ORHML 12

Chapter 12

When I woke up, I hadn’t vomited water, so I didn’t realize it, but I must have swallowed a tremendous amount.

“You must throw it all up!”

The court physician struck my back to force the water out. I spewed it like a fountain, and it felt like I had become one of those statues spouting water in a plaza fountain.

“Ughk! Uweeegh!”

Tears blurred my vision.

What annoyed me most was that I had to live broadcast this humiliating water-spewing scene in real time.

Please, everyone, just get lost!

…Hm?

“Are you really all right? Then why are you vomiting up so much water?”

Stop already, it’s humiliating!

“Uwaaaaagh!”

“Yes, Your Majesty. There are no other abnormalities at all. She is only expelling the water she swallowed, so please don’t worry!”

The royal physicians massaged my arms and legs, patting my back as well. Maybe that made it come out even more.

At this rate I might just die of shame.

“Your Majesty!”

A woman in a maid’s dress whispered something into the emperor’s ear. The emperor frowned deeply and replied,

“Chase them off properly.”

“Th-that is…”

She leaned in to whisper more, but I couldn’t focus.

“Bleegh! Uweh! Ggkueeegh!”

Maybe I was about to give birth to a fish through my mouth…

My retching sounded almost triumphant, and the emperor, pale as death, rushed over. I waved him off frantically with the bucket still in my hands. Through my fingers, I saw him crying again.

「 Quest! 」

If I really clear this game, I swear I’ll strangle the developers.

**「 Meet Duke Clayden de Lebois, who is waiting outside the door for Princess Gracie!

Reward: Fragment of Memory.

▼ 」**

I’m supposed to meet him like this?

“U-uuughk!”

I feel like I’m about to vomit my guts out—what do you mean meet him!

Nope, not doing it!

Clayden, after being shaken off by Princess Gracie, stepped outside the palace.

“Why did you come to a flower shop?”

“Why else would I? To buy flowers.”

He glanced at the bucket full of roses.

“Don’t you have blue roses?”

“No, but if you place an order, we can prepare them by tomorrow.”

“Your Excellency, the gardens at your estate already have plenty of roses.”

“It’s too far to go there and come back to the palace again.”

His aide sighed and stared at him, but Clayden ignored the look and kept choosing flowers.

“Does Her Highness the Princess also like blue roses?”

“……”

“You don’t know, do you?”

He pulled out a handkerchief from his chest pocket. Inside was a neatly pressed four-leaf clover.

“I’m going to start over.”

“After being rejected like that, you’ll try again?”

“No. Look at this.”

“A four-leaf clover.”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Clayden clutch it like a treasure, the aide felt a pang of pity when Clayden carefully folded it back into the handkerchief and tucked it into his breast pocket.

“Your Excellency, perhaps it would be better to pursue the First Princess instead…”

Before he could finish, another secretary spoke up from behind.

“You’d better buy chrysanthemums, sir.”

“Why?”

“Princess Gracie just threw herself into the water.”

Because the emperor refused to let Clayden enter the main palace, he could not go inside. Still, he intended to remain at the entrance until he heard news that Gracie was all right.

“Did Duke Clayden also come because he’s worried about Gracie?”

Princess Kiira was already waiting there, so he had no choice but to stay near her. She stood in the sunlight as if it didn’t bother her at all.

Ignoring her words, Clayden spoke to his aide.

“How long has it been since she went in?”

“About an hour.”

“Her consciousness?”

“She woke up.”

Kiira answered with a smile. Leonil, standing beside her, disliked that she was talking to Clayden but did not show it.

“So the Duke still only has eyes for Gracie.”

“I don’t recall giving you permission to use her name.”

“Then you may call me by my name too.”

Her bright smile struck him oddly, because her face looked exactly like Gracie’s once had. They were twins, after all—if Gracie’s face weren’t as it was now, they would look startlingly alike.

“I gave everything to Gracie, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given it to you.”

