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~Chapter 49~
“Ahhh… this is peaceful.”
I stretched with a smile. Warm sunlight was shining down on me.
It had already been about two weeks since I returned from the train trip.
These days, my daily routine was like this:
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Wake up late and laze in bed while soaking up the morning sun.
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After lunch, have tea alone while soaking up the sun.
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Go out to the garden, read a book or take a walk, while soaking up the sun.
‘In short, I’m living the true life of a jobless person…’
Honestly, I liked it!
After living a hard and exhausting life in my past life, I truly knew how precious this peace was.
To wake up in the morning under the warm sunlight.
To spend the day without worrying about money, only seeing nice and beautiful things.
To live without having to please anyone or watch my words carefully.
I knew just how grateful I should be for all of it.
Hands behind my back, I strolled through the garden with a satisfied look.
‘Yes, this is the true slow and carefree life. Perfect.’
…Though to be honest, I was just a little bored.
But I had no intention of causing trouble while in Irene’s body.
I briefly wondered if I should look for the original story’s heroine, but… who knew how the plot might twist if I messed with it?
With the original story starting soon, I needed to be even more careful.
‘With Irene’s body… I can do fine just by doing nothing!’
By now, the servants seemed to have realized that I had changed a lot from before.
They whispered among themselves that the young lady had stopped throwing tantrums after her terminal diagnosis and had become different.
‘At this rate, I won’t make any new enemies.’
I could enjoy life as a terminal patient for a while, and when the time came, die quietly.
…Though it seemed my parents still wanted to keep trying to treat me.
But since they didn’t want to stress me, they were letting me live comfortably without bringing it up.
“Hmmm.”
Speaking of which, it was about time for Fabian to visit…
He had said he would check on my condition regularly, but there had been no news from him.
I was getting bored—wasn’t it about time he came?
Just as I was thinking that and taking a step forward—
Swoosh.
A man slowly appeared in front of me.
“…Huh?”
I stopped in surprise.
Against the backdrop of the green garden, his body faded in from transparent to solid.
‘…Seriously. This man’s not exactly polite either.’
Looking at him, I gave a calm smile.
Fabian Alfonso. He had appeared before me.
“Starting magic measurement.”
Fabian had brought one of his subordinates, the same man I’d seen the first day we met.
Just like at the Magic Tower, they used a machine that looked like a blood pressure monitor to check my magic levels.
‘Of course, my personal doctor has been checking my health regularly.’
But I also wanted Fabian to examine me.
Honestly, I trusted the Magic Tower more than a doctor who had failed to control my magic for so long.
It was already too late to expect any miracle cure, but still.
“…The amount of magic is the same. No unusual signs.”
His subordinate reported to Fabian after checking me. Fabian nodded.
“I see. No magic outbursts in the meantime?”
“No, not really.”
I shrugged.
“Since returning from the trip, I’ve only stayed at the estate. No chance for an outburst.”
“I understand.”
The subordinate wrote down my condition on paper, scribbling a bit before nodding to Fabian that he was done.
Fabian tilted his head slightly, then looked back at me.
“That’s enough for today. I’ll continue to check your condition regularly. Also—this.”
He handed me a small ring.
It was set with a jewel that looked like a ruby.
“If you suddenly need help, touch the stone and think of me.”
“…Thank you.”
It looked like a magical item disguised as a ring. I accepted it.
“Then I’ll be going.”
He turned, as if ready to leave with a sweep of his robe.
“W-wait. You’re just leaving?”
“…?”
He tilted his head, looking at me as if wondering what else he was supposed to do.
‘No, come on. We haven’t seen each other in a while…’
Was he really just going to leave this quickly? That felt… unsatisfying.
I scratched my head, then gave him an awkward smile.
“Since it’s been a while, how about having tea together?”
“…”
“So… have you been doing well?”
“Yes.”
Fabian asked the question like a formality. I nodded and took a sip of tea.
We were sitting on the terrace of Irene’s room, where the sunlight poured in.
The tea table was hastily set, so it wasn’t perfect, but it had a decent selection of desserts.
Honestly, I had no particular reason for holding Fabian back.
I was just bored.
No—very bored.
‘Bored. Bored. I’m really bored…’
Staying at the estate all the time was more stifling than I’d thought.
Of course, Sophie always kept me company, and sometimes we went out to inspect the territory.
But there was a limit.
I couldn’t just talk to Sophie forever.
And territory inspections were only fun the first couple of times—in the end, we never left the Duke’s domain anyway.
It would have been nice to have a friend… but of course, villainess Irene didn’t have any.
I’d even stopped going to the gatherings she used to attend because I didn’t want to mess with the original story.
So Fabian’s visit felt like—
‘Meeting an old friend.’
Memories of our travels together came back, and I just wanted to chat about this and that.
“Since my health isn’t good, I’ve been living quietly, and it gets a bit stifling. So I asked you for tea. I’m not keeping you from something important, am I, Fabian?”
“Well… I’m not particularly busy.”
He shrugged.
Though he was one of the male leads, I didn’t find him too burdensome.
In the novel, he had been someone who simply helped Emily without much fuss.
‘Of the four male leads, he was the one with the least presence around Emily.’
But toward the end, Fabian was also the one who unexpectedly won over many readers.
He was minor, but gradually gained a small fanbase.
<Am I the only one here who likes Fabian?>
<Author, can’t you just pair Fabian with Emily? I feel like he’d make her happy ㅠㅠㅠ>
<Can’t you make Fabian the real male lead…? I’ll be so sad if he doesn’t end up with anyone ㅠㅠㅠ>
Though he looked like he was in his twenties, Fabian had lived a long time due to his natural magic power.
That same magic had another effect—it dulled his emotions.
A sort of… curse.
‘And in the story, Emily is the one who makes him feel emotions for the first time.’
In any case, Fabian’s quiet, mysterious air was part of what charmed readers.
In the original, his feelings started very late, and even then ended as unrequited love.
‘Which made him one of the most heartbreaking characters…’
Anyway, he was probably my safest chance for a friend.
I smiled slyly at him.
“Fabian, come visit often. Okay?”
“…?”
At my suspiciously sweet smile, his eyebrows twitched.
