DSMBL Chapter 89

Chapter 89

“I’ll be going now.”

Selua and Rubella left the office to take care of the tasks I assigned them. As soon as the door closed, the calm mask I had been wearing crumbled.

“Hoo…”

I let out a deep breath and slumped into my chair.

Looking at everything that’s happened so far, it seemed more and more like the Gate was connected not to Lorencia, but to Janice. Maybe Janice had poured everything she had into making Lorencia the duchess?

I still didn’t know why.

Strange events around Janice kept giving me uneasy thoughts in my head. As a fellow human being, as someone living in the same world, I didn’t want to believe it… but a horrible suspicion was growing in me.

If Janice could close the Gate… then maybe, just maybe, she could open it too.

It was an awful, terrifying thought—one I didn’t even want to imagine. But if it were true, it would mean that the disaster heading toward our world was brought here by a human’s own hands, just for their selfish desires.

Still, I had no proof. Without evidence, I couldn’t corner Janice. I needed solid facts if I wanted to pressure her and get the outcome I wanted—to shut that damned Gate.

No, to stop it from ever opening in the first place.

“I can do this…”

I held my head in my hands. So much had already gone wrong. In the original story, Cassius was supposed to have successfully defended the area. There was Lorencia. There were no demon scouts. The Count of Solovis hadn’t appeared. And I didn’t exist.

All the changes I had made were starting to scare me.

My stomach churned.

I thought I was guiding things in a better direction… but what if I wasn’t? What if I made things worse?

“God, this is driving me crazy.”

There was so much I wanted to protect. So much I had to protect. But what I could do was limited. If only I had powers like Janice’s. If I had to end up in this world, why couldn’t I have at least gotten some useful abilities?

Just then, a soft knock came at the door, and it opened.

“Cassius?”

The moment I saw him, all those anxious thoughts vanished. He met my eyes and smiled smoothly, as if all the troubles and threats we faced didn’t exist.

“Have you eaten lunch?”

I shook my head.

“What about you?”

“I haven’t either. Shall we eat together?”

I stood and took his outstretched hand tightly. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. His warm breath wrapped around me like comfort. Cassius intertwined our fingers.

***

Lunchtime was loud and cheerful for the first time in a while. It wasn’t just me and Cassius—Stephanie and Theo were already waiting for us at the dining room.

“Charlotte!”

“See? I told you I had a good feeling about today!”

Stephanie and Theo cheered.

Guys… we literally had breakfast together too. Cassius gave me a gentle push on the back. He whispered to me with a smirk.

“Looks like we won’t be having a quiet meal today.”

“I agree.”

But honestly, it wasn’t so bad. Before I knew it, the kids had jumped down from their chairs and were clinging to my skirt.

“Go sit down. We need to start eating.”

“Then I’m sitting next to Charlotte!”

“No, I want to sit next to her!”

They glared at each other.

“I’ll sit in the middle. That way, you can both sit beside me. Okay?”

“Okay! I’ll take the left!”

“Then I’ll be on the right!”

Cassius shook his head.

“Take your seats.”

The weight in his voice made Stephanie and Theo instantly sit down. They left a space in the middle and stared at me with sparkling eyes. Alright, I’m coming, I’m coming.

I sat between them, wondering why they were so determined to sit next to me. Then I realized—it was because they wanted to feed me.

“Charlotte, try this!”

“Human! This one’s delicious. Eat this too!”

“Sister-in-law, have this!”

Theo grinned slyly, and their sparkling eyes silently begged me to open my mouth. I had no choice but to eat everything they offered. They kept taking turns feeding me, so I barely had time to eat by myself.

My cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk when they finally stopped. Stephanie leaned in, wide-eyed.

“Enough, enough.”

“Humans have such tiny mouths. You need to eat more.”

“I’ll eat slowly. Now you two eat, okay?”

They nodded at my gentle urging. I could finally breathe once the kids started eating on their own. Cassius watched me with an amused expression—guess he found my stuffed cheeks funny.

After chewing everything and drinking some water, I pushed Stephanie’s fork away and said,

“Now it’s my turn. I can use my hands, you know.”

Stephanie nodded seriously. Before they could start again, I quickly grabbed some food myself. It was a chaotic meal, but strangely, my heart felt full—like it was swelling with happiness.

***

Meanwhile, Janice was walking quietly. She already knew she was being followed. Not just one tail, but two… maybe three.

‘So it’s not just one person watching me.’

This meant she was officially under suspicion. And that meant her movements would be limited. Janice bit her lip.

‘Is it Cassius? Or Charlotte? Or both?’

Either way, it was a clear sign—she needed to avoid going into the forest for a while.

Changing direction, she headed toward where the knights were gathered and approached someone familiar.

“Long time no see, Sir Giverny.”

“Oh, Janice.”

Giverny’s expression slowly stiffened. Janice smiled casually.

“Have you been well?”

“More or less. What about you?”

“I’ve been alright too. It’s good to see you again.”

The knights were preparing to head out. Lately, their training seemed different—they weren’t just staying in the training grounds but heading out.

‘Looks like they’re going into the forest.’

From the stains on their cloaks and what she had seen herself, she was sure. Something was in that forest.

“There’s been more monster activity lately, hasn’t there?”

“…Yes.”

“I came to check if you need more funding.”

Janice sighed softly.

“I’ve been neglectful. I am in charge of the estate, after all.”

“Thank you for the concern. But the duke manages the knights’ budget directly.”

“I know. I was thinking more about food supplies or medicine. If you need anything, let me know.”

“…Understood.”

“You’re heading out again today, I see.”

She glanced at the fully equipped knights. Giverny nodded stiffly.

“Since the monsters started appearing, we’ve been training in the forest. Most battles happen there, not in towns or the castle.”

“Ah, I see.”

Janice nodded like she understood. But she knew this wasn’t all. She studied Giverny’s expression.

‘He’s clearly uncomfortable around me.’

Yes, she was under suspicion—but he also didn’t want to talk to her at all. She stepped back for now.

“Well then, take care.”

After everyone left and Janice was alone, she returned to the training grounds. She bent down and picked something off the ground.

“…A white hair?”

She murmured to herself.