my limbs and take a look around.

“Oh….”

The first thing that caught my eye the moment I left the room was the interior of a massive mansion.

It had an antique and elegant atmosphere—the kind of grandeur you’d only see in a NetXlix original series.

“Did they say this was a Ducal estate?”

Maybe it would be more comfortable to just scrap the courting plan and cling to this place for the rest of my life.

“My room is on the second floor. Okay.”

Before moving, I prioritized identifying the location of my room. If I got lost, people might start getting suspicious.

After that, I gripped the stair railing and headed down step by step.

Judging by the boisterous noises coming from somewhere, it seemed the servants were gathered in that direction.

“There’s no need to run into them unnecessarily, right?”

If I did, they might just drag me back to my room.

I moved stealthily toward the opposite side on my tiptoes.

How long had I been wandering around the mansion? The layout was finally beginning to take shape in my mind.

“Huh?”

Then, I discovered a long hallway on the left, and specifically, a section of wallpaper that was a different color from the rest.

Struck by a strangely heterogeneous feeling, I peered closely at the wallpaper. After a brief observation, I realized one thing.

‘It’s not a different color.’

That section simply hadn’t faded. It was as if something large had been hanging there for a long time.

“Judging by the size….”

“What are you doing here?”

A sudden, unfamiliar voice behind me made my head whip around.

Standing in my line of sight was a man with beauty that looked as if it had been carved as a sculpture.

He had black hair just like mine and golden eyes that were a shade deeper. His impression was cold and intellectual.

“Evelyn.”

As I was observing the man, he called my name. His tone was pressing for an answer.

“Uh, well….”

No, who on earth is this guy?

At that moment, a cheerful notification sound rang out.

◎ Would you like to check character information? ◎

For once, this godforsaken system was actually being helpful. I hurriedly activated the character info.

◎ Name: Gervan Louis ◎

◎ Occupation: Head of the House of Duke Louis ◎

◎ Characteristic: Evelyn’s only family ◎

The only family? Judging by his looks, he didn’t seem to be the father; he looked more like a brother.

“I asked what you were doing here.”

So this man is my only family and my biological brother.

“Um, well….”

“Speak clearly.”

However, he seemed far too indifferent for a blood relative. It was an emotionless, rigid tone, as if he were talking to an inanimate object.

While I was mumbling, trying to figure out an excuse, the system window triggered once more.

◎ Second Male Lead discovered! ◎

◎ Would you like to activate the likability gauge? ◎

‘……!’

Wait a second. The second male lead? Forgetting he was standing right in front of me, I almost screamed in shock.

After barely swallowing the shriek, I re-checked the system window spread before my eyes.

The word ‘Male Lead’ was clearly written on that translucent window.

‘Evelyn’s brother is one of the male leads?’

The villainess’s brother is a male lead. What kind of messed-up family tree is this?

Furthermore, I was in a situation where I had to court a male lead other than Johann. And one of them was Evelyn’s own brother.

‘My options just narrowed.’

Now, there was only one male lead left that I could potentially court.

‘…….’

The ending felt light-years away.

‘For now, let’s just activate the likability gauge.’

◎ Gervan’s current likability is 0%. ◎

‘……?’

0%?

I looked back and forth between the gauge and Gervan’s face at that absurd number.

0%? I mean, we’re biological siblings. Is it even possible for likability to be 0%?

“Why are you tilting your head?”

“Huh? Oh, well….”

Gervan noticeably furrowed his brow.

The likability gauge began to flicker precariously.

To explain just how shocking a number 0% was, I first need to touch upon the difficulty level of .

Amy had a base level of likability she got for free right from the start. Although she also started at 0%, it would jump by 10% the moment the first greetings were exchanged.

‘The game says it’s because Amy is just that lovely and beautiful.’

Even after that, Johann’s likability would shoot up without hesitation. A simple smile would give +1%, a lovely answer +3%, and on days with even light physical contact, it would rise by as much as +5%.

The difficulty of wasn’t that high. No, rather, it would be more accurate to say it was on the easy side.

“Answer me.”

“…….”

◎ Gervan’s current likability is 0%. ◎

We’re siblings. How could it be 0%? He’s even threatening to drop it further just because I tilted my head.

Putting the shocking number aside, I had to squeeze out an excuse before he pressed me further.

“I was just looking around the mansion for a moment….”

“Why bother with a mansion you’ve lived in your entire life?”

“Um, I just wanted a change of pace.”

I had no way of knowing whether Evelyn usually used formal or informal speech.

