・・・・・
After hearing everything, Liam remained silent for a while. His face was frozen in a stern expression as if struggling to figure out what to say. He cast a brief glance at Walter — or rather, Felix — and, with a hint of hesitation, finally spoke.
"So, that day, you jumped off the terrace to hold him back, and he's actually Felix Chamberlain, a man believed to be dead?"
Liam spoke with difficulty as if he were deciphering some kind of code. He had once mentioned to me that he respected Felix. And Walter, the war hero, was someone he found important enough to visit, even when he was busy preparing for graduation. But the realisation that these two people were, in fact, the same person seemed too much for him to accept. His reaction was eerily similar to Cedric’s when he learned the truth.
"He didn't die — he just pretended to be dead because he was possessed by the power of the devil."
When I chided him, saying, "How could a dead person come back to life?" Liam shot back that sealing a devil inside one’s body sounded just as absurd.
"This isn't something out of a novel, is it?"
This world itself was a novel, but hearing a character from within the story talk about novels felt surreal.
"Did you really need to jump right then and there? Did you have to act like a novel’s protagonist?"
"Um, I'm sorry about that... But to be honest, the alcohol played a part too."
When Liam pointed out the reckless nature of my actions, I raised my hand slightly in a gesture of apology. Still, I didn’t regret what I had done. If I hadn’t jumped off the terrace back then, Felix wouldn’t be by my side now.
"Life is all about timing, and love is something to be actively pursued."
Felix, lounging on the sofa with a bored expression and his gaze fixed on me, casually gestured and spoke.
"Come here, Rin."
As I was about to scamper over to him, Claudia pulled me into a tight embrace, burying me in her arms. Then, with a sly smile aimed at Felix, she let out a playful chuckle — her expression clearly teasing him as if to say, ‘'Big brother can't do this, can he?'
A flicker of intrigue lit up Felix’s blue eyes, briefly interrupting the boredom in his gaze. Liam, however, let out a deep sigh, his face shifting to one of growing concern as he looked back and forth between me, Felix, and Claudia. His expression seemed troubled as if he were carrying the weight of the world.
"For now... um, I want to ask you both to take good care of my sister, as I'm worried about what the Duke of Lamberg might do to her."
Then Claudia, who was competing with Felix for Irene's attention, scowled and interjected.
“What do you mean?”
Benjamin's behaviour wasn't something new, but it seemed odd that Liam, who had just graduated from the academy, was suddenly concerned about it.
"Sister, wasn’t he openly hitting on you? It seems like he has feelings for you."
"What?!"
Liam's bombshell announcement caused a stir among everyone present, but I tilted my head in confusion.
"Does that mean he likes me?"
"...No, you were there too, weren't you? You're really dense."
He reacted as if it was absurd, but to me, his words sounded even more outrageous.
"How on earth does that look like the attitude of someone who likes someone?"
Of course, the way he treated me did feel a bit different, but it definitely didn’t feel like he liked me. Instead, his possessive, clingy gaze gave me the creeps — it was dirty, disgusting, and made me uncomfortable. But it wasn’t until I saw Claudia’s expression — like she had just chewed on a bug — that I finally realised what was going on.
"That's right. If the other person is one of the irredeemable trio...!"
Now it all made sense. I had grown used to receiving the Chamberlain family’s unconditional, devoted affection, so I couldn’t recognise Benjamin’s behaviour right away. Especially since Benjamin was the type of guy who casually made remarks like: ‘If you have the body, the heart will eventually follow.’ He had the mindset that he didn’t care about the other person's feelings and just wanted to possess them. But he liked me?
"However, that guy..."
Wasn’t he the male lead? How could he possibly be interested in me? In dark or tragic romance novels, the female lead might dislike or even hate the male lead. However, in the realm of romance fantasy, it was practically a rule that the male lead only ever fell in love with and became obsessed with the female lead.
"Isn't he trying to use me to get closer to Chloe?"
"He's not stupid enough to resort to such an obvious tactic that wouldn't work. He definitely likes Rin."
After saying that, Claudia naturally added her next words as if she were breathing.
"I will kill him."
"Calm down. We were going to kill him anyway."
When I gently patted her shoulder and spoke, Claudia nodded in agreement.
"That's true."
“...Who gets to do that?”
It was a steady voice with no variation in pitch. Yet, beneath it, I felt as though I caught a fleeting glimpse of a silent black mass huddled in the shadows. The overwhelming presence was impossible to ignore, and everyone turned to look at Felix at the same time.
In fact, until now, I had seen him as a lost child who was stripped of his emotions, and I had felt it was my duty to teach him everything step by step. So, unconsciously, I had begun to see Felix as someone I needed to protect.
War and victory, judgment and destruction. The sensation I experienced when I first faced Walter in the banquet hall electrified my entire body for a moment. It was the overpowering aura of a ruler that bound all movement and constricted breathing. Felix, tapping the armrest of the sofa with his finger, quietly asked.
