The press tour kicked off in Marseille.
Everything was sleek—hotel suites, custom outfits, silver microphones, and smiling handlers. But Lina had already learned that the sharper the smile, the deeper the cut.
She wore a high-necked white blouse tucked into black slacks. Polished. Serene. Powerful.
The camera lights flared.
She was seated next to her co-star on a low velvet couch, a line of reporters before them like judges in a silent trial.
---
[System Notification: Passive Buff – Scandal Immunity Active (2 Chapters Remaining)]
[Task: Maintain Composure – International Press Tour, Segment 1]
Reward: +2 Grace | Interview Handling Skill Fragment 1/3 | Network Stability Increase]
---
For thirty minutes, the questions were routine.
Until the final reporter stood up.
French, early thirties. Crisp suit. Casual cruelty in his eyes.
"Miss Vale," he said, "you've risen so fast—almost unnaturally so. Some believe tragedy makes for the best performances. Would you say your… orphanhood helped your craft? Or is it just a marketable backstory?"
The room stilled.
Her co-star shifted uncomfortably.
The translator's voice wavered as they repeated the question in English.
But Lina had already understood.
She didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Inside, the old wound split open.
> Her aunt's cold eyes.
The silence of a home that never felt like one.
A childhood friend's betrayal.
The night the world cracked open—and the System was born.
---
[System Decision: Confront or Dismiss?]
A. Confront – Reveal personal truth with control. (Emotional Risk: High)
B. Dismiss – Silence with wit. (Reputation Risk: None)
C. Deflect – Redirect with strategic elegance. (Risk: Weak Impact)
[AI Companion: The world already watches. What do you want them to see?]
---
Lina exhaled through her nose.
Her voice was steady.
"The dead don't make good teachers. They just make you lonelier."
The room went silent.
She leaned forward slightly.
"But to answer your question—yes. I was broken. I just happened to bleed into something people could sell tickets to."
No one breathed.
Then she smiled, slow and soft. "Next question?"
---
[Task Complete: International Press Tour – Segment 1: SUCCESS]
[Reward: +2 Grace | Interview Skill Fragment 1/3 | Emotional Resilience +1]
[System Comment: That wasn't just grace under pressure. That was fire through glass.]
---
Back in the hotel suite, Lina poured herself a cup of tea with trembling hands.
The System buzzed faintly beside her.
Then—unexpectedly—the AI's voice dropped lower, almost... fond.
> "You're growing, Lina. I see the shape of who you're becoming. And so does the world."
Her phone lit up.
> Caden: "That was brutal. Beautiful. They won't forget it—and neither will I."
She typed slowly.
> Lina: "I didn't say it for them."
A pause.
Then:
> Caden: "I know. That's why it mattered."
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Grace: +2
Interview Skill Fragment: 1/3
Emotional Resilience: +1
System Affection Level: Strengthening
Caden Affection: +2
Public Sentiment: Shifted – "Tragic Royalty" Archetype
---
End of Chapter 33
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