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Chapter 36
“Okay.”
“Really? No matter what I do, you won’t kill me?”
“Yeah. You’re the strangest person I know, so I decided not to kill you. I won’t take the mirror either. I swear it on the honor of the Tower Lord. Now, when you wake, I’ll cast a spell that binds you with an oath: if you break it, I’ll die.”
A golden light circled the Tower Lord’s hand and then vanished.
Still—though I’d received his promise not to kill me, for some reason I didn’t feel happy about it.
“Am I really that strange?”
“Yeah. The strangest.”
“…In what way am I strange?”
“You’re not sick, you haven’t been heartbroken, your stamina is low and you have no physical strength or mana. Despite that, you don’t back down from threats and you aren’t afraid of death. But you treat mere possessions as more precious than death?”
Hearing it out loud from someone else’s mouth, it did sound strange.
“On top of that, you’re neither afraid nor excited when you see me. You don’t gush over how handsome I am.”
“There are plenty of people like that.”
I answered confidently, but he snorted.
“They might not be afraid or excited, but there’s no one who hasn’t admired my face.”
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince or Duke Lisianshus would be different.”
Because they’re the male leads, of course!
“What are you talking about. The Crown Prince fainted at the sight of me and, um… the Duke didn’t exactly admire me.”
“See?”
That Crown Prince — to admire someone else’s looks when there’s Merina around.
If the male lead lacks the proper credentials, he’ll just abandon the role. Then my fate might take a different turn…
“Still, the Duke wouldn’t act like you. Anyway, since I won’t kill you, I want you to keep being strange.”
“I can’t stay strange all the time. If I act strangely and something happens to me, that would be a problem.”
“I’ll remove anyone who gets in the way of your being strange.”
It was oddly convincing to hear such words from the Tower Lord, who was clearly the head of the illegal Blue Bird organization.
If something he offers will help me, I’d gladly accept it — even if it comes from an illegal organization. As long as nobody finds out when I use it, right?
“All right.”
“You have the parchment and pen I gave you before, right? Use that to contact me.”
“Understood.”
The Tower Lord smiled and headed toward the window that opened onto the terrace.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll be going now.”
Before I could ask why he wasn’t leaving through the door, he vanished out the window.
“Whew…”
My head was spinning.
I rang the bell on the console.
As soon as the Tower Lord left, the spell that had been blocking conversation noise must have been lifted, because Keshy came in.
“What is it—oh my, the Tower Lord is gone?” she said.
“Yes. By the way, I’m hungry. Could you bring me a snack?”
“Of course, milady.”
A little later, Mother appeared with light refreshments. She settled into my room and watched me eat.
“It’s nice to see you eating well. The marks on your neck are getting lighter too.”
Her worried look made me full quickly, but I ate more.
“That’s right, eat more. Still, choosing between Duke Lisianshus and the Tower Lord—such a difficult choice.”
“A choice for what?”
“A husband.”
A reasonable worry for parents with a daughter my age.
For me, who always returns to the same timeframe, the remaining time is usually about ten months. Judging by what I’d done so far, my life should have been extended by more than two months.
Two months have already passed, so I probably have at least ten months left.
Since things in this run have been completely different from previous ones, it could be longer, but I shouldn’t assume too much.
Keeping the worst-case scenario in mind is the only way not to get careless.
Anyway, I don’t have the luxury of thinking about marriage, and I’ve never been married, so I didn’t want to shatter Mother’s fantasies…
“One is cold but warm to his woman; the other is brutal but warm to his woman. And as for looks—need I say more?”
…No, I should probably break that illusion.
“Mother, I think of Duke Lisianshus like an older brother. And the Tower Lord probably sees me, well, like some kind of rare animal.”
“Everything starts like that, Roa.”
Mother poured the tea herself.
“I felt the same way about your father. At first I thought he was strange, but somehow he kept appearing in my thoughts. We spent time together as partners, then as friends, and because we grew fond of each other we married.”
