IBSM 18

Chapter 18

The sound of Hannah and Sir Max tidying up the tables in the dining hall reached her ears, but Ivnia couldn’t bring herself to go out and help.

She only turned her head slightly and stared at the plate where she had transferred Guillermo.

Fortunately, his new home didn’t seem bad; he was swimming leisurely in the larger bowl.

Whether you could call his constant circling “swimming” was another question.

As she wondered how big a tank he would need to live comfortably, Ivnia suddenly spoke.

“Guillermo, this is just a thought, but… just in case.”

“…”

“If my sister… no, if Nina comes to this castle, would you be able to kill me?”

At Ivnia’s question, Guillermo stopped moving and lifted his head above the bowl.

Even if he couldn’t answer in words, it was clear he understood her.

Ivnia blinked slowly and spoke in a hesitant voice.

“I keep thinking the answer is the same, but everyone is too kind—Ram, Seven—they won’t listen to me.”

“…”

“Ah, I’m not saying Guillermo is bad. I really don’t mind if it turns out that way. If both of us are okay with it, then nobody is at fault, right?”

Ivnia looked at Guillermo, seeking his agreement.

She expected him to nod or shake his head, but strangely, he didn’t move at all—he simply stared back at her.

“I don’t like pain. If you can make it end peacefully, like falling asleep without suffering… I’d like that.”

As she spoke, Ivnia cautiously pushed her finger into the water.

She wanted to force some kind of response from him.

Should she touch his index finger for “yes,” and his middle finger for “no”?

She was thinking about the most efficient way to communicate when suddenly Guillermo bit her thumb.

“Ouch!”

Ivnia pulled her hand out of the bowl in a hurry, stung by the sharp pain.

For some reason, Guillermo’s eyes looked more ferocious than before.

Could it be that he was declaring he would bite her to death like this?

Ivnia protested, feeling confused.

“This hurts and doesn’t seem like it would kill me at once.”

Or maybe his true form was more dignified than this.

If he used his full power, perhaps the result would be different.

If Ram’s anger calmed and Guillermo returned to his previous form, she might finally get a clear answer.

Ivnia rested her head slowly against her arm and spoke.

“Still, I’m lucky. When I came here, no one cried for me. Now there are people who would be sad if they thought of me… Isn’t that a good death?”

There was still no positive response.

As soon as she finished speaking, Guillermo thrashed his tail and splashed water everywhere, as if expressing his dissatisfaction.

Ivnia silently thought to herself—since he couldn’t hear her—I guess it’s not possible. I won’t be able to die smiling after all.

But she hadn’t said anything completely wrong.

If even Guillermo was causing such a fuss just from imagining the possibility, then those with softer hearts would surely cry for her.

It was a contradictory thought for someone who wanted everyone to be happy, but she didn’t think it would be a problem.

After all, she wouldn’t be the cause of too many tears.

* * *

Although she had become a time-limited life again the moment she began dreaming of a new life, Ivnia was not very disappointed.

Once she had a short-term goal instead of a bleak future, her life felt more lively.

Knowing the date of her end meant she could live without fear until then.

Even Hannah, who had been anxious at first, gradually returned to her normal self as Ivnia maintained a calm attitude.

Seven seemed to decide she had abandoned her dark thoughts after his worried scolding.

Ivnia didn’t reveal the troublesome truth just to make people uncomfortable.

In fact, that was something she did best.

“Do you like this? Is it something you can eat?”

At Ivnia’s question, Guillermo shook his head quickly.

Because Ram had not removed the spell he had placed on Guillermo, Ivnia still had a huge difficulty communicating with him.

If he could speak, she could easily find out what he wanted. But in his current state, all she could get were “yes” or “no” responses to things she showed him.

“I thought since you ate meat when you were human, jerky would be okay…”

Now that she thought about it, she realized she had never seen him eat anything.

So maybe that was why her cooking skills were so poor.

Satisfied with her own reasoning, Ivnia put the pouch back on the table.

She looked down at the bowl holding Guillermo and said:

“Wait a moment. There should be some leftover oat crumbs in the pantry.”

They had been trying to make do with whatever ingredients remained, but if this continued, he would starve.

Ivnia hurried to the pantry, leaving the increasingly thin Guillermo behind.

Because no one else paid attention to the fish-turned-Guillermo, caring for him had naturally become Ivnia’s responsibility.

It feels like I didn’t become a bride, I became a zookeeper.

And it wasn’t just Guillermo.

Levi, Ram’s pet, had been coming to her every day since the banquet to ask for food.

There was no official duty assigned to her, so feeding them wasn’t difficult. The problem was…

“…This castle might actually be very poor.”

Ivnia muttered in shock as she stared into the empty food storage.

They had been scraping the leftovers from the first banquet like soup bones for three days, and the Lord of Ritberg Castle’s food stores were in serious famine.

Did they manage food too carelessly?

She had assumed there were enough supplies because the castle housed so few people, so she hadn’t even tried to ration.

But seeing the remaining ingredients being scraped clean to the bottom made her feel a realistic sense of crisis.

Ivnia tried to calm her anxiety and rummaged through the grain sacks for the last few oats.

Suddenly, she heard a noise from deeper inside.

Could there be another guest?

Ivnia walked toward the sound, feeling puzzled.

If it were Ram, Seven, or Levi, they wouldn’t hide their presence. But the person in question was crouched in the darkness, holding their breath.

Like a thief sneaking into someone’s home.

“Sir Max?”

As soon as Ivnia said the likely suspect’s name, a large back flinched noticeably.

When the person slowly lifted their head, Ivnia sighed softly.

The intruder was exactly who she expected.

“I still thought you were a good person, Sir…”

“No, miss! Of course the situation looks suspicious, and it’s not even a misunderstanding. But I’m not the irredeemable scoundrel you think I am!”

Sir Max bowed quickly toward Ivnia and shouted.

Ivnia instinctively took a step back.

At least he wasn’t wearing broken armor. If he were, she would have taken two steps back.

“Miss, please, I beg you. Just once, could you turn a blind eye? My mother, who is over eighty, is waiting for me in our hometown, and I’m the only one she has left!”

Only then did she notice what he was holding.

The item Sir Max had tried to steal was a small pouch of grain—not a hidden treasure or rare artifact.

It seemed he had come to take food for the journey before fleeing the castle for good.