Chapter 05
“This time, I will never be brainwashed.”
A cold silence filled the air. Olga scanned her surroundings.
This was a secluded garden used only by me and my father, so no servants passed by; it was a quiet, lonely place.
“It must be frustrating that I don’t move according to your whims, isn’t it?”
If I were to say even now that I would replace her as my personal maid with Jessie, Olga’s position would shrink immediately.
Moreover, if she failed to handle the Black Magicians’ plans properly, who knew what harm they might inflict? Perhaps that’s why she was acting so recklessly.
Having finished surveying the area, Olga gave a triumphant smile.
“Spring flowers are really beautiful, aren’t they?”
Suddenly, her voice shifted sharply as she brought up the flowers.
“Make you want to crush them.”
A gray aura stirred again. Snake-like gray smoke seeped into my body.
A horrifying sensation, like insects crawling all over me, made tears prick my eyes.
“I won’t succumb to this evil power.”
It was the moment Olga wondered why her brainwashing magic wasn’t affecting me.
“…?”
The gray smoke was stopped by a soft, translucent light.
The effect of the Pecatio leaves I had diligently eaten began to take hold.
Pure power reflected the dark magic back at Olga.
“What is…—Ahhh!”
Grasping my dizzy mind, I asked her:
“Why… why did you use brainwashing magic on me?”
Seeing Olga completely still, I tensed my fingertips.
“I need to gather information.”
I couldn’t waste the time she had spent under the brainwashing.
When I looked her straight in the eye, Olga answered politely:
“To take control of the Brilston Marquis family.”
“Why me and not my father?”
“Because you’re still a child. Moreover, you’re not a blessed one, so easier to manipulate.”
So easily said… I realized I had been just a pawn to her all along.
I let out a helpless laugh.
“What happens after the brainwashing magic is complete?”
“Kill the Brilston Marquis and hand everything over to ‘him.’”
I froze, holding my breath.
What? Kill who?
Does that mean the accident that happened to my father in the original story was also the work of the Black Magicians?
My heart thumped painfully, and I bit my lip tightly.
“Who is ‘him’? What’s the purpose?”
“He is the great Founder. The one who will claim this world…”
The motion of her empty gray eyes became even duller.
“Ha…”
Olga muttered the same words over and over with an expressionless face.
It felt like the conversation was going in circles with no direction.
“What is your purpose?!”
I raised my voice in anger.
“….”
Olga, as if crushed by a colossal force, could not open her mouth.
“She must have set a suggestion spell, worried we might reveal their plans.”
Suggestion spells were another method frequently used by the Black Magicians.
I wanted to ask more, but without knowing how long the magic would last, it was too dangerous.
“This memory, forget it, and return to your room. It’s as if you never came to the garden.”
Watching Olga leave as if nothing had happened, I bit my lip.
Perhaps from the tension or the side effect of resisting the dark magic, cold sweat broke out, and my head spun.
“Huh?”
As I staggered, a familiar voice reached me.
“Milady!”
Jessie hurried over, holding a tray with codling leaves and sandwiches.
“I-I’ll call the doctor. The doctor!”
I grabbed her startled hand.
“It’s fine. I just felt dizzy for a moment. I think I should head back to my room.”
Jessie nodded and supported me.
Smiling reassuringly to ease her worry, I stood up.
“….”
The moment I stepped forward, my mind cleared, as if a tangled knot had been undone.
“Because you’re still a child. Moreover, you’re not a blessed one, so easier to manipulate.”
Realizing that Olga had been scheming behind the scenes to swallow the Marquis family whole made my blood boil.
“Who knows what else she might try to use me for.”
Tomorrow, the Duchy of Tracia would visit our mansion.
If she were careless and revealed herself as a Black Magician to Lavina, she would be in danger and unable to move recklessly.
I decided to take advantage of that opportunity.
“Olga, now it’s your turn to be caught.”
The long-awaited day to meet my favorite had finally arrived.
“My goodness! Milady, you’re so cute.”
As Jessie pinned a pretty jewel in my hair, the other maids helping me with preparations all admired me.
“Weren’t you scared before?”
