“Nice to meet you, I’m Louise, and I’m working here as a chambermaid from today!”

A beautiful woman with brilliant silver hair and clear crystalline eyes was greeted with vigor. Even Irene, who rarely smiles, was seen grinning broadly.

Normally, Irene would rarely smile.

Even worse, the last time she truly laughed out loud was about half a year ago.

But now, she was cordially welcoming Louise, along with the other people from Lavrenti’s mansion who gathered here, to welcome the new maid with the favour from her heart.

Because, the woman in front of Irene now is the original female protagonist, Louise, whom she had been waiting for so long in this life.

Finally, the heroine is back.

‘Finally! How long have I been waiting for this day!’

Louise shyly approached and spoke to Irene, who was singing delightedly inside.

“M-Miss Irene, I heard that you are my senior and the only chambermaid in this mansion. Please take care of me.”

She uttered in a heroine-like, gentle tone.

Although it had already been the seventh time she had heard this greeting without a single mistake, Irene patted Louise’s shoulder with a soft look without any hesitation.

“Yes. We’ll have to work hard, but let’s try our best.”

Usually, she would just roughly nod her head, but she wanted to give Louise encouragement today.

Today was the day Irene would hand in the letter of resignation she always carries in her arms, and finally, get out of this damn game.

It was the day.

* * *

A devastating harem otome game, 〈 Love or Die 〉

The world in which Irene was unintentionally transported into during her gameplay, and where she currently found herself in, was controlled by none other than—

Knox, the mafia group that ruled the underworld.

The world of Knox, where everything was shrouded in a veil, was the setting of the game called 〈 Love or Die 〉, where the aristocratic household of Lavrenti Garro was situated.

Louise, the heroine who came with a letter of recommendation from the owner of the mansion where she originally worked, became entangled with three men of the Lavrenti Family, wherein they exuded an alluring yet dangerous atmosphere…

… That was the game’s description.

So, what is Irene’s role here?

She is an extra.

Like the heroine, she was a character of Lavrenti and a mannequin-like being who says, “Good morning, Louise!” every time you turn on the game.

Oh, of course, she’s an extra, but there is a role she had to play.

She’s the save point.

By talking to Irene, the gameplay will be saved.

But, that’s just a part of the game system.

‘Whatever it is, I’m tired now.’

Irene took out her resignation letter from her arms, which she had placed in a fine envelope. Afraid it might have got wrinkled.

It was the letter of resignation she had been carrying.

When she first entered the game, Irene thought she would be able to return to reality soon.

‘I thought Louise would just have to find the real male protagonist, the ultimate goal of the game.’

There was a reason why 〈 Love or Die 〉 was a devastating otome game, as you can tell from just its name. This is because the ending is either you die or become impoverished by falling in love with the male protagonist.

Still, this game had a real male lead.

The final boss hidden in the storyline, something like that.

So, Irene thought she would be able to return to reality when she saw the ending where the heroine found the male lead and fell in love with him.

‘What if… the real male lead doesn’t exist?’

Irene was now living her seventh life in 〈 Love or Die. 〉

After going through all six endings, she was now in the seventh.

She watched Louise meet the three male protagonists, as she went through the ‘Love Ending’ and the ‘Die Ending.’

… No, it wasn’t just watching. She actually even helped orchestrate the endings.

Nonetheless, the results were devastating.

‘I am not going back to reality, this is like an infinite loop…’

Every time she saw the ending, Irene would return to the moment she was possessed into the game for the first time. And this was her seventh regression after seeing all the six endings.

In other words, regardless of the ending, Irene was completely trapped in this game.

Realizing that she could no longer return to reality, she decided.

‘Let’s quit the game and live my life.’

Since Irene knew she couldn’t live properly, she will now live her life like it is her own from now on. She will start by getting out of this house.

And today, the female protagonist, Louise, finally arrived as a new employee. Today, when the game began in earnest, was the day she decided to turn in her letter of resignation. Initially, she wanted to quit a little earlier, but she couldn’t submit her resignation because the only chambermaid in this mansion was Irene.

