Chapter 1

I was terminally ill in my original world, so I bound myself to a system and reincarnated into a parallel universe. As long as I could max out the favorability score of any single person, I would earn the right to live.

Yet, when I was three years old, my parents' favorability toward me was zero.

When I turned eighteen, my fiancé's favorability was zero.

Now, at twenty-two, even the stray dog I had raised by hand had a favorability score of zero.

Completely broken, I officially submitted a request to the system to abandon my quest.

The system replied almost instantly.

"Are you certain? Once you forfeit, your physical body in this world will perish in seven days, and your soul will return to reality."

"I am certain."

The mechanical voice chimed again.

"Ding! Request received. A terminal illness program has been injected into your current vessel. You will depart in five days."

The moment the words faded, agonizing pain exploded throughout my body, tearing through my veins and bones.

The torment drained every ounce of my strength, and I collapsed onto the cold floor.

"Who gave you permission to sleep!"

A furious voice roared from nearby.

Before I could even process who it was, a pair of strong, slender hands yanked me up by my collar.

"No wonder Cecelia had another sudden attack. It is all because you were slacking off instead of praying for her here!"

Cecelia Evans was my older sister.

The day I was born, merely because I smiled at our parents, she burst into tears and screamed that she hated me, declaring that I was not allowed to steal their love.

Because of her tantrum, my parents discarded me in a remote countryside town for seventeen years, never once looking back.

Later, when the Evans family needed an alliance with the Thorne family, I was rushed through etiquette training for months just to get engaged to Grayson Thorne on my eighteenth birthday.

When Grayson was hunted down by his business rivals, I risked my life three times to save him, even trading ten years of my lifespan with the system for a location scrambler so he would never be tracked again.

I watched with hopeful eyes as his favorability bar climbed bit by bit, until the day he laid eyes on Cecelia.

The moment their gazes met, I saw awe and regret flash across both of their faces.

In a split second, his favorability toward me dropped straight to zero.

Soon after, Cecelia had an asthma attack and was rushed to the hospital.

To ensure her speedy recovery, Grayson dragged me to an austere mountain sanctuary, forcing me to become a penitent ascetic who prayed day and night for her health.

I had been trapped in that sanctuary for four agonizing years.

My worn penitent robe was already frayed, and beneath his violent tug, the fabric tore with a sharp rip.

I panicked and tried to pull my clothes together.

Grayson's scowl deepened, and he gripped me even tighter, nearly choking the air from my lungs.

"Stop squirming! Do you actually think you did nothing wrong?"

"Cecelia is resting at home right now. You are coming back with me to kneel outside the estate gates and beg for her blessings!"

"You will kowtow with every single step along the road home, do you hear me?"

My face flushed crimson from lack of oxygen, and I stared at him in utter disbelief.

The sanctuary was over forty miles away from the Evans estate!

He glared down at me, his voice freezing cold.

"You better pray you arrive before Cecelia wakes up, or I will make you regret ever being born."

He let go and shoved me away, leaving me clutching my chest as I gasped desperately for breath.