CH 31

What is it? What could it be?

I couldn’t open the note in front of others, so I suppressed my curiosity. After parting off with Cordelia and returning to my room in the church, I quickly opened the note.

「Melody Hyacinth is our friend!」

What does this mean? 

That was the only content written on the note. I flipped the paper multiple times, but there was nothing more written than that.

‘No, who is the owner of the Magic Tower? You’ve been liking riddles these days.’

I let out a groan. -Ugh-.

Melody Hyacinth was the name of a lady I met today. She was a quiet and shy young lady, so we didn’t talk much. But suddenly, that lady is our friend. What on earth are you talking about?

Just like last time, I left it alone, but the note didn’t change. It appeared to be an ordinary note with no hint of magic.

‘Err I don’t know.’

He would have given me more clues if it was something that required immediate reasoning. Let’s just keep the content in mind.

I carefully tore it and tossed it into the fireplace. The paper quickly turned into black ash.

*          *          *

The day after.

Facing Mercy, I looked through the catalog. The product to choose from this time is a tiara to wear on the wedding day. Since there was not enough time to make a new tiara, I had to choose from ready-made products.

Mercy, on the other hand, emphasized that it was prepared with only the highest quality materials that could not be found anywhere else.

“What do you think about this tiara? It is a high-quality tiara with the purest emeralds from the Bernil Mine.”

Those items were all dazzling. 

As someone with a religious image, I expected to have a simple and innocent look, but the wedding preparations were a series of culture shocks. This nation didn’t seem to expect such virtues from religious people.

‘Anyway, how luxurious is this?’

Then, with their eyes gleaming, one of the Mercy store’s employees said,

“It’s the first time we’ve had such a glamorous bride in our shop. Sir Ian really loves Lady Irene so much!”

Love.

I laughed, pretending to be embarrassed.

Right. Money is always the best way to show love, both in my world and in this one. In other words, by spending a lot of money on the wedding, Ian was declaring to the world that he was really in love with me.

‘That’s good, but. How can he have so much money?’

Mercy showed me a tiara. I tilted my head to look at it.

Even just by looking at the tiara, which was made of the finest emerald from the Bernil Mine, it was enchanting.

To match the dress, no. It would be more costly than a dress.

I suddenly questioned Ian’s wealth, as he spends so much money.

‘Does the Commander of the Holy Knights have a large salary?’

Or, as a member of the royal family, is he transferring his personal wealth?

Umm. Either way, It’s none of my business. 

Mercy suggested a beautiful tiara, which I happily accepted.

Anyway, even if it’s only for a year, wearing pretty and colorful clothes is not bad. 

After Mercy had left, Annette announced the arrival of another visitor.

“There is someone who wants to see Lady Irene.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

I had a puzzled look on my face. If I had to choose someone who would come to me, I’d go with Ian or Cordelia.

“A lady named Melody from Viscount Hyacinth! Shall we let her in?”

Melody Hyacinth. My eyes widened.

「Melody Hyacinth is our friend!」

I vividly remembered the phrase on the note that Rizello handed me yesterday.

‘No way.’

I swallowed my saliva in agitation before nodding.

“She is someone I know. Let her in.”

After a while, a lady with scarlet hair tied up entered the room.

“Lady Irene.”

She called out my name in a cute tone.

“La-Lady Melody.”

I managed to calm my trembling gaze and let Melody come into the room.

“I apologize for coming all of a sudden. I missed Lady Irene really, really so much that I couldn’t stand it!”

‘What.’

I blinked foolishly in response to the lively, cute voice. Melody whom I met the other day wasn’t exactly a cute and winsome person.

Suddenly, I remembered that Rizello had sent me a letter pretending to be Cordelia. The phrase he used to imitate Cordelia at the time was also very cute.

‘…No way.’

I looked at Melody in fear. Melody blinked her eyes with a twinkle of cuteness, as if asking why.

“Lady Irene, Melody has come to see you because she has something she needs to discuss.”

Melody suddenly bowed her head with a somber look on her face.

‘She called herself in third person…’

In a dazed voice, I responded to her unexpected attack.

“Wh-What’s your concern?”

Melody hid her face in shame and uttered a scream.

“Do you know the Viscount that we talked about the other day? There is something I want to talk about again!”

“What do you mean by Viscount…”

I have no idea what you’re talking about. When Melody kept saying nonsense, I continued to stare at her in fear and bewilderment.

As expected, this young lady. What I see right now is Melody’s outer side, not her inner.

