They don't want me to try anymore.

Similar to the first time, Richard opened his eyes and then collapsed onto the bed.

The simulation was so tiring, it was like forcing someone to play adult games for ten hours straight while having a fever of 39 degrees Celsius.

And the final scene was a bit too chaotic... Why is there a dragon? Is it the Vatican royal family's trump card?

Hopefully Alice can overcome this difficult time...

Richard sighed. Although he really wanted to check the rewards and reconsider the exploration of the illusionary realm and Hamilton's matter, he simply didn't have the energy...

He closed his eyes again, intending to take a nap.

Just over ten kilometers away from his bedroom, in a palace in Idaril.

Foreigners temporarily residing here are experiencing the same illusion.

Rewind to half an hour earlier in the present world.

You were thrown into the Bastille Convent by your uncle.

Curled up in bed, Alice Murat stared blankly at the newly appeared words, her heart overwhelmed with sorrow.

Chapter Nineteen: It's time to live with regret!

I never imagined my uncle would go to such lengths...

Even if you never show any interest in politics, is it impossible to escape it in the end?

Alice looked at the name of the monastery and felt her eyes sting and ache.

The Bastille is a harsh environment with strict rules. Although it's called a monastery, it's actually a prison. The nuns are like jailers, always watching you. You know very well that you can't escape on your own.

Only one young nun, who sympathizes with your plight and admires your refinement and beauty, is willing to secretly deliver a message to you.

Through her, you learn that your servants have been dismissed, the theater you care about most has been bought by your uncle's men, and Richard has gone with them.

Sure enough...

Isn't this a betrayal?

However, betrayal between people is a common occurrence, and Alice has seen far too much of it in the court.

Moreover, to be more specific, it was also because she failed to provide adequate support in the first place.

Richard is a playwright, and he naturally needs a powerful backer to fully utilize his talents...

Leaving himself is a good thing; hopefully, he can write even greater works.

Alice sighed and went about finding an explanation for herself.

However, no matter how reasonable the explanation was, she couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth.

But what can she do?

She was no longer a princess, but a prisoner.

Subsequent simulations were unremarkable.

The life of prisoners in the monastery was monotonous and arduous.

Her only pleasure came from the books that the little nun had secretly brought in from outside.

But one day, the young nun's actions were discovered by the old nanny, and she was whipped. She could no longer bear to ask others to take such risks.

Alice bit her lip with her pearly white teeth, knowing that this simulation would most likely end with her being locked up until she died of old age.

until……

That night, a muffled rumble came from the earth.

Half the sky outside the monastery turned red, as if a rain of fire had ignited the atmosphere.

A well-equipped mercenary squad stormed the monastery, eliminated the guards, and rescued you.

You notice that the person leading the group is your former maid.

She tells you that Richard orchestrated a city-wide rebellion to save you, and that he left you a letter.

The sudden reversal left Alice in disbelief.

She had assumed that Richard had switched allegiance to his political enemies and gone off to pursue artistic freedom and luxurious wealth!

Richard didn't betray her... on the contrary, he was patiently waiting, wanting to save her?

I misunderstood him!

He must have suffered a lot and endured a lot of injustice over the years!

But...why?

Does the kindness I showed him deserve this?

Alice quickly read the letter.

You ran while tearing open the letter.

The first half of the letter is a long narrative in which Richard briefly describes his view of the situation in Vatican City, the desires and predicaments of various social classes, the possible changes in the future, and the three possible strategies—superior, middle, and inferior—that you could adopt if you wished to retire into seclusion or regain control of the empire.

Even though Alice doesn't usually like politics, she understood the value behind these words after reading them.

She was surprised that Richard had the talent to be prime minister.

The latter part of the letter is just a short poem.

The greatest distance in the world is not the distance between life and death, but the distance between you and me standing right in front of me, and you not knowing that I love you. The greatest distance in the world is the distance between a bird and a fish, one soaring through the sky, the other diving deep into the sea.

(Note: This poem was probably not written by Tagore, but I think it's quite appropriate to use it here.)

This is undoubtedly a love poem.

Alice suddenly understood.

It turns out that love is the answer.

Has Richard always...loved me?

Is he really willing to go to such lengths for love...?

How much bitterness must he feel when others accuse him of moral depravity?

You raise your head and gaze towards the direction of the theater.

First you saw hordes of royal guards, then you saw towering explosions, and finally you saw a roaring dragon.

Tears welled up in your eyes because you clearly realized something.

He is dead.

With the protection of others, you escaped safely.

The next day, you heard that after the theater explosion, the strange dragon inexplicably slaughtered half the city and killed your uncle.

Having avenged your great grudge, you feel no joy.

Because you only realized last night that you loved Richard just as much... and you'll never see him again.

Your heart is ashen, and you choose to live out your days in seclusion.

This simulation has ended.

Do you want to receive memory details during the simulation?

Alice froze on the bed, instinctively choosing to accept it.

More than a decade of memories overwhelmed her brain, and she clenched her teeth in pain.

Then... tears started flowing uncontrollably.

The joy of watching a great play.

The desolation of being imprisoned in a monastery.

The pain of being betrayed.

The shock after being rescued.

Having wrongly accused Richard, reading his letters and witnessing his death firsthand, she felt heartache, sorrow, self-blame, and remorse...

It took Alice a long, long time to recover.

When I opened my eyes, the bed was a complete mess.

The pillow was completely soaked with tears. The upper half of the silk quilt was lifted to the side of the bed, while the lower half was sandwiched between her plump, white, and tender long legs, crumpled into a warm, damp mass.

The pink pajamas also had large wet patches, as if Alice had just finished playing a game of tennis in them. With the girl's rapid breathing, the rise and fall of her chest revealed a heat and allure that could make a young boy blush.

"I... I really lost my composure..."

Alice brushed the strands of hair that clung to her rosy cheeks behind her ear and made a self-deprecating remark.

Then she felt fortunate.

Fortunately, it was all just a simulation.

Fortunately, she still had time to salvage the situation!

We absolutely cannot let him suffer such hardship in the real world...