Chapter 55
When I heard that much, only one thought pierced my mind.
Did I just get transported into Tumultuous Renata?
I froze on the spot, unable to respond or react in any way.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“……”
“Oh my, Miss!”
“……”
“Miss, are you alright? Oh no, your face is so pale.”
“Eclat.”
I barely managed to call her name once and straightened out my clothes.
“I need to go to the bookstore right now.”
“What? Pardon?”
“I have to go. Right now.”
“Oh my, Miss, what are you saying!”
Eclat grabbed my hand, trying to stop me.
“You just came home. And it’s far too late.”
“There’s something I absolutely have to check.”
But her words didn’t register.
I have to go and check.
I have to confirm it right now!
“If you don’t remember something, just ask me. I’ll tell you everything I know, Miss.”
“……”
“It’s too late to go now. If I lose you again like last time, I’ll really be fired!”
Eclat was nearly in tears.
Right, if I go out at this hour, it’ll be hard on her.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s alright, Miss. But please, ask me instead. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
I had so many questions I wanted to ask.
Even though I knew I had to stay calm, I felt anxious, scared, and increasingly impatient.
Some of my questions Eclat could answer, and others… she absolutely could not.
“Then, right now, are Renata and I not getting along?”
I asked cautiously, and Eclat gave a bittersweet smile.
She seemed to be struggling to find the right way to say it.
“Um, yes. A little.”
“Renata’s mad at me, isn’t she?”
“Something like that.”
“Then did I at least try to make up with her?”
“You sent her gifts and things at first, but now… well.”
She trailed off, but I understood what that meant.
I gave up.
“I see.”
Somehow, my shoulders sagged.
Since coming to this world, I had relied on Leoni so much.
And not only had I hurt that kind and warm person, but our relationship was now completely broken.
How awful.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“Oh, what about Failie? What happened with her?”
Suddenly, I remembered Failie.
“Lady Failie?”
“Yeah, what happened with her?”
According to Eclat, I had been kidnapped here too. It’s been three days, so surely there was some kind of punishment?
“You’re still getting along with her, just like before.”
“What? Getting along?”
“Yes, you’re even meeting her tomorrow.”
“I am? I’m meeting Failie tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, that can’t be right.”
So many things were strange, but this was truly bizarre.
“Didn’t Failie kidnap me? How can we be on good terms?”
When I asked, Eclat jumped in surprise.
“Miss, what are you saying!”
“Don’t tell me… you don’t know either?”
“When you went missing, Lady Failie did everything she could to find you. And the Izzley family mobilized a large number of people to search for you.”
“……”
“Miss, if you say something like that in public, it could be very serious!”
At this point, all I could do was laugh hollowly.
I’d broken ties with Leoni, and now I was supposedly best friends with Failie?
I was so stunned, I couldn’t even speak.
Then suddenly, I remembered: Failie liked Zerach.
She even kidnapped me over it.
And now she’s close to me?
“Eclat, then who kidnapped me?”
“Well…”
Eclat looked awkward as she answered.
“You were definitely missing, but… like now, your memories are fuzzy, and there’s no clear evidence anyone deliberately took you.”
What? That’s strange too.
There are too many things I need to verify.
Leoni, Failie, and the Grand Duke.
“The Grand Duke isn’t in Muten right now, right?”
“No.”
Then what about Adrian?
If Leoni followed the original story and liked Zerach first, what about Adrian?
“Do you know anything about Sir Adrian Watford?”
When I asked, Eclat tilted her head.
“Hmm, Adrian Watford… I think I’ve heard the name somewhere.”
“My brother’s friend. He was close to us when we were young, then moved away.”
“Hmm, the name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure. I don’t think he’s visited the estate recently.”
“What?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason.”
Oh my god.
Adrian doesn’t exist here.
Did his name change like Leoni’s?
“Eclat, maybe his name isn’t Adrian. He has ash-brown hair, is about this tall, and his eyes curve a little when he smiles. Think hard.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t recall seeing anyone with ash-brown hair among Master Oliver’s friends.”
“……”
Then… Leoni’s first love is gone?
He doesn’t exist here?
The more questions I asked, the more doubts arose—but none of those doubts could be resolved by Eclat’s answers.
“Oh, Master Oliver is coming back tomorrow. Why don’t you ask him?”
“He’s coming back tomorrow?”
“Yes. Don’t tell me you don’t remember that either?”
“My brother is a diplomat, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. He went to Astren for security reasons and said he’d return tomorrow.”
Alright. Then I’ll ask him when he comes.
“Miss, do you have any more questions?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks, Eclat.”
“Don’t mention it. Then please rest.”
After Eclat left, I slumped down onto the sofa.
Everything around me had suddenly changed.
My closest friend had become estranged, and the man she had a crush on wasn’t even here.
I was now the woman who stole her friend’s man—but that man didn’t exist in this world.
All I did was go to a bookstore.
And now I had ended up inside the book I was looking for.
There’s no denying it anymore.
I am inside Tumultuous Renata.
“Stay calm. Calm down.”
Just then, I remembered something and frantically touched my neck.
“Ha, thank goodness.”
The necklace Zerach gave me was still there.
As I gently ran my fingers over the bird-shaped charm, the confusion and discomfort started to ease a little.
‘What is the Grand Duke doing right now?’
If I really have transmigrated into a different book… then what happened to the original me?
Have I disappeared?
Is this the ‘erasure’ I’ve always feared?
That thought made me suddenly very sad.
“No… I don’t want that.”
If I really disappear like this, how will the people I left behind ever understand?
But the 13 days haven’t passed yet. I thought I still had time.
If I vanish so suddenly, the people left behind will be too heartbroken.
I rubbed my face with both hands and sprang up from the sofa.
My chest felt too tight—I couldn’t sit still.
I went to the window and cracked it open. As the cool night air rushed in, I suddenly recalled my last conversation with Zerach at Signus Castle.
It’s okay. Don’t worry too much.
When the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll go back to the bookstore.
Then I can return.
I whispered that to myself again and again.
Because if I didn’t keep chanting it, I wasn’t sure I could bear the situation I was in.