But, that was not the case any more.

Why? Because the new chambermaid, Louise, is here!

“Hoo.”

Still, Irene was a little nervous about giving her resignation letter, since she had accumulated affection from working at the mansion for such a long time. After all, she was a person who spent a lot of time here.

‘If I leave, the masters might feel a little feel down.’

However, they will soon forget about her and fall for Louise. Because… that was the game’s system.

Irene took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door of the office.

A cool yet heavy voice asked back.

“Who is it?”

Oh, this voice is the First Master.

“It’s Irene, Master.”

“Oh, Irene. Come in.”

The cold voice quickly softened.

The owner of the voice was a strict and cruel person, but strangely, he was always kind to her, so it wasn’t surprising.

Irene silently pulled the door outward and opened it, as she had been accustomed to, then closed the door behind her back before greeting the man in the room.

To be precise, to the men in the room.

The sunlight pouring in from the window filled one of the office walls, where three handsome men were standing inside.

“Hello, Irene. Today’s napkin was folded in the shape of a tulip. Did you not like the rose I folded?” A man with a smile as bright as the pouring sunlight greeted her warmly.

Curly ash-blonde hair and gentle eyes with slightly lowered ends, his face seemed as though he was constantly smiling.

Just by looking at his face, you might think he wouldn’t even harm an ant, but that man is actually Knox’s leader, who runs like a mad dog when he holds his sword.

“What brings you to me, Irene? Is there anything you want?”

This time, the man sitting in front of the desk in the office asked, in a voice mixed with pressure and coolness.

He was a ‘gentleman’s example’ in everyone’s eyes. However, in reality, he was a ruthless underboss who kills even a child without hesitation when he strips off a good day.

“Well, no, brother. Rea came to see me. Think about it, Rea. Didn’t you want to see me?”

Even with a gentle smile, the man could not hide all his ferocity as he approached Irene, calling her Rea as if they were friends.

He was the youngest of the three. Though at the same time, he was also the most dangerous of the three as well.

Although the other two mainly use knives as their weapons, this man, who is one of Knox’s executives, even uses his teeth to bite and attacks his opponents.

Even though these three people are incredibly dangerous, but if you look at them from the outside, you can say that they are from a family with excellent genes…

Well, goodbye to all these handsome faces.

Irene opened her mouth calmly. “I came to see the First Master.”

Disappointment flashed across their faces, except for the man sitting at the desk in the office, but Irenea put down the envelope in her hand in front of the desk without hesitation.

“It’s a letter of resignation. I’m leaving this mansion.”

As soon as she finished her words, the faces of the three men were distorted.

* * *

Irene recalled the last ending she saw.

Die Ending of Louise and Lavrenti’s eldest son, Ahivalt.

After Louise, who loved Ahibald but betrayed him and fled to the enemy base, he jumped into the base through a handful of soldiers.

Then, with a tattered body, he appeared in front of Louise, bleeding profusely.

“It’s not even funny. Did you think you could leave me with that, Louise?”

“Ah, Ahivalt… Your blood…”

Ha. A short, breathless breath fell from his mouth.

“Louise. If you were by my side, I would have promised you peace forever.”

Ahivalt crept up and hugged Louise as if in bondage.

“I only needed you, but you didn’t need me.”

There was a sound of flesh tearing. He slashed Louise on the back with a sword.

The long sword ripped apart not only Louise, but also his body. Despite the bleeding, Ahivalt smiled.

“I love you, Louise.”

And so, the two died, and Irene, who was watching the scene disguised as a soldier, returned with tears filling her eyes. Of course, after returning, she shed tears for a different reason.

There is a reason, obviously, for her sudden recollection of this scene.

“It’s not even funny. Did you think you could leave me with just a piece of paper, Irene?”

That was because Ahivalt suddenly recited the lines from the ‘Die Ending.’

─────────────────────────────────

‘I just wanted to retire. Though, why is he saying the same lines as when he was betrayed…?’

