What was that? Why the sharp response?
Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?
Or… did it sound like I was overstepping?
Just as I was wondering, the reply that came back was cold as ice.
“… Why would you want to know that?”
“Sorry? Oh, I was just…”
“There’s no need for you to concern yourself with such matters, Miss Windsor.”
No need for me to know?
Sure, maybe not.
They were probably already thinking I was trying to assert authority, even though I barely knew anything. They might even be saying I was trying to keep the servants in line already.
Judging by how the attendant had reacted when we met, this definitely wasn’t the first time a fiancée had crossed that boundary in the game’s storyline.
And now, I was playing the role of the Duke’s new fiancée.
If this was some form of pushback, then like any self-respecting protagonist, I had to stand my ground.
“No, I do need to know.”
“… Pardon?”
I placed my hands on my hips and declared with confidence.
“Because I’ll soon be the lady of House Belmond.”
“….”
“Starting from now?”
The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
I couldn’t quite explain it, but it felt like everyone was watching me… a strange sort of pressure that weighed down on me.
Ugh. Even if it was just a graphical bug that left everyone without eyes, noses, or mouths, this kind of silence was seriously uncomfortable.
Even though I’d spoken confidently at first, I could feel my determination shrinking more and more under the awkward tension.
But then.
“You’re right…”
The head chef’s surprisingly mild response immediately broke the tension.
[Affection Level +5]
On top of that, I even gained affection points.
Not just from the head chef, but also from the head maid, who had been standing nearby watching. A notification popped up above her head, showing her affection level had increased, too.
“Indeed. You are soon to become the Duchess of House Belmond. I was flustered and momentarily forgot myself. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“O-oh, it’s fine… I wasn’t expecting an apology or anything…”
While I awkwardly waved my hands in dismissal, the head chef bowed politely, then gave a small nod before answering my earlier question.
“The food supplies are stored in the basement.”
“The basement?”
Hmm, I guess they chose a cooler location to help preserve freshness?
But the basement—by nature—was the kind of place where, if not properly maintained, mold could easily grow.
No, wait. I had overlooked something even more important: they didn’t even have proper chicken feed stocked here.
I might’ve used the excuse of being the future lady of the house, but the truth was, I’d been suspicious from the start of the ingredients themselves.
In other words, whether it was the storage conditions or the food supply, a serious error that the NPCs couldn’t detect might’ve already occurred.
“May I take a look for myself?”
“Pardon…?”
Ignoring the head chef’s flustered reaction, I turned my gaze toward the head maid and spoke with firm resolve.
“Please take me there. Right now.”
“… As you wish, Miss Windsor.”
The head maid and head chef exchanged uncertain glances for a moment, but soon accepted my request without protest.
And their attitude had grown noticeably more polite, too—seems the future-duchess card was more effective than expected.
And so we arrived at the basement.
The path down the staircase was far darker than I’d imagined.
The lamps embedded sporadically along the walls were caked with thick dust, as though they hadn’t been lit in ages, and the damp floor held shallow puddles of stagnant water.
“Ugh.”
The moment the door creaked open, a wave of musty air burst out from between the cracks in the aged wood.
No—musty didn’t cut it; the stench was so vile, calling it “mold” was an insult.
But I couldn’t let it show. Because…
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”
The head chef stood with his head deeply bowed, repeating his apologies like he’d committed some unspeakable crime.
And beside him, the head maid stood just as shamefaced, which made it incredibly hard to focus.
“Uhm, well… It’s quite a practical space. Spacious, cool—ideal conditions for storing ingredients, I suppose…”
Muttering as casually as I could manage, I stepped into the basement.
[You have entered a new area for the first time. Exploration reward granted: +300 Diamonds.]
[New Area 〈Belmond Ducal Castle — Basement〉
A storage area used by the Belmond household for food supplies.
Caution! Due to poor management, many of the ingredients stored here have rotted.]
As I read the message, my expression gradually darkened.
They’d been cooking with spoiled ingredients all this time? So my suspicions were right on target.
‘A bug? Or is this part of the storyline?’