"So, the first one to catch him gets to have the final say, right?"
・・・・・
I explained our rough plan to Liam over a long period. But as expected, he displayed a sceptical expression. It was only natural. Who could easily accept the idea of overthrowing the monarch? Liam hadn’t built the same deep bond with the Chamberlains that I had, and since he had remained at the academy, he hadn’t witnessed the situation firsthand.
"Sister, can I talk to you for a moment?"
He stopped me in the hallway and took me into an empty room.
"When you first entered the Chamberlain family, it wasn't like this. What I mean is..."
Even though he only said that much, I could roughly guess what he wanted to say. I waited silently for Liam to gather his thoughts and continue.
"...Are you really okay? It seems like everyone is at their limit."
From the way his mouth kept twitching, it looked like he wanted to say, ‘It seems like everyone has lost their minds.’
"I… never imagined you were planning something so grand."
Our situation had changed too drastically in an instant. When I first entered the Chamberlain family, it felt like a dream, and I thought it would be wonderful if the three of us could be together forever. I still hadn’t forgotten that time. Maybe the reason we were doing this was because we were caught up in the regrets of our irreversible past.
"There's a saying that humans live their entire lives for just one day of happiness."
At that, Liam looked at me with a somewhat sorrowful expression.
"Can't you find happiness in this moment?"
Find happiness in this moment? Of course, it wouldn't be difficult to find happiness by giving up everything. But that happiness wouldn't be complete. I would constantly be anxious. If we stayed like this, the happiness we had would be destroyed by those three remaining threats. I contemplated whether to reassure him with sweet words or to make him face reality and finally, I spoke.
“If, as you say, Duke Lamberg is targeting me, then the most dangerous person right now is you.”
How could I just stand by idly? In fact, the moment I considered the possibility that Benjamin might have feelings for me, the only thought that crossed my mind was that I really needed to kill him.
"For me, this is the best way to protect everyone. I'm not doing this to die."
"I know. I know, but..."
Liam couldn't finish his sentence, but it seemed like he wanted to say, ‘Can't we compromise?’ In the first place, compromise wasn't possible with them, and our ideologies were as different as heaven and earth, leaving no room for negotiation.
"I'm afraid that you might get hurt to the point where you can never stand up again, Sister."
Liam kept swallowing his words, and with great difficulty, he said something he normally wouldn't.
"...You know that you’re the only one I have left now, Sister."
I widened my eyes and looked up at Liam. He knew he was being unreasonable, yet his expression was contradictory as if he still wanted to say something — anything — to stop me. I wondered if I had that same look on my face when I tried to stop Felix.
"Liam, even birds have no choice but to jump off in order to fly."
I tightly closed my eyes and then opened them, recalling the bird of mine that broke its own wings and jumped off a cliff. This time, it wasn’t about jumping off to fall endlessly. It was about leaping down to flap its broken wings and soar up into the sky. [1] However, I could fully understand why Liam was worried.
"Should I hug you?"
"That's gross."
I asked with affection, but he frowned and replied without a moment's hesitation. This jerk.
"If that is truly your will, Sister, then I won’t interfere at least."
Liam said that and then turned around to leave. I awkwardly lowered my arms, which had been raised in the air, and rubbed the back of my neck. Comforting a child was indeed a difficult task.
・・・・・
"Are you very busy? It seems like you come around only when I'm about to forget your face."
As soon as I appeared, Martina beckoned me over, as if telling me to come and comfort her. I think the reason I became cuter day by day was all thanks to Claudia and Martina. Then, Erica, who was sitting next to her, erased her cold expression and smiled faintly.
"Irene, you're here? You must be tired from the journey so I'll have them bring you some tea."
In response to Erica's words, Martina rested her chin on her hand and replied nonchalantly.
“This isn’t a tea time for nobility; don’t talk nonsense like that. A light cocktail should be fine, right? That’s still just a drink.”
"What do you expect to achieve by getting drunk in broad daylight? You should stop drinking alcohol like it’s ‘just a drink.’ It’s quite unbecoming."
“Oh my gosh, please stop looking for dignity in me. This noble lady hasn’t given up after all these years.”
Martina shuddered as if she had heard this many times before. The bartender, who overheard our conversation, brewed some tea leaves and handed me a cup. Martina looked down at the steaming, elegant teacup with an astonished expression as if saying, 'When on earth did you bring this in?'
"My bartender even became a servant at the noble lady’s mansion? It seems like it’s your true calling. Why not consider a career change?"
"Please take care of your own health, Martina."
Even with the overly sarcastic remark, the bartender maintained his composure and replied politely.
Martina and Erica. I was worried if these two, with such contrasting personalities, could get along, but surprisingly, they seemed to be managing well together without any major conflicts.
Martina brought the unfamiliar tea to her lips and, burning her tongue on the hot liquid, stuck her tongue out and grimaced. I pretended not to notice as she poured whiskey into her teacup and turned to Erica.
