Chapter 23: RMLIP

Chapter 23

"...Ointment for bruises."

A kitchen, where injuries happened frequently, was required to keep a variety of first-aid medicines on hand.

It was mandated by law, so even Rishid, who personally managed the Grand Duke's estate, knew that.

His destination was the ducal family's first-floor kitchen.

Holding his breath, Rishid moved forward slowly.

The sound of his small footsteps echoed through the empty iron ventilation shaft.

Someone might hear him, so he made every effort to stay as quiet as possible.

Soon, he reached a fork in the passage.

"The kitchen should be... this way."

A faint scent of food drifted from the passage on the right.

Having decided on his direction, he immediately turned.

Just as he'd expected, the walls gradually became stickier.

Grease from the kitchen had seeped into the ventilation ducts.

"Found it."

Rishid discovered an opening leading to the floor below and climbed down.

There wasn't a ladder, of course, so he had to brace himself against the walls with both hands and feet as he carefully descended.

Hardened clumps of grease clung to his entire body.

"...Damn."

Rishid clicked his tongue softly.

The young lady washed his clothes too.

Getting them this filthy was nothing but a burden to her.

"...Starting today, I'll wash my own laundry."

Normally, the thought would never have crossed his mind.

But after seeing Airel get hurt because of him, Rishid had been so shaken that he regretted not doing it much sooner.

Carefully, he continued onward.

Then, before long, he heard something strange.

Tap. Tap-tap-tap.

"What is that?"

He froze and listened.

Tatatatatatatatak.

It sounded like countless legs rapidly striking the floor...

Then—

Silence.

Rishid slowly lifted his head.

"...You've got to be kidding."

A plump black body covered in white fuzz.

Eight long, bent legs.

A gigantic spider was crawling toward him from above.

This had just become troublesome.

By instinct, Rishid reached for the hilt of his sword—

"...It's gone?"

His sword wasn't there.

The giant spider lunged at him.

✦ ✦ ✦

"Ugh... He really left."

After crouching in front of the vent and peering inside for a while, I finally stood up.

There was no point waiting.

I knew perfectly well Rishid wasn't coming back anytime soon.

He'd suddenly gotten angry and crawled into the ventilation shaft.

He was impossible to predict.

Even if he was hungry, what if someone caught him?

Lady Duchess had already searched my room, leaving me anxious enough as it was.

Now Rishid had gone wandering off too.

I felt like my heart couldn't take much more.

"I don't know anymore..."

I collapsed onto the sofa.

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

"Y-Yes!"

Startled, I jumped to my feet.

Then I hurriedly pulled the curtain across the wall to hide the gaping ventilation opening.

"Who's here at this hour?"

After checking the clock, I cautiously approached the door.

Voices drifted in from outside.

"Hey. What exactly did you do to Airel's door? Was this hideous lock Mother's idea too?"

"N-No, Young Master. Forgive me, but... the young lady herself ordered it..."

Edwin?

"Why is he here...?"

I hurriedly called out.

"Who is it?"

"..."

"B-Brother?"

"...It's me, Airel."

After a brief pause, Edwin finally revealed himself.

"Open the door for a moment."

I glanced around my room.

Rishid wasn't here right now...

But I had no idea when he'd return.

"Is it something urgent?"

"Yes. It's important."

Well...

I didn't really have a choice.

"He already knows I'm awake. If I refuse to open the door, he'll probably get even angrier."

After all...

Edwin hated me.

"Then please wait just a moment."

I asked the maids to unlock the door.

Then, as quickly as possible, I scribbled a note for Rishid.

Edwin is in my room. Please wait before coming back.

I reopened the curtain and placed the note in front of the vent.

Lest the wind blow it away, I even set the ink bottle on top of it.

"Please come in."

After finishing my preparations, I let Edwin inside.

The moment he saw me, he frowned.

"I heard Mother searched your room. What kind of trouble did you cause this time?"

"Well..."

