NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: System Appeared!
"You… what?"
"What? Too scared to prove your legitimacy, Young Mas-ter?"
A challenge, right from the start. Why had the situation escalated so quickly?
I could only stand there, stunned, while the man chuckled. His mouth opened, as if ready to mock me again—
"Gideon, that's enough!"
A different voice cut in.
"What? Are you trying to stop me from demanding divine judgment? Don't act like some last-minute hero, Liam."
The man who had spoken, Liam, stepped between us. "I'm trying to stop you from making a fool of yourself. Do you even realize what you're doing? You're trying to strip your own nephew of his rights—at his father's memorial service!"
"If he really is my nephew."
The weight of Gideon's words sent a chill through the room.
"…Gideon, you—"
"What? A bunch of hypocrites." Gideon gritted his teeth, pointing at me in pure disgust. "Are you all seriously willing to accept this monster as family?"
Silence. No one answered.
Only Liam had the courage to respond. "You're going too far."
"Too far? No. This is going too far. He was born by taking my sister's life! His birth killed his own mother! If that isn't proof, then what is?"
Gideon scoffed. "I'm done with this pathetic little family drama. I'll handle things my own way."
With that, he grabbed the hand of a woman beside him—his partner, it seemed—and stormed out of the cathedral.
An awkward silence filled the air.
"Young Master, please continue." Liam's voice cut through the tension as he returned to his seat.
And just like that… I had survived my first crisis.
*#*
After the speech, the priest led another prayer to conclude the ceremony.
The guests then moved to the courtyard behind the cathedral, where food and drinks had been prepared.
The menu was classic and elegant—lamb with mint sauce, oysters, savory pudding, sweet pastries.
Everything looked so delicious my mouth almost watered.
But I did what my sister did: I took only a glass of wine.
Even the glass itself had an authentic design—tall and almost as thin as a spear.
I had only ever seen tableware like this in grand banquets on television, attended by powerful and influential figures.
Well, that made sense. Right now, as Ethan, I was one of those influential figures.
"Why didn't you read it as I wrote it?"
Of course, she would bring that up.
My sister looked furious. Her face hardened when she was angry.
"I felt… announcing it here would be too risky. Besides, I have my own preferences."
And after seeing how one of her recommended people—Gideon—was filled with resentment, I wasn't about to trust her judgment blindly.
"Are you joking? Your preferences? You were the one who told me to monitor all of them! For a whole year! And now you're saying all that effort was for nothing?"
She suddenly slammed her glass onto the ground.
The sharp crack made several people turn their heads, watching our argument unfold.
"I'm done with this!"
She spun around and walked away, leaving the gathering behind.
Should I go after her?
She was a missing piece of the puzzle.
If she had really been observing my relatives, why had she chosen to recommend the worst people to gain influence?
Why did she want me to empower my own enemies?
"Hey."
Someone tapped my shoulder.
I turned—and saw a familiar face.
A blonde man with short, slicked-back hair.
Liam. The one who had defended me earlier.
Compared to the rest of my relatives, Liam seemed more approachable.
Was this muscle memory? Or perhaps a remnant of Ethan's past?
Maybe the real Ethan Hudford had once been close to Liam.
"Something wrong?"
I shrugged. "Just a small fight. You know how my sister is—she struggles to control her emotions." A lie, but a convenient one.
"A fight?" Liam frowned, then sighed. "I hope you're not taking Gideon's words too seriously. When he was younger, he adored your mother. That's why, even after twenty-two years, he still can't let go of his hatred."
"I… understand," I supposed.
At the very least, it was true that Ethan had been born without a mother.
"But he wasn't entirely wrong." Liam's eyes darkened as he glanced at our other relatives. "Many still hold the same ridiculous resentment toward you."
"Do you, Liam?"
Liam seemed taken aback by my question.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I used to."
"Huh?"
"Diana was the kindest woman I had ever known. When she died giving birth to you, I… I couldn't help but feel anger toward you."
Another sigh. "But that was twenty-two years ago. Time should have given us the chance to grow and move on."
"I see." I nodded, understanding the bigger picture. "Thank you."
That Liam, too, could not be trusted.
*#*
The event continued with other rituals—singing a mourning hymn, scattering flowers at my father's grave.
And that was when I finally saw it.
The grave was on private land, a few kilometers from the cathedral.
We had to travel there in a convoy of cars.
It wasn't what I had expected. The grave was a simple stone mound, no larger than two meters.
It was the only grave in the area, giving it a lonely, sacred atmosphere.
Here lies,
Lord Archibald Wheeler Hudford.
Born on the 14th of July, 1523 – Departed this world on the 9th of December, 1575
"Time's hand moves ever forward, yet his legacy shall not fade."
If his death had been three years ago, then this is December 1578.
Which meant… three months until the prologue scenario.
Three months until the real problem began.
[You have been judged as an annoying and frustrating character by the audience.]
[Your actions are seen as reckless and thoughtless.]
[Your popularity has dropped by 7 points.]
…Huh?
What was this?
An interface?
It stayed in my vision, no matter which way I turned.
The view around me blurred slightly, making me dizzy.
I had heard about this from my junior—about a game system becoming real.
So it was happening to me, too?
A system?
"Young Master, is something wrong?"
Liam's voice snapped me back.
No, it wasn't just him. Everyone was watching me now.
Because it was my turn to scatter the flowers, yet I had stepped back without realizing it.
I swallowed hard, waving a hand dismissively. "Sorry, I'll be right back."
I turned and quickly headed to my car.
There, my chauffeur, who had been enjoying his cigar, flinched in surprise.
"Back so soon, sir?"
"No, no. I just need a moment."
Though puzzled, he didn't question it further.
I shut the car door. It felt hot.
But my mind was focused elsewhere.
"So… what is this? My junior said that with a system, I'd gain some sort of special power."
If I could get an ability strong enough to defeat the protagonist and survive, that would be more than enough.
I swallowed and cast the 'spell'.
"Status Open!"
It appeared!
Or… did it?
I had heard that it would show my stats in an RPG-like format.
But this…
~~~ Development Fragments: 0
~~~ Trait: -
~~~ Popularity: -7
Wasn't this too little? And what were Development Fragments?
[You are currently in a live-action simulation of Crimson Butterfly, broadcast in real-time.]
A new interface appeared beside me. It showed… my own face?
And next to it—a live chat, scrolling too fast to read.
A social media livestream.
And it had…
Two hundred thousand viewers?
[Due to your popularity dropping below zero, you have received a penalty.]
[You have acquired the