IATVWAMOLS 65

65. When My Brother Interfered with the Original Plot

“It’s to be prepared for the worst.”

Icart spoke firmly.

“……”

No matter what, isn’t this going a bit too far?

Philip was sweating nervously, but Icart’s eyes gleamed with madness.

From that point on, everything that reached Roselia’s hands had to pass through Icart’s censorship, most notably her mail.

“Young Lord, a letter has arrived from the Imperial Family for Lady Roselia.”

“From the Imperial Family?”

“Yes, it was sent by His Highness the Crown Prince—”

“Dispose of it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Of course, the Crown Prince’s letters couldn’t simply be thrown away. Philip carefully stored them somewhere out of sight.

Everyday correspondence was filtered, and even letters from Perwyn were intercepted. Still, someone was persistently looking for a chance.

“Young Lord, Lady Blaine has sent Lady Roselia an invitation to her concert. She says she very much hopes Lady Roselia will attend.”

“Reply that she cannot attend for health reasons.”

But the very next day—

“Young Lord, a reply has arrived from House Blaine. They sent a bouquet of flowers as well, wishing the young lady a speedy recovery.”

“Bring me the letter, but return the flowers. Check whether the flowers are poisonous first.”

And yet again, the next day—

“Young Lord, Lady Blaine has…”

“What is it this time?”

Icart looked down at the letter with an exasperated expression.

“This time, she has requested to visit the ducal estate. She says she is worried since the young lady hasn’t been seen outside and wishes to pay her a sick visit.”

Icart’s usually neat brow furrowed.

What kind of young lady was this, to be so stubbornly persistent?

He recalled that Lady Seraphine of House Blaine had defended Roselia at the birthday banquet. He hadn’t spoken with her directly, but that impression lingered.

“Wasn’t she introduced as Roselia’s friend?”

“Yes, it was written in her letters as well.”

In the original story, Icart had regarded the kind and pitiful Seraphine with nothing but sympathy.

But now—

“Is she really a friend? Doesn’t she have some ulterior motive?”

He had classified her as a person of interest, someone to be watched carefully.

[No matter how much time passes, I’ll wait for your reply, my lady. ♥]

That’s definitely not normal.

The more he reread the letters, the more suspicious Seraphine’s intentions became.

“Have you investigated House Blaine?”

“Yes, Young Lord. They are a border noble family with a base in the south. They withdrew from social circles long ago, and their influence on central politics is negligible. However…”

Philip hesitated.

“…There were old rumors about Lord and Lady Blaine. But it’s an incident from so long ago that we can’t use it to slander their daughter.”

“Hm.”

“Honestly, the letters are quite ordinary. The only unusual thing is the frequency. At most, they’re simple greetings and idle chatter.”

“Then only deliver the most recent letter to Roselia.”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

Though still doubtful, Icart handed the bundle over to Philip.

Just as Philip was about to leave, Icart stopped him.

“Wait. There’s something else we need to discuss.”

“What is it?”

There were only five days left before Roselia’s return to the Academy.

Icart decided it was time to prepare for after his departure.

“So you mean you’ve been monitoring my every move all this time?”

Hearing the whole story from Philip didn’t make me feel relieved at all. If anything, it left me more unsettled.

This is full-on stalking.

Could it be that he even knew I was meeting Cayenne at night?

But if Icart knew that, there’s no way he would’ve stayed quiet…

Philip quickly tried to explain himself when he saw my suspicious look.

“It wasn’t every single aspect of your life! Though… the Young Lord did consider embedding watchmen among the staff.”

“……”

And he thought that explanation would make it better?

“The Young Lord ordered that we protect you without infringing too much on your privacy.”

“Then what about just now, when you were inspecting my empty dishes?”

“There could be poison. I was only checking since we couldn’t be sure of the food’s source.”

“Even so, rummaging through someone else’s leftovers looks suspicious.”

When I continued glaring, he protested miserably.

