I'm fine right now, but if I say so, it'll seem like I'm getting too excited, right? I mean, to want that as soon as you open your eyes after you almost died is kind of......
Too bad, but I nodded for now.
Killian must have noticed my feelings, because he leaned in and kissed me softly.
"You never know, but you'll probably be sore all over when you wake up, and you've got a bump on your head from the fall, so you'll have to be careful for a while. I want to do it so badly, but......"
"I- I- I didn't say anything......"
"You look a little wistful."
Killian smirked again.
If you're going to do this, don't provoke me. Sheesh.
***
"Argh! Nothing really works out!"
Leila was pacing frantically, unable to control herself.
She threw everything she could get her hands on, crushed the flowers arranged this morning, and screamed at the maids.
Every time Leila flared up, the maids would run out to find Damien in tears.
It wasn't pleasant for Damien, who was dragged along every time, but he had no choice or the maids would quit.
Damien shouted in an irritated voice, "Why again?!"
Leila, her hair disheveled in a way unbecoming of a noblewoman, turned to look at him.
"I think that bitch Edith is using some kind of...... witchcraft or something."
"What kind of novelty bullshit is that?"
"If not, how can she be so lucky?"
"Why don't you tell me what's going on?"
Finally, Leila's anger subsided and she flopped down on the couch.
Meanwhile, the maids began to clean up the mess.
"Do you know that Edith Riegelhoff almost died?"
"Almost drowned?"
"Not that one. Recently."
"No. I've never heard of it."
Leila gulped down the cold tea the maid handed her, then spoke again, "The man who was crazy about her almost killed her."
Leila told Damien, who looked even more puzzled, everything that had happened.
From the night she'd gotten the letter with the unknown sender to the plan to kill Edith that had been delivered by someone on behalf of the Ludwigs.
"She really almost died this time, and then, oh my God...... Killian showed up and saved her again. Can you believe it?"
Damien frowned at Leila, who shook her head in disbelief.
"So what you're saying is, you don't know exactly who sent you the letter?"
"Does that matter now?"
"Of course it matters, you idiot, it could have been a trap!"
Damien berated Leila sharply.
It was a shame, because the plan was really designed for Edith, and it would have been a disaster if it had been a trap to prey on Leila.
But Leila paid no heed to her brother's advice.
"Anyway, it's not like I did anything special. I just went to the Sicily family's tea party and spilled a few words next to that gross man."
"Spilled what?"
"That Edith would be stopping by the Millane Bookstore on Le-Belle Marie Street around noon in two days."
Damien mulled over Leila's description of the situation, then asked again, "What happened to that Fred Sicily?"
"He committed suicide."
"Suicide? Any chance someone had a hand in it?"
"I thought so at first, too, but the guy was even crazier than I thought. He said that if he killed himself, Edith would remember him forever."
"Ha......!"
Damien shook his head at the absurdity of the story.
"By the way, are you sure that the people you met to explain the plan to you are those who work for the Ludwigs?"
"Yes. She wore the badge of the Ludwig, and the knight's uniform also belonged to Ludwig."
"But they could be fake."
"So what if it's fake? The information they gave me was solid, and Edith was almost killed. It's annoying that they're the only ones who know my identity, but it's an offer I can't refuse."
Well, no one would want to impersonate Ludwig's servant while doing such a risky thing.
"Then...... could it be that Duke Ludwig himself ordered them?"
"What?"
"Cliff isn't interested in her, and Killian didn't seem to hate her enough to try to kill her right away, but if it's Duke Ludwig, that's a different story."
At the mention of Duke Ludwig, Leila's eyes began to sparkle.
"Do you remember the other day when father and I went to talk to him about the iron ore distribution rights?"
"Yes!"
"Maybe Duke Ludwig wants to get rid of Edith Riegelhoff, because he doesn't need her anymore."
"Really?"
"It's a guess, but it's pretty plausible, don't you think? Who else would want to get rid of Edith Riegelhoff at this point?"
