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Chapter 24
After Sren had left, I took the hidden Moonstone out and placed it on my desk to check it.
So far, I had collected three letters: M, T, E…
What could it mean? It must be a word indicating the location of the key.
I tapped my chin and muttered thoughtfully,
“Could it… be ‘motel’?”
Even I found it ridiculous and let out a small laugh.
No, that’s five letters anyway. It had to be a place inside the mansion.
But no matter how hard I racked my brain, no suitable answer came to mind. Honestly, I even started to doubt if it was really a place at all.
Anyway, there were three Moonstones I still needed to collect.
“If I can just get two more, it’ll probably be really certain.”
At the same time, it made me feel uneasy. Everything had been going too smoothly, which was strange.
The day Sren left for the royal palace was drawing closer. The closer it got, the more an inexplicable anxiety pressed on my chest.
But I shook my head.
“Yeah, I won’t think gloomy thoughts. Bad vibes won’t help.”
Just as I reorganized the Moonstone and hid it again, a commotion came from outside. I approached the window and drew back the curtain.
And when I looked down, I saw a lavish carriage, gilded in gold, stopped in front of the mansion.
“……”
The most surprising thing was Sren’s behavior. That arrogant Sren had gone out personally to greet a visitor.
“What the—?” I muttered in disbelief.
Moreover, even from a distance, the person stepping out of the carriage was an astonishingly beautiful woman.
At that moment, I remembered what Sren had said before leaving the room:
“Rachel.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t leave the room today.”
“Why?”
“The royal family is sending a guest. But it would be uncomfortable for you.”
Judging by that, the guest from the royal family must be that woman, right?
So Sren had kept me from leaving the room because of her. No wonder I felt so strange.
I crossed my arms and quietly watched the situation unfold.
The two seemed to be chatting softly. Soon, the woman approached Sren, embraced him naturally, and kissed him. What shocked me more was that Sren didn’t refuse.
“……”
At that moment, my thought process completely froze. I raised my eyebrows irritably.
What the hell? That guy is a total hypocrite!
No wonder I felt so frustrated. After everything I’d gone through, risking horrible death!
Even just being with Adenhar made me a criminal of the highest order. And yet he casually rubbed lips with another woman?
What a bastard, worse than a Phantom.
A cold smile spread across my face. I clicked my tongue and turned away without hesitation.
By lunchtime, Phantom had brought in a trolley full of sumptuous dishes. I watched him lazily.
The oblivious Phantom, however, cheerfully began praising Sren to the skies.
“Rachel! Ta-da! The special dish you’ve been waiting for!”
“……”
“Look at this! This mouthwatering, dazzling display! Sren personally cooked all of this just for you, Rachel!”
He spoke endlessly, high-energy, about Sren’s devotion.
“As you know, Sren normally doesn’t care about others.”
“……”
“But he went out of his way to make Rachel happy personally!”
Even so, I felt no emotion. I rested my chin in my hand and replied nonchalantly,
“Hmm, really? Isn’t this just leftovers from cooking for someone else, made as a bonus?”
Phantom froze, flustered by my icy response. Thinking his explanation insufficient, he gestured wildly to defend Sren once more.
“Th-that’s rude! Sren only cares about Rachel!”
I snorted.
“Only cares about me?”
“……!”
“Before I possessed her body, he was the same with the other players.”
Right. If I had died, he would have obsessed over the new Rachel.
So it’s wrong to assume he truly loves me. I am just another person possessing Rachel’s body.
I added sugar to the coffee he brought and muttered,
“For now, I know he’s treating me well because I’m Rachel.”
Phantom went completely overboard.
“Th-that’s not true! How dare you insult Sren’s pure heart!”
Feeling no need to listen to him anymore, I got straight to the point.
“Fine. Anyway, who’s the guest at the mansion?”
“Huh?”
Did he not expect me to ask this? Phantom looked extremely flustered and couldn’t explain properly. Finally, he stammered as if making an excuse.
“He’s… not an important person!”
Even that, he said while stumbling over his words.
I glared at him suspiciously and pressed him relentlessly.
“So, who is it?”
“You know! Sren doesn’t even look at other women besides Rachel!”
“I’m asking who she is.”
“Why don’t you recognize Sren’s devotion? My master only knows Rachel!”
Ah, I couldn’t stand it.
I glared coldly at Phantom and stood up abruptly. Startled, he flinched. I slammed my hand on the table and muttered through gritted teeth in a menacing tone,
“Can’t you hear me?”
“R-Rachel!”
“Answer the question! Who is that woman?!”
Phantom, pressed down by my murderous energy, could only move his lips uselessly. I raised an eyebrow and demanded an answer.
“……Well, the thing is—”
Why couldn’t he answer so easily? He usually rambles without being asked. Now he only prattled on about Sren’s loyalty.
“Rachel, please trust Sren.”
“……”
“He only knows Rachel.”
Hearing that, I laughed like a crazy person.
“Pfft, ahahaha!”
Loyalty, huh? What kind of devotion does a crazy bastard have who’d kill someone for rejecting him?
By that logic, Adenhar, who risked his life to find me, is far more impressive.
Then, suddenly, I wiped the smile from my face.
“So, are you still not going to tell me?”
“……”
Such extraordinary loyalty. I snorted coldly and prepared to leave the room.
“Fine. Then I have no choice but to ask the person directly.”
Phantom, realizing he couldn’t hold back, grabbed me desperately and confessed.
“W-wait! Rachel! I’ll tell you everything!”
“……”
“She is Sren’s fiancée. Also a princess of the Helion Empire.”
“……!”
“But don’t misunderstand! Sren only loves Rachel.”
The more I heard, the more furious I got. Sren had been hiding this huge truth from me.
“There are complicated reasons behind their engagement.”
Even so, I couldn’t understand. Anyway, he had a fiancée and yet kidnapped me here on a whim.
I had only possessed this game by chance, but I couldn’t help thinking how cruelly twisted Rachel’s fate was.
