EVHE 80

Chapter 80

I barely managed to calm Ally down, who was crying uncontrollably, and got her to go outside.

After hearing her story briefly, it seemed that while I was unconscious, the real Lillith had appeared and wreaked havoc in the mansion.

“I don’t know what happened.”

Everything was confusing. But more important than understanding the principle of what occurred was something else.

“If this really isn’t a reset…”

I wanted to find not only evidence from Ally’s words but also tangible proof. Without something to confirm it, I couldn’t calm my mind.

I opened every drawer and cabinet I could—everything I could unlock—searching inside. I checked thoroughly under desks and beds without leaving a spot untouched.

Documents stolen during Rust’s kidnapping, letters I received from Olivia, Reshel’s necklace, Calyx’s brooch… none of the familiar things were anywhere to be found.

Each time I came across decorations I had never seen or that had no connection, my anxiety grew.

The relief I had felt while talking to Ally disappeared, replaced by a swelling unease that felt like it might burst.

Holding onto a final thread of hope, I circled the bedroom. That’s when I discovered an object I hadn’t noticed before.

In a recessed section of the wall was a small wardrobe. I was certain it hadn’t been there before.

I grabbed the wardrobe’s handle and pulled with all my strength. The stiff door didn’t budge; it seemed stuck on something.

“Ugh, what’s wrong with this!”

I pulled with all my might until my face turned red, and with a loud snap, the wooden door finally swung wide open.

“Got it!”

But because I had yanked so forcefully, the wardrobe wobbled forward as if it might tip. As expected, a pile of items spilled from the half-tilted wardrobe.

I quickly pulled my feet back before the items hit me. The sparkling objects scattered across the floor.

The mansion certainly had jewel cases and safes, and a wardrobe was never meant for storing precious items.

Yet strangely, most of what had poured from the wardrobe were jewels. Mixed among them were bottles of unknown liquids and numerous paper envelopes.

The envelopes were all of different shapes, and each had been opened once. I picked one up, hoping Olivia’s letter might be inside.

The first envelope I opened contained a small document with tiny, cramped writing. I could barely make out any words from sentences that were otherwise hard to understand.

“…Land transfer certificate?”

Not what I was looking for, so I put it down and picked up another envelope. Again, it contained a complex document resembling a contract.

“Hmmm.”

I read intently, moving my eyes rapidly, but it was full of terms I had never seen. A few sentences weren’t even in the Imperial language.

Although I couldn’t understand the content, I could at least tell that the same name, likely referring to a mine, kept appearing.

I went through a few more envelopes, all with similar content. Since I couldn’t tell which might contain Olivia’s letter, I had no choice but to check each one.

I picked up an envelope that had flown far from the wardrobe. It was smaller and lighter than the ones containing contracts.

“Could this be a letter?”

Excitedly, I opened it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Olivia letter I was looking for. But…

“Calyx!”

From the familiar handwriting, the irritatingly polite greetings, to the way the words meandered around his feelings—it was obvious he had sent this.

There were quite a few letters, so I sat down cross-legged and focused on reading them.

“I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, but I thought of you and sent this.”

“The snacks Allen brought didn’t suit my taste, so I’m including them.”

“Medicine arrived at the palace today. Since the emperor takes it, the effects are…”

…Most of the letters were like that.

It seemed Calyx hadn’t received a single reply from Lillith all this time.

Even so, he had been consistent. Not only the contracts I had seen but also the bottles and jewels seemed to be all gifts from him.

Though letters couldn’t convey his tone, the overall impression suggested he was concerned for me.

“What’s he sending all this for?”

The content was so childish that it made me laugh, easing the severe anxiety that had been swelling inside me.

“This isn’t a reset.”

As if confirming it, the red brooch I had received from Calyx lay beside the letters.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

For some reason, neither my efforts nor the relationships I had painstakingly built had reverted.

If that was the case, this situation wasn’t hopeless. On the contrary, there was potential.

