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Chapter 18
So that was it—I’d felt threatened by the duke’s gentle words.
What if he realized I wasn’t the real Evelyn? Or what if he started paying unnecessary attention to me and ruined my plans?
Have there been any problems lately? …The duke would never normally say something like that.
‘This is bad….’
Feeling as if the System itself were watching me, I took a sip of water.
Then, the moment I finished calculating everything in my head, I hurled the glass straight onto the floor.
I could see Killian staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
‘Whew, did it work?’
Even though I’d thrown the glass without actually deciding on a reason beforehand—so the words that came out afterward didn’t make much sense—who cared? As long as it worked, that was enough.
I swiftly snatched up the pretty glass a maid hurriedly brought over. It was an expensive-looking cup decorated with blue flowers.
“Hmph. You should’ve done that from the start.”
The duke looked slightly surprised as he stared at the glass in my hand.
“That glass is…”
What?
I narrowed my eyes and took another sip of water.
As expected, water tasted better when drunk from a pretty glass. Only then did I calm down a little and clear my throat before speaking.
“What do you mean, ‘Have there been any problems lately?’ Father, what kind of question is that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“What was that? How boring.”
I snorted and turned my attention back to the main dish.
The lamb chops that had looked so delicious earlier had gone somewhat cold and dry-looking by now. Of course, once I took another bite, they were still tender and rich with flavor.
The chef’s name was… Fern, was it? He was seriously talented.
‘Even if I eat other delicious food, I don’t think I’d ever forget this chef’s flavor….’
I was happily enjoying the meal again when the duke and Killian suddenly started exchanging serious looks.
“The Second Prince will be visiting tomorrow afternoon.”
“The Second Prince… Your Highness himself?”
Killian set down his knife as he spoke.
“Yes. It was arranged rather urgently, so I forgot to tell you. I think we’ll have to delay returning to the estate for a few days. Will that be alright?”
“Ah, yes… I don’t mind.”
Hmm, so Rakiel’s coming tomorrow?
I swallowed the meat in my mouth and thought it over while my hands automatically kept cutting more.
As expected, after my engagement to the Crown Prince was broken off, the duke must have contacted Rakiel just like in the original story. That probably meant their alliance would proceed smoothly now….
And my role here was simply to wait quietly. There was no need for me to interfere.
Though after that, things would probably get busy.
Rakiel couldn’t become emperor just by sitting still. If that were enough, he would’ve naturally become emperor in the previous timelines too.
But he hadn’t. Which meant he needed a special ally—someone who could drag down the Crown Prince and elevate Rakiel’s standing.
I placed another slice of meat into my mouth.
And by an incredible coincidence, I just so happened to be the Rosenthal duke’s daughter who knew the future.
‘Rakiel’s pretty lucky….’
At that moment, I sensed another strange atmosphere.
The duke and Killian were exchanging glances again, excluding only me.
‘What are those two talking about by themselves?’
At this point, wasn’t I basically being left out?
“When His Highness visits, the household will probably become a little chaotic.”
“That’s inevitable. He isn’t visiting for an ordinary reason.”
“Then should we make preparations in advance?”
The duke nodded.
“Yes. I told His Highness it was regarding western trade matters, but there’s much more to discuss than that. It wouldn’t hurt to prepare.”
“Ah… Then I’ll make sure all breakable or dangerous objects are removed from the reception room. Just in case.”
“A good idea.”
Their conversation was a little strange.
By now, we’d finished the main course and dessert was being served. Distracted by the sweets, I stopped thinking too deeply about it.
“By the way… I wonder if His Highness the Second Prince already knows about this matter.”
“I think he probably does. He contacted me yesterday and suddenly changed the meeting time.”
“Do you think he decided there was a need to move quickly?”
“Indeed. In the current situation… dragging things out won’t leave us with anything.”
Well, if they’d already decided to join hands with the Second Prince, then acting quickly was definitely best. Even now, the Crown Prince was rapidly getting closer to the throne.
