Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 187: Confronting Marci

"You!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "You monster!"

She pointed a trembling finger at him. "I let you into my home! I showed you kindness! And this is how you repay me? You hurt my father! You steal my people!"

Riku’s cold expression softened slightly. He saw the terrified young woman choking on tears as she defended her father. He felt a pang of guilt.

"Miss Marci," he began, his voice losing its hard edge. "I did not wish to harm your father. This is a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" she shrieked, cutting him off. "You deceived me! You used my kindness to get into my home! You are a liar and a brute!"

Rennan stepped forward slowly. His hands were raised in a peaceful gesture. "Young Miss Marci," he said. His voice was gentle but firm. "He is not a monster."

"He is!" she sobbed. She did not take her eyes off Riku. "He is a thief and a brute!"

"No," Rennan said. His voice was full of a quiet sadness. "He is my friend."

He looked at her. His expression was one of sincere gratitude. "You and your father... you were kind to me. You defended me from the law in Dreadspire for possessing light artifacts, and even gave me a place to stay, taking on the responsibility for if anything went wrong."

He paused. He looked around at the simple, prosperous village of Elowen. "But this... this is my home. These are my people. This is where I belong."

He met her gaze directly. "I was not stolen, Young Miss. I chose to come home."

Marci stared at Rennan. Her tear-filled eyes widened in disbelief. Then, the hurt curdled into a new, sharper fury. It was not directed at Riku anymore. It was directed at him.

"Why?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a pain that was sharper than anger. "Why would you do this? My father gave you a workshop. He gave you resources. He treated you like a prized guest."

She scrambled to her feet, her hands clenched into fists. "He protected you! And you chose this... this hovel... over us? Was his kindness worth so little to you?"

"Your father’s kindness was a gilded cage, Young Miss," Rennan replied, his voice still gentle but firm. "He helped me, but he kept me away from my family. My home. My friends only helped me return home."

Marci laughed. It was a broken, bitter sound. "Home." She spat the word like poison.

"My cousins, the advisors... they all told me I was naive," she said, her voice rising. "They said kindness was a weakness. They said you must rule with fear and power."

Her voice cracked. "But I didn’t listen! I told them they were wrong! I told them that showing kindness, showing trust... that was the true path to loyalty! What a fool I was."

"When you were about to be sentenced for possessing light artifacts, I was the one who convinced my father to save you, given that you had arrived at my home. The other day, I let this battle-mage and his companion in because I felt that they really wanted my father’s help."

"Now look where that landed my father..."

Marci looked from Rennan’s sad face to Riku’s calm one. Her tears had stopped. Her expression was hardening. It was like molten glass cooling into something sharp and brittle.

"You both," she said, her voice now cold and empty. "You have taught me a valuable lesson today. The most valuable lesson of all."

She raised a trembling hand. She swore an oath to the cold, uncaring sky. "I swear it now. From this day forward, I will never be kind again. I will never trust again. I will be the daughter my father deserves. I will be strong. I will be cruel. I will do whatever it takes."

"I will never, ever be made a fool of again."

She turned and helped her stunned father to his feet. Her face was a cold, emotionless mask. The naive young woman who had invited them in was gone. In her place stood the true heir of House Falco.

As Marci helped her father limp away, a red panel flashed urgently in Riku’s mind.

Ding!

[MISSION ALERT: ’The Lord’s Tantrum’ mission is in imminent danger of failure.]

Riku frowned. Failure? Why? he thought, confused. I diffused the fight. No one was seriously hurt. I was about to talk to him, just like the mission said.

The System’s reply was immediate and clinical.

[The primary objective ’Ascertain the true motivations of Lord Falco’ is no longer achievable through peaceful diffusion. The secondary subject, Marci Falco, has undergone a significant character alignment shift towards hostility.]

Riku mentally reeled. What does she have to do with it? The mission was about him.

[Her core belief in kindness has been shattered by the Host’s actions,] the System continued. [This has created a new, long-term hostile entity. The mission parameters required a peaceful resolution that maintained or improved relations. The current outcome has created a future antagonist and solidified House Falco’s animosity. This is a net-negative diplomatic result. Mission failure is projected at 98% upon their departure.]

Riku looked at Marci’s back. He saw her cold, straight posture. He saw the way she supported her father without a single tear. The system was right. He hadn’t just won a fight. He had broken something inside her. He had created a new enemy. One who was once an ally.

This was a different kind of failure. It was a failure of understanding. A failure of diplomacy. And it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Marci turned to her Head Mage. Vexia was still kneeling on the ground, shaken.

"Mistress Vexia," Marci’s voice was cold. It was devoid of its earlier warmth. "Get up. We are leaving."

Vexia looked up. The crimson lights in her hood were dim. She slowly got to her feet.

Marci then looked at Rudolf and the Violet Emissary. "Our business here is concluded. We will take our leave."

Rudolf and the Emissary exchanged a look. They said nothing. They knew this situation had spiraled out of control.

Vexia began to chant a teleportation spell. A shimmering, dark portal began to form in the air.

Riku watched them. He saw the cold resolve in Marci’s eyes. He saw the hatred. The System’s warning echoed in his mind. A new, long-term hostile entity.

He couldn’t let them leave like this. Not with this poison festering.

He moved.

He appeared in front of the forming portal. He blocked their path.

Marci’s eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way."

Riku looked at her. His expression was no longer angry. It was filled with a quiet, sincere regret.

"Wait," he said.