Dad was a strange man…
Well, according to Lady Merity’s words, Mother had been a rare beauty in her youth, and considering her maternal family, Father wouldn’t have been an easy catch either.
Even now, traces of her youthful beauty remained as Mother used graceful movements to place fresh fruit on my plate.
“Your father cared about his lady’s honor and all that, and the best way to meet a fine man without ruining your reputation is this.”
“What is it?”
Mother smiled meaningfully.
“Meet several good men.”
A grape rolled down my throat on its own.
“The important thing is not to meet low-quality ones. Someone everyone would covet. In that sense, the Duke and the Tower Lord are both passing.”
Mother continued as if my reaction didn’t matter.
“And it’s best to treat them all fairly. You must keep a balance. Hmm… they’re not enough; how about meeting at least one more?”
At that unexpected suggestion I opened my mouth in surprise.
“Do you need two or more, Roa? I’d agree, but it would tire you.”
“No! Mother, I really don’t have any feelings for them, so please don’t say that.”
“My, what a waste to say that.”
“Please, I beg you.”
I had barely managed to frame things so that the Duke was just a friend-with-benefits-but-never-a-lover, and I could not ruin that.
After I insisted several times, Mother finally sulked and agreed.
A full week of rest made my body feel considerably better.
The marks on my neck could now be hidden with light makeup, and Ted, who had gone down to the manor and come back, brought good news.
“Look at this, milady. I told you I’d find it.”
What he handed me was a red diamond ore.
“I never thought there’d really be a red diamond mine. Amazing, Ti.” I said.
“If you’re the guildmaster of the Spiderweb, you have to do this much.”
It was a small mine, but red diamonds were several times rarer than blue diamonds.
The mine I’d found before was strange in that blue diamonds practically rolled at your feet as soon as you entered. This one, by contrast, would require a large-scale expansion project at the mine — but the profit would be worth it.
“Good work. I’m wondering how much incentive I should give.”
“I’m employed by you, milady, so you don’t have to give me anything. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
“Haha, I’ll make sure you’re not disappointed.”
Once the deposit is confirmed more precisely, I’ll give him a reward accordingly.
Ted handed over a report related to Blue Bird and the items I had ordered for Lexian.
“The craftsmanship is excellent.”
“They said since the order was special from you, they put more care than usual into it.”
It was a cloak clasp brooch set with a large blue diamond, delicately cut and set on a platinum base with enchantments.
Lexian, who liked neat and simple designs, was the only one who used a brooch to secure his cloak.
“I’ll have to give a bonus.”
Whether the day will come when I give this to Lexian is another matter.
Giving this to him now — now that he’s become more fond of me faster than usual — would be dangerous.
In previous runs I had given him items made with blue diamonds too, and if that made Lexian develop even more positive feelings for me, that would be a problem.
“Are you worried about something? Like, whether to assassinate Duke Lisianshus?” Ted said, scratching the back of his head.
I looked up at him; his face twisted.
“You were staring at the brooch with a scary look, so I thought I’d mention it.”
“Oh…”
I closed the lid of the small box holding the brooch.
“Something else popped into my head. The Tower Lord came by.”
“The Tower Lord…?”
Ted’s expression hardened into something fierce.
“He was only here to see me, but he might come to the manor again, so be careful.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ted bowed with a grim look, but when he raised his head his gaze was resolute.
“Then I’ll be going. Rest well.”
Left alone in my room, I spread out the papers related to Blue Bird’s recent activities in the capital.
So far, three branches of Blue Bird had been confirmed, and a report said the Royal Knights had found an illegal gambling den in the capital.
Soon they would discover another illegal gambling house on the outskirts, and that place would contain information related to Blue Bird.
“Time to go out.”
With my parents watching me like hawks, sneaking out would be hard…
“Then I’ll go out openly and aboveboard.”
