~Chapter 32~
Dians Village, located outside the capital, was small in size, but it was famous for its summer festival, and true to its name, there was so much to see.
Some things were truly interesting.
What caught my and Rayla’s attention (as we were busy chasing food stalls) was a tiny magical doll.
“If you place it by your pillow while you sleep, it will slowly grow.”
…Seriously?
The doll was about the size of a fist—round and fluffy with soft white fur that made you feel happy just looking at it.
It was already cute in its current form.
Wasn’t that enough?
And now it was supposed to grow? That just felt like an unnecessary feature.
Rayla and I seemed to share the same thought.
We looked at each other and let out an awkward laugh.
The shop owner laughed too.
“It only grows into cute animals like rabbits, puppies, or kittens. You should buy one just for fun.”
Honestly, it still kind of felt like a haunted doll.
But if it turned out cute… maybe it was worth it?
“Rayla, aren’t you getting one?”
“I don’t have money.”
Ugh. She could’ve just said she was scared, but no—she had to come up with a silly excuse.
As the owner handed me the doll, he added:
“It will transform into the animal that resembles its owner the most.”
“…What if it turns into a monkey?”
Rayla made a cheeky comment, and I glared at her.
She just grinned.
“Monkeys are cute, though.”
Then you buy one!
***
The festival was in full swing.
After walking around until we were exhausted, Rayla and I sat down on a bench.
“Cheers.”
She clinked her beer glass with mine, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I think my past self would be amazed if she saw us now.”
Her expression turned thoughtful.
“I never thought I’d become this close with you.”
I remembered her saying once that she didn’t have a good impression of me at first—especially because of how infamous I was back then, thanks to what I’d done to Ricardo.
Rayla took a sip of her drink and shook her head.
“Was my first impression that bad?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started.”
It stung a little to hear that, especially since the Bianca she first met… was me after I had possessed this body.
Sure, the original Bianca wasn’t exactly the nicest person either—but it seemed I wasn’t much better in the beginning.
I think I was 14 when I first met Rayla.
It was also around the time Ricardo really hated Bianca.
I had been shocked to learn that one of the sub-male leads absolutely despised me—even though we’d never met before.
A guy I’ve never even seen hates me that much? Seriously?
From then on, I tried everything to stop the engagement.
“Don’t worry, Bianca. You’re such a lovely girl. He’ll fall in love with you eventually.”
That’s what Grandpa used to say—convinced that everyone would love me, no matter what.
And that’s when I realized—
That’s why Bianca grew up with such a twisted personality.
Lost in thought, I snapped out of it when I heard Rayla sipping next to me.
“Rayla? Are you okay?”
She wasn’t a strong drinker.
Sure enough, her cheeks had already turned red.
I clicked my tongue and grabbed her glass away.
She protested that she was fine.
“Bianca, do you remember the first time we met?”
“Of course I do.”
While answering Rayla, I was busy scanning the area for her escort knight.
Luckily, even though I was distracted, she didn’t seem to notice and just kept smiling happily.
“You know, that wasn’t actually the first time I saw you.”
Her face looked relieved, like she was letting go of a secret.
“…Then when did you first see me?”
“The day before. I was curious about the girl everyone was talking about, so I begged my dad to visit your house.”
Wait, what?
This was the first I’d heard of that.
Rayla loved to chat, so I was surprised she hadn’t mentioned it until now.
“Why did you leave without saying anything? You could’ve greeted me.”
“Didn’t I tell you? My first impression of you was the worst.”
She let out a small laugh.
“Who rolls around in the mud with the guy they like? Both of you had red eyes…”
“…What?”
“Your grandpa didn’t seem happy about it either. He told me not to ever talk about it.”
I blinked, stunned.
“Since neither you nor Lord Ricardo ever brought it up again, I stayed quiet.”
“…”
“But now that you two are breaking off the engagement, I thought it was okay to tell you.”
Just then—
Hiccup!
Rayla hiccuped loudly, her eyes wide. She quickly covered her mouth and ran off behind the flower beds.
But I just stood there blinking, frozen.
…Wait.
I met Ricardo before?
When?
I don’t remember that at all.
***
“I’ll take care of Lady Rayla.”
I handed Rayla over to her knight and finally let out a breath.
The knight looked concerned about me being alone and gently asked:
“Shouldn’t you head back as well, my lady? Or… would you like to stay at the count’s residence tonight?”
“I’d rather look around the festival a bit more. Just take good care of Rayla.”
“…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go straight to the inn afterward.”
Rayla had booked a place for us.
The safety here wasn’t as good as in the capital, but Dians Village was generally safe.
Still, if I’d known this would happen, I should’ve brought Allen with me.
But I’d snuck out of the mansion to visit Peril at the Sun Shop and talk about the World Tree root—that was the real issue.
My mind was a mess, so I thought I’d go walk by the beach Rayla had mentioned…
But when I looked at the road there, my curiosity vanished.
“…I’ll just go to sleep.”
The beach path was too remote, the road was rough, and it was getting too dark to see anything.
So I gave up and headed toward the inn.
“…I’m pretty sure this is the right way.”
I meant to go to the inn because I was scared of the dark beach road, but somehow I ended up having a horror experience anyway.
Even following the map, I got lost.
The noise of the crowd faded behind me, and I was surrounded by dark alleyways.
‘Is this the right way?’
My mind, already full of confusing thoughts, was now flooded with fear.
Then, suddenly—
“…Are you sure they’re together?”
A vague voice came from the shadows. My whole body tensed.
“Yes. A man in a black robe and a red-haired woman.”
Under the pale moonlight, I saw two figures.
My body moved on instinct—I quickly hid.
…Wait.
Red hair?
That must be Idette.
“How many people did she bring?”
“Three, as far as we can tell.”
“Hmph. She must be overconfident to think that’s enough to protect herself.”
They were talking about Idette.
But then—
Slicing sound.
A sharp noise rang out, like something was cut.
“Guh…!”
The man who was talking suddenly groaned.
Thud.
He collapsed.
D-Did he just… die?
The wind carried a strong scent of blood, and I realized with horror—it was real.
I was frozen. I couldn’t even think.
I had to run.
But… could I even escape safely?
My mind was racing when suddenly—
“I’ll take care of the rest.”
A new voice. Calm, unfamiliar.
“…Your Grace?”
A cold wind blew past.
Even though I was hidden in a dark alley, I could feel it—
Someone who had just killed so easily was now watching me.
And then—
Footsteps.
Coming toward me.
Oh no.
Legs, please move… please…!
“There’s another little rat hiding here.”
Piercing blue eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
But the moment our eyes met, they widened slightly in shock.
So did mine.
…Ricardo.
Why are you here?!
