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Chapter 15
“The carriage… isn’t as bad as I thought.”
It did have the huge drawback of taking longer than teleportation magic, but the fact that I could lie down while traveling earned it a passing grade from me.
I usually used magic to move even to official events or small gatherings, so it had truly been a long time since I had ridden in a carriage.
Since I had surplus mana to spare, there was no reason to choose a cumbersome method when an easier one existed.
The Arvid Mansion was not far from the Duke of Ellopez’s house, so I arrived faster than I had expected.
“Ha…”
A sigh escaped me.
I had no idea how Leila would react.
If it were in line with her usual personality, she would have cried and thrown a fit, keeping me busy trying to calm her.
She would have already rushed to the Ellopez Mansion and back.
Yet, she hadn’t come—or even contacted me first.
“Besides, it seems her personality has changed a bit recently.”
It had only been a few weeks since she spilled wine on Charbiel’s clothes.
I thought I knew Leila better than anyone, but the recent Leila was very different from the one I knew.
It was strange that she suddenly tried to link me with Crown Prince Cier.
It was also odd that Lionel Blian’s name came up out of nowhere, even though they likely had never met.
“…Did she somehow regress?”
It wasn’t impossible.
Even as a vessel, I couldn’t be certain that a regressor didn’t exist.
I would have to ask Leila directly to know for sure, but even if it were true, she wouldn’t confess everything.
I couldn’t, either, stand in front of her and narrate the future of a regretful heroine rolling on the floor.
…That was an extreme assumption.
Shaking off the useless thoughts, I got off the carriage.
But if, by any chance, Leila did know something about what was going to happen…
“…she wouldn’t try to link me with the second prince.”
Though this was still just speculation.
Assuming I was the one Crown Prince Cier liked, my being linked with the second prince wouldn’t be an optimistic situation for Leila.
If I died, Cier would have a reason to help Leila out of revenge.
Conversely, if I lived, he would have no justification to intervene.
If she still remembered being mentally abused by the insane male leads in the original story…
“She would have made plans to escape from that.”
She would try to get away at all costs.
Even if the death of a close friend repeated during that process…
…That’s what I would have done.
But Leila…
“That foolishly kind girl wouldn’t just watch me die again.”
The likelihood was higher that, despite everything, she would struggle to keep me alive.
Thinking it didn’t matter if past events repeated for herself.
Leila Arvid—she really was that kind of person.
“Ha…”
I should have taught her early on to live selfishly rather than curse.
Though her nature was innate, so even if I had taught her, she might not have lived selfishly.
While my thoughts spun endlessly, the Arvid family butler approached me.
“…Miss, if you’ve arrived, why are you pacing around like that?”
I calmly headed toward the main gate.
“It feels awkward entering through the front door.”
It was just a lame excuse since I had no better answer, but the butler’s expression darkened sharply.
Clearly, even the Arvid servants were fully aware of my situation.
So… there was no way they didn’t know I had lost my mana.
“Is Leila in the mansion?”
The butler hesitated before answering.
He fidgeted, unsure whether to speak, then bit his lip.
“…She is, but…”
It was an unsatisfactory answer.
She existed, but the situation wasn’t ideal. Raising my eyebrows, I waited for him to continue.
“She hasn’t come out of her room for a week.”
“…”
“Whenever anyone tries to force the door open, she only tells them not to come in, and says nothing else.”
“What about meals?”
“We leave food at her door each time, but she hasn’t touched it. It remains just as the maids left it…”
He confessed everything, subtly glancing at me.
He probably hoped I would enter and bring Leila out—or at least speak to her.
“I’ll go try.”
As soon as I gave the awaited answer, his face brightened noticeably.
Approaching Leila’s room, I felt a faint trace of mana.
She hadn’t cast a direct spell herself, so she probably used an artifact.
‘Even if I tried to force the door, I couldn’t open it.’
Only the artifact user or someone capable of dispelling the spell could break it.
Since I was pretending to have lost my mana, I couldn’t do it myself.
“…It seems a spell has been placed. Unless Leila releases it, you won’t be able to force it open.”
“Then… what should I do? Should I request support from the Mage Tower?”
I shook my head.
They weren’t the type to come running just because of a request.
And this matter was even more trivial to them since it was only a noble lady locking herself in her room.
“Can I… break the door?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Judging by how far this has gone, she won’t come out even if I call her. I can’t leave it like this.”
Whatever he thought, my priority was to get Leila out.
He nodded solemnly, perhaps thinking the same.
“I’ll explain it properly to the master.”
“Ah, anything is fine—can I borrow a sword? I didn’t bring one when I came here.”
The butler, realizing my intent to break the door, ran and quickly brought a sword.
It looked well-maintained, certainly not just any sword.
‘…Is it really okay to use this?’
It was undoubtedly a display sword, but the butler’s expression suggested it didn’t matter. I gripped the sword.
If Calian knew, he would have scolded me for causing trouble in another house, though he fussed when I broke my own door.
But the situations were different.
This one involved an artifact-enhanced locked door, whereas I had merely locked my own door politely.
‘A little unfair, on second thought.’
I could have just picked the lock with a key, but instead the door ended up broken.
No use regretting it now.
Bidding my room door farewell, I slowly raised my aura.
“Everyone, stand back.”
At the butler’s signal, all the servants immediately moved away.
Confirming no one was around, I raised the sword to strike the door—then stopped and listened.
It was eerily quiet. No trace of anyone inside.
Even an unskilled person would leave some sign, yet there was nothing.
Leila, who had never held a sword, couldn’t have done this.
“Bael.”
I was the only one who could hear Bael’s voice as his contractor, though it wasn’t my own voice, so I called him internally.
“Did you call, contractor?”
‘Is Leila inside?’
“Why ask if you already know?”
So she wasn’t there.
Apparently, no one among the Arvid servants noticed either.
Understandable…
“Leila, are you in there?”
“…No one come in.”
I heard Leila’s voice.
She probably even set up a voice-output artifact.
If I broke the door now, all the servants would know she wasn’t inside.
It wouldn’t be wise to make a public scene…
“….”
I felt a small presence from inside.
‘Has Leila returned?’
“Don’t ask if you know, contractor. It’s unpleasant just having you nearby without divine power directly involved.”
But she wasn’t alone.
Along with her, a faint and familiar mana came through.
‘…Cier Persent.’
Was she with the Second Prince?
