Chapter 58………………
“…….”
A cold wind swept through the audience chamber.
Even though it was midsummer, the fine hairs on my arms stood on end.
I subtly avoided Leonhart’s gaze.
I didn’t have the courage to look him in the eye.
“I’m doomed.”
Today had been a perfect day.
I had successfully sabotaged Fabius at the construction site, and I had also given the Marquis Molten a big shock.
Not only that, I had finally shown Leonhart that I was no longer his stalker.
Leonhart hadn’t completely cleared up all misunderstandings, but he seemed to trust me to some extent.
Seeing his slightly softened tone and demeanor, I could be sure of it.
At the very least, he wouldn’t misunderstand me as a hyena eyeing him for prey anymore.
Honestly, just that fact alone made me feel relieved. I was fed up with being treated like a stalker all this time.
Of course, the appearance of Owen and Ruspell was unexpected, but I wasn’t too flustered.
“I just need to go back quickly. As long as we don’t run into each other, nothing should go wrong, right?”
That’s what I thought.
But then the situation began to turn strangely.
Suddenly, Leonhart grabbed me, and the “Mansak” forced me to attend the meeting through the directive.
On top of that, there was a chilling instruction:
[Step 3: (smiling meaningfully) I’m very busy, but seeing Your Highness’ sincerity, I will attend the meeting. It’s a bit funny though. Only after you almost lose me do you seem to come to your senses. You should have done better when I was here. Work hard from now on. I am not yet engaged.]
In other words,
“You pretended to dislike me, but I knew all along. Deep down, you’ve liked me. You’re not engaged yet, so try your best. I’ll let you get away with a little.”
“What kind of delusional nonsense is this!!!”
This was difficult to deal with.
“How am I supposed to handle this? You can’t just casually gloss it over!”
No doubt, Leonhart’s disgust toward me must have been restored to full strength by that remark.
After I had loudly proclaimed my disinterest in him, he said something like that.
Even I would feel blindsided.
No, he’d probably dislike me even more, thinking I had deceived him.
“I was finally about to shake off the stalker label….”
All of this was the Mansak’s doing.
“Duke.”
I cautiously glanced at Leonhart.
His fierce gaze made my hands instinctively come together, like a student entering the teacher’s office.
“Speak…….”
“Do you have a mental disorder?”
“…….”
I lowered my head to hide my burning cheeks.
“No.”
“Have you ever been diagnosed with multiple personalities or dissociative identity disorder as a child?”
“……No.”
“When you look in a mirror, do you see other illusions? Do you sometimes feel someone is with you even when you’re alone? Do you hear voices, or occasionally lose memory? Have you ever experienced such symptoms?”
“……Never.”
“Have you checked with your physician?”
Unable to hold back, I lifted my head to meet Leonhart’s gaze.
Look into my eyes. Do they look like someone who’s lost their mind?
“Are you doubting my sanity? That’s unpleasant.”
“Then why do you speak like a mad person? Sometimes, when I converse with you, it feels like I’m speaking with two people at once.”
“Th-That’s…….”
When a Step 3 directive appears, I have no choice but to follow it.
Even if the directive goes overboard or contains content that could be misinterpreted as insane.
Of course, I always tried to patch things up with additional words afterward.
I knew it would seem odd to others.
Who would think someone is normal when they switch between nonsense and rational speech in real time?
“But it’s the best I can do.”
Leonhart was the first person to notice this dual behavior of mine.
“Such a perceptive one.”
Even a lifelong butler hadn’t noticed.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Just a moment ago, you said you had no interest in me, but what you just said is completely different.”
“That is……”
I was at a loss for words again. My stiffened neck slumped weakly.
Leonhart’s expression changed subtly. There was a faint glimmer of sympathy in his eyes.
He clearly thought of me as a patient. A very troubling one.
“Wow, this is maddening. I’m really not insane!”
A cold twisting sound echoed from my molars.
Grit.
“Damn Mansak bastard! If word gets out that I’m crazy, I’ll kill you for sure!”
Leonhart sighed deeply. A soft voice slipped out between his lips.
“The Duke’s way of speaking leaves much room for misunderstanding. You anger someone, then try to appease them. You alternate between abnormal and perfectly normal behavior.”
“……A person can’t always act consistently in life.”
“Of course, everyone has duality. But the Duke’s gap is too extreme. It feels as if you have two separate personalities.”
“…….”
“I don’t know which side to trust. The engagement—is it real? That’s not a lie, is it?”
I snapped my head up.
“The engagement is real!”
“Then what did you mean just now? You said you wouldn’t marry even if I clung to you. Didn’t you say you had no interest in me?”
“…….”
Before me, a directive appeared. Another Step 3.
[Step 3: (sighing disdainfully) I already told you. I have no romantic interest in Your Highness.]
He messed everything up, and now he’s trying to fix it? Why? Does it affect the story if rumors say I’m insane?
I stifled a laugh as I read the directive.
“I already told you. I have no romantic interest in Your Highness.”
[Step 3: I just need someone suitable for me and my family. When selecting a stallion, isn’t lineage the most important?]
It fit perfectly with the domineering Adrian.
I recited the directive in a resigned tone.
“I just need someone suitable for me and my family. When selecting a stallion, isn’t lineage the most important?”
“Do you want to spend your life with someone you don’t love?”
[Step 3: (smirking like a young novice) You are still young, Your Highness. Marriage is a business. It’s not something to be swayed by trivial emotions. Thorough calculation is needed to maximize gain. Not for me, but for my family.]
The Mansak had designed Adrian as a cold-hearted duchess. She wasn’t a character capable of love from the start.
[Step 3: So please don’t mistake me as having feelings for Your Highness. The one I love most is myself, and that will never change.]
That’s why she speaks like a psychopath now, but she will gradually become more human.
Thanks to the protagonist Piace, she will come to understand the emotion of love.
“That’s my role in this story.”
It’s also the only part of this cursed parenting story I like.
I wonder when she’ll reform. Now that the villain’s been introduced, maybe it’s about time.
As I followed the directive, lost in thought, Leonhart stared at me silently.
“I always thought the Duke was a selfish, arrogant, and rude corrupt noble.”
“…….”
I almost nodded. There wasn’t a single mistake in Leonhart’s words.
“But I was wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“You are just a pitiful person.”
Suddenly, my chest thumped hard.
It felt like someone had shoved a drum inside my ribcage and was beating it wildly.
“Ah, no, why is my heart doing this?”
Piace is supposed to be the one to awaken my feelings, right?
“Your complexion isn’t good. Let’s postpone the meeting and return today.”
“……Yes.”
Just as I mechanically turned to leave, the audience chamber doors opened and someone entered.
“Your Highness, how long do you plan to keep someone waiting?”
“Your Highness, is something the matter?”
It was Ruspell and Owen.