Count Riegelhoff, who had publicly sided with Archduke of Langston at the National Day ball, the iron ore distribution rights he no longer wished for, and the useless Edith Riegelhoff.
"You're right, my brother. There is no need for Duke Ludwig to keep Edith with him any longer."
"On the contrary, if Count Riegelhoff were to join the treason, he would be in trouble for keeping Edith under his protection, so this is a very good thing for you."
Leila looked pleased for a moment, then stamped her foot in frustration.
"It would have been so much better if that bitch Edith had died!"
"There's nothing to be gained by dwelling on the past; sooner or later, after our family gets the iron ore distribution rights, we'll have to go see Duke Ludwig again to report. You should come along too and make a good impression."
"Great, then I guess I'll just have to take good care of my skin until then, huh?"
Damien chuckled at his sister, who was instantly in a better mood.
Now that they were taking away everything that Count Riegelhoff had, his sister could take away the position of Killian Ludwig's wife.
'It would be better if it was the position of Cliff's wife, but...... there's a good chance that Lizé will be the one to take it. However, if we can persuade Lizé well, things will go our way. It's only a matter of time before House Ludwig becomes House Sinclair's best ally.'
Damien clenched his fists as he envisioned a future where House Sinclair would be the most powerful of the Count families.
***
I may be too young to use the phrase "Live long and see what happens" [1], but for the first time since I fell into this world, my and Lizé's positions have been reversed.
[1] If you live long enough, you'll see a lot of different things or you'll have a lot of different experiences.
What happened on Le-Belle Marie Street made me suspect Lizé.
It's really a "Live long and see what happens" situation.
"What did she say?"
I genuinely wondered.
Pure curiosity overrode any feelings of dislike or resentment.
I wanted to know what kind of setting the author had put her in that caused the good Lizé to drive me to my death.
"Lizé said she couldn't find you in the bookstore."
"What? The bookstore itself isn't that big, although the shelves were cluttered, and it's not like I was moving around. You can find the owner and ask him about that."
"I've already investigated the owner, and she remembers you quite well. She said that while you were paying for the books, you asked her if she had seen the other girl who came with you......"
"That's right, I couldn't find Lizé either."
Killian smiled bitterly and nodded. "Lizé said she went to the bookstore and looked for a book, but she felt embarrassed and left. She said she felt like she had committed a sin so she rushed out anxiously and forgot to look for you."
"W- what? She felt embarrassed and sinful? That's ridiculous! It was Lizé who took me to the bookstore!"
"Maybe she said that because she was in front of Cliff. Cliff seemed to be displeased with Lizé even reading romance novels."
"It's between us but...... I think that's a bit too much."
"I agree. Cliff is crazy, no different than the guy who attacked you."
I agree with Killian here.
"My father is blaming himself, and Lizé keeps crying that it's her fault. They've stopped eating and drinking...... and Cliff said he wants you to comfort my father and Lizé."
"I almost died, and I'm supposed to go comfort them?"
"Cliff asked me to tell you, but I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to, just tell me. I'll take care of it from my end."
It's kind of annoying.
I was thinking that either Duke Ludwig or Lizé was involved in this.
But I have to comfort the person who probably almost killed me......? How does that make sense?
'But if I refuse, they'll say something bad about me again, almost certainly.'
Now that I've gotten used to the system of this world, I can see how things are going.
This had to be a ploy by the author to tarnish my reputation.
"Ha...... if I don't go, it will be said that I went too far again. What can I do? I should go and talk to Lizé."
I immediately sent a message to Duke Ludwig and Lizé that I would be visiting them.
It's kind of funny that we live in the same house but I have to leave a message every time I visit.
Ten minutes later, I was greeted by a somber-looking Duke of Ludwig.
"Are you feeling well?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Excellency," I said, "thank you for your concern, and I'm very sorry that something you've put your mind to has come to this."
"I should have sent more escorts, no matter what anyone says, but I was too careless."
He was genuinely sorry, unable to look me in the eye.