Irene stood still and blinked her eyes confusingly.

The eldest son of the Lavrenti family, the soft-spoken protagonist who allowed her to enter the room a while ago, has now turned into a gentleman with an unceasing sense of pressure.

“I will pretend I never saw this resignation letter.”

“But, I am leaving this mansion.”

“I can’t allow it.”

“W, why?”

The moment Irene uttered a voice of protest, her hands were caught.

A smile as luminous as the sunlight.

It was Otis Lavrenti, the second son of the Lavrenti family, who grabbed her hand. He was also a man who knew the joy of life to often fold a bunch of roses out of coloured paper and left them in Irene’s pocket unnoticed.

And Otis, who has such a scary and composed look in her seventh life in [Love or Die] has never seen Irene in his eyes before.

“Irene, are you really going to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Then, take me with you.”

“… Yes? That is impossible.”

“I will buy you a house.”

Oh, that’s a bit harsh.

When Irene couldn’t refuse right away, Otis took another sip and began to lay down his words.

“Irene, you don’t have to work. As long as you have tea time with me once a day, I will get you a luxurious four-story mansion and decorate the house with different roses every day. Do you like fountains, too? What about the garden? If you desire, I will also build a horseback riding course in the mansion as well. We will hire three of our best chefs, so you can enjoy a different dinner every day.”

Oh, that is really hard…

“Otis. Shut up and get out.”

She was awakened by the sound of a cold voice that scratched the nape of her neck as if growling. Irene almost replied that she would do so inadvertently.

As soon as she realized the situation a while ago, a cold sweat ran down her spine.

‘I almost fell for it…’

When he whispers in a languid voice, it was as though she was possessed without realizing it. Besides, she couldn’t deny that the offer was too sweet. If it hadn’t been for the sudden interruption, she might have accepted the offer of his proposal.

The owner of the voice was, of course, Ahivalt.

Ahivalt, who had been sitting at the office desk a while ago, pushed Otis away and approached her.

“Irene. Ignore Otis’ fuss. A guy who doesn’t have that kind of money is just bluffing.”

“What do you mean, brother? Do you think I don’t have that much money?”

“I don’t know, but I’m certain it’s less than mine.”

He replied indifferently before bowing his head and made eye contact with Irene.

“Did I do anything to upset you? Or was it someone else? You seem to be doing well, what’s the problem?”

“There is nothing saddening that is happening. It’s just time for me to leave now.”

“I know that you don’t have anyone else.”

That’s right. It was bothersome to give a family to an extra like Irene. So, she was an orphan who had been working here since she was a child.

“I think I will be able to set up a small café if I get paid for my retirement. I could get a house available for rent as well.”

“… So, you mean. After leaving this place, you plan to live in a rented house?”

“Yes.”

Obviously, the three brothers were having the same thoughts, Why a café? Why does she want to live in a rented house?

As Irene stood silently, trying to grasp what was happening, she could hear the sound of crumpled paper. The sound came behind Ahivalt.

“No way, Rea. Why do you have to live like that?”

Rodion Lavrenti, the youngest member of the Lavrenti family and the little devil character, was seeking Irene’s resignation letter.

“… Third Master. Isn’t that my resignation letter?”

“No, isn’t it rubbish?”

‘No matter how you look at it, this is definitely my letter of resignation…’

Still, Irene couldn’t say anything in front of Rodion, who was casually referring to her letter as rubbish without any remorse. Because the people here were people who killed dozens of people on a regular basis.

She never thought that it would be so difficult to retire.

‘No, I had thought of holding on… Because I grew up with the male protagonists from a young age.’

She grew up together and took care of them. Since Irene was the only child working in the mansion at the time, she was often their playmate. Perhaps, it would have been possible to use the title ‘friend’ if it had not been for their position of master and maid.

Of course, she didn’t do it with her pure heart from the beginning of her life.

‘At that time, there was another purpose…’

Later, however, the purpose seems to have become rather unclear.

‘But, I didn’t expect to be rejected so fiercely.’

