~ Chapter : 31 ~
“Not at all. It suits my taste perfectly.”
Without letting it show, she took another quick sip.
Well, her trying to act grown-up was pretty cute too. I cleared my throat once and spoke.
“Miss Camilla, I’m your senior at the Academy, you know. If you’re having a hard time with Academy life, or if there’s anything you need, just tell me.”
“I will, Senior Esmeralda.”
Camilla gave me a subtle, knowing smile, so I deliberately put on a stern expression.
“You were just thinking I don’t really feel like a senior, weren’t you? I’m three years older than you, you know?”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
She waved her hands in a panic, and I burst out laughing. Camilla puffed out her lips in a pout.
This time, she didn’t look like a cute chick, but rather like a prim little duck.
“You were teasing me just now, weren’t you?”
“Yes. You’re cute, Miss Camilla, so I wanted to joke around.”
At that, Camilla relaxed and smiled as well.
Since Beatrice no longer had any connection with Camilla, I believed Camilla’s Academy life wouldn’t be as difficult as it was in the original story.
“By all means, come visit my villa sometime. I’ll send a carriage for you whenever you want.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course. I have plenty of free time.”
Camilla smiled with her eyes, saying she’d visit anytime. Even back when we lived in completely different worlds, I’d felt a sense of kinship with Camilla. Now that I’d possessed this body, it felt good to have the ability to make her happy.
‘Of course, it’s not really my ability.’
I passed on all sorts of useless tips to Camilla—places at the Academy where you could skip classes and take good naps, how to clean half-heartedly without getting caught, and so on.
She listened so intently, looking like she was about to pull out a notebook and write everything down, that I felt a twinge of guilt.
After leaving Seradin Restaurant, Camilla headed back to the Academy, while I took a carriage back to the White Lion Castle.
Hena came rushing out from somewhere and took my outerwear.
“You’re back already, miss?”
‘It doesn’t seem like she had any work to do… Why does it feel like she rushed over?’
There was a faint scent of the study’s diffuser clinging to her.
Wondering if she’d cleaned without being told, I glanced at the dressing room and then at the study. The books in the study were subtly out of place—so subtle that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.
That bothered me a little, so I asked Hena.
“Hena, was anything unusual while I was gone?”
“Not at all. Ah, there was some dust on the books, so I brushed it off.”
As if she realized I’d noticed, Hena answered casually. It was something a maid could reasonably do, but…
‘Did she really need to? That looks more like she was searching for something. And the books for moving were already organized.’
After Hydeve had kept talking about rituals earlier today and made a discreet proposal and approach, my suspicion of Hena had only grown—just a hunch, but still.
Once doubt took root, every action started to look suspicious.
If she really was a spy sent by Hydeve, I had no intention of rashly accusing her and putting myself in danger.
So I deliberately didn’t put away the invitation Hydeve had given me, leaving it where Hena would find it while organizing my clothes.
“Miss, you didn’t empty your pocket.”
As Hena was tidying my coat, she took out the invitation and handed it to me.
“Oh, that…”
I unfolded the invitation and reread the date and location.
“Hena. Have you ever been to the Orient Bar?”
I probed her casually. Hena answered calmly as she hung up the clothes.
“Yes. It’s a high-end bar. I hear even famous people visit sometimes.”
“Hmm, I see. Maybe I should check it out while I have the chance.”
Since I wasn’t the type to pry into the servants’ personal lives, there was no need to ask who she’d gone with or whether she’d really been there.
Just letting Hena naturally know that I intended to accept Hydeve’s offer was enough to achieve my goal.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Something like that. Oh, I’m meeting the Duke tomorrow, so prepare an outfit in advance.”
“Yes. I’ve already drawn your bath, so please get some good rest.”
I walked slowly to the bathroom. The bathwater was warm.
‘If she’s really Hydeve’s underling, letting her know I’m going should keep her from harming me until then.’
Sinking into the warm water, I let out a sigh.
There was one thing that had been bothering me the most.
‘How is Hydeve so certain that I know the magic stone ritual? What does he think he knows?’
No matter how much I thought about it, no clear clue came to mind. Simply discovering the magic stone and reporting Venice over it didn’t fit Hydeve’s personality in the original story—he wouldn’t be this obsessed over just that.
Moreover, the magic stone had been discovered by Lipt, who had even obtained permission from His Majesty the Emperor before giving it to me. It went beyond mere puzzlement and straight into suspicion that Hydeve believed I could solve the ritual just because of that.
‘I don’t know. For now, I need to protect my life first. I’ll observe Hena a bit more.’
With the future of the key characters now unpredictable and my own future uncertain, I decided to prepare in advance even for things that were still only suspicions.
After Hena finished attending to me for the night and left, I pretended to sleep for a while. Then I peeked through a gap in the blinds.
After waiting a bit, I saw someone slipping out of the castle.
