Chapter 5
“Why are you sighing like that?”
“Ah! You scared me!”
It was Daniel. I had jumped up with a curse, and he stared at me with wide eyes.
Oh no—what was I just doing in front of a kid?!
I fumbled awkwardly, but Daniel suddenly held out a small box to me.
“What’s this?”
“A present.”
“It’s not my birthday.”
“I just wanted to give it to you.”
“…Why?”
“Can’t I?”
“Well, it’s not that you can’t, but…”
“Then just take it.”
What kind of conversation is this?
He looked like he wouldn’t move an inch unless I accepted it, so I reluctantly took the box.
“Can I open it?”
He nodded. His eyes sparkled with expectation, so I slowly lifted the lid.
“…A necklace?”
“Mm. A magic stone necklace. I made it by splitting mine.”
Wait. You split yours?
“The one Prince Leonit gave you?”
“Yeah. I wanted to give some to you, so I asked Father yesterday. It was rushed, so the design’s a bit rough, but you’ll wear it, right?”
I was speechless. He really split up a gift from the prince just to give half to me?!
Noticing my strange look, Daniel quickly added, like an excuse:
“I thought it would be nice if you carried it around like a charm.”
…That somehow makes it weirder!
I couldn’t find words, and Daniel gently took the box back from my hands. Then, without hesitation, he leaned in and placed the necklace around my neck.
What on earth is going on?
A perfectly split magic stone now hung around my neck, the other half resting on Daniel’s.
There’s definitely something going on here.
I started worrying—was this heading toward some kind of obsession ending? But Daniel stepped back calmly.
“They say in ancient times, magic stones were used for healing. If you carried one, your illnesses would improve.”
What is this, negative ions? Hydrogen water? Some kind of pseudoscience?
Of course this world would have quack remedies too. If there were cults here, why not fake healing methods?
And apparently this wasn’t even a recent invention—it was a “legendary ancient cure.” Yeah, this was definitely like the “negative ion treatment” back on Earth.
It felt suspicious, but he clearly meant well. Rejecting it outright would just be rude.
So I smiled brightly and said,
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
“You have to wear it every day. Okay?”
“I’ll wear it every day.”
“Promise.”
He looked like he wouldn’t leave until I agreed, so I held out my pinky finger for a promise.
He blinked at my hand, rubbed his own fingers nervously against his pants, and then finally hooked his finger with mine.
To make it solid, I even pressed my palm firmly against his for a full “hand-stamp.”
After that, Daniel sat and chatted about his classes and random little daily things, until the butler called him away.
“Ugh, I’m tired. Times like this, an Americano and a donut would be perfect. But I can’t even have that here…”
After I’d vomited all over his clothes last time, I wasn’t allowed to leave my room freely anymore.
“…Wouldn’t magicians be able to figure out my illness?”
It might not be pseudoscience, but in novels, magicians are usually nearly all-powerful. The only others who might compare were spirit-users or pharmacists, but this story didn’t even have spirit-users.
If it did, I’d want to be the only spirit-user in this world.
But the truth was—my body was weak, I had no skills, no powers, nothing. Living in someone else’s story with nothing but my love for my favorite character was… exhausting.
“…The Magic Tower, huh.”
Ever since Leonit had taken the throne, the Tower had become a den of evil.
They’d been caught experimenting with cruel magic on people, and Aria had exposed the whole thing, turning everything upside down.
If I wanted to approach the Tower, I’d need a magician as a connection. More importantly, I’d need a chance to actually leave this mansion.
Maybe I could befriend a magician somehow, but with me locked inside here, what could I even do?
“…Should I just sneak out?”
But if I got caught, I’d be locked up even tighter. And whoever failed to guard me would be punished too.
“I can’t use magic, no divine power, no sword skills, weak body… Isn’t this too unfair?”
And to top it off, I hadn’t heard a word from my supposed parents.
“…What if I am their child? Like, Aria’s twin sister who got abandoned by someone with bad intentions?”
It sounded like a soap opera plot, but it didn’t feel impossible. Though unlike the pastel-colored Maynard siblings, I was all gloomy and dark.