Because, friends and things like that are all a thing of the past.

From a moment when they became adults, the male protagonists of 〈 Love or Die 〉 began to distance themselves from her. Maybe they thought it was the right distance to take with Irene, the maid, as an employee of the mansion.

‘It’s not unusual for the male protagonists to change their minds like that in the meantime, since they have been away from the mansion for several years.’

So, Irene kept her distance without saying a word. After all, it was not her friendship with the male protagonists that mattered anyway. She had been maintaining a relationship that’s just moderately sweet.

‘Then, why are they holding on to me like this…?’

Irene only blinked her eyes before taking a step back.

“My resignation letter is crumpled, so I will write a new one. Please wait.”

“Rea, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

Rodion, who threw the crumpled resignation letter into the dustbin, approached with a grin on his face.

“What’s the point of living out there like that? Huh?” He continued, “… All right. Do you have to go out to live? If you ask for a raise, I can give it to you.”

‘If you ask me this, I have nothing else to say…’ Irene’s eyes fluttered.

What should she answer here to get permission to retire safely?

When you can’t think of something right, it’s always better to just make excuses for your dreams.

Finally, she opened her mouth casually. “I wanted to open a café. I have always wished to decorate the interior my way and serve the coffee and tea I wanted.”

“So, you are not leaving because you don’t like us?”

“Of course.”

At the obedient acceptance, Otis hid his ferocious look and smiled brightly like an angel again.

“Well, that’s fine. What do you have to think about? Isn’t that right, brother?”

“Yeah.”

Ahivalt gave a rare, soft smile.

Even though he was under pressure, he seemed more merciless than most people. However, when he smiled softly like that, he resembled a well-rounded gentleman.

“Why didn’t you just say that earlier, Irene?”

He added briefly, before waving the bell that had been placed on the table.

The butler, who heard the bell, ran quickly and opened the door.

“Did you call me, Master?”

“Yeah. I know that the annex on the west side is empty now, but is there anyone else uses it?”

“Not yet. I was thinking of converting it into a warehouse.”

“You can’t turn it into a warehouse—”

With that, Ahivalt smiled loosely and turned his gaze towards Irene. He opened his mouth while fixing his gaze on her.

“Decorate it into a café.”

“Yes…?”

This was said by Irene, not the butler.

‘I just want to get out of this house…?’

Though, it seemed like she had no choice.

When he came behind her, Otis grabbed her shoulder from behind and said with a smirk. “Come on, Irene. Do you want to come with me? Let’s decorate the café together. I will get anything Irene wants.”

“What? No, I…”

“Only you? I’m coming, too. Rea, let’s go together.”

“Rodion.”

A threatening voice came from behind Irene’s shoulder.

It was obviously Otis. Though for some reason, it felt like Ahivalt?

Irene wished she could have seen his expression, but unfortunately, Otis was standing behind her, so she couldn’t see his face.

One thing is for sure, it couldn’t have been a very good look. As Rodion, who was trying to follow them at the moment, immediately lowered his tail.

“… I will look for coffee beans.”

“No, Rodion. You have a place to go today. It looks like there’s a fight in Delton. They have been attacking first.”

At Ahivalt’s words, a bloody aura rose in Rodion’s innocent eyes.

“Delton? Are those bastards crazy?”

Irene, who has worked as a maid for three years and has lived in 〈 Love or Die 〉 seven times, knows fully well what ‘Delton’ means.

A miscellaneous gang that formed a gang in the Southern section of the underworld. It was famous for gathering only sinful people, and this is the first episode allocated to Rodion.

Rodion comes back with an arm injury after wiping out Delton, and Louise takes care of him.

And it is the first event that Rodion and Louise’s love began to blossom.

Otis interrupted the conversation.

“Well, there has got to be a guy who’s been inciting this. Why are we sending the little ones in first?”

“Yeah. So, Otis, you should go, too.”

Hmm?

Irene blinked her eyes.

Originally, it was only Rodion, right? Why is Otis going as well, now? Does Louise have to take care of both of them, then…?