Either way, it was a serious issue.
Letting out a quiet sigh, I stood still, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark.
And then—a crimson warning message flared directly in front of me.
[Unverified visual data is being blocked.
Visual protection filter activated.
WARNING! Prolonged exposure may cause discomfort and cognitive confusion.]
“Filter?”
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, laced with confusion.
As the system message faded, my eyes were met with large mosaic blurs scattered throughout the room—literal patches of censored ‘visual data’.
I blinked and rubbed my eyes, trying to refocus, but the mosaics remained. A good chunk of the basement was visibly pixelated, like a TV broadcast censoring cigarettes or knives.
“Wow.”
How bad could it be that they wouldn’t even let us look at it directly?
Still, it wasn’t like I wanted to see rotting slabs of meat or whatever was back there. Honestly, this might be better.
“Miss Windsor…”
“One moment.”
I raised a hand to silence the head chef before he could make excuses, then stepped further into the room.
The more I saw, the worse it looked.
Sticky stains streaked the floor, and on the shelves sat unidentifiable lumps, oozing strange, viscous liquids.
“How long has this place been left like this?”
“T-that is…”
The head chef faltered, unable to give a proper answer. I stared at him for a moment, then reached out to touch one of the burlap sacks piled nearby—only to flinch and quickly pull my hand back at the damp, slimy sensation.
“From now on, don’t use any of the ingredients stored here. No, better yet—just throw everything out.”
“Pardon? B-but then… what are we supposed to cook with?”
“We’ll figure that out later.”
Gulp.
It might’ve been my imagination, but I could’ve sworn I heard someone swallow nervously.
‘This place needs a complete overhaul.’
But something about the whole situation was off.
From what I knew,〈Thump Thump: Fateful Love☆Crush〉was supposed to be a pure dating simulation.
So why did everything suddenly feel like… a management sim?
Was it because the devs thought romance alone wouldn’t be enough to keep players engaged in a full-scale VR game?
‘Well… I guess from a player’s perspective, more content is never a bad thing.’
Maybe it was all just a coincidence.
And right as that thought crossed my mind, a new quest window popped up.
[A Quest has arrived!
▶ Take Care of Belmond Ducal Castle!
Due to years of neglect, the Belmond Ducal Castle has fallen into disrepair.
As the future lady of the household, inspect the estate and carry out the necessary improvements to restore it to its former glory!
— Improvement List
∙ Improve the food storage and supply system (new!)
∙ ???
∙ ???
(Beginner’s TIP! For a steady supply of fresh ingredients, try checking out the ‘Cash Shop’.)
— Rewards
∙ 3,000 Diamonds
∙ Increased Affection Level of Main Characters]
* * *
Back in my room, the first thing I did was open the in-game shop.
“Where’s the gardening tab… Ah, found it!”
I tapped on the little trowel icon, and just like that, an entire catalog of items popped up before my eyes.
[Clean Soil – 500 Diamonds (20kg)
∙ Soil that can grow fresh crops even in the most barren wastelands.]
[Super-Grow Fertilizer – 300 Diamonds
∙ For farmers too impatient to wait. Cuts plant growth time by 50%.]
[HappyPlant All-Season Seed Set – 500 Diamonds
∙ A seasonal crop seed bundle. Same price, no matter the season.
(Harvest increases by 10% when grown in the ‘HappyPlant Greenhouse’, from the same manufacturer.)]
“Huhu… Huhuhu… Uhuhuh!”
As I scrolled through the item list, I couldn’t help but grin.
There were so many foods I’d been craving, but every time I thought of spending real cash to just buy them, the sting in my wallet nearly brought tears to my eyes.
I couldn’t afford to recklessly blow money—who knew what might happen over the next six months?
But if I could grow my actual ingredients with just ‘a little’ investment…
‘I could finally eat fried chicken.’
A mouthwatering image of spicy, sauce-glazed chicken flashed through my mind.
Of course, the actual cooking would be up to the chef, but hey—where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Ding!
Having made up my mind, I gave the bellpull beside the bed a cheerful tug.
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