It was definitely Hena. Her movements were so nimble that even the knights of White Lion Castle didn’t notice her.
From that alone, my suspicion that she was no ordinary maid was confirmed.
‘Did she sneak out like that yesterday too? Is she really going to meet Hydeve?’
Otherwise, there’d be no reason for her to leave so secretly at such a late hour. Afraid she might look back, I quickly stepped away from the window.
If I chased after Hena recklessly now, I might put myself in even more danger. I’d seen countless stories where a powerless supporting character blindly tailing someone ended up caught red-handed by the villain.
For now, I decided to turn a blind eye to Hena’s outing. I planned to let her lower her guard, like Venice had—and choose a more discreet method.
I unlocked the spell on my drawer and took out the notebook containing the magic stone ritual.
Then I carried the notebook to the dressing room. Boxes bound for the villa the next day were stacked there. I opened one and slipped the notebook in among the clothes.
Next, I went to the study and stood in front of the bookshelf. Hena wouldn’t have searched my entire room. Long ago, I had hidden another thin notebook among these books.
‘Never thought I’d be taking this out again.’
Carefully, leaving no trace, I took it out.
This notebook was a relay novel my friends and I had written back at the Academy. A romance novel rated 19+, filled with everyone’s tastes and desires poured into the male lead.
‘Of course, once you put everything together, he ended up resembling Rosio.’
Though we’d used a different name to avoid trouble if it was discovered, anyone could tell the male lead was modeled after Rosio. Naturally, the story also featured about ten secondary male leads—it was a complete mess of a novel.
Since I owned the notebook, I’d kept it after finishing the story. I never imagined I’d use it as bait like this.
I placed the same locking magic array on the novel notebook. If someone tried to open it, a defensive magic array would activate, and only by solving the spell could they turn the pages.
Then I put the novel notebook into the drawer where the magic stone ritual notebook had been and kept the drawer’s locking spell intact. That way, Hena would continue to believe there was still something special inside.
‘She must have suspected I had something important. That part is right—but I can never hand over the notebook with the magic stone ritual.’
That was how I swapped the magic stone ritual notebook with the 19+ novel notebook.
The box containing the notebook was sent to the villa the next morning along with the other luggage.
Hena probably didn’t know yet that I’d taken the notebook out of the drawer. After barely sleeping and waking up, I calmly asked Hena to attend to me.
“You remember I said I’m going to the ducal territory today, right? Just prepare something light for going out.”
Rosio had prepared all the clothes I’d need and anything else required.
After returning from the entrance ceremony, I’d exchanged messages through Arl, telling Rosio everything—my favorite foods, preferred scents, and so on.
Even though it wasn’t a long stay, Rosio took meticulous care of my preferences.
“Yes, miss. I’ll prepare some warm tea for when you return.”
As I sat at the vanity, Hena picked up a brush and began arranging my hair. I glanced at her.
Since I’d already switched the notebooks last night, it was time to move on to the next step.
“Oh, right. I’m planning to stay in the ducal territory tomorrow as well.”
Tomorrow was the day Hydeve had told me to come to the promised location.
“Didn’t you say you had an appointment at the Orient Bar tomorrow?”
“Yes, that’s right. But it doesn’t seem all that important. Honestly, even if my mana gets recharged, it’s such a hassle to go all the way to the capital.”
Hena’s hand, which had been brushing my hair, faltered for a moment. I worried she might stab a vital spot with the brush, so I shamelessly added,
“At that time, it’d be more beneficial to spend even one more second looking at the Duke’s handsome face.”
Hena’s complexion shifted slightly, but she soon replied calmly that she understood.
To Beatrice, I acted as if I didn’t think about the future at all. To Venice, I acted like a jewel-obsessed collector. To Hena, I acted like someone so in love that she impulsively canceled appointments. I was too weak to show my intellect and confront them head-on.
I’d told Hena I wasn’t going to the Orient Bar, but I fully intended to go.
‘Because I need to be sure whether she really met Hydeve.’
If she truly met Hydeve last night, she would have passed along the fact that I planned to go to the Orient Bar. And today, she would report that I’d suddenly changed my mind.
In that case, there was a high chance Hydeve wouldn’t show up at the Orient Bar tomorrow.
“…Still, we should finish packing the rest of the things. The items in the drawer—could you move them today or tomorrow?”
Since I’d said I’d meet Hydeve, she probably hadn’t dug into my things obsessively yet. Before my safety was threatened, I dangled something tempting in front of Hena.
“I’d be happy to.”
For a brief moment, Hena’s eyes seemed to gleam.
I went to the drawer, took my staff, and deactivated the magic array. The pink magic circle gradually faded, its letters blurring before disappearing completely.
I’d practiced a calm expression in the mirror the night before, but I was still tense inside, worried she might notice the swap.