If Olivia’s letter wasn’t here, I could simply ask her directly. Losing the stolen documents was unfortunate, but discovering the mastermind behind it was still an advantage.

No matter how twisted the story had become, I felt like I could resolve it.

That meant there was one thing to do right now.

“First, I need to understand the situation.”

I gathered the scattered items and put them back in the wardrobe before closing it. Since I had lost consciousness, my lifeline had shortened, so I had to hurry.

“Ally!”

I called her name loudly down the open corridor.

“Miss! You called?”

Ally entered the room quickly, back to her lively self. Her eyes were still red, but she looked bright and spirited again.

“How do I even explain this?”

I couldn’t just tell her that I had read a novel, possessed Lillith’s body, and… whatever happened next.

“Do you trust me?”

So I tried to diffuse it with simple trust.

“Of course! You’re the only one for me, Miss!”

Her answer came without even a second’s hesitation. Her sparkling eyes were filled with unwavering trust.

I hadn’t really done much for her… I felt a bit guilty, but there was nothing I could do.

“Then… can you tell me what happened while I was out?”

I tried to act calm, but my lips trembled, and my hands shook as if I was about to hear something I shouldn’t.

Ally recounted everything smoothly, without questioning why things had gone this way.

Every word she spoke was shocking enough to make me reel backward. And it was the most unfavorable and depressing news for me.

“Haah…”

I sent Ally away and sat alone in the bedroom, seriously perched in the armchair. She brought me snacks, but I had no desire to eat. My newly regained appetite had completely disappeared.

“This is insane.”

From Ally’s story, it seemed that while I was unconscious, the original Lillith had indeed returned and taken over the body.

“Or rather, she came back.”

After all, Lillith was the true owner of this body.

There was no time to consider the principles or reasons. My own possession of the body had been unrealistic to begin with.

The problem was what she had done during that time.

Ally tried to explain without upsetting me, but I could quickly sense the uncomfortable truth hidden within.

The reputation I had painstakingly built was heading for ruin. And it seemed she had actually done several things myself.

Even more serious was Ally’s response when I mentioned wanting to go to Olivia.

“The lady intends to approach the Duke Grannard, fiancé of Lady Primrose…”

I didn’t need to hear the rest. It was clear Lillith had made advances toward Knox at parties, not just with formal proposals, and more than once.

Going to Primrose now would only accelerate the reputation decline and hasten Knox’s execution-ending.

I wrote a letter and gave it to Ally, but I doubted it would be delivered properly.

“Miss! Here, have some of this too.”

Ally brought in another pile of sweets. I hadn’t touched the first batch, but she didn’t seem to mind.

I stared at her blankly before asking again.

“Have I done anything else while I was out?”

“Anything else?”

“Even small things.”

Ally pondered for a moment.

“Ah!”

After a long pause, she clapped her hands in realization.

“Now that I think about it, you stayed at your family’s mansion for about a week. At first, I thought the Duke had called you, but apparently not.”

Ally didn’t know the exact reason either.

“Lillith must hate her family’s mansion with a passion.”

Why would she voluntarily stay at the Duke’s mansion for a week?

I leaned back in the chair, lost in thought.

There were mountains of tasks to handle, but the question dominating my mind was different.

“Olivia’s missing letter and the Shinuh documents.”

Lillith might have seen and discarded them, but I doubted it.

She was clever and cunning. If she understood the meaning of that letter, she would have done anything.

I also suspected the clue was related to why my consciousness returned.

“I’m not sure yet.”

So to find out, I had no choice but to retrace Lillith’s actions.

Since there aren’t two identical bodies, I shared the body with her. So there had to be hints wherever I went.

“Let’s start with what we can do.”

Time was limited, but the more so, the more I had to stay calm.

“Ally, we need to visit my family’s mansion.”

It was an overwhelming task, but I couldn’t stop now.

I had to survive, no matter what. That was why I had begun this long adventure in the first place.