Embarrassed, I fidgeted with my fingers.
A polite knock and a soft voice followed.
“Lala, are you ready…?”
My father, dressed in a deep navy frock coat, froze at the door.
“Dad?”
His eyes softened warmly as he snapped out of his daze.
“My daughter, how can you be so beautiful?”
My face flushed at his words, and he smiled, clearly pleased.
“Shall we go?”
Holding my father’s large hand, I hurried to the mansion entrance.
At that moment, the carriage of the Duchy of Tracia, adorned with laurel patterns, arrived.
“They’re here!”
Before the doors opened, I checked my outfit and hairstyle once more.
I had requested a dress in Lavina’s favorite color from my father and pinned on the beautiful jewel hairpin Laila’s mother loved.
“Calm down, heart. Don’t act up.”
Clinging to my father, I tried to appear composed as my nervous excitement rose.
Finally, the carriage door opened, revealing a tall, large man.
“Oh my! Garen. Garen!”
I barely restrained myself from shouting.
The joy of meeting the novel’s main characters had me squealing inside.
Garen, Duke of Tracia, was exactly as described in the book.
Tall, befitting a northerner.
Black hair like the dark night sky, olive eyes.
Unlike my father’s gentle appearance, he was a sharply handsome man with cold lines.
“Don’t use your handsomeness—it’s dangerous for my heart…”
Garen extended his hand, and Lavina appeared, wearing lace gloves.
I couldn’t catch my breath.
“She’s… really beautiful.”
Facing Lavina, my mouth fell open.
True to a novel’s heroine, she was breathtaking.
Silver hair shimmered like dew in the moonlight, red eyes contrasting with her pale skin, giving a cold impression.
She exuded dignity and nobility, like a queen of an ice kingdom.
I was so entranced by her beauty that I felt I could even wish to wash her feet.
“Garen, welcome. It’s been a long time, Duchess of Tracia.”
“It has indeed. James.”
“Marquis Brilston, how have you been? It’s been such a long time.”
Smiles spread across their faces.
They were close friends, appearing utterly familiar regardless of title.
Snapping back to reality from watching them, a voice drew my attention:
“Sierra?”
All eyes turned to me as Lavina spoke.
“Greetings to the Duke and Duchess of Tracia.”
Trying to calm my trembling heart, I held my dress with both hands and bowed politely.
“My goodness… Laila, you’ve grown so much. You’re so much like Sierra when she was young.”
Lavina spoke kindly, her smile like a doll’s.
“She’s so beautiful. Just light!”
I couldn’t stop smiling, thrilled to see my favorite in person.
Lavina stepped closer, matching eye level. As her face neared, I flinched without realizing it.
“I was so worried when I heard you were hurt. I’m so glad you’re fine.”
She was so gentle.
“As expected of my favorite.”
Lavina’s scent was pure and elegant, and my otaku instincts made me throw myself into her embrace.
“I missed you so much.”
Not noticing Lavina’s flustered expression, I was simply happy to be in her arms.
“Hehe, this is wonderful.”
The impact of meeting my favorite was overwhelming.
Just as I almost lost all composure, a chilling aura brushed past.
“Greetings, Marquis Brilston. Hello, Laila.”
I flinched and looked up at the voice.
Behind Lavina stood a boy with black hair and red eyes, expression cold.
“Calyx.”
I froze.
Despite being young, Calyx’s presence was impressive.
“Wow.”
Glossy black hair, snow-like white skin, and deep red eyes that burned like fire.
His refined features and vividly red lips were almost too perfect to describe.
But his gaze at me was like a sharpened blade, and it felt as though the novel had come alive, filling me with fear.
“Hic…”
Under his cold stare, I hiccuped.
Calyx, who had appeared suddenly, now stood between me and Lavina.
I quickly regained composure and greeted him:
“Ah… hello, young master.”
Under his icy presence, I stuttered like a buffering program.
Calyx ignored me entirely, passing by as if I were invisible.
“He really doesn’t like me, does he?”
The joy of being in my favorite’s arms plummeted like a rollercoaster.
The bleak future looming before me felt painfully real.
