Chapter 45
Diana’s body, tightly held in my arms, was warm and damp—as if all her anxiety and fear had been simmering inside her, leaving her feverish even in the winter wind.
While gently stroking Diana’s back, I exchanged a look with Ethan.
The worst-case scenario we had predicted in the dining room seemed to be coming true. That was…
Ethan spoke quietly.
“…It looks like brainwashing magic.”
I nodded slowly and added,
“…And on the entire castle, too.”
My regression had nothing to do with Crowell Castle… so why was something like this happening here?
Ethan tapped the teacup he hadn’t even touched and asked,
“Do you have anyone in mind? A political enemy of the Crowell family, perhaps.”
“None. The Crowell family has never stepped into politics. Their biggest concern is that their people keep getting kidnapped.”
The tea we hadn’t touched was growing colder.
It was a wise decision to avoid drinking anything when you’re not sure whether it’s tea… or poison.
Ethan murmured,
“…It’s strange, too. That all the incidents caused by the brainwashing are so small.”
“Small?”
“If it’s large-scale enough to affect everyone in the castle, the caster could’ve turned everyone into berserkers and sent them to attack neighboring territories. But that didn’t happen.”
“…Ah.”
He was right. Setting aside the unpleasant déjà vu I felt—this kind of brainwashing, if abused even a little, could have led to a far worse situation.
So why cast something like “manage the castle perfectly”?
What was there to gain from that?
“…Hmm.”
As I frowned in confusion, Diana lifted her head from my arms.
“Sis…”
She clung to me with the desperation of someone who believed I was the only person she could trust—her only anchor.
“Mom and Dad… they can come back, right? And the others too…?”
“…Of course. I’ll fix everything.”
Repeating the promise I had whispered to myself countless times, I held Diana’s trembling hands tightly.
“I’ll help too, so don’t worry too much.”
Ethan, awkward but gentle, added in an attempt to calm her.
Compared to his first greeting to Diana, this was remarkable progress in kindness.
“…I still don’t like you, but I’ll let it slide since you’re my sister’s friend.”
“Thank you.”
Diana grumbled, but her tone had softened.
Maybe their relationship could eventually improve.
But for now, there were more urgent problems.
Assuming all the problems began with my regression made the most sense.
Just like how, during the subjugation fieldwork, the monsters appeared early and wiped out the professor and the knights—triggered by Therion’s premature appearance because of my regression.
But which part of this regression affected Crowell Castle… I couldn’t tell.
To be precise, there were several possibilities.
‘Damn.’
But it didn’t matter that I had little concrete information.
Because I had Diana—who had witnessed everything.
Brushing her sweaty hair aside, I asked,
“Diana, do you remember when your father first started acting strange?”
Diana rolled her eyes, then nodded.
“Yeah. It was probably last week… He was reading a letter!”
“What kind of letter?”
“It was a thick purple envelope. It looked weird, so if we check when it arrived, we’ll know exactly!”
“You’re smart.”
“…Hmph. I take after Sis.”
Diana puffed up with pride, trying to hide her smile at Ethan’s compliment. Seeing her brighten a little made me smile too.
No need to mention that we weren’t actually related by blood.
Maybe encouraged by Ethan, Diana clenched her fist and declared,
“No! I’ll sneak into the office tomorrow and bring it out! There might be something in the letter too!”
“I could go get it.”
“But I’m smaller and faster than Sis! Leave it to me!”
“…Hmm. Then should we trust you, Diana?”
“Yeah!”
Ignoring Ethan’s concerned glance—wondering if it was dangerous—I smiled and nodded at Diana.
Excited to have a role, Diana lifted her head and grinned playfully.
Her eyes were still swollen and puffy.
Watching her try so hard to act cheerful made my chest ache.
But still. With this little lady on our side, everything would turn out fine.
As long as even one member of my beloved family stayed with me…
Soon Diana, her tension finally loosening, rubbed her eyes sleepily and skipped away from the garden.
And then only Ethan and I remained.
Ethan stared off into the distance, deep in thought.
The clouds parted, and the full moon spilled icy blue light over the garden.
Sharp shadows formed across Ethan’s strong, angular features.
“……”
“Edith.”
His gaze slowly shifted to me. His dark navy eyes glinted sharply under the moonlight, then sank back into their usual darkness.
‘Hm.’
I was grateful he had comforted Diana so uncharacteristically—and that he had readily offered to help. So instead of snapping at him for staring, I simply tilted my head.
“Why did you agree to help so readily?”
“Because it’s something I can help with.”
His answer, as always, was simple.
I frowned slightly.
“…You don’t even know what the issue is.”
“Whatever it is.”
“I didn’t want to show you this side of me.”
“What side?”
I hesitated, then slowly admitted my weakness.
“Just… saying how much I love and cherish them, yet being too stupid to handle things properly even when something goes wrong right in front of me.”
If I had a flaw unchanged across hundreds of lives, it would be family. I was endlessly weak and clumsy when it came to them.
Because I loved them too much. Because the warm memories they gave me were what helped me endure hundreds of lives…
“……”
I lifted my head, looking at the moon. Its brightness hurt my eyes.
Everything became blurry.
Ethan’s voice broke the silence.
“You didn’t say that expecting an answer, so… shall we get up?”
He was being considerate. I felt a faint gratitude.
“…Yes.”
I let out a small laugh, lowered my gaze, and stood up, pushing back my chair.
Ethan, who had been staring at me the whole time, added something absurd a beat late.
“By the way, it’s strange you didn’t ask what I was looking at.”
…Is that a complaint?
“Should I?”
“Yes.”
“…?”
Yes, he says. Honestly, what a strange man…
With a sigh, I asked reluctantly,
“…What were you looking at?”
“I thought you looked nice when you smiled.”
I blinked, not trusting my ears.
“What?”
“When you look at Diana. Your smile.”
And even when I questioned him, Ethan answered calmly,
“It looks good.”
“…You’re really interested in me, aren’t you?”
“I think so too.”
At least he admits it.
I had meant it as a hint for him to stop being interested, but his sincere agreement made me involuntarily smile again.
Ethan also let out a small laugh.
“I wish you would smile more.”
“……”
At his words, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If I were alone in all this—
This situation might have felt much more overwhelming and suffocating.
…It’s a relief he’s here.
And it’s a relief Diana hasn’t changed.
With these two by my side, I felt like I could endure everything until Crowell Castle’s problems were solved.
With that comforting thought, I eventually fell asleep.
Completely unaware of what would happen to Diana in just a single night.
