[Alright, Host! Keep earning points!] The system snickered one last time before falling silent.
Elena Bennett lay on the bed, digesting the information she'd just received.
A point system? So besides main quests, the system would also issue scenario or hidden missions to earn points, which could be exchanged for information or items.
Though she couldn't afford the full details about the White Moonlight right now, the clue of the "iris necklace" was a promising start.
With this newbie gift pack, she suddenly felt much more confident in this world.
Over the next two days, Elena Bennett strictly followed her strategy of "resting in bed" and "keeping a cold distance."
She barely left the guest bedroom, with meals delivered by the maid. She ate little, but each time she would politely murmur "thank you" before falling silent again.
Julian Ford came twice to ask the doctor about her condition.
At the sound of his footsteps or knock, Elena Bennett would immediately tense up, her body stiffening slightly.
If he entered, she would lower her eyes, avoiding his gaze, call him "Brother" softly, and then say nothing more.
Her answers to his questions were short and quiet, filled with obvious trepidation… and a faint, hard-to-detect fear.
She no longer threw herself at him at the first sight, chattering away to fill the silence.
Now she was so quiet she barely existed.
Even when he lingered, she would shrink subtly into the quilt or glance out the window, clearly signaling "please keep your distance."
This change was too abrupt, too… eerie.
On his third visit, Julian Ford knocked twice, but got no response.
Worried she might have a relapse of her high fever or some other accident, he hesitated a moment before pushing the door open.
However, the sight before him froze him in place, his steps halting abruptly.
Elena Bennett was facing the door, her nightgown half-slid down to her waist. She leaned slightly to the side, her slender fingers coated in ointment, clumsily trying to apply it to a hard-to-reach wound on her back.
Her fair lower back, with faint bruises peeking through, and her slightly furrowed face from the discomfort, formed an extremely fragile scene.
Julian Ford's throat tightened. He immediately turned away awkwardly and muttered an apology.
The sudden noise made Elena Bennett jump. She quickly pulled the quilt over herself, her face flushing bright red, her eyes darting panic-stricken toward the door.
When she saw the tall, straight figure was Julian Ford, her panic faded into pale embarrassment and awkwardness.
"You… why didn't you knock first!" Her voice held a hint of resentment, her fingers clutching the quilt over her chest tightly.
"I did knock. You didn't answer." Julian Ford kept his back to her, his voice lower and huskier than usual. "I was afraid something had happened to you."
Elena Bennett bit her lip, lowering her eyes, her voice weakening: "Maybe… maybe I didn't hear it…"
A suffocating silence spread through the room.
Finally, Elena Bennett spoke first, her voice still soft, deliberately keeping a distance: "Brother… did you come to see me for something?"
Julian Ford remembered his purpose: "There's a banquet tonight. Would you like to… come with me?"
In the past, the original owner would have jumped for joy at such an invitation, pestering him about which dress to wear.
But now, with her new strategy, she couldn't fawn over him like before.
Elena Bennett refused gently: "No, thank you, Brother. I'm still not feeling well. I don't want to be a bother."
This crisp rejection was something Julian Ford had never received from her before.
He was taken aback. He'd extended the invitation out of a desire to make amends.
He thought she might be cooped up and depressed, and a change of scenery might do her good.
He turned around to see she'd already covered herself again, head bowed, only the top of her hair visible—completely shutting him out, wanting to hide.
The words on his tongue died away. In the end, he only replied calmly: "Alright. Rest well."
With that, he left the guest bedroom without another word, gently closing the door behind him.
Julian Ford walked to the end of the second-floor corridor, pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, and lit one.
Smoke swirled, blurring his sharp features and the faint furrow between his brows.
His gaze drifted involuntarily to the closed guest bedroom door.
Since that night, she really had changed a lot.
No longer clingy, no longer chasing him with greedy eyes. She'd become quiet, distant, even… afraid of him.
She rejected his invitations outright and avoided him carefully.
Wasn't this exactly what he'd always wanted? For her to stop pestering him, to know her place, to disappear from his sight?
So why, at this moment, did he not feel the relief of getting what he wanted? Instead, it felt like something was stuck in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable, impossible to name.
Inside the guest bedroom.
Once the sound of his footsteps had faded completely, Elena Bennett's expression vanished in an instant.
She slowly straightened her nightgown, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes.
That "accident" had been a carefully calculated part of her plan.
She needed him to see the harm he'd caused her, deepening his guilt, while maintaining the fragile image of a victim who was now afraid to face him.
She skillfully pulled up the system panel in her mind.
[Strategy Target 1: Julian Ford]
[Current Affection: -9% (Disgust)]
It had increased by another 3 points.
Elena Bennett tapped the numbers on the virtual panel lightly, a silent, triumphant smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
It seemed this "sober detachment" tactic worked even better than she'd expected.
Julian Ford, you really… are starting to get used to it, aren't you?
You'd grown accustomed to the original owner's constant chasing and noise. Now that she'd suddenly pulled away, the abrupt silence and empty space left behind made you feel lost!
Good. This "discomfort" was exactly what she wanted.
The loss and unease caused by her sudden withdrawal were the perfect soil for Affection to slowly take root and grow.
But slow asphyxiation wasn't enough. Next, it was time for a potent dose.