TVMF 20

Chapter: 20

“No matter what anyone says, you are still a Utel. So using what belongs to the Utel family is not a crime.”

“……”

“Still, you must be mindful of your own safety.”

The tiny fragment of conscience hidden deep in my chest—so small it might not even exist—gave a sharp sting.

So he really does know something…

But since he hadn’t asked, I couldn’t very well blurt out the truth on my own.

“Rosha. If you were ever to be in danger, the entire Utel family would be thrown into chaos.”

“…I understand.”

When I nodded, a large hand gently patted my hair a couple of times.

“Go on ahead.”

I nodded again and climbed into the carriage.

Father might know far more than I thought.

It was strangely touching—and at the same time, it made cold sweat run down my back.

Still, for now, my safety shouldn’t be in immediate danger.

If I fail the quest, a bad ending awaits me—but that’s a problem for later.

Even if Adrian’s rampage can’t be stopped and today ends in the first mass-slaughter ending, hadn’t he said it himself?

‘Don’t worry. I won’t kill you right away.’

The fact that I have to feel relieved by words like that makes me want to cry tears of blood.

Anyway, the carriage rolled onward toward the Velas estate.

And thirty minutes later—

Despite Father’s warning to be mindful of my safety, I found myself facing the threat of confinement.

“Is everything prepared?”

“There are no gaps. However…”

“What is it?”

Reporting to Melisandra, Rasmin flinched.

Why had he even said ‘however…’?

As he thought about it, he realized that something had been bothering him subconsciously.

“Now that I think about it… there is something troubling.”

Melisandra, who had been painting her nails red, paused.

Her vicious gaze urged her subordinate to continue.

Rasmin, her underling, opened his mouth.

“A few days ago, that young lady from the Utel family came to my office.”

“To the servants’ lounge?”

“Yes. She asked for some snacks… I still remember it clearly. That damned Fioren Mountain raspberry.”

Perhaps the irritation from that moment was still vivid—Rasmin trembled slightly.

But Melisandra had no interest in such details.

“So?”

“At the time, I didn’t think much of it and simply went to ask the kitchen for snacks. But thinking back, it was strange.”

Rasmin adjusted his glasses with a finger.

“How did that young lady know where the servants’ lounge was, and come all the way to find me? The kitchen was much closer.”

“So?”

“And when I returned from the kitchen, the door to my office was open. I may have forgotten to lock it in the confusion, but…”

“Get to the point!”

Melisandra snapped.

Startled, Rasmin finally blurted out the core anxiety he had been suppressing.

“The diary! The young lady might have seen the diary!”

“The diary?”

“I wrote everything you instructed me to do in that diary.”

Melisandra stood up, dumbfounded.

Realizing his mistake, Rasmin hurriedly tried to cover himself.

“Of course! I did not write that you intend to eliminate the Velas couple and swallow the ducal house whole!”

Melisandra sat back down.

“Then?”

“It contains what we did to the butler.”

“……”

“Of course, even if she knew, there’s nothing she could do about a butler suffering from amnesia.”

“The real problem,” Melisandra said quietly, “is whether Rohesia—that child—is truly on our side.”

Having finished her nails, Melisandra rested her chin on her hand and thought deeply.

“I thought it was enough that she gave us an opportunity to pin the blame on the Utel family, but…”

In truth, from the moment she requested a love potion from the marquis, her real objective had been the Utel family’s distinctive medicine vial.

Demanding it outright would never have worked, so she had devised a plan.

She acted the part of a woman desperately trying to win her husband’s affection, lulling them into complacency.

But the marquis had been too cautious and inflexible, and she was about to abandon the attempt—when an unexpected variable rolled in.

Rohesia Utel.

She retraced Rohesia’s recent actions.

“That child was more useful than expected. And far too clever.”

Through today’s banquet, Melisandra planned to dump all of her crimes onto others.

Come to think of it, it had been Rohesia who suggested turning things into a full-scale banquet.

“Isn’t it close to delusion to think a mere ten-year-old knows everything?”

“Even so, the current situation benefits that child unilaterally.”

Melisandra rose from her seat, her expression chillingly cold.

“Find out whether she has another scheme—or someone backing her.”

“Yes.”

“Hurry, before Marquis Utel arrives.”

