The woman covered her face with a thin veil, just as she appeared in the novel.
Her demeanor, with a playful attitude akin to someone observing an amusing toy, also matched her depiction in the story.
However, when he posed the question,
“Have the two Valentine ducal ladies been switched at birth?”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Amidst the brief silence, the only sound that echoed was the woman’s fingernails tapping on the sofa armrest.
What kind of face could she possibly be hiding behind that veil?
The answer came a moment later.
“I’m sorry, but that is a question I cannot answer.”
It was an ambiguous response, but it was enough. Blanca was not one to tell falsehoods. If she knew nothing about this fact, she would have replied with ‘No, I didn’t know.’
However, at this moment, Blanca was saying, ‘I cannot answer that question.’
In the novel, she usually gave such an answer when…
‘Other clients’ requests are interwoven.’
It seemed that the enigmatic woman before him was somehow connected to the secret of the two ducal ladies’ birth.
And if that was the case…
‘Indeed, the two ducal ladies have been switched.’
Blanca remained unresponsive to Daniel’s muttered following words.
“Well then, I shall take my leave, Madam. I apologize, but there’s nothing more I can ask.”
She simply dismissed him with a composed demeanor.
Daniel rose from his seat without resistance. Then, he extended his hand towards Blanca’s throat.
At his sudden change in attitude, Blanca’s eyes widened in surprise.
Eventually, as she moved her hand to retaliate, Daniel produced a peculiar murmur from his lips.
Their eyes kept meeting beyond the veil. Simultaneously, her mind began to brighten with an increasingly blinding whiteness.
But too bright a light sometimes had the tendency to consume everything.
Gazing down at Blanca, whose upper body had slumped, Daniel calmly reached into his pocket and then quietly began to speak.
“Tell me the truth about how the two ducal ladies were switched.”
His tone was affectionate but carried an unmistakable command.
Blanca, her eyes losing focus, nodded her head slowly. Then, her bright red lips slowly parted.
“About twenty years ago, that woman wanted a forbidden substance… for pregnancy… and she asked me for a way to switch children with a close servant. So… I supplied a gem… Ah…”
Her voice trailed off, and her sentences weren’t perfectly formed, as if she struggled to convey the story. Moreover, the mind control didn’t seem to have taken full effect.
Of course, part of the reason was that Daniel’s own power had been significantly drained due to handling numerous blue monsters.
Regardless, Daniel turned around, satisfied with what he had heard.
He had used up what remained of his brainwashing abilities just to make Blanca forget his visit today.
As much as he wanted to cleanly eliminate Blanca here, he had to endure it since the entire hotel was under many watchful eyes.
Instead, Daniel extended his hand to examine Blanca’s face.
At that moment, Blanca began to stir with a faint groan, but she stopped herself.
Because the brainwashing was far from perfect, she could potentially recognize him if she regained consciousness and saw him now.
With his face still covered by the cloak he wore when entering this place, Daniel concealed his identity and left the hotel.
* * *
After discovering the secret, during the hunting festival—
Daniel needed a moment alone with Alicia to discuss it.
So, after confirming that Rosetta had left the mansion, he went to find Alicia.
Using a combination of walking and dealing with monsters, he ensured that he and Alicia were alone.
Then, he discreetly implanted subtle suggestions into Alicia’s mind.
It wasn’t a strong form of brainwashing.
If a person changes abruptly, Rosetta would become suspicious.
Thus, his brainwashing was in the form of a dream, feeding her the truth that could make her waver completely.
He mixed it subtly with a nightmare. More than one could think, dreams were a more influential tool to sway one’s conviction.
They were perfect at quietly eating away at a person from the inside.
After that, it was relatively easy. Under Leo’s arrangements, they had a meeting over teatime.
And, while Leo distracted Rosetta, Daniel discreetly handed Alicia the mirror.
Among the people he had made as blue monsters, one of them happened to own a communication device that was supplied by Blanca’s guild.
He had modified it to create this communication mirror.
Since Daniel was the first to create a ‘communication mirror’ in this world, no one would suspect that a mere little mirror would be used as a means of communication.
So, a few days later, on a night when the nightmare had grown particularly intense, Daniel connected the line to Alicia during the early hours of the morning.
As expected, Alicia was devastated.
It wasn’t difficult to exploit someone when they were already at their breaking point.
