QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)-Chapter 84: Different and memory manipulation

Chapter 84 – Evelyne POV

Her lips brush against the back of my hand.

Soft. Too soft.

"Daphne, what are you doing?" I hiss, yanking my hand away and glancing around, heart racing.

But she just smiles—smiles—and steps forward, catching me by the waist with one arm, pulling me close.

"I’m only treating a noble lady with proper care, no?" she says, eyes gleaming with something mischievous.

I freeze.

I feel her fingers against my waist through the thin fabric of my gown and forget how to breathe.

She’s always been charming in quiet, aching ways—but this?

This is new.

I do the only thing my panicked mind can think of.

I stomp her foot, flush red, and whirl away like a debutante who’s read far too many scandal sheets.

And flee.

Something’s wrong.

She’s different.

I’m not imagining it. I know I’m not.

Her smile—less sad. Her eyes—lighter. There’s something gone from them, and that something is what I first fell in love with: the grief. The loneliness. The shadow that used to cling to her like a second skin.

It’s gone.

And now she flirts. She jokes. She smiles like I’m not a ticking time bomb in her chest.

I have to know why.

"Why is she like this?" I ask the only person who might know: her maid, Jane.

Daphne is currently bathing at the stream. It’s the only time I can catch Jane alone without suspicion.

Jane hesitates. Her hands are folded, eyes downcast.

"I don’t know what you mean, Your Grace."

"Don’t lie to me."

Jane swallows hard. "There... is something."

I raise a brow. "Go on."

"A few nights ago, my lady asked me to help her hide... paintings."

"Paintings?" I ask sharply.

"Of the foreign woman," she whispers.

"The one that looks like you."

I go still.My blood runs cold.

"...And?" I press.

Jane fidgets. "There’s been talk in the town. Rumors of a traveler... a witch. My lady met her."

My pulse begins to race.

"I didn’t hear what they said, but I... I heard something."

"What?"

Jane looks up, frightened. "She asked if she could forget. Her memories."

For a moment, the world spins.

No.

"What?" I say, laughing—sharp and disbelieving. "That’s ridiculous. There’s no way that would have—"

But the words die in my throat.

Because suddenly, this week plays like a dream behind my eyes.

Her light laughter.

The way she smiles without weight.

No shadows. No hesitation. No grief.

Just me.

"...Worked."

It worked...Didn’t it?

My stomach twists, my breath short. I press a hand to my chest.

"I need some space... alone."

Jane and Frida bow quickly and retreat.

I stay there. Still. Rooted.

Alone with a war in my chest.

This is bad. Very bad.

Some spell, some supernatural meddling—I don’t know the mechanics. Only the result.

And yet...

She’s in love with me.

Not her.

Not a ghost.

Not a version of someone long dead.

Me.

My fingers tremble.

I should be horrified. I am horrified. But there’s a traitorous part of me—deep, dark, and selfish—that whispers,

You finally have her.

I’ve mourned the injustice of it all for so long. Knowing she never looked at me—just me—with those eyes. Knowing I was always chasing a memory I could never measure up to.

But this...

This proves my point, doesn’t it?

If Daphne had met me first, she would have loved me.

That’s when arms wrap around my waist.

I gasp and turn—

And I’m met with the scent of soap and streamwater, the softness of damp hair, and dark brown eyes staring into mine with unguarded warmth.

Her smile is gentle. Real.

And she’s here.

With me.

Spell or not—

I don’t care.

***

7 Days Ago.

***

[Host, listen to me—]

The system’s voice is tense, a soft blue orb flickering as it floats nervously through the air.

In the dim candlelight of the medieval bedroom, Daphne sits on the cold stone floor.

Dark circles bloom under her eyes. Her shoulders slump from exhaustion. But her gaze—her gaze is sharp. Focused.

"I’ve thought about it," she says quietly.

Final.

[You don’t get it. Borrowing system points is dangerous. This isn’t just a ’temporary cost.’ This will triple our debt. You’ll be locked out of essential skills—]

"I know," Daphne cuts in. Her voice doesn’t rise. It doesn’t waver.

"But my mind is made up."

The system pulses dimly.

[I hope you don’t regret this.]

She already does.

She already knows she will.

But grief doesn’t leave room for logic. Grief makes you bleed yourself dry, just for a moment of stillness.

Just to breathe without pain.

Just to forget.

She reaches forward.

A shimmering holographic interface materializes before her, glowing faintly like a cursed mirror. System Shop flashes across the top.

She doesn’t hesitate.

She scrolls.

Scrolls.

Category: Restricted Tools > Mental Adjustments > Memory Alteration (Level 1)

Cost: 700 SP

Borrowed: Yes

Interest: 2100 SP

She taps Purchase.

A warning prompt flashes.

This Purchase Is Irreversible. Proceed?

Daphne presses Yes.

The moment she presses Yes, the system glows blinding white.

> [Skill Downloaded.]

[Please Specify Target Memory for Modification.]

Daphne’s hand trembles slightly.

Her eyes sting, but no tears fall.

"Only the memories of her," she whispers. "Just her. Jiang Yuxi."

There’s a pause.

> [Confirm: Partial Erasure of Emotional and Cognitive Data Related to Subject Jiang Yuxi?]

[Memory will be locked and sealed. Restoration will occur automatically upon completion of this world.]

[This action is irreversible until world termination.]

Her voice cracks, just barely.

"...Yes."

A final confirmation flashes in the air. She clicks it with hands that no longer feel like hers.

The orb flares.

Something pulls behind her eyes—deep, aching, like a pressure building inside her skull.

She gasps.

Her heart pounds in confusion as a thousand images flutter behind her closed eyelids: Yuxi’s laugh. Her hands. Her voice. Her tears.

Her kiss.

Then—

Darkness.

Her chest tightens. The pain is sharp, then dull. And then

...

Gone.

Empty.

Like a door has been closed. Locked from the outside.

And in its place, only silence.

The ache she’d grown used to—the ache that had haunted her through every world—is no longer there.

Daphne blinks slowly, looking around the room like she’s forgotten why she came in.

The system orb hovers silently in the corner.

> [Memory seal complete.]

[System Points Remaining: -1891]

[Warning: Future tools restricted until balance is restored.]

[Memory will return upon completion of World #2: "I Was Born As A Duke in a Medieval Kingdom."]