‘I should probably look into what Grand Duke Kashien is doing soon too.’
Things had started changing little by little from the previous timelines, which meant Kashien might also be taking different actions.
Especially now that all the Crown Prince’s pawns had been uncovered….
Dinner ended without much else being said.
It didn’t really feel any different from before.
“Yaaawn.”
I rubbed my eyes as I slipped out of the mansion early in the morning. Waking up at dawn and sneaking out like this was exhausting.
Even in my previous life, I’d never gotten up this early.
The reason I was moving around so early was simple.
‘There are event quests that only appear in the morning….’
For example, helping an old woman who couldn’t draw water from a nearby well, or fixing a coachman’s broken wagon wheel before he left at dawn.
Individually, they weren’t much, but the rewards added up surprisingly well.
‘And since Rakiel’s coming today, I won’t be able to wander around during the day.’
After hurriedly taking care of several things, it was already past seven in the morning.
“Should I head back now?”
At nine, Ginny would come wake me up. Since I got irritated every single time she woke me, it had practically become a sort of quest for her.
But before going back, there was one more thing I had to do!
“Haah… that smells amazing….”
I sniffed the air and turned my body toward the scent.
If you followed this smell in the morning, you’d find a bakery.
That’s right—this was exactly the time when freshly baked bread came out of the oven! And from a famous bakery people lined up for!
‘As expected, bread is all about lining up right when they open!’
When I got closer, several people were already standing in line. I quickly joined them.
“Oh my, young miss, you came again?”
“Yes! Your bread is just too delicious!”
I answered while swallowing the drool threatening to spill out.
‘Mmm… I’ll eat it on the way home.’
The warm-looking middle-aged woman smiled as she packed the bread I chose.
“Miss, this one’s on the house. Thank you again for helping me last time.”
“Huh? Oh no, you really don’t have to….”
I muttered awkwardly while scratching my cheek.
“No, how could I not? Thanks to you, I was able to open the shop on time. Honestly, how are you so good at lighting the bakery oven fire? What did you say your name was again?”
“I-It’s Eve.”
“Oh right! Eve! There are enough people around here you’ve helped to fill an entire carriage.”
I avoided her gaze as I accepted the bag of bread she handed me.
‘I was only trying to get quest rewards….’
They were only saying these things because they didn’t know. If they found out what kind of thoughts I really had, their attitudes might completely change.
The moment I turned around with the bread bag in hand—
“Eve! You came again today. Thanks to you, I delivered the herbs safely yesterday. It could’ve been a disaster!”
“Miss Eve, my father said to thank you for helping him get safely to the bookstore!”
“Big sis, thanks to you I found my cat! This is a present!”
The moment I took a step, people started calling out to me from all directions.
I smiled awkwardly while remaining on guard.
‘Ugh, if these people found out who I really am, wouldn’t they start throwing rocks at me?’
Shock! The evil Rosenthal lady toys with commoners!
Something like that.
No matter how good the deed—even though my motives weren’t exactly kind-hearted—the meaning changed depending on who did it.
Shrinking into myself, I tried slipping through the crowd.
“Thank you for yesterday! This is a token of gratitude!”
“Oh, miss… thanks to you reading the letter for me, I was able to reunite safely with my daughter. These are cookies I baked myself…”
Aaaahhh—.
I had no idea where all these people had heard my name, but strangers I didn’t even remember kept shoving things into my hands.
I must’ve wandered around town so much that everyone had started recognizing me.
I don’t even know their faces or who they are! Who could remember every single daily quest?!
Accepting mysterious gifts one after another while mechanically bowing my head over and over made my neck ache and my vision spin.
Before I knew it, both arms were full of things. As a bonus, I no longer had a free hand to eat my bread.
“Oh, looks like you’re quite popular.”
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice, and instinctively bowed my head again.
I’d assumed it was another quest NPC.
“Hm? Are you greeting me too? You’ve got good manners.”
“…?”
Only then did I raise my head and realize who the owner of the voice was.
“You are…!”