With a gentle push into the cracks of her shattered façade, Alicia’s secrets came tumbling out.
Of course, it was a secret that Daniel himself had planted.
Afterward, they communicated daily. He constantly chipped away at her emotional stability, leaving her in pieces. Then, today, it seemed that Alicia had finally found some form of ‘evidence.’
However, her response was unexpected.
‘I thought she would completely break into pieces, but instead…’
Ironically, the closer she got to the truth, the stronger she became. What a peculiar situation. Well, he did seal her mouth with a fake prophecy.
〈 The last star of Valentine has returned to disrupt the world. 〉
This was an absurd fake prophecy. However, words had a way of becoming the established ‘truth’ depending on who uttered them.
Daniel became the owner of the Freesia family’s relic.
He thought that it was only natural, considering the bloodline of the body he now possessed and the power that came from his soul.
In any case, he was now the master of this relic, and so no one would take his prophecy lightly.
Daniel leaned his head against the backrest of the sofa.
He swept over his throat slowly with his outstretched hand.
His pale smile resembled a thirsty beast.
* * *
“Were you waiting?”
The voice came from the window. As the cold breeze rushed in, Cassion appeared through the window, which opened with a creak.
Nowadays, this kind of entrance feels quite natural.
I kept telling him to enter through the door though.
I booped him on the nose lightly in a teasing manner and then reached out to close the window.
Cassion chuckled quietly and said, “But seriously, what’s going on? You told me to meet you on the night of Alicia’s birthday.”
“I want to read a book together.”
“…You mean the diary?”
“You’re really perceptive.”
I shrugged casually and approached the bookshelves.
Today was Alicia’s birthday.
We had celebrated both in the morning and the evening, but it was only at night that I could meet Cassion.
I had to wait until the night to meet him secretly.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.
Today was Alicia’s birthday, but in essence, it was also Rosetta’s birthday.
It meant that today was the day when the conditions for the relic were met.
Although I couldn’t tell Cassion the detailed reasons behind the secret related to Rosetta and Alicia’s birth…
‘This man would follow me, even without needing an explanation.’
I turned my head slightly and saw Cassion standing quietly behind me.
He seemed surprised by our sudden eye contact, and I responded with a light smile as I reached out to retrieve the diary I had hidden on the shelf.
“Today is Alicia’s birthday, right? So, I thought maybe there might be some reaction in this book.”
“If that’s the case, will Alicia become the owner of the relic?”
“Well, it’s not necessarily that. If a relic mark appears on Rosetta’s belongings… wouldn’t Rosetta become the owner of the relic?”
“True. If Alicia becomes the owner of the relic, then something should appear on Alicia’s belongings.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
I held up the diary I had taken from the bookshelf and headed towards the bed. Cassion continued to follow me.
As I sat down on the bed, Cassion paused for a moment. I patted the empty space next to me with my hand.
“What are you doing? Sit over here.”
Cassion silently stared at me for a moment before running a large hand through his hair.
He then swept back his slightly longer hair, revealing his handsome forehead and intense eyes.
“You’re really…”
“What?”
Raising my eyebrows and asking, Cassion closed his mouth.
He stubbornly dragged a chair over to sit in front of me, and…
“How cute.”
“What?”
“What?”
“…Never mind, I must have misheard.”
“Oh, come on. Hearing things at such a young age.”
Cassion tilted his head as if he couldn’t win against my playful tone.
I chuckled once and then placed the diary in my lap.
The laughter in the room disappeared in an instant.
In its place, a heavy and tense atmosphere settled.
I slowly ran my hand over the cover of the small diary.
People sometimes experience an indescribable feeling, like a gut instinct that something is about to happen just by looking at something or touching it.
A strange premonition that something might come to light in this diary, which had been empty all along.
I couldn’t easily flip through the cover. Perhaps the truth of my overdrawn transmigration was hidden here.
With that hesitation in mind, I heard my name.
“Rosetta.”
I raised my head at the sound of my name. Cassion, who was facing me, smiled gently.
“It’ll be fine.”
With those reassuring words, he reached out his hand. His large hand roamed aimlessly over the diary’s cover, covering the back of my hand that was holding it.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the warmth seeping through my hand. When I opened them, I saw his hand slowly moving.
Flap.
With a small sound, the diary unfolded.