A long time ago, Erica conveyed this to her family, who were endlessly obsessed with the position of empress: "I don't want to become a deposed empress."
"I will never win the crown prince’s heart and will eventually be cast aside. If I am left as nothing more than a hollow existence, I will choose to destroy myself."
When Erica, who had been devoted and obedient to her family, rebelled, everyone was left speechless. She vowed to prove her worth, and she did. At the same time, she finally managed to free herself from her family. As she gained power on her own, her family came to respect her without directly confronting or clashing with her.
Erica's ability was her exceptional intuition. Unlike me, who relied on memory, she possessed a true natural talent. It was Martina who happened to recognise this gift, and she had been quietly eyeing Erica, who had both intuition and influence, before proposing a partnership.
In fact, until that point, I had thought it was merely a good opportunity for Erica to become independent from her family. I had stood back and allowed her to pursue her dreams on her own... But opportunities often arise from the most unexpected places.
"It seems Duke Lamberg has finally caught on."
To get close to Lucas, we had to use whatever clever strategies were necessary, even if it meant inevitably drawing Benjamin's attention. Lucas had always acted on his own whims, growing up without needing to care about others’ opinions, which made him incapable of enduring or concealing things like Constantine could. No matter what we did, our contact with him was bound to be discovered. Therefore, we had no choice but to deliberately sacrifice something in order to gain something greater. That was why we created Shayne Speare and Mozzarella, among other things. Given his intelligence, Benjamin must have deduced a lot, just as I expected.
I struggled to suppress the involuntary smile that kept creeping up. When Benjamin discovered that I was Mozzarella, I worked hard to maintain my composure, fearful that I might unintentionally burst out laughing.
"Now all that's left is to wait for things to unfold."
"Really? Should we have a celebratory drink?"
Martina asked as she gulped down her black tea, generously laced with whiskey. She then smiled at the bartender and told him to bring out the champagne for a toast. Erica sighed and shook her head.
・・・・・
"Fel?"
Felix and Larry shared their time equally. While Felix was active, Larry's consciousness slept, and while Larry was active, Felix's consciousness slept. This meant that his body was constantly in motion. I didn't know how that was possible, but I suspected it was sustained by the power of a devil.
So, seeing Felix now, with his eyes closed as if he were about to fall asleep while leaning against the window, was quite a peculiar sight. I waved my hand in front of his face as he breathed softly. His neatly arranged eyelashes fluttered, and his eyelids suddenly opened.
He was still a light sleeper.
"Are you tired?"
When I asked, he languidly rubbed his eyes and replied in a voice that was low and husky.
"A little."
Though he claimed otherwise, Felix stood up without a hint of drowsiness in his movements.
"Now, may I do it my way?"
He reattached the two swords that he had briefly set aside at his waist. His blue eyes, staring intently at me, were as clear as the sky outside the window. However, what Felix was referring to was not entirely Felix’s way, it was Walter's way.
The overall framework was roughly established. We built a fence to prevent them from escaping, so all that remained was to guide the horses according to my intentions. Perhaps Felix had been quietly holding his breath, waiting for the moment when the stage was fully set in place — ever since we met to discuss our new plan.
“...Yes. You can start moving directly now."
I had only wished to bring up this topic.
Although I hesitated to continue speaking, there was a moment when we absolutely required Walter. To overthrow the regime and incite a rebellion, this moment was essential. It was different from killing enemy soldiers in a war. It was a completely different situation. I briefly met Felix's gaze with a darkened look in my eyes.
In fact, placing a value on human life was wrong. However, it was inescapable. It wasn't about soldiers from a foreign country who were prepared to kill and be killed; it was about the inevitable sacrifice of some citizens from the empire in which they were born and raised.
‘Do you really think you can endure those vengeful spirits?’ It was useless to ask him then. After all, the devil would be covering his eyes and ears. In moments like this, I hoped Felix would never return to his old self. I could vividly imagine him alone in pain, sweeping up his shattered beliefs.
Then Felix, his calm eyes scanning my expression, spoke quietly.
"You can punish me."
"...What?"
"Come and hug me every time I suffer alone.”
Felix quoted my words exactly but with a strange nuance. As a result, the word ‘hug’ took on a meaning that was anything but innocent. At the same time, his gaze softened. It was neither a seductive smile tainted with the traces of a devil, nor was it Felix's familiar, tender and affectionate smile. Maybe it was because he was in the process of awakening his emotions, but his smile appeared somehow pure and innocent.
‘Huh?’
I was captivated by his face and absentmindedly replied to his question.
"Uh, okay."
Translator's Corner:
[1] In ch.48 Rin likens Felix to a beautiful bird with an injured wing: "They were vermin crawling on the floor, while Felix was a beautiful bird. Although he had an injured wing, I hoped he would be able to fly freely in the sky one day."
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