But, there was no time for Irene to wonder. It was because Ahivalt, who had finished his neatly spoken words, approached Irene and removed Otis’s hand, which was holding her shoulder, like dust.

His face was painted with a graceful smile.

“Irene, I’ll decorate the café with you.”

Is it just my feeling that Ahivalt is trying to kick Otis out, somehow?

“… I’d like to decorate by myself.”

“No, I want to decorate with you. Come to think of it, I don’t seem to know your tastes. This way, I’ll find out more about it, too.”

‘… I don’t ever think an extra like me would hear such a romantic line.’

“Shall we decorate the room together later? A mix of your tastes and mine.”

Gazing at Ahibalt, who spoke tenderly and bent his eyes, Irene thought.

Ah,

It is truly a terrifying thing to be the male protagonist in the otome game…

‘I almost misunderstood.’

He was just saying to a maid like her, that he would let her decorate the mansion with her style, so why does it sound like Ahibalt was asking her if she wanted to decorate the newly-weds’ room like this?

That is why you should not believe what you hear.

Irene pondered and realized that the more they talked, the more divert she was from her original will to leave the mansion.

‘I got swallowed up by the pace.’

“Wait a minute, Masters.”

The attention of the three men in the room immediately turned to Irene.

“I am still leaving this mansion.”

“Why?”

Again, the same question came back. Though now, Irene already knew that making excuses for cafés did not work, so she had to come up with another excuse. She could not really say, “You guys are the mafia. It is not good for me to get tangled up!” So, what could she say…?

Something suitable…

‘Don’t talk about salaries. I’m certain they will increase it.’

Rooms? Food? Everything is good.

Discord between employees? There is no such thing.

Something that could be an excuse…

Ah!

“Well, there is a provision prohibiting dating. I want to be in a relationship.”

Lies were pouring out.

At Irene’s words, the three men looked puzzled. To be more specific, they didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Was there such a provision?”

“I don’t know…”

“Didn’t you make it?”

‘What kind of atmosphere is this? You guys made it, right…?’

Irene almost frowned.

Of course, it is because the people who made the prohibition on dating looked like they didn’t know anything. However, there was no such thing as a fearless and open frown in front of mafia executives.

Fortunately, the butler, who was silently standing behind her, opened his mouth.

“Well, well. There is the prohibition clause. It’s made by the Young Masters.”

‘Thank you, Grandpa Butler.’ After hearing his words, she secretly thanked him.

All love has obstacles.

For example, couples who are about to get married are actually siblings who broke up when they were young, or people who have developed into lovers from co-workers have a wall called in-house prohibitions.

And, in [Love or Die] of course, there were obstacles. That’s right, the prohibition clause.

“Employees often quit because they are in the same boat. I think I have got quite a headache because of that.”

The old butler said with a benevolent smile.

“… Right, it was.” Rodion said with a suspicious smile.

At the same time, it seemed that the troublesome incident that Otis and Ahibalt had forgotten had just come to mind.

Three months ago, two employees who were dating secretly quit together.

As the butler said, the number of changes to the employees of the Lavrenti family was quite frequent. Even if it is not a love affair, as you continue to work here, it is inevitable that employees will naturally come to know the true nature of the Lavrenti family.

There is nothing good about being entangled with the infamous mafia family.

The high salary given by the Lavrenti family is disappointing, but they want to leave in search of a safe job. Although, it is impossible to get out completely once you have set foot in a dark area.

Anyway, this couple was quite daring.

They even attempted to rob Lavrenti’s depository.

Of course, this is just a plot made by the creators of 〈 Love or Die 〉 as an obstacle of love, but from the standpoint of watching it seven times, Irene could guarantee that there would be no one with worse quality than them.

Because even before they robbed the safe, they used to steal and sell expensive utensils.

‘It was not a joke, those guys.’

Raising money for their wedding like that…

While they were stealing the tableware, she tried to turn a blind eye to it. Since, she did not want to do anything to catch people’s attention.