The woman covered her face with a thin veil, just as she appeared in the novel.
Her demeanor, with a playful attitude akin to someone observing an amusing toy, also matched her depiction in the story.
However, when he posed the question,
“Have the two Valentine ducal ladies been switched at birth?”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Amidst the brief silence, the only sound that echoed was the woman’s fingernails tapping on the sofa armrest.
What kind of face could she possibly be hiding behind that veil?
The answer came a moment later.
“I’m sorry, but that is a question I cannot answer.”
It was an ambiguous response, but it was enough. Blanca was not one to tell falsehoods. If she knew nothing about this fact, she would have replied with ‘No, I didn’t know.’
However, at this moment, Blanca was saying, ‘I cannot answer that question.’
In the novel, she usually gave such an answer when…
‘Other clients’ requests are interwoven.’
It seemed that the enigmatic woman before him was somehow connected to the secret of the two ducal ladies’ birth.
And if that was the case…
‘Indeed, the two ducal ladies have been switched.’
Blanca remained unresponsive to Daniel’s muttered following words.
“Well then, I shall take my leave, Madam. I apologize, but there’s nothing more I can ask.”
She simply dismissed him with a composed demeanor.
Daniel rose from his seat without resistance. Then, he extended his hand towards Blanca’s throat.
At his sudden change in attitude, Blanca’s eyes widened in surprise.
Eventually, as she moved her hand to retaliate, Daniel produced a peculiar murmur from his lips.
Their eyes kept meeting beyond the veil. Simultaneously, her mind began to brighten with an increasingly blinding whiteness.
But too bright a light sometimes had the tendency to consume everything.
Gazing down at Blanca, whose upper body had slumped, Daniel calmly reached into his pocket and then quietly began to speak.
“Tell me the truth about how the two ducal ladies were switched.”
His tone was affectionate but carried an unmistakable command.
Blanca, her eyes losing focus, nodded her head slowly. Then, her bright red lips slowly parted.
“About twenty years ago, that woman wanted a forbidden substance… for pregnancy… and she asked me for a way to switch children with a close servant. So… I supplied a gem… Ah…”
Her voice trailed off, and her sentences weren’t perfectly formed, as if she struggled to convey the story. Moreover, the mind control didn’t seem to have taken full effect.
Of course, part of the reason was that Daniel’s own power had been significantly drained due to handling numerous blue monsters.
Regardless, Daniel turned around, satisfied with what he had heard.
He had used up what remained of his brainwashing abilities just to make Blanca forget his visit today.
As much as he wanted to cleanly eliminate Blanca here, he had to endure it since the entire hotel was under many watchful eyes.
Instead, Daniel extended his hand to examine Blanca’s face.
At that moment, Blanca began to stir with a faint groan, but she stopped herself.
Because the brainwashing was far from perfect, she could potentially recognize him if she regained consciousness and saw him now.
With his face still covered by the cloak he wore when entering this place, Daniel concealed his identity and left the hotel.
* * *
After discovering the secret, during the hunting festival—
Daniel needed a moment alone with Alicia to discuss it.
So, after confirming that Rosetta had left the mansion, he went to find Alicia.
Using a combination of walking and dealing with monsters, he ensured that he and Alicia were alone.
Then, he discreetly implanted subtle suggestions into Alicia’s mind.
It wasn’t a strong form of brainwashing.
If a person changes abruptly, Rosetta would become suspicious.
Thus, his brainwashing was in the form of a dream, feeding her the truth that could make her waver completely.
He mixed it subtly with a nightmare. More than one could think, dreams were a more influential tool to sway one’s conviction.
They were perfect at quietly eating away at a person from the inside.
After that, it was relatively easy. Under Leo’s arrangements, they had a meeting over teatime.
And, while Leo distracted Rosetta, Daniel discreetly handed Alicia the mirror.
Among the people he had made as blue monsters, one of them happened to own a communication device that was supplied by Blanca’s guild.
He had modified it to create this communication mirror.
Since Daniel was the first to create a ‘communication mirror’ in this world, no one would suspect that a mere little mirror would be used as a means of communication.
So, a few days later, on a night when the nightmare had grown particularly intense, Daniel connected the line to Alicia during the early hours of the morning.
As expected, Alicia was devastated.
It wasn’t difficult to exploit someone when they were already at their breaking point.
