76. Are You Jealous Right Now?
The faint light flickered along the sharp lines of Cayenne’s face.
In the unsteady glow, only his crimson eyes gleamed with a chilling brilliance.
He was a man so breathtakingly beautiful that it stole her breath away.
Yet at the same time, those eyes seemed cruel to the point of horror, and Roselia unconsciously shrank back.
Just a moment ago, his face had seemed so divine, almost reverent, as though blessed by the gods.
But now… now he looked like a demon wearing a human mask.
Cayenne’s relentless gaze swept over Roselia. He met her wide, frozen eyes—frightened, bewildered—with a playful look.
The eyes that normally glared down at him with authority had turned strangely soft, stirring an inexplicable thrill within him.
She had intended to use her beauty to seduce and manipulate him. But now, she couldn’t tell who was seducing whom.
Meanwhile, Roselia’s mind spun frantically, trying to grasp the situation despite her shock.
The answer was obvious.
Cayenne may have sparked this situation, but the one who drove it to its peak was the Administrator.
That damn Administrator…
Judging by the way she had been thrown onto the bed the instant the system window appeared, this was without a doubt another one of the Administrator’s tricks.
I’ll deal with him later. For now—
“Where are you looking?”
“…!”
Just as her eyes darted away, Cayenne gently cupped her chin.
Her gaze was locked squarely onto his. Only then did he smile, satisfied, like a predator with a full belly.
“How could you possibly look away from a man as handsome as me?”
He spoke in a tone as though wounded.
His face wore a sulky expression, though Roselia could tell it was entirely an act.
The difference was stark compared to his daytime self—the one whose emotions spilled out so transparently because he couldn’t hide them.
“Won’t you move?”
Roselia glared at him.
She knew he was self-indulgent, but why was it that whenever she was with him, she always ended up getting swept up in his pace?
She could pull out the protective pendant at her throat if she wanted to get away from him right now.
But damn that “Max Luck Buff”—it had the effect of making people go along with the situation.
“Master, don’t we need to have a conversation?”
“Conversation? You call this a conversation?”
Roselia snapped at him, exasperated.
Her rationality and the thick, cloying sensations that clouded her senses clashed fiercely within her.
She couldn’t even tell if this was the Administrator’s manipulation, or Cayenne’s doing.
Her sharp judgment was sinking deeper and deeper into a mire.
She fiddled with the pendant at her throat, glaring at him.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Mm. Master, do you realize how contradictory you are?”
Cayenne looked down at her quietly, as though studying her.
She acted high-handed and domineering, playing the role of “master,” but in truth she didn’t seem accustomed to ruling over anyone.
She had claimed she bought him as a servant, yet she seemed almost naïve—as though she hadn’t expected situations like this at all.
Cayenne was testing his master, dancing right on the edge of the line.
Perhaps, he thought boldly, the ownership of the leash might soon change hands. And that bold thought was quickly hardening into certainty.
“What are you talking about?”
Roselia frowned as he dropped hints but failed to explain.
“Master knows me suspiciously well. Too well to be explained away by ‘good information.’ There’s something more.”
So quick on the uptake…
Roselia flinched inwardly but tried her best not to show it.
“How could you possibly know about me—a man with no clear origin or identity? And how did you find me?”
“……”
“Could it be… that you had some connection with me before? That thought keeps coming back to me.”
She couldn’t exactly tell him she had read the original story.
What do other transmigrators do at times like this…?
Roselia’s mind raced, but in the heat that felt like it was melting her whole body, she couldn’t think of a convincing excuse.
In fact, she hadn’t been thinking clearly for some time now.
“I’m curious what goes on in that small, pretty head of yours.”
He tapped her temple lightly with his long, elegant fingers.
His tone was playful, but his touch was delicate, almost reverent—like brushing against a fragile flower petal.
“And you? Have you figured anything out about me?”
“Not at all.”
The truth was, he had dug into her background himself. But most of what he found was trivial.
Of course, small scraps of information could add up to meaningful clues over time…
“That’s why I find you even more interesting. I want to stay at your side and peel back every hidden layer of you.”
Cayenne smiled, his eyes crinkling beautifully.
At the same time, he leaned in closer and closer to Roselia.
“W-wait.”
His hot breath brushed against her nose—
【SYSTEM: The effect of “#MaxLuck Buff” has been forcibly terminated!】
With the fickle system’s announcement, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Roselia realized that the thick heat clouding her reason had vanished.
“…!”
In that instant, without a shred of hesitation, she kicked Cayenne squarely between the legs.
Meanwhile, in the Transmigrator Management Department.
The Administrator and Ian were watching Roselia on the smartphone screen.
The romance scene between Roselia and Cayenne was rushing toward its climax—
Click.
“…What?”
The Administrator abruptly turned off the screen.
Ian, cut off mid-scene, looked completely flustered.
“Why’d you do that all of a sudden?”
“I’m bored now.”
“What are you talking about? It was just getting to the climax! Hand me the phone!”
Ian struggled to grab the smartphone, but the Administrator shoved it all the way to the edge of the desk.
“Seriously? You set the stage and then quit halfway? What kind of personality is that?”
Ian tore at his hair in frustration.
He had sworn never to get sucked into cliché transmigration romance stories again—but here he was, hooked on this new one.
Honestly, he didn’t care who Roselia ended up dating…
“But what kind of heroine makes the male lead impotent?! I need to see the next scene!”
This wasn’t some fluffy romance—it was practically a raw, unscripted human drama.
After all, failed romances were always more entertaining than successful ones. From his safe spot beyond the screen, the worse things went, the more thrilling it was.
But no matter how much Ian fussed, the Administrator remained silent.
“Fine. Whatever. You think you’re the only one with an account? I’ll just log in with mine.”
Ian tapped at his tablet, trying to access his “rotted-romance” account. But the Administrator’s silence felt strange.
“…?”
Normally, he’d be squealing at the juicy romance by now, but his face was unusually stiff.
“What’s with your expression?”
Ian felt something was off.
The Administrator’s usual goofy grin was gone, replaced with a faint trace of displeasure.
Even his once-sparkling eyes now looked grim.
From that alone, Ian instantly realized something had changed.
Don’t tell me… he’s fallen for the transmigrator…
His eyes widened, and he slapped a hand over his own mouth.
As much as Ian loved messy romance drama, he had no desire to watch his coworker’s downfall firsthand.
But if this makes him awaken…
“Hey, you—”
Just as Ian was about to say something, a warning alarm blared from the Administrator’s phone.
“…!”
Everyone in the department turned their heads immediately.
Both the Administrator and Ian dove for the phone at the same time.
【WARNING! A major disruption to the original storyline has been detected!】
“…No way.”
“Damn it.”
A sharp alarm rang out as a bright red system window filled the screen.
The Administrator cursed under his breath, jabbing furiously at the touchscreen.
System warnings were nothing new; he’d gotten plenty before.
But if he was hit with a “viewing ban” penalty, he wouldn’t be able to monitor Roselia’s progress through his admin account. That would be troublesome…
【ERROR! Invalid access detected!】
【Evidence of potential system abuse by this account has been found.】
But the system’s balance-scale weighed heavier this time, bringing down a stricter judgment.
【The Original Protection System is imposing a penalty on the Administrator.】
【SYSTEM: Some administrator privileges have been revoked.】
【SYSTEM: Penalty duration: (indefinite).】
“…What?”
Uh oh