“Hah!”
The rigid expression vanished from Grandfather’s face. A smile filled the space, and he soon began to laugh aloud.
“Hahaha. Indeed, you have truly matured. Yes, with this much resourcefulness….”
Grandfather stroked his beard.
“If we combine it with that guy’s ability, the power of Alzbeit will be eternal. It seems one truly cannot defy blood. My blood flows through you as well.”
Watching Grandfather’s proud and ecstatic expression, I could only think to myself that I had successfully gotten away with it.
I wanted to escape this place quickly.
Fortunately, Grandfather didn’t try to hold me back further, and I intended to leave the office just like that.
The problem was that the moment I grabbed the doorknob to leave, a satisfied voice came from behind me.
“Show it to me once the lent money comes in.”
That statement felt like a death sentence.
Feeling cold sweat trickling down, I opened the door and closed it again.
* * *
‘Crazy! I went to remove a bump and ended up adding one!’
I left Grandfather’s office and arrived at my room. I didn’t even have time to answer the maids who asked what was wrong; I slumped onto the sofa and covered my face.
“Everyone out.”
The maids filed out, and I was left alone.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and collapsed onto the cushions.
‘What else was I supposed to do?’
I swallowed a ragged breath, the scene in the Remut territory flooding back.
People groaning everywhere, shadows of humanity who didn’t even have the strength to wipe the dirt from their own faces. Even children, wrapped in bandages, looking at me with wide, hollow eyes.
…Still, I couldn’t just leave them to die.
Even if I had entered the body of Charlize, it didn’t mean I intended to live viciously.
‘The problem has already happened. Now, think of a solution.’
First, Grandfather said he wanted to see the returns once the lent money came in. How was I supposed to conjure that?
The moment I touched the private assets allocated to Charlize, Grandfather would surely notice.
And if he discovered the deceit, he would surely call off the engagement.
Then, the death ending would follow.
Was there perhaps money Charlize had hidden away?
…It seemed unlikely.
Charlize wasn’t the type to earn money; she was someone who spent her existing fortune with abandon. She was a symbol, a celebrity, a wannabe in social circles—but that prestige was of no help right now.
No, there had to be some way….
Just as I was lost in such deep thought, a sound broke the silence.
“……Huh?”
The air before my eyes rippled. I had seen this once before.
Soon, someone stepped through the folding black space.
“Duchess-To-Be!”
It was a figure I recognized immediately.
Noah.
The aide to the tyrant, the man who was technically Charlize’s biological older brother. The secondary male lead of the book.
The moment he saw me, he knelt on one knee and bowed. His expression was frantic, bordering on desperation.
“……I am terribly sorry for intruding like this. It is an urgent matter; I had to brave the rudeness to come.”
“No, I’m more curious about how you appeared….”
I muttered in surprise, but he was far too keyed up to hear me. The secondary male lead rushed on.
“May I tell you about that later? Please, you must accompany me.”
“Why?”
Noah bit his lip hard. Confusion and fear roiled in his dark eyes.
He had been a picture of calm in the novel; seeing him this frazzled was chilling.
“……His Majesty is having another rampage.”
The words left me no choice. I stood up.
* * *
I glanced upward.
“Please bear with it for a moment, even if it is uncomfortable.”
Currently, I was held tightly in Noah’s arms. He claimed it was the only way to move fast enough.
I wondered how long I had been watching his fluttering blue hair. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the Imperial Palace.
…Come to think of it, why did I care if that person went on a rampage?
The thought only occurred to me after we arrived.
But since Noah had mentioned that people might die, I suppose I would have moved to stop it in the end regardless. What else could I do, when I was the only one capable of calming my brother down right now?
‘I’m busy enough just keeping myself afloat….’
Noah spoke from above my head.
“……I didn’t expect you to really come, but I am sincerely grateful.”
His words echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t focus on them. My attention was seized by the scene that greeted me the moment I stepped into the audience chamber.
‘Ugh, what a mess….’
The room was a disaster. The massive table used for meetings had been splintered in half, and the floor was littered with glass shards from a shattered flower vase.
Above all, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the male lead—the tyrant, my brother—who stood there gripping a sword. He was currently pointing the blade toward a man who looked like his subordinate.
‘Ah, no!’
I urgently grasped the necklace hanging at my throat.
“……Mom.”