With a gentle push into the cracks of her shattered façade, Alicia’s secrets came tumbling out.
Of course, it was a secret that Daniel himself had planted.
Afterward, they communicated daily. He constantly chipped away at her emotional stability, leaving her in pieces. Then, today, it seemed that Alicia had finally found some form of ‘evidence.’
However, her response was unexpected.
‘I thought she would completely break into pieces, but instead…’
Ironically, the closer she got to the truth, the stronger she became. What a peculiar situation. Well, he did seal her mouth with a fake prophecy.
〈 The last star of Valentine has returned to disrupt the world. 〉
This was an absurd fake prophecy. However, words had a way of becoming the established ‘truth’ depending on who uttered them.
Daniel became the owner of the Freesia family’s relic.
He thought that it was only natural, considering the bloodline of the body he now possessed and the power that came from his soul.
In any case, he was now the master of this relic, and so no one would take his prophecy lightly.
Daniel leaned his head against the backrest of the sofa.
He swept over his throat slowly with his outstretched hand.
His pale smile resembled a thirsty beast.
* * *
“Were you waiting?”
The voice came from the window. As the cold breeze rushed in, Cassion appeared through the window, which opened with a creak.
Nowadays, this kind of entrance feels quite natural.
I kept telling him to enter through the door though.
I booped him on the nose lightly in a teasing manner and then reached out to close the window.
Cassion chuckled quietly and said, “But seriously, what’s going on? You told me to meet you on the night of Alicia’s birthday.”
“I want to read a book together.”
“…You mean the diary?”
“You’re really perceptive.”
I shrugged casually and approached the bookshelves.
Today was Alicia’s birthday.
We had celebrated both in the morning and the evening, but it was only at night that I could meet Cassion.
I had to wait until the night to meet him secretly.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.
Today was Alicia’s birthday, but in essence, it was also Rosetta’s birthday.
It meant that today was the day when the conditions for the relic were met.
Although I couldn’t tell Cassion the detailed reasons behind the secret related to Rosetta and Alicia’s birth…
‘This man would follow me, even without needing an explanation.’
I turned my head slightly and saw Cassion standing quietly behind me.
He seemed surprised by our sudden eye contact, and I responded with a light smile as I reached out to retrieve the diary I had hidden on the shelf.
“Today is Alicia’s birthday, right? So, I thought maybe there might be some reaction in this book.”
“If that’s the case, will Alicia become the owner of the relic?”
“Well, it’s not necessarily that. If a relic mark appears on Rosetta’s belongings… wouldn’t Rosetta become the owner of the relic?”
“True. If Alicia becomes the owner of the relic, then something should appear on Alicia’s belongings.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
I held up the diary I had taken from the bookshelf and headed towards the bed. Cassion continued to follow me.
As I sat down on the bed, Cassion paused for a moment. I patted the empty space next to me with my hand.
“What are you doing? Sit over here.”
Cassion silently stared at me for a moment before running a large hand through his hair.
He then swept back his slightly longer hair, revealing his handsome forehead and intense eyes.
“You’re really…”
“What?”
Raising my eyebrows and asking, Cassion closed his mouth.
He stubbornly dragged a chair over to sit in front of me, and…
“How cute.”
“What?”
“What?”
“…Never mind, I must have misheard.”
“Oh, come on. Hearing things at such a young age.”
Cassion tilted his head as if he couldn’t win against my playful tone.
I chuckled once and then placed the diary in my lap.
The laughter in the room disappeared in an instant.
In its place, a heavy and tense atmosphere settled.
I slowly ran my hand over the cover of the small diary.
People sometimes experience an indescribable feeling, like a gut instinct that something is about to happen just by looking at something or touching it.
A strange premonition that something might come to light in this diary, which had been empty all along.
I couldn’t easily flip through the cover. Perhaps the truth of my overdrawn transmigration was hidden here.
With that hesitation in mind, I heard my name.
“Rosetta.”
I raised my head at the sound of my name. Cassion, who was facing me, smiled gently.
“It’ll be fine.”
With those reassuring words, he reached out his hand. His large hand roamed aimlessly over the diary’s cover, covering the back of my hand that was holding it.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the warmth seeping through my hand. When I opened them, I saw his hand slowly moving.
Flap.
With a small sound, the diary unfolded.