"I saw you wearing that ridiculous hat at the banquet. I also saw you giving flowers to the High Priest. And somehow you even inserted yourself into the conversation between the Grand Duke of Eppenterion's representative and the western nobles."

Wow.

Hearing everything summarized like that...

I really did sound like a walking disaster.

...Actually, maybe I was.

"Was that why?"

"...I'm sorry. I honestly don't know."

I lowered my head and mumbled.

Lady Duchess had searched my room, but I still didn't know what she'd been looking for.

Since she'd returned Airel's diary to me, I suspected she had actually been searching for something belonging to Rishid.

"But what suddenly made her suspicious?"

It seemed I needed to figure out exactly what Lady Duchess was suspecting.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Edwin's unexpected question snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

Where had that come from?

Didn't he hate Airel?

"N-Not really..."

I started to shake my head, but before I could finish, Edwin grabbed my face and carefully examined it from side to side.

"...Good. It doesn't look like Father hit you. You seem fine."

After letting out a sigh of relief, Edwin turned around, leaving me standing there in stunned silence.

"Then I'm done here. I'll be going."

Wait...

That was the important business?

"Wait a second!"

I instinctively grabbed his sleeve.

"...What?"

Frowning, Edwin stared at my hand clutching his clothes.

I quickly let go.

"U-Um... don't you... hate me?"

When I first transmigrated into Airel's body...

He couldn't even stand looking at me.

He scolded me for constantly following Rishid around.

"So why is he acting like this now?"

As soon as I finished asking, a cold, mocking smile spread across Edwin's face.

"I do."

"..."

"But that's you, Airel."

Huh?

I definitely wasn't expecting that answer.

His icy blue eyes swept over my face.

With an expression full of anger, Edwin walked out of the room.

"How ridiculous. Weren't you the one who kept avoiding me all this time?"

His final words were little more than a mutter.

I barely heard them.

But I froze in place.

"Wait... what's going on?"

Was this novel actually going in the direction of...

"The family I thought hated me actually loves me"?

One of those classic transmigration stories where the heroine had secrets even the reader didn't know?

Come to think of it...

Edwin had started acting suspiciously the moment he willingly shared information about the girl he liked just because I'd complimented Seria once.

"Back then, I thought he was simply so deeply in love that he'd even forgotten how much he hated his own sister..."

My gaze slowly fell upon Airel's diary with its pink cover.

"Should I read it?"

I'd really wanted to avoid reading someone else's diary.

It felt like such an invasion of privacy.

"Ugh... whatever."

I felt guilty.

But it had to be better than remaining completely in the dark.

Maybe there was a reason the diary had ended up back in my hands at exactly this moment.

"And Rishid isn't here right now."

Okay.

I'll finish as quickly as possible.

Letting out a sigh, I sat down on the sofa and opened the diary.

It looked as though it had been left untouched for a long time.

The pages had faded with age.

I flipped through it first.

Not only the beginning but many pages throughout had been torn out, making it impossible to tell where to start.

The first intact date that caught my eye was July 9th.

July 9

Today, at Crown Prince Closel's birthday banquet, I saw that Grand Duke.

Rishid Eppenterion, the prince rumored to be the tragic imperial prince.

Our eyes met for only a brief moment, but I instantly realized something.

The two of us are destined for each other.

I was born as a lowly illegitimate child.

He is an adopted son of unknown origins wearing the shell of a noble imperial prince.

Neither of us has ever been loved.

Our circumstances are so alike.

Wouldn't it be incredibly romantic if we fell in love and healed each other's wounds?

But during dinner, Father angrily warned me not to take any interest in the Grand Duke's handsome face.

"Good grief..."

Actually seeing, in writing, how the villainess Airel had first become obsessed with the male lead made me cringe so hard I almost couldn't bear it.

Love isn't something you do by yourself, Miss Airel...

I was already sighing.

Still, it didn't seem especially important.

So I decided to go back and read from the earliest complete page instead.

March 4

Edwin secretly gave me a little teddy bear without Mother's knowledge.

I'm so happy!

I'm going to sleep hugging it every single night!