As I whispered, a soft radiance spilled from the pendant. The golden light I had seen before rippled out like a thread, visibly connecting me to Loxidian.
At that moment, our eyes met.
“…….”
I gulped, faced with that beast-like gaze. But it lasted only a heartbeat.
Clatter.
The sound of a sword dropping echoed sharply through the room.
“My sister.”
I had only blinked, but suddenly, my brother was right in front of me.
I was startled by his proximity, his black hair and red eyes looming over me. *Mom, when did you get all the way over here?*
“Liz, did you come to see your brother?”
“……You’re giving me the creeps.”
“Giving you the creeps? That makes your brother a little sad.”
“…….”
*I’m* the one who finds it creepy! A man who was about to execute his subordinate a second ago is suddenly acting like this.
Of course, I was the one who caused this change in him, but it was a transformation I couldn’t get used to, no matter how many times I witnessed it.
“Thanks for helping. You came to help your brother, right?”
“……That person isn’t dead, is he?”
“Huh? No, no. Fortunately, he’s still alive.”
That didn’t seem like the kind of thing to say so breezily.
“Your brother doesn’t do things Liz hates. Ah, or would you prefer I kill him?”
“No, no!”
The tyrant’s expression as he looked at me was nothing but soft. He wore the mask of a thoughtful, kind brother, the likes of which might appear in any fairy tale.
“I’ll do anything you want, Liz.”
Even laced with playfulness, this demeanor clashed jarringly with his ferocious aura.
“Our Liz is so kind.”
Loxidian beamed at me. For a moment, that bright smile reminded me of my real brother who had passed away, causing me to hesitate.
The instant I faltered, Loxidian’s expression curdled.
“Ah, crazy…. Ugh.”
I knew it immediately. He had come to his senses.
The original Loxidian had returned. He wiped his face with a heavy sigh.
“Ah, I want to die. I feel like throwing up….”
“……That’s exactly what I want to say.”
“That’s what you want to say?”
“……Yes.”
I quickly corrected my tone under his chilling gaze.
“Is there really no other way than this?”
“How should I know?”
I was the one who was curious. How did I end up being the only one who can calm that brother’s madness, and of all things, why must I witness this scene every single time?
If he’s going to be kind, he should just be kind all the time. Instead, he didn’t even hide his look of utter disgust as he returned to his original state, and the sheer force of his misery made my own stomach turn in empathy.
I glanced behind my brother.
Fortunately, the man he had been trying to kill seemed to have already fainted.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Loxidian informed me that the man had fainted.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“Is it you? The one who brought her here?”
As soon as my brother returned to his original self, Noah stepped forward.
Noah offered an awkward smile, unfazed by my brother’s utterly savage gaze.
“But… is there any other way?”
“Even so, in this dangerous place, hah… Fine. Fine.”
Loxidian ruffled his hair, muttering something terrifying that sounded suspiciously like a curse.
Meanwhile, Noah turned his attention toward me.
“Duchess-To-Be, are you alright?”
“As you can see?”
There was no way I would be in danger. I could simply clutch my necklace and cry out for my mother; the whole situation would be over in an instant.
I had only witnessed it twice now, but if this could be called a split personality, then the version of Loxidian that emerged during the shift had caused me no harm.
On the contrary, he had tried to act like a thoughtful, affectionate older brother.
“……Can’t I see that side of you for a little longer?”
“What?”
“Huk, you heard that?”
I quickly averted my eyes.
In the meantime, the fainted subordinate stirred and opened his eyes.
I wondered if he remembered me crying out for my mother, or the sight of the tyrant suddenly turning affectionate. But perhaps he had been too terrified; he didn’t seem to recall everything.
“I, I remember the Duchess-To-Be arriving……! You, you saved me!”
It seemed he only remembered my arrival and assumed I had been the one to save him.
They said this man was one of Duke Alzbeit’s closest knights, an elite among elites. It didn’t feel bad to have him looking at me with such an expression of deep gratitude.
Yes, it is true you survived thanks to me, so please remember to repay the favor later.
Thinking this to myself, I smiled brightly and waved my hand.
At that, the face of the knight, who had been staring at me with such profound gratitude, turned bright red.
Oh, Charlize’s beauty really is astonishing.
“That’s enough. Get lost now.”
“Ye, yes. Your Majesty!”
Even though I had dismissed him, the knight retreated with a look of unwavering loyalty.