CH 106

“I heard that you had a conversation with the Princess at the masquerade.”

Seymour suddenly spoke as I was immersed in other thoughts.

“Oh, right. We exchanged a few words.”

“Did you hear about the divorce law? What do you think?”

“Good law.”

I answered without hesitation. It was because I also thought that my parents, the Count Rostri couple, should have divorced sooner.

“It’s definitely going to pass.”

Anyway, the ending of the original was the passage of the divorce law and the remarriage of the male and female lead. No matter how much I think about it, it was a somewhat bizarre ending by the standards of an ordinary human being.

“You are convinced.”

Seymour smiled softly. He had a beautiful and radiant smile like a male lead. How excited would Elanie be to see a smile like this, as she was married to the blunt Evan without love? Evan didn’t smile like that.

I had never seen him smile really brightly until he revealed his teeth. Even if he smiled, he would smile quietly and tenderly.

“So am I.”

At that, his eyebrows rose even more, creating a fresh atmosphere.

“I’m glad that Miss Laria thinks it’s a good law.”

…Even so, I thought I’d miss Evan’s smile even more.

“Since you came to the southwest, haven’t you seen me more often than Lord Evan?”

“It seems so.”

“You did more with me.”

“That’s true, too.”

“Well, I’m just saying… So, what shall we do next?”

As he asked that, Seymour flashed his green eyes and leaned his body towards me before continuing, “Actually, there are things that I have been interested in and looked at. There are only three ancient magic items on the continent…”

“Cough, cough—couuughhh.”

Although Seymour was all right, he didn’t really know how to act in moderation. When he talked too much, I always pretended to be sick and had to cut it off.

“I’m sorry, Seymour. I’m not feeling well, so I guess I’ll have to take a break—Cough, cough.”

“Ah… Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay.”

After finally kicking Seymour out like that, I sat still and contemplated.

Now everything was ready.

Baron Ravonis’ mansion was completed, and Marcel, who had been deceived as Baron Ravonis, had also been arranged. I didn’t even talk about the new business with Seymour, so I just had to disappear quietly.

The thing I was thinking of was after the imperial banquet two months later. Actually, it wouldn’t be a big deal if I disappeared right now though I still wanted to attend the imperial banquet.

If I disappear, Evan and Duke Icard will receive a lot of questions about me at the Imperial Banquet. It may be funny that they stand out, but I did not want to cause such a nuisance. And personally, I wanted to go to the imperial banquet.

Until now, I had never attended an imperial banquet. At the imperial banquet, only adults were allowed to attend.

Since Evan was not an adult, I didn’t attend until last year because I couldn’t go alone. The imperial banquet hall was so pretty that I wanted to visit it once. Besides, it was because it was very fun to watch the masquerade as well.

“Miss Laria.”

After sending Seymour away, I was alone in the villa while thinking about various things, when Lisa came in.

“Yes, why?”

“It’s nothing, but the dress and ornaments for the imperial banquet two months later.”

Lisa, the capable maid, also seemed to have a plan.

“I think it would be better to place an order in one of the Capital’s dressing rooms, where everyone knows Miss Laria dimensions, and do the final fitting right before the banquet.”

“Oh, let’s do that. Thank you.”

“If there is a style you prefer this time, can you tell me?”

Usually, I used to tell Lisa to take care of all those things. If she asked me in detail, I’d normally say, ‘Just something expensive. The most expensive one.’

“Um, then… I think the red color would be better.”

…However, this was the last one.

“Because Evan likes red.”

From the moment I possessed until now, it was as if I had actually prepared for the days when I would stand out, but as that day approached, I felt a little nervous. Because of that, I thought of another way that I had thought of a hundred times more… It was just telling Duke Icard the truth.

‘Father, this is actually a world in a book. I possessed the book, so I know the future.’

Just thinking about it up to this point made me sigh a bit.

‘What father has been thinking of is a failure because Princess Elanie and Evan would eventually divorce. The man that Princess Elanie chooses in place of Duke Icard is Baron Litshua, a commoner.’

As I continued to brood, I touched my forehead as if there was no answer.