Maybe I wasn’t the Duke’s child, but a niece instead. If that were true, Daniel and Aria would be my cousins.
“…That’s actually a pretty reasonable theory.”
Or maybe I was related through the Duchess’s side of the family.
If I had access to a noble family tree, I’d know for sure. But the fact that my “parents” hadn’t reached out at all was unsettling.
“Maybe they’ve stayed silent for a reason. Like… they don’t care about me. Or they think I’ll die soon, so why bother getting attached.”
Lying on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.
“…Haa.”
My head felt like it was going to explode, so I forced myself to stop thinking. I fiddled with the magic stone necklace and just stared blankly upward.
“Well… things will work out somehow.”
After all, the only one I could rely on was myself—the reader of this story.
***
Meanwhile…
“Riela’s been acting strange lately.”
At Daniel’s serious words, Aria nodded in agreement.
She couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but Riela’s whole vibe had changed.
Sometimes she’d mutter to herself, staring off into space. Sometimes she’d run around, forgetting she was sick.
Sometimes she seemed like an adult. Sometimes like a little kid.
“…But is it really okay for us to do this?”
Aria tugged nervously at Daniel’s sleeve. Following Riela in secret felt wrong to her.
“You think she’s acting strange too. Don’t you want to know why?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Anyway, just follow me.”
He didn’t have the words to explain properly, so Daniel just dragged her along by force.
In the end, Aria gave up and followed him.
Not that it was much of a chase—Riela never left the Maynard estate anyway.
And even inside, her range was tiny: mostly just her bedroom or the library.
“How do I get the male lead and the heroine together…?”
Hiding near the library, Daniel perked his ears at Riela’s muttering.
“But the real problem is the villain. I’ve got to find a way to make Leonit submit somehow…”
Leonit?!
Daniel’s eyes widened. Was she plotting treason or something?!
“Ugh, whatever. Things will work themselves out. The more you interfere, the worse it gets. Everything in moderation, right?”
With a heavy sigh like some world-weary adult, Riela snapped her book shut and stood up.
Daniel quickly ducked down to avoid being seen, but his elbow knocked against the bookshelf—making a tiny noise.
“…!”
Aria glared at him like he’d ruined everything. Daniel’s face went pale.
But Riela didn’t seem to notice. She just kept muttering nonsense to herself and walked out of the library.
As soon as the door shut, both siblings let out a sigh of relief.
“We almost got caught because of you!” Aria hissed.
“Only because you were standing right there!”
“So it’s my fault now?”
“No, I just meant—ugh, forget it!”
Their bickering ended quickly—if they lost track of Riela now, finding her again would be hard.
“Truce for now.”
“Fine. She definitely went to the garden.”
“And how would you know that?” Daniel frowned.
“Because on Wednesdays she always goes to the library first, then the garden. You didn’t know that?” Aria smirked.
Daniel stayed silent. She was right—he hadn’t known.
But that was because he’d been busy preparing for the Academy. Wednesdays especially, he was away at the Magic Tower for lessons.
Still, he couldn’t let his little sister tease him like that. So he put on a smug face and said casually,
“It’s fine. Riela has the same necklace as me. I’ll know where she is no matter what.”
He pointed proudly to the magic stone around his neck.
“You…!”
Aria clenched her fists, furious at his smugness. She hadn’t awakened any magical talent yet, so she couldn’t do things like that.
In her frustration, she punched him in the stomach.
“Urgh!”
He groaned, but of course he couldn’t hit his little sister back. She knew that and just stuck her tongue out at him.
“…Huh? What are you two doing here?”
They froze. Riela was standing right there, staring at them suspiciously.
She narrowed her eyes, scanning them carefully.
“You two are hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t even a question. It was an accusation.
Riela had definitely changed. The Riela they knew had never been this sharp.
“Be honest and I’ll forgive you.”
With her arms crossed and chin raised, she looked almost intimidating.
Daniel and Aria exchanged panicked glances, neither knowing what to say.