“I didn’t want to go this far either!”

“……”

“But if something happens to you again, the Young Lord really won’t stay calm this time…”

His voice cracked.

Philip looked on the verge of tears.

Dark circles hung under his eyes, and exhaustion weighed down his tone.

“This is too much. Since returning to the ducal estate, I haven’t slept more than three hours straight even once.”

Forget his duties—he was outright complaining to me now.

“My lady, please say something to the Young Lord. He never listens to me, but he might at least pretend to listen if it comes from you.”

He pleaded.

Unlike his usual sharp self, he looked so worn out that he seemed ready to collapse.

Pitiful, almost.

In the original story, and in this life too, he always kept me at arm’s length…

Maybe now that he’d seen me up close, he’d realized I wasn’t such a big deal. Or maybe stress had simply flipped his perspective entirely.

Either way, he was clinging to me desperately.

“…Fine. Let’s go talk to my brother.”

Though I doubt he’ll listen even to me.

Still, if I wanted to argue with someone, it had to be the instigator himself.

“Return all my mail.”

“What?”

The moment I stepped into Icart’s office, I said it outright.

Beside me, Philip fidgeted nervously, stealing glances at Icart.

“……”

Icart looked at him incredulously.

I told you to handle this quietly, and yet you let it all be exposed?

His eyes scolded Philip without words.

But before Icart could open his mouth, I cut him off.

“I know there are more letters than just these. Hand them over now.”

Sighing, Icart signaled with his chin.

Philip hurried off and returned with a stack of letters. Among them were two more from Seraphine, plus invitations to social events, and even a letter from Perwyn.

The moment I picked up Perwyn’s letter, a system window popped up.

Ping!

【SYSTEM: You have fulfilled the conditions to enter ‘Episode 2’!】

“You were hiding these all this time?”

I shot Icart a glare.

So that’s why Perwyn had seemed unusually quiet—someone had been intercepting his letters.

What if I hadn’t found them before the episode started?

“Checking food and gifts from outside—I can understand that much.”

Though honestly, I already thought even that was over the line. Still, if I stretched my patience, I could excuse it as ‘for safety.’

“But once you confirmed the letters weren’t dangerous, shouldn’t you have returned them right away? Even those from the Imperial Palace.”

“…Anything from that man isn’t worth reading.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

I cut him off coldly.

“Then why didn’t you give me Lady Seraphine’s letters?”

“Even after being rejected, she persisted in sending them. That’s highly suspicious.”

Icart answered smoothly, as if he were in the right.

And sure, Seraphine could be a bit overbearing.

But still!

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interfere so excessively in my personal relationships.”

Between Seraphine’s persistence and Icart’s overprotectiveness, the real problem was obvious—my brother.

Besides, Seraphine was the heroine of the original story—the ultimate cheat code, a walking master key.

I had already confirmed it during the birthday banquet: to keep the plot flowing smoothly, I needed to win her over.

I was planning to work with Seraphine anyway. If Icart keeps this up, he’ll ruin everything.

I unleashed my lecture.

“Do you realize how much trouble your so-called protection has caused the people around me?”

“Yes, yes!”

Philip nodded furiously beside me.

Icart wilted under my glare.

“…Sorry.”

He apologized in a low, subdued voice.

Philip blinked in disbelief, staring back and forth between us.

And at that exact moment, another message window popped up.

Ping!

【Administrator: Forgive him.】
【Administrator: Just this once.】
【Administrator: He said he’s sorry.】
【Administrator: (╥﹏╥)】

…Excuse me? It hasn’t even been three seconds since he apologized.

This administrator had less backbone than a paper cup.

“Don’t do it again. There are normal ways to protect me, you know.”

Like recruiting the final boss as a bodyguard, or coaxing the administrator into giving me a lucky buff.

“…I’ll think of something else.”

And the very next day—

An unexpected guest arrived at the ducal estate.