Upon arriving at the Velas estate, I hesitated briefly.

Should I find Adrian first and knock him out?

Or should I go to the butler and help him recover his memories?

My hesitation didn’t last long.

“Welcome, Lady Utel.”

The moment I stepped down from the carriage, Rasmin—Melisandra’s subordinate—approached me directly.

“The Duchess is requesting your presence.”

“Lady Velas?”

“Yes.”

As I followed Rasmin, a presence appeared that was both strangely welcome and something I wanted to punch.

[ADMIN: Something is strange.]

It was the Administrator.

Rasmin was walking just ahead. I lowered my voice and whispered.

“Why are you only showing up now?!”

[ADMIN: My apologies. I had duties that absolutely required my attention.]

Duties?

He might just be pretending to be busy, but at least it suggested that a system administrator wasn’t exactly unemployed.

[ADMIN: There will be time to discuss the rest later. For now, dealing with what is directly in front of you is more urgent, Rohesia.]

After glancing around, I whispered quietly enough that Rasmin wouldn’t hear.

“The butler hasn’t recovered his memory.”

[ADMIN: I am aware.]

If you know, then hurry up and do something about it, you damn administrator.

You’re the one enthusiastically generating quests about preventing the end of the world!

As if he could read my thoughts, the Administrator responded gently—but firmly.

[ADMIN: Please do not rely on me too heavily. Ultimately, the one leading the quest is you, Rohesia. First, carefully observe your surroundings. Only when you fully understand your situation can you receive my assistance.]

It sounded cold, but it was useful advice.

Once my anxiety eased, I finally had room to assess the situation around me.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

Then I asked Rasmin, who was walking ahead.

“Isn’t this not the way to the Duchess?”

He seemed to be leading me toward the main building where Melisandra was—but then suddenly turned into a remote corridor.

At the end was a neatly furnished small sitting room.

“The Duchess has much to prepare before the banquet. Please wait here; she will come to you.”

…What?

If that were the case, he could’ve taken me to the sitting room I usually used. Bringing me to an unfamiliar place felt suspicious.

For now, I sat on the sofa as instructed. Rasmin personally poured me a cup of black tea.

“Here. Drink.”

Then he stepped back and watched me.

As if he were monitoring whether or not I drank the tea.

During the three seconds it took to bring the cup to my lips, I deliberated.

If I drank this tea, there was a 100% chance I wouldn’t be attending the banquet.

Should I use my remaining skill points to learn something like Martial Arts and knock him out?

No.

Even if I spent all my remaining points, I’d only reach level 1 or 2. That wouldn’t bridge the physical gap between a child and an adult.

So I had to survive this crisis with what I already had.

“Um, excuse me, Mr. Butler.”

When I touched the cup to my lips and lowered it again, Rasmin frowned in annoyance.

“Don’t try to wriggle out of this with some cheap trick. And I told you—I’m not a butler yet.”

“Huh? Cheap trick? Rosha doesn’t know what that is.”

I tilted my head in sync with the line, and a system message appeared.

—Ding!

[SYSTEM: Due to the effect of Lv.3 ‘Deception,’ your expression is exceedingly innocent.]
[SYSTEM: The target experiences extreme stress from your behavior.]

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you not to do!”

Perhaps because he’d been fooled before, he didn’t fall for it so easily.

But I had no intention of stopping.

Deception was the only thing I could rely on in this world.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I…”

I continued my act, putting on a teary expression.

“I really need to use the bathroom. I think I ate something bad this morning.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard, Rasmin looked flustered.

This sitting room was isolated.

Which meant that even to reach the nearest bathroom, we’d have to go back through the corridor into a more populated area.

“Please, take me to the bathroom.”

“Isn’t this a lie too?”

It was. Completely.

But leaving a child in a sealed room claiming she urgently needed the bathroom was still a moral dilemma.

“You really are unbelievable. Tch…”

In the end, Rasmin led me out and up a secluded stair landing.

There was a ladies’ restroom for VIP guests.

“Use this.”

Leaving Rasmin outside, I entered the restroom.

Getting this far meant I was halfway successful.

I pulled out the hypnosis marble hidden in my dress and shouted—

“Mr. Butler!”

“Damn it, what now?!”

“There’s no toilet paper!”

“That can’t be possible!”