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Chapter 17
After rolling around alone for a while, I finally calmed down and flopped onto the bed. Instead of thinking about the quest, I pulled a document out from under the bed.
It was information about Rakiel that I had received from Hwanghwang earlier.
“Hmm… I think it was around here….”
Lying on the bed and flipping through the papers, I stopped at one section.
“Found it.”
It was about Rakiel’s participation in the Continental War.
More detailed than in the original.
｢Record of the Continental War｣
The “Continental War” refers to the war that began four years ago when the Valter Empire, bordering the western frontier, invaded. It lasted for about two years and ultimately ended in the victory of the Bernhardt Empire.
The Valter Empire had invaded aiming for the western mining regions of the Bernhardt Empire, but instead suffered a crushing defeat, ending up with heavy reparations and even ceding a buffer zone along the border.
At the time, the overall commander of our forces was Rakiel.
He volunteered for the position after realizing the Crown Prince considered him a thorn in his side. He simply wanted to avoid getting caught up in political struggles.
“That much I already knew….”
But my finger paused as I skimmed further down.
｢Final Battle – Incident Before Conclusion｣
In the final stages of the war, the elite unit led by Rakiel suffered catastrophic losses overnight. Official records state it was a “night raid by the Valter Empire.” Some claimed “a signal flare was fired from within,” but the military concluded it was a misinterpretation caused by war trauma.
Afterwards, he returned.
“…A signal flare from within?”
It was a disturbing phrase.
If that was true, it meant someone intentionally revealed Rakiel’s unit’s location to the enemy.
Rakiel led the war to victory with outstanding skill, but after the war ended, he secluded himself for over a year and disappeared from public view, causing people to quickly forget the hero.
“So the entire unit was wiped out….”
This was the first time I had heard of it.
No wonder he developed trauma. Even I would get social anxiety after something like that.
If it was an elite unit personally led by the Second Prince, they must have shared strong bonds. They were comrades who had fought together in war.
“The secret of the Continental War… was it?”
Resting my chin on the bed, I fell into thought.
How far did that “secret” really extend?
After organizing my thoughts, I left the room and unexpectedly ran into someone.
“…Brother?”
“Ah, uh, ah… Evelyn.”
Killian awkwardly lowered the hand he had been raising.
Judging by his posture, he had likely been about to knock on my door.
“What is it?”
Killian, with a face strikingly similar to the Duke of Rosenthal, wore an unusually stiff expression he would never normally show. It felt strangely out of place.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What do you want?”
Why would Killian come looking for me?
He flinched at my tone but avoided my gaze.
“Well….”
“Spit it out. I’m busy.”
“No, it’s just… I think I’ll be returning to my territory tomorrow.”
Ah, right. It was about time.
It had been about a week since he arrived, so the timing made sense. His business here had also been resolved.
“Really? Safe travels.”
But after saying it, the atmosphere felt awkward, so I added:
“Guess I’ll see you again at His Majesty’s birthday banquet.”
When was that again… a few months away, probably.
Killian, as a minor duke, had to stay in his territory, while the Duke of Rosenthal attended the palace daily for work. And Evelyn herself was active in high society in the capital.
So unless Killian had special business in the palace or capital, they wouldn’t meet.
“…?”
He should’ve left by now, but Killian didn’t move.
When I looked at him questioningly, he scratched his cheek.
“Are you… doing anything tonight?”
“What do you mean, ‘doing anything’? I’ll be eating dinner.”
What kind of question was that?
Father suggested we have a family dinner together.”
My eyebrow rose.
“You could’ve just had a maid deliver the message.”
Whenever Killian came to the capital, they occasionally had family meals together since all three rarely gathered otherwise.
So why come all the way here in person?
It’s not like we’re close.
He kept avoiding my eyes.
“Lately… people say you’ve changed… the maids….”
“So?”
I asked irritably, and he stammered.
