IBRIP l CH 89

Chapter 89 

After thinking for a while, I carefully opened the door and stepped out.

I spotted an older servant walking by in the hallway and politely stopped him.

“My name is Izana Monica Rohia. Could you please call my maids, Loti and Rena?”

The servant, who had a grand beard, smiled gently and bowed.

“There’s no servant in the palace who doesn’t know you, Miss. I’m Randol, the second head servant. I’ll bring them right away.”

He carried out my request perfectly.

Soon, Rena—looking sharp and fierce as always—and Loti—clearly tired from studying—arrived.

As soon as Rena saw Oscar unconscious on the table, her eyes widened in shock.

Loti also flinched at first but accepted the situation surprisingly well.

“Miss, what should we do now?” she asked calmly.

“You’ve gotten stronger, Loti.”

“To be honest, I kind of gave up the day you started barging into the Duke’s office without asking. As long as he’s not dead, it’s fine. He’s still breathing, after all.”

She pouted and added,
“And I’d rather do anything than study right now. Even counting the gold patterns on these walls is more fun than reading books!”

I smiled and nodded.

“Loti, can you and Rena stay outside and make sure no one comes in?”

“Of course! And if I can’t stop them, I’ll yell loudly.”

“Miss…? I really don’t understand what’s going on…” Rena said, still confused.

But Loti boldly grabbed her hand and said,
“You’ll understand once you go through it yourself.”

“Go through what…?”

“That our Miss is unstoppable.”

Today, Loti seemed oddly dependable.

As she left, I felt proud—like she had truly grown.

I returned to my seat and glanced back and forth between the unconscious Oscar and Winter.

Please wake up soon, Winter.

Another 30 minutes passed.

“…Izana.”

“Duke!”

Winter finally woke up, rubbing his forehead as he sat up. I smiled with relief.

“I was starting to get worried—it took longer than expected!”

He gently guided me back to my seat and sat down himself.

Then, holding out his palm, a mist flowed from his ear and formed a glowing orb again.

Winter returned it to Oscar, whispering with serious eyes.

“Izana… there was no error in the memory.”

What?

“I’ll explain more in a moment.”

As the mist disappeared, Oscar stirred and lifted his head.

Winter quietly tucked the (former) sweet potato baby back under the cart and bowed politely to both me and still-drowsy Oscar before leaving the room.

No error?

I felt a wave of confusion and disbelief.

Oscar rubbed his eyes and noticed my expression.

“Izana, do I look upset you? Is it because of what I said earlier?”

I wet my lips and shrugged.

“No, not at all. I think I just got really tired after that intense training. I understand what you meant. Sorry for bringing up a painful memory.”

Oscar shook his head and sighed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to remember it. It’s more like… it’s something I never want to forget.”

He picked up his knife but quickly set it down again with a sheepish smile.

“I’m feeling a bit tired too, suddenly.”

I touched my knife, then set it down as well.

“Let’s head back. Next time you visit the palace, let’s go for a walk in the garden.”

“Since I’m banned from training by Sir Rad, I have more free time now. I’d love that.”

Oscar tried to smile, but it looked a little sad.

I returned the smile, swallowing a bitter feeling.

***

“Lord Joseph visited while you were inside,” Loti told me afterward.

“He somehow knew you and Oscar were having lunch and came right up to the door. I thought he’d insist on going in, so I was ready to stop him—but he didn’t.”

“Then… Why did he come?”

“That’s the weird part. I have no idea.”

I frowned, confused.

Rena added, “He didn’t say a word. He just put his finger to his lips, telling us to be quiet. That’s why we couldn’t tell you right away.”

“So… he just stood there without saying anything?”

“Yes. He stayed for a while, then left. Maybe it was because he couldn’t hear any voices from inside, but… the whole atmosphere felt strange.”

I clenched my fist.

Did Boris tell Joseph what happened between us?

No… knowing Joseph, he probably figured it out himself.

If he suspects I know something…

***

“You and I seem to think the same way sometimes.”

Would he contact Count Bluebell next?

***

“No,” Winter said, smiling softly as he lifted his teacup.

“Joseph Rohia won’t contact Count Bluebell.”

“Because there was no error in the memory. He has nothing to fear.”

But that didn’t make sense.

The criminal wasn’t Boris.
So how could there be nothing wrong in Oscar’s memory?

Or… was I the one who misunderstood everything?

“…Do you believe Boris is the criminal?” I asked, suddenly unsure.

Winter shook his head.

“No. In fact, after reviewing the memory, I’m more certain than ever.
The one who broke the dog’s leg and gave Oscar a lasting trauma… was not Boris Rohia.
It was Joseph Rohia.”

Winter’s eyes darkened.

“In Oscar’s memory, the person looked exactly like Boris.
But I recognized those eyes. Eyes I’ve seen thousands of times.”

Joseph Rohia had been Winter’s enemy across countless lives.

I thought Winter had finally let go of all that hatred—but…

“Eyes full of endless curiosity and not a single trace of hesitation.
You were right, Izana. Those were definitely Joseph Rohia’s eyes.”

Winter smiled slowly.

He almost looked… excited.
Maybe because Joseph and Winter are surprisingly alike in many ways—both hard for me to understand.

“If there’s no error, then how do we prove the truth?” I asked.

Winter stared at me, then calmly set down his teacup.

“There’s still one way left.”

“How?”

I jumped to my feet.

Winter pointed at a plate of vegetables on the table.

“If you eat all the vegetables on this plate, I’ll tell you.”

The entire plate was green.

I became a rabbit and chewed through every bit of it.

“Well done,” Winter said with a satisfied nod.

“The Emperor of the Western Empire has been nagging me to report what you eat every day. He said if I don’t feed you properly, I’ll be fired.”

I downed a glass of orange juice to wash it down.

“Now tell me the method!”

“As I said before… someone needs to enter Oscar Tradi’s mind directly.”

But Winter already said he can’t do that.

Then who?

As if reading my thoughts, Winter answered.

“I’ll send you into Oscar Tradi’s mind.
That way, you won’t see things through his eyes—but from the outside, as a third person.”

At that moment, I didn’t fully understand what that meant.

But I knew one thing:

“I’ll do it!”

I’ll try anything if it helps us find the truth.