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~Chapter 52~
Tak.
The door to my room closed. I stood still.
“…Ha.”
A sigh escaped me, and my shoulders moved with the weight of it.
Finn was going to die.
The original story was about to begin.
That fact pressed heavily on my chest.
I had known it, but it felt like the moment I’d been dreading had finally arrived.
‘…I didn’t expect Harry to come all the way here to try to save Finn’s life.’
Of course, this wasn’t in the original either.
In the original, Harry had no connection to Irene at all, so this must be another butterfly effect from my travels.
‘Honestly…’
I had wavered for a moment. I did care about Finn.
Watching a child die when you knew it was coming… felt far guiltier than I expected.
But…
The harsh words I had said to Harry earlier came back to me.
“I’m sorry, Harry. If the doctor can’t save Finn, then I can’t either.”
“Even if you have money… you can’t change a life’s set span.”
I had looked at Finn for a long time before speaking in a deliberately cold tone.
Harry’s stunned face, his mouth left hanging open, told me my refusal had been even harsher than I thought.
‘This is inside a novel.’
Finn’s death was something that had to happen.
I couldn’t just recklessly change that fate.
‘…Though, I do know one possible way.’
My eyes turned toward the chick, fluffing its feathers busily.
As soon as we arrived at the mansion, it had demanded food, and now it was happily grooming itself.
When our eyes met, it glared with its little black button eyes.
[What. Why?]
Right… if it was the divine beast…
Maybe, with all the holy power it held, it could heal Finn.
It couldn’t bring back the dead, but healing someone right before death should be possible.
I wasn’t the saint, but I could at least ask.
‘…But.’
Again, I shook my head.
This was a novel world. I couldn’t forget that.
Finn and I… were both destined to die someday.
The protagonists here were Emily and the male leads.
Protagonists live like protagonists, supporting characters live like supporting characters — that’s the natural order of this world.
‘I’m truly sorry, Finn. And Harry.’
I forced myself to erase Finn’s image from my mind.
It hurt, but I decided to steel myself.
That was the best I could do.
A particularly long night passed, and morning came.
“…Ha.”
Lying in bed, I sighed as sunlight streamed in through the window.
I hadn’t slept well.
Since coming to the mansion, I had never lacked sleep before.
But now? I knew why.
While heading down for breakfast, I asked the butler:
“Butler. What happened to Harry?”
“Pardon?”
“The man who brought the child yesterday.”
I had refused Harry’s request, but I had allowed him to stay for the night since he’d come a long way.
Still, I worried he might keep clinging to me.
If Harry kept asking… maybe I’d weaken.
And for the sake of the original story, I had to let Finn die. Otherwise… I might want to save him.
The butler replied:
“Oh, he left the mansion with the boy at first light.”
“…I see.”
I nodded.
Good, so he had taken Finn away.
Of course, after I refused to treat Finn, Harry wouldn’t just leave him there.
If he had been desperate enough to come to me, he would now desperately look for another way to save Finn.
…Though it wouldn’t work in the end.
‘Yes, this is better.’
Even though I had refused, Finn’s image had stuck in my mind. Now that they were gone, it felt like a relief — I didn’t have to think about them anymore.
…Yes, I’d just forget the two of them and focus on enjoying today.
With that, I finished breakfast and went up to the second floor.
As I was about to enter my room, I noticed something through the open door of the room next door.
Huh?
“Sophie, what are you doing?”
“Milady?”
I knocked lightly and went inside. Sophie turned around in surprise.
This was the room next to mine, set aside for my personal maid.
Sophie was standing in front of a mirror, doing something with her face.
Looking closer, her makeup was different from usual.
When I tilted my head, Sophie scratched her hair awkwardly and laughed.
“Actually… remember what you mentioned during our trip? I thought I’d give it a try.”
“What I mentioned during the trip…?”
I was confused, but when I saw the makeup tools laid out in front of her, I clapped my hands.
“Oh, you mean the makeup artist thing!”
“…Makeup artist? What’s that?”
“Oh, never mind. Anyway.”
I remembered suggesting to Sophie during our train trip that she try working in makeup.
Compared to my previous life, this job wasn’t well developed here, so I thought she had a good chance to succeed.
And now, Sophie hadn’t forgotten my advice — she was acting on it.
Feeling proud, I smiled and went over to her.
“So, you were practicing makeup? Is everything going well?”
“Yes. I was working on a new style. I’m just starting out lightly, though.”
In front of her were color cosmetics that looked similar but each had a different shade.
Beside them was a pile of tissues, as if she had wiped her face dozens of times.
“Alright. Do you need my help? You can ask for anything, Sophie.”
Since I’d given her the idea, I wanted to help as much as possible.
And I was always grateful for how well she took care of me.
At my words, Sophie hesitated for a moment, then spoke carefully:
“Then… could I try my makeup style on you, milady?”
“Oh, you want me to be your model? Of course, I can.”
“And maybe…”
I agreed easily, but Sophie still looked hesitant.
“If it’s not too much trouble… could you wear the makeup I do for you and attend a tea party or something?”
“…Ah.”
“Actually… I want to see the reactions of other young ladies to my style. I’m a noble too, but the reactions of high-ranking ladies are definitely different.”
Knowing I usually avoided such gatherings, Sophie spoke cautiously.
She was normally bold enough to speak her mind, so I could tell this request was hard for her.
‘…I really hadn’t planned to attend a tea party.’
From my perspective, trying to stay quiet, this was an awkward request.
But refusing felt like crushing Sophie’s effort after she’d worked so hard on my suggestion.
“Hm…”
Should I stay loyal to Sophie, or stick to my goal in this novel’s world?
I was stuck at a crossroads.