“Melody, she can’t speak in front of other people because she’s shy…” 

Melody said, shifting her gaze to Annette and Dame Joan.

Annette, who was staring at Melody with a puzzled expression on her face, spoke quickly.

“Ah, if you are concerned about it, should I go out for a while?”

“Really? I’d appreciate it if you could. Perhaps the knight…”

Melody blinked her eyes to Dame Joan while saying that. What she’s doing right now is really cute. With a cold sweat on my face, I turned to Dame Joan.

“Dame Joan, Could you let the both of us talk in private for a second?”

“…I won’t be able to leave the room, but I will take a step back.”

Dame Joan took a step back from a respectful distance. She could still hear our sound because she had good hearing and stood not so far away from us.

“You idiot, Dame Joan.” 

When Melody whispered something like that, I was startled. But Dame Joan didn’t even move. Because the distance between Dame Joan and us was only a few feet, there was no way she couldn’t hear it.

Melody said when my eyes widened in bewilderment.

“The sound particles emitted from us are distorted, forming a barrier which creates different sounds outside.”

Her cutesy voice had disappeared like a ghost and had now become deep. With my face still in astonishment, I asked the question I’d been wanting to ask.

“Are you really Rizello?”

“Don’t talk too loud, the barrier cannot cover it.”

Melody, no. Rizello, who was disguised as Melody in a shell, then winked at me.

“Mel-Melody, where did the lady go?”

“Haha. Don’t worry, do you think I would have eaten her?”

As if making fun of me, who was terrified, was funny to him, Rizello grinned.

“I just used transformation powder to change my appearance, and the real Miss Melody is sleeping soundly in my Magic Tower room. I was quite close to Miss Melody, as I wrote on the note, so she understood why I would pretend to be her.”

“No. Even so. How.”

I stuttered, still in shock.

“This is in the cathedral! How did you try to fool us here?”

His courage was really big. Regardless of whether he was the Master of Magic Tower or not, he would definitely go to the underground torture chamber if he was caught.

‘It was necessary for the Master of Magic Tower to make up his mind to achieve the good thing!’

“If Sir Ian finds out…!”

Just imagining those blue eyes glaring at me made me pale. No, it has nothing to do with staring. As the contract partner or whatever, I might be dragged into the underground.

Rizello said something absurd to me, and I was completely taken aback.

“Isn’t he the fiancé you can’t help but love? He’ll understand.”

“Of course, Sir Ian and I, passionately… We’re in love. Yes, though! Don’t you know that couples live in trust? If you are doing this, I’ll be in trouble.”

“Then will the Saintess come to the Magic Tower next time? I’ll make sure you can come up to my room without any restrictions if you just say the name Irene Grace.”

Are you willing to give me a free pass like this?

I squinted my eyes as if there was something suspicious about him. But surprisingly, he didn’t seem to be joking.

“It’s also difficult for me. I don’t want Sir Rizello’s close relationship with me to be known.”

“If I were him, I’d freak out. His fiancée seemed to get along with people like me.”

Rizello grinned, it was a very irritating smile. 

I let out a sigh. I had no choice but to quickly solve the problem and let go because I had brought him into the room.

I stared at Rizello as if he were a ticking time bomb and said, 

“Is it for the money that you’ve come here? 500,000. You still haven’t taken them.”

“Right. That too.”

That ‘too’?

His expression was annoying, but I brought out the story now.

“First of all, I used the item that you sent me very well. It’s very effective.” I thanked Rizello calmly.

I wouldn’t have been able to sit safely face to face with Rizello if it hadn’t been for that magic.

“Would you mind telling me where you used the magic?”

“Do you think it’s necessary if I don’t tell you how I used it?”

“That’s true.”

Rizello agreed with a smile and a nod. Fortunately, he didn’t delve deeply into why I requested a divine power-blocking magic. It was fortunate for me.

“I’ll deposit the promised amount if you give me your own remittance address.”

I forgot something important at the last meeting. I forgot to ask about Rizello’s remittance address, which is this world’s version of the account number.

‘By the way, I forgot because I was so preoccupied, but why didn’t Rizello tell me?’

Rizello had to come to me twice because he didn’t tell me at the time. Well, no matter how genius the Master of the Magic Tower is, he can forget. 

Rizello said something out of the blue again at that point.

“Do you still have any thoughts on changing your payment? I would be grateful for a one-time ticket to get help from the Saintess.”

Oh, I won’t buy it. I shook my hand.

“Please give me your own remittance address.”