Despite that, robbing the safe is another story.

After seeing the couple robbed the safe six times, Irene quietly changed the safe. From a vault full of real gold coins, to a safe full of gilded counterfeit gold coins instead.

What happened after they ran away was none of her business, but it was not out of her mind that they would definitely get hurt.

“Who was there, then? Was it Rodion?”

“I was there, brother.”

Otis said with a bright smile. However, the bright smile of a hundred hydrangeas was quite different from what Irene had experienced a little while ago.

“It was not even a great love. When I tore off the man’s arm, he begged me desperately that he was deceived. So, I specifically broke his head first.”

A cold ridicule and sarcasm uttered from his mouth, like a sharp knife hidden in a flower.

Irene, who had always looked at his bright face while working as a maid, realized it without thinking.

‘… That is right, this guy was like this.’

It is not entertaining if there is only one obstacle to love in a romance.

All the men of Lavrenti had one keyword, ‘distrust.’

“It is wrong to trust people. What do you stupidly trust people for? I would rather believe in animals.”

Rodion, the youngest of three sons, distrusts humans.

He thinks that all humans are liars and would rather live with dozens of animals instead.

“Rodion, there is something misunderstood. People can also build up enough trusting relationships. But, love is unbelievable.”

The second oldest, Otis, distrusts love.

His hobbies include breaking romance novels, enchanting women with wild laughter, playing with them, and spending money generously.

“Both of you are noisy. I wish I had killed him myself.”

The oldest brother, Ahibalt, is self-distrusting.

He is a person who does not believe in himself and lives with doubts. When he falls in love, this suspicion spreads to his lover as well.

It is hard to think that they are going to love someone.

‘Yeah, I’ll give Louise all the liver and the gallbladder…’

['T/N: It is an idiom, when someone bends too blindly to others without self-esteem, people often use the idiom “to remove both liver and gallbladder.”]

As Irene pondered the storyline of the game, Ahibalt, who had shut his brothers’ mouths, approached and asked. “Since then, there has been a ban on dating, but if that was a dissatisfaction, why didn’t you come to talk to me about it?”

“No, I have no complaints. Though now, I am old enough to think about getting married, it is difficult for me to continue working in a house where there is a prohibition on dating.”

To be honest, she does not even understand why he is holding onto her like this in the first place. Is it such a big deal to just let go of a maid?

As moments pass by, Irene is starting to get annoyed with the situation.

How can she live as a maid seven times because of these guys?

‘I’ll be back later again, anyway.’

Even if she leaves the mansion like this, Louise and one of these men will fall in love eventually. Then, it will end in one way or another, and Irene will return to this house again regardless of her will.

To be honest, since she could not even think of a way to stop this damn regression, it is a waste and scary that she had lived her life so long to die first.

‘I am just going to live my life the way I want until the end of the game.’

“So, I am retiring.”

“Irene.”

Otis grabbed Irene’s arms. Then, he gazed at her with his overly dazzling eyes.

It was a little too flashy, so it was too much pressure.

‘… I am a little nervous.’

“What about the ban on dating between employees?”

‘I am feeling quite anxious about this…’

“It does not apply to employers and employees.”

Wait a minute—

“Would you like to have a relationship with me on the premise of marriage?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I just got hurt.”

“… I’m sorry.”

Otis smiled loosely as if it was okay, and continued.

“Think about it. Didn’t I just ask you to build a house and live together? Just adding marriage to that does not change much…”

No, the fact that the main character asked an extra to marry him would change significantly from the original.

“Organized marriage, or contract marriage, is a long-standing tradition. And, it has proven that they can have a happy marriage without love, and with money. Irene, we can make a good couple.”

‘Why is he suddenly moving on to the story of married life while talking about dating!’

“If you want to have a child, I will not stop you. A child who resembles you and me must be lovely. Mrs.—Eup!”

Otis’ words were cut off.

Irene, unable to listen any longer, had covered his mouth with the palm of her hand.

“Stop, stop… please…”

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────