‘So, will you just give up on saving Lady Matilda and just accept me?’

Even if I was Duke Icard, it seemed that I would never accept it.

‘Ah… actually, I secretly cured my disease and I am very healthy now. It goes without saying that I have deceived everyone on a huge scale. It was all my great scam…!’

There was nothing more to think about.

There was no way I could say such a thing. Wasn’t it a relationship that was built up with lies from the beginning? I had never been as nice and docile as they think.

…In the end, there was only one way.

‘Let’s push forward as we first thought.’

Let’s live quietly and change only the death to missing. Let’s not go on an adventure that risked lives for nothing…

“Miss Laria.”

Serena also knew that the D-Day was coming. Coming to my room in the name of medical treatment, she carefully spoke her words.

“It’s about time. I have consistently told Duke Icard that Miss Laria’s time would be now. Just as Miss Laria told me.”

“What did father say when you report like that?”

“He… didn’t say anything.”

That point was quite surprising.

It was because I knew Duke Icard could secretly say to Serena, ‘Don’t treat her too aggressively.’

‘Well, I guess he didn’t add it because Serena said I was going to die anyway.’

In the end, it was true that I was sitting on the sidelines of my death.

If Duke Icard had honestly told me, ‘The truth is, you might die soon though I was hiding it,’ it could have been a different story. Still, to just stand still like this meant that he was waiting for my death in the end.

‘…I am nothing compared to Miss Matilda.’

I hated telling Evan everything the truth and antagonizing him with Duke Icard. I didn’t want to separate the father and son, who didn’t get along very well. However, I didn’t want Duke Icard to declare, “Let’s give up on Matilda.”

‘It will fail anyway though he should try. He prepared so hard.’

There was only one step left, and if he gave up without even trying, Duke Icard might regret it for the rest of his life. I didn’t want to live in a state of being conscious of that fact.

‘If I’m really sorry… I think it would be good to appear around the time Evan was getting divorced by Princess Elanie and snoop around a bit.’

It was a choice I really had no pride in, but I didn’t consider such a thing in the first place. Anyway, that was something to think about after escaping. So I answered Serena calmly.

“Well done. You can say that again when you go up to the Duke’s residence this time.”

“Then… When are you going to escape?”

“Now that I think about it, I saw an opportunity on the way home from the imperial banquet.”

Shortly after the imperial banquet, Elanie made her announcement that she would marry, so it meant that I had to run in between.

“I’m just going to run with the teleportation scroll. If we’re together, we’ll move together. Otherwise, I’ll contact you before that. Serena can go hide first, and then you can follow me to Ravonis’ mansion.”

Now, there was also a teleportation scroll.

Although I could run at any time, I wanted to pick the most appropriate time anyway — lay the foundation, and watch for any unexpected circumstances…

“Something… Something is unsettling. I’m nervous.”

Serena said, taking deep breaths that were unlike her.

“Why? It seemed like you were just waiting for the day that we would run, but are you afraid to think about the real thing?”

“Rather than being afraid…”

Serena rolled her eyes for a moment, then she spoke slowly.

“It’s just…it’s been almost seven years, that’s not a small amount of time, isn’t it? Although I was a fake doctor, there were many pleasant incidents while living in Duchy Icard with Miss Laria—”

Her voice gradually became shy.

“It’s just a bit pity that such a life is ending. Either way, we are entering a new phase.”

Glancing out the window, I didn’t answer her.

Yes, as Serena said, it was probably a pity. At the very least, even to part with Marcel, who at first hated going back and forth, was regretting. Changing what had been seven years was complicated for anyone.

Even though I continued to have a different heart, I had been living in Duchy Icard for seven years. So, it was only natural that it was so complicated.

“You can grow up with peace of mind. No matter what happens, I think you will make a choice for Evan in the end.”

What suddenly came to mind was Miss Olivia’s prophecy.

“Even hypocrisy often becomes the truth if repeated.”

I clearly had everything perfectly prepared, and even though I was confident I wouldn’t get caught yet I continued to feel restless.

Two months passed like that.

With a heartbroken heart, I carried the teleportation scroll and went up to the capital.