Chapter 8
When I opened my eyes, it was morning.
‘When did I lie down on the bed?’
I blinked as I looked up at the familiar, luxurious patterned ceiling. Then I tried to recall my last memory. I had been watching two people loading arrows into a mechanism in the garden, thinking to myself, ‘Our protagonists are truly like models of beauty,’ and smiling contentedly…
‘I must have fallen asleep right there.’
I vaguely remembered someone lifting me in my sleep. I must have leaned on Davin again. Stretching my body, I slowly got up.
As I made a move to get up, I heard a voice outside the canopy draped around my bed.
“Miss, are you awake?”
“Mm-hmm.”
When I responded, Lana pulled back the canopy. With the bright sunlight streaming in, she appeared, and I smiled widely at her, opening my arms. Lana, smiling warmly at me, embraced me tightly.
“Good morning, Lana.”
“Good morning, Miss.”
I loved when Lana hugged me like this. After I first reincarnated and was too scared to sleep, Lana stayed by my side and often hugged me like this. She had hugged me for a long time, and then she pulled away and asked me,
“Would you like some water to wash your face?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Soon, a bowl of water was placed in front of me. I gave a half-hearted expression, dipping only my fingertips into the water to wipe my eyes. Lana narrowed her eyes slightly and, in a scolding tone, said,
“Miss, you shouldn’t wash your face like a cat.”
“…No, I just got rid of the sleep in my eyes. I’ll wash my face properly.”
“You did it quickly yesterday too.”
“I didn’t!”
“Well, it looks like you washed your face like a baby.”
“Hey! Stop treating me like a baby!”
“But Miss, you’re washing your face like one!”
Ugh, Lana, you’re so bad.
My face turned red, and I got up to wash my face properly. After changing into my indoor clothes, I walked out of the canopy, and there stood Davin at the door, waiting. I greeted him.
“Good morning, Davin.”
“Good morning, Anis.”
Davin smiled gently at me. Today, he was glowing as always. His silver hair shone with a hint of lavender in the shade, and his purple eyes sparkled with a bluish tint. To wake up and be able to admire such a face, I must have done something good in my past life.
‘After all, looking at something beautiful is good for your mental health.’
While I was enjoying his face, Lana had finished cleaning the table and spoke to me.
“Please sit down for a moment. I’ll bring your breakfast.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I sat at the table in the warm morning sunlight, stretching and yawning. Davin sat down across from me. The sunlight made his silver hair take on a warm glow again, as it had been cold in the shade.
“Are you going out today?”
“No, I’m going to rest today. Yesterday was too exhausting.”
It seemed like my stamina was low after being cooped up at home for a long time. Just going to Mr. Smith’s office and coming back, I ended up falling asleep outside. I sighed heavily, and Davin laughed as he looked at me.
“You need to build up your stamina.”
“Yeah. At this rate, I won’t be able to run away if things get urgent.”
I pouted, and Davin responded reassuringly.
“As long as I’m here, Anis, you won’t need to run.”
“Still, shouldn’t I have at least basic stamina…?”
I murmured, then asked Davin,
“Would you like to go for a walk? We’re not going far, just a stroll. Is it dangerous in the garden?”
“You can walk toward the lake. The traps I set are mostly in the garden.”
But when Davin mentioned the lake, I froze.
In the original story, Anis had died near the lake. At first, everyone thought she had fallen into the water while trying to cool off, but it wasn’t that simple.
The magic circle near the lake, set by Duke Laphtan’s family, was what killed Anis.
‘Come to think of it, Davin doesn’t know what’s there at the lake yet.’
In the original story, Davin had been the one who discovered the magic circle at the lake, but now he was too busy guarding me to notice the potential danger.
Should I tell him? It was a serious issue, and I was conflicted.
But how would I explain how I knew about the magic circle there?
Davin, noticing my hesitation, spoke cautiously.
“…If you don’t want to go near the lake, how about a walk outside the mansion? I’ll be with you, so it will be safe.”
Davin probably thought I was instinctively avoiding the lake because I fell into it and lost my memory. If I could avoid the lake with that excuse, I’d be okay with it. I nodded.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
So, I decided to rest today after a walk with Davin.
After having breakfast, I was getting dressed for the walk when there was a knock on the door. Davin opened the door and asked the visitor.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s a message from the imperial palace…”
Through the folding screen Lana had set up, I could faintly hear Jean’s voice talking about the Emperor and the imperial palace.
Once I finished getting dressed, I stepped out, and Davin looked at me with a serious expression.
“What’s going on?”
“An envoy from the imperial palace came. His Majesty the Emperor will be visiting the mansion today.”
“…He’s coming today?”
“Yes.”
The news of the Emperor’s visit wasn’t something I was happy about, so I frowned unconsciously.
‘Why is he coming so soon?’
I didn’t want him to come. Did I make a mistake by inviting him? No, if I didn’t invite him, I would have had to go to the palace myself…
Even though it was I who invited him, now I was regretting it. What if the Emperor is in league with the culprits? What if he tries to kill me right in front of me? I looked at Davin with fear, but his expression remained calm as always.
…It’ll be fine, right?
Seeing Davin’s calm face, I managed to calm down. Yeah, even if the Emperor brings all the palace knights, Davin can handle it.
Come to think of it, I had to meet the Emperor at least once to express my intention to break off the engagement.
‘Still, it’s a bit rude to inform me of his visit on the day itself.’
I gave a slight smirk and asked Davin.
“When will he arrive?”
Davin responded with a slightly troubled look on his face.
“The Emperor said he would come as soon as his schedule allows….”
I scowled.
‘What does that even mean? He wants me to stay here all day and wait for him?’
A brief silence filled the room. I stared out the window at the morning sunlight streaming in. It was such a perfect day for a walk, and yet…
“…Before the Emperor arrives, I’ll need to make sure the traps in the garden are inactive. If any of the traps attack His Majesty, it’ll be a disaster.”
Davin’s words made me nod in agreement. I sat under the tree where I had been resting yesterday, watching as Davin worked to deactivate the traps he had set up in the garden.
Thud, clank.
Davin was fiddling with something, flipping parts of the mechanism around as he walked through the garden. Soon, he wiped his hands and walked over to me.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, for now, they’re inactive.”
I thought it would take longer, but it was finished sooner than I expected. I blinked and then gestured for him to rest.
“Sit down for a moment. It’s nice and cool here.”
“Yes.”
We sat side by side under the shade of the tree, and soon, Lana appeared with a tray, holding glasses of orange juice.
“Wow, it’s already finished? Sir, thank you for your hard work.”
Lana, standing beside us, smiled brightly as she handed us the glasses of orange juice.
“We just got fresh oranges this morning, so I made juice.”
“Wow!”
The refreshing scent of oranges made me smile widely. Just as I was about to gulp it down, Davin stopped me. He pulled out a small glass bottle filled with silver needles.
“You accidentally dropped a silver stick into the juice.”
His sharp eyes were so precise. Lana, realizing her mistake, muttered, “Oh, right,” embarrassedly.
Not doubting Lana, I pouted a little, thinking, “Did it really need to be so meticulous?” But Davin completely ignored my expression and dipped the silver needle into the orange juice.
Sizzles—
The needle turned black and melted away as it touched the juice. My eyes widened in surprise.
Clink!
Suddenly, Davin sprang up from his seat, drawing his sword and aiming it at Lana.