“Seems you’ve forgotten—she already rejected what you offered.”

Clayden frowned and was about to retort when her resemblance to Gracie’s former self silenced him.

“Gracie is engaged to Lord Adrian Russell.”

“……”

“Which means you will be marrying me, Duke Clayden.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Not looking at her face calmed his turbulent heart. He found himself disgusted with his own weakness.

For though she wore Gracie’s face, her personality was entirely different. Even her voice, though the same, felt like it belonged to someone else.

“You’re still as vulgar as ever.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

Her voice carried mockery, edged with sharpness, but Kiira kept smiling.

“You’ll have to change, if you intend to marry me.”

“You’ve got quite the imagination.”

“You’ll be attending the Victory Ball with me, Duke Clayden.”

“So that’s how it ends up, huh?”

Adrian Russell suddenly cut in, running up before finishing his own work. His aide followed, breathless, showing how fast Adrian had rushed.

“You two look good together. Congratulations, Duke de Lebois.”

“Shut up, you sly fox.”

Clayden glared with rage, but Adrian only smirked and moved to enter the palace. The emperor’s knights, who had blocked Clayden and Kiira, parted ways immediately upon seeing Adrian’s face.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

Perhaps the imperial physicians were truly skilled—after taking some medicine, my vomiting finally stopped. I regained some stability, though the status window still floated before me.

**「 Meet Duke Clayden de Lebois, who is waiting outside the door for Princess Gracie!

Reward: Fragment of Memory.

▼ 」**

Exhausted, I pressed the arrow.

**「 ▼ If you refuse Clayden de Lebois, you will meet Adrian Russell instead.

Reward: Fragment of Memory. 」**

Ugh, I wish both would just disappear!

“Gracie, are you feeling better?”

“Dad.”

It still felt strange that I could call him “Dad.”

“Yes.”

“I just want to rest.”

He didn’t seem willing to leave, even though he’d seen me puking buckets of water just a moment ago.

“All right. Then at least stay here until you’re fully recovered.”

“Yes. So please get some rest too, Dad. You must be exhausted because of me.”

I was furious that my sister had pushed me into the water. And the emperor—though he said otherwise now—had initially assumed I’d jumped in myself.

I never once wanted to die! But from the outside, it must have looked that way. My body had leapt in on its own!

Of course, if it were the only way out of here, I would gladly die for seven billion won!

But since I’ll come back anyway, I’d rather not suffer in pain.

I already cracked my head once in the other world, after all.

“I won’t do anything to make you worry again. You can relax now.”

“…All right.”

When he held my hand tightly, my chest ached strangely. Feeling things I’d never experienced before in my life—only to feel them after coming to another world—it was such a strange feeling.

“Yes, I believe in you, Gracie.”

“Yes, Dad.”

My mouth still tasted sweet and sour, with bile rising up bitter. The stench was awful, but the emperor showed no sign of noticing, as if his nose were numb.

So when he stroked my head, I let him.

Honestly, I wasn’t used to being doted on like this, but I didn’t hate it.

“This feels nice. Please keep stroking my hair.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll always do so.”

My damp hair tugged painfully, but the pressure of his palm felt good.

“Then I’ll go now, so you can rest.”

“Yes.”

After he left, I finally took in where I was.

This was the main palace, so it had to be where the emperor stayed. Judging by the personal belongings everywhere, it might even be his private chamber. The emperor surely had more than one room, so I’d just been brought to one of them.

Most of all, the embroidered patterns on the canopy above the bed felt familiar.

—Knock, knock.

“Dad?”

“No, it’s me.”

An unwelcome voice. I wished he’d just leave.

“I’m tired right now.”

“Then I’ll wait here until you’re not tired.”

“Just kidding. Only a moment.”

I quickly put on my mask and dismissed the physician. The stench in the room was terrible, so I opened a window.

“Must I still wait?”

“You said you would, didn’t you?”

“Then I will wait.”