“No, it’s not that, I mean… hysteria, no….”
He paused, then tried again.
“They said nothing major has happened. That you’ve become… calmer.”
“So what?”
At my sharp tone, he panicked.
“They were wondering if, after breaking off your engagement with the Crown Prince… maybe… you were hurt or depressed and isolating yourself… or something like that….”
Ah. I get it now.
It was a messy explanation, but basically he was worried I might have been hurt after being dumped by the Crown Prince.
‘Well, I suppose that’s what an older brother is for.’
Even if we fought all the time, we were still family.
He might let me mess with him, but he wouldn’t tolerate anyone else harming me.
I shrugged.
“What’s the big deal about breaking off an engagement? His Highness the Crown Prince will eventually come back to me anyway.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it obvious? How long do you think he can keep treating the Rosenthal Ducal House like this? And His Highness actually loves me, even if he doesn’t show it.”
“…This is serious. Very serious.”
He sighed heavily and pressed a hand to his forehead.
He looked disappointed that I hadn’t changed at all.
So he had been hoping for some faint improvement based on what the maids said? Too bad—Evelyn was still Evelyn.
‘But more importantly, now that my freedom level is 3, I thought I’d start getting branching choices…’
Ding!
[Branching choices appear depending on conditions where the path diverges.]
“Ah.”
So it meant choices only appear when my actions significantly affect the future?
Hmm, the system is more sophisticated than I thought.
That evening, I went to the dining room.
The large table already had the Duke and Killian seated.
“You’re here.”
The Duke glanced at me. His tone carried no particular warmth or affection.
I sat across from Killian without responding, as if I were used to it.
‘I should probably act like Evelyn at this point.’
As a maid gently pulled out my chair, I frowned.
“You can’t even manage a chair properly?”
“Ah, yes, I’m sorry, my lady.”
I narrowed my eyes at her reaction.
In a previous timeline, she would have turned pale and panicked. But now she only briefly bowed in apology and that was it.
‘Yeah… the reactions really are different.’
Killian looked at me, slightly surprised.
It’s not like I meant to do that….
Feeling awkward, I stayed silent as the appetizers arrived.
On a silver tray were thinly sliced smoked salmon canapés, with a refreshing scent of lemon cream.
Next came potato potage—soft and warm—but the atmosphere at the table remained cold. The Duke and Killian exchanged only a few formal words, leaving long stretches of silence.
When the main dish finally arrived, it was roasted lamb ribs scented with rosemary, glazed with red wine sauce. As I cut into a piece and put it in my mouth, the tender fat and herbal aroma melted on my tongue.
‘Damn… the chef here is seriously good.’
Wasn’t this chef brought in from somewhere far away?
As I savored the flavor, I noticed the Duke watching me with a strange gaze.
“…?”
What’s with him? Does he have something to say?
Just as I began to choke under his intense stare, the Duke finally spoke.
“Evelyn, has anything happened recently?”
“Cough—!”
Startled, I hurriedly reached for water.
The Duke was flustered.
His carefully prepared words had made his daughter choke.
He lifted one eyelid slightly, though to others it would barely look like an expression change.
Still, Killian narrowed his eyes and looked at his father.
‘Father…?’
He had seemed odd for a while.
He kept moving his lips as if he had something to say, and that intense gaze toward Evelyn—what was that supposed to mean?
Killian turned his eyes toward Evelyn, who was drinking water in a hurry.
‘Something’s off. Very off….’
The atmosphere felt different.
Since returning to the capital this time, he had noticed it. Her behavior and speech were the same as always, but her overall presence felt different. As if she were someone else entirely.
Then—
“Eek! What is this!”
Crash!
The glass shattered on the floor.
Evelyn’s face turned bright red as she fumed.
“Bring me another glass immediately! I want a pretty one!”
“…Hah.”
Killian let out a dry laugh.
Just look at her. The hysteria feels oddly half-hearted, doesn’t it?