Gauging his reaction, I glanced at the likability gauge. It was a number I couldn’t get used to no matter how many times I saw it.

“I heard you caused another scene recently.”

He continued.

“I clearly warned you to distance yourself from Lady Rochend.”

Lady Rochend? That definitely referred to Regina.

“I knew long ago that you were foolish, but I didn’t realize you were bold enough to touch His Highness’s woman.”

“His Highness’s woman….”

If he said ‘His Highness,’ he was definitely referring to Johann.

And there was only one person in this game who could receive the title of Johann’s woman. That was….

“Amy?”

“Miss!”

At that moment, Emma came running toward us in a hurry. She blocked the path between Gervan and me, huffing and puffing as she struggled to catch her breath.

“I am sorry, Your Grace. I was in the kitchen for a moment…. Miss, let’s return to the second floor quickly.”

Gervan looked down at me with a cold gaze before disappearing into the dark hallway.

Afterward, I was ushered back to the second floor by Emma.

Sitting on the bed, I thought about the shocking 0% likability, and I realized it actually made some sense.

“Siblings are usually like that anyway, right?”

Yeah, exactly. Let’s think about my life before the possession. The thing friends with brothers hated most was hearing, ‘It must be nice to have a brother.’

So, if the likability had been high, that would have been the weird part.

‘It’s only natural for biological siblings to have a bad relationship.’

Plus, though it was just a guess, it seemed Amy and Johann had already developed into a couple. Yet here I was, hanging around the villainess without a lick of sense; it was bound to be an eyesore for him.

“But even so, 0% is….”

“Um… Miss.”

Emma, who had been watching my face, spoke up cautiously. It felt as though she was choosing her words very carefully.

“You usually took care to avoid running into him; why did you do that today?”

“……I took care to avoid him?”

“Of course. You wouldn’t even set foot in the left hallway.”

Avoiding him. No matter how bad a relationship was, it was rare for biological siblings to go that far.

“Shall I bring you some sweet dessert? Please cheer up, Miss.”

“…….”

If my own brother’s likability is 0%, could the other male leads possibly be any higher?

Besides, I’m not Amy, so it’ll likely be much harder to raise their likability.

‘Will I really be able to escape this place?’

Somehow, my mind felt cluttered.

‘No, let’s focus on what I can do right now.’

I shook my head vigorously.

Lying on the bed worrying wasn’t going to make Gervan’s likability go up. And I wouldn’t know about the other male leads until I met them.

Therefore, I decided to first eliminate the anxiety-inducing factor I had set aside immediately after being possessed.

“Emma, you said an invitation came from Regina, right?”

“Pardon? Yes!”

“Burn it.”

“What?”

I gave the instruction again to Emma, who tilted her head as if doubting her own ears.

“Burn Regina’s invitation.”

It felt quite awkward to have to clean up someone else’s relationships, but it was an unavoidable choice for survival.

It was logically impossible for the villainess’s best friend to promote the heroine’s happiness.

Since it would be difficult to get close to Amy right away, I needed to distance myself from the villainess first.

Then, perhaps curious about my sudden change in behavior, Emma asked cautiously.

“Did something happen?”

“No. I’m just a bit tired.”

She asked another question.

“Surely you aren’t going to skip the masquerade ball too?”

“Masquerade ball?”

Emma nodded.

“The masquerade ball hosted by the Imperial Family! You chose your dress so enthusiastically.”

The Imperial Family.

What was the name of this game? It was <Heart-Thumping! Love in the Imperial Palace>.

True to that intuitive title, the Imperial Palace was the place where over 80% of the main story took place. Moreover, it was the space where the male lead, the Crown Prince, resided.

An event held in such a place was bound to have an extremely high probability of running into the main couple.

Nothing good would come of an accidental encounter. I’d be lucky if the data didn’t get deleted.

“I won’t go to that either.”

“Eeeeh?”

Emma’s eyes went wide in bewilderment.

Well, in the original story, it seemed Evelyn used to rule the social circles alongside Regina. It was understandable that she’d find it strange for me to cancel two appointments in an instant.

“Miss, you aren’t sick, are you? Why are you suddenly like this?”

She wiped her hands on her apron and checked my forehead for a fever.

“You don’t have a fever….”

“I really just want to rest. Don’t worry.”

The moment I tried to gently push her hand away, a ding notification sounded.

◎ Main Quest Triggered! ◎

The system window reappeared.

◎ Attend the masquerade ball hosted by the Imperial Family. ◎</Heart-Thumping!>