Chapter 33
When I returned to Roelin a little later, she seemed to already suspect that I had gotten caught up in the incident.
“Eiyo owiya aia. (This isn’t the time to be here.)”
Though I was supposed to stay by Roelin’s side as her companion, the Doremi maids and the nanny urged me instead to focus more on catching the culprit than worrying about Roelin.
“Aii uwoo aiaa. Eiyoe ayea yeaooo ou aaeae. (I definitely suspect the nanny. I think I saw the young ladies in a dream a few days ago.)”
As soon as I heard Roelin’s muttering, a light bulb went off in my head. Come to think of it, it wasn’t as if the young ladies had always gone through proper channels to enter the bedroom.
If their intent was clear, they could have entered with the help of someone nearby.
“But why would the nanny help them? She seemed like someone sent by Count Inferna…”
The maids watched my silent expression with worried faces.
“It looks like the soldiers are going to start searching the maids’ bedrooms soon.”
“Hmm. You don’t think the culprit will try to frame someone else, do you?”
At one maid’s comment, everyone shuddered in fear.
“Honestly, I’m suspicious about how the brooch was stolen from inside this bedroom at all.”
“True. This is Her Highness the Princess’s secret chamber, only known to a select few trusted by His Majesty…”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone’s suspicions were turning toward me. Before anyone could say more, the Doremi maids stepped in front of me protectively.
“You never know. Maybe the brooch is still hidden somewhere in this room.”
“What? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Why not? No one knows this room better than us who come in here every day.”
Thanks to their defense, the doubtful stares settled—for now.
Just like the Doremi maids said, the only thing we could do immediately was search the room again. It was either that or a full-scale deep clean, and they chose the latter.
“You’re right. We should search it thoroughly.”
Everyone began searching for the brooch with a shared sense of urgency—except for one person. The one Roelin suspected: the nanny, who merely pretended to look.
“Oi uooa uiiueou (The nanny is still suspicious.)”
Roelin clearly believed I wasn’t the culprit.
“I really appreciate that the heroine trusts me… but I’m not a helper—I’m the villainess. Can she really trust me this much…?”
I could no longer remain a third party in this story.
If I, the villainess, wanted to survive, I had to prove to the protagonists that I wasn’t the true villain.
Winning Roelin’s trust was just a way to survive—not some noble act.
“So then, why do I feel so guilty toward Roelin, who believes in me?”
I genuinely wanted her trust. She believed in me, so I should be happy, and yet—I felt uncomfortable.
“…I see now. I’ve been a coward.”
When I played this game, all I ever wanted was a happy ending for Roelin. I had seen many different happy endings unfold.
But now that this place had become my reality, the thought that Roelin’s story—which used to only have happy endings—might become a tragic one because of me… It was paralyzing.
At the same time, I started to fear this situation more and more because it didn’t match what I had previously known.
“…What can someone like me do for you now?”
That night.
I couldn’t keep running away just because I was scared—so I decided to change my mindset.
For Roelin’s happy future, and for myself, I wanted to catch the culprit directly.
The plan I came up with was very simple.
To frame me, the culprit would surely leave evidence to make it impossible for me to escape—whether material or emotional.
“…If they plant the stolen brooch on me, they’ll be able to persuade the crown prince in charge of this case to punish me.”
That meant the culprit’s underling would definitely appear in my bedroom tonight—100% chance.
If the nanny had been used to steal the brooch, there’d be no reason for the culprit to come themselves. So I concluded I didn’t need to fight directly either.
Before they arrived, I hid in the hallway where I could see the door to my bedroom.
“Thankfully, I’m still small, so it’s bearable.”
As Kyle advised, I had come fully prepared with black magic materials to protect myself—just in case.
Inside my clothing were a small doll the size of a worry doll and a strand of a royal guard’s hair.
I figured it would be just a few young girls coming, but better safe than sorry. If anything happened, I’d summon the guards’ likeness to scare them off.
The story might not unfold the way I originally knew it.
If my prediction was correct, something dangerous could happen at any moment.
“No matter how important reputation is, I still need a way to protect myself.”
When I studied black magic at the count’s estate, I learned how to mimic others. But now, I needed to mimic not someone else—but myself.
So the one sleeping peacefully on my bed right now wasn’t me—but a black magic duplicate created with my blood.
It even breathed exactly like me. So much so that it gave me chills.
I had created the duplicate earlier that afternoon, and after confirming it worked, I slipped out of the room.
Then I got into a special indoor cart I had prepared in advance and positioned near the hallway.
This cart was something commonly used by servants and maids during the day.
But with a wooden cover on top, it didn’t look like a cart at all.
It looked more like a decorative cabinet—perfect for hiding.
It was usually used to transport plates or heavy loads. Made from quality wood, it blended in perfectly with the hallway decor and hid me flawlessly.
“This is the place, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“We need to handle this quietly.”
Footsteps approached. The unfamiliar male voices were not ones I recognized.
I had expected someone to simply drop off the brooch and leave—but they used the word “handle”, which made my skin crawl.
Just to leave a brooch behind… and they talk about handling it?
Creak…
I heard the door open and peeked through the slats in the wood.
Assuming this was just childish jealousy had been a grave miscalculation. I expected Bianca or Pymang’s lackeys—but…
To my horror, several masked men entered my room.
“Hey! Who’s there?!”
Suddenly, someone barged into the room and shouted loudly.
I peeked out—shocked—and saw…
Gasp?! What are YOU doing here?!
Rekanon, visibly agitated, had entered the room holding a practice sword.
The intruders panicked, though I couldn’t see clearly what they were doing.
It was now obvious they weren’t just planting the brooch—they had darker intentions. I became incredibly worried for Rekanon.
Apparently, Roelin’s character setting of being beloved by her two older brothers hadn’t changed.
I stood up carefully and crept toward the bedroom door. What I saw next was even more absurd.
My duplicate—who should’ve been asleep—had gotten up to dodge the attackers’ swords.
“Ugh, I made the clone too well…”
Now that there were two of me, I couldn’t just rush in to help Rekanon without causing huge problems.
Still, I couldn’t do nothing.
No matter how talented Rekanon was with a sword, he was only slightly older than my eleven-year-old self. And it was just a practice sword.
I couldn’t bear to watch a young Rekanon face grown men alone.
“But if I suddenly appear too, they’ll know I used black magic… That could bring major trouble to the entire Inferna family. What do I do?”
Despite the situation, I couldn’t stop worrying about the idiot who had charged in to save me.
He always had a sharp tongue, but he kept acting on my behalf… I didn’t understand. If he wants to help Roelin, shouldn’t he be protecting himself?
“I can’t just sit back and watch.”
Things had taken a complicated turn thanks to him. I reached into my pajamas and pulled out the bottle containing the doll and the hair.
Even if I risked being found out for using black magic, I couldn’t trade Rekanon’s life for my secrecy.
Besides, if the prince were found dead in my bedroom tomorrow, I’d become the prime suspect. Saving him was the right thing to do.
“Who’s there?!”
Using black magic, I summoned the image of a royal guard who only stood watch during the day.
Thanks to the hair, the appearance was flawless—but I didn’t know the guard’s personality, so the control was tricky.
To outsiders unfamiliar with black magic, my spell would look like any other. But someone like the Count—who did know black magic—might be able to identify the caster based on the clone’s details.
That’s why I made the guard look like a stranger—to serve as an alibi.
Sensing the royal guard’s presence approaching, the assassins quickly fled through the window.
