IATVWAMOLS 64

64. The Original Female Lead Shows No Restraint in Her Obsession

Could I be dreaming?

Kaien stared at Roselia as if he were in a trance.

Roselia had hurriedly descended to the dining hall after receiving a report from her attendant.

She cast a cold glance at Paul.

“What on earth did you do to my subordinate?”

“W-what?”

Paul was dumbfounded.

He had been thoroughly beaten all night, yet why was his mistress blaming him?

After the initial shock came a wave of indignation.

“Milady, this lowly slave dared to lay a hand on me again. How long has it been since he was reprimanded?”

“…….”

“Last night he went on a rampage in my quarters. A handsy rascal like him should be dismissed immediately—”

“Evidence?”

“Eh?”

Paul blinked, utterly confused.

“If Kaien really beat you all night, there would be witnesses—or at least some marks, wouldn’t there?”

“That brat used underhanded tricks…!”

“So, you’re saying there’s no evidence?”

Roselia cut him off sharply.

She clearly had no intention of entertaining flimsy accusations.

“And one more thing that’s been bothering me. Why do you keep calling my subordinate a ‘slave’ at every opportunity, belittling him?”

“Th-That’s…”

He had even less to say on that point.

Originally, he had been a slave, so he called him that. He thought Kaien was someone who deserved disdain.

But there was no way he could say that in front of Roselia, who was openly protective of Kaien.

Roselia spoke decisively.

“I can’t entrust more work to a bigot like you.”

Paul’s mouth fell open.

“Several servants have quit because of your bullying, haven’t they? Consider yourself fired as of today.”

“Milady!”

Paul cried out in despair.

Roselia signaled to the head butler, who immediately removed Paul’s official servant badge.

The guards dragged him out forcibly, and Paul was pulled away in stunned silence.

After Paul was gone, Roselia glanced at Kaien, who was still dazed.

“What are you staring at? Go finish your work.”

“…….”

But Kaien remained silent, fidgeting with his ring finger.

He had been wearing a ring for several days now.

He guessed that Roselia had placed it on him like a collar to tame him.

Indeed, the ring carried a subtle force that he could not remove by his own will.

Usually, it felt cumbersome, but today, that tight presence gave him an odd sense of comfort.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

“I want to work under you for the rest of my life.”

Kaien looked Roselia straight in the eyes.

His gaze was resolute—there was not a trace of the relaxed night persona she was familiar with.

‘It’s a little embarrassing how serious he is.’

Roselia felt an unexpected twinge of guilt.

She had taken particular care of his day persona for two main reasons:

One, she felt sympathy for his pitiable circumstances.
Two, winning over the day persona would be advantageous for her.

She was confident that siding with Kaien when he was in trouble would earn his favor.

Her judgment had worked perfectly.

Yet…

[SYSTEM: Challenge Completed! ‘Oath of Loyalty’]

[Reward: 1 ‘Lucky Roulette Ticket’ has been granted.]

Kaien had committed himself to absolute loyalty.

Roselia felt a pang of conscience, as if she had taken advantage of his pure heart.

“Are you serious about that? You’ll regret it.”

His day persona surely had not agreed to this.

Perhaps his night persona would protest again.

“Yes, I’m serious.”

But there was no denying that Roselia’s choice had caused a significant ripple in his life.

[Administrator: Roselia, Roselia.]
[Administrator: Did you see?]
[Administrator: There was a delivery again today.]
[Administrator: (❁´▽`❁)]

“Again today?”

It was a leisurely afternoon.

I went to check at my door after the administrator’s message.

For three days straight, gifts had been arriving at my door without fail.

“Today, it’s chou à l’éclair.”

Under a silver cover lay neatly baked, golden pastries.

The anonymous delivery person never revealed their identity, but sometimes you could tell without being told.

[Administrator: What’s this? What’s going on with Kaien?]
[Administrator: I have a good feeling about this.]
*[Administrator: (ﾟ∀ﾟ)]

“We’re not… anything like that.”

I brushed it off, but taking a bite of the fresh pastry, its sweet flavor melted pleasantly in my mouth.

[Administrator: Springtime indeed.]
[Administrator: ╰(^o^)╮]

The administrator seemed cheerful, making me smile a little.

‘When were you rooting for Perwin to succeed at the birthday banquet? And now you’ve switched to Kaien?’

If the administrator were the heroine, would she have gathered all the male leads to build a harem?

‘Perwin’s been quiet lately.’

By the timeline, news of him should have arrived by now.

Curious, I opened the letter the maid had brought me.

[Administrator: Oh-ho.]
[Administrator: ( •⌄• )✧]
[Administrator: That letter came from the original heroine, right?]

“Yes. We got a little closer last time, so she sent a friendly letter.”

After my impressive first meeting with Seraphine at the birthday banquet, I hadn’t had a chance to meet her again.

I avoided social gatherings unless strategically necessary.

Also, the attacker behind the previous incident hadn’t been revealed yet, so I avoided going out deliberately.

I hadn’t expected Seraphine, the original heroine, to send the first letter.

Opening the envelope, I found a carefully written note in cheerful handwriting:

[Dearest Lady Roselia ♥]

“……?”

From the very first sentence, she was peppering hearts—a rather unusual start.

[The flowers are in full bloom on this warm spring day.
I hope you and your household are well.
(……)
Since the last banquet, I’ve been waiting eagerly to meet you at a social gathering.
But I heard that you have been declining all invitations for personal reasons, and it has worried me so much.]

What started as a warm greeting quickly turned into concern for me.

I had been reclusive during the peak social season.

Seraphine must have been quite worried about me.

[It’s already been more than ten days since I last saw you.
Spring is everywhere in the world, but not seeing you makes my heart feel like a lonely autumn.]

Her wording was slightly intense.

[A true friend should meet at least once a week and exchange letters every three days, shouldn’t they?]

…Why does this feel subtly insane?

[I’ll likely see you at the palace soon, but if it’s convenient, perhaps we could meet before then.
I also wish to return the dress you kindly lent me.
I await your reply.
—With love, Seraphine.]

I finished reading the letter, feeling uneasy.

[Administrator: Why the face?]
[Administrator: You wanted to get along with the original heroine. Isn’t this what you wished for?]
[Administrator: ( ˙▿˙ )]

“Yes, but… was Seraphine always this forward?”

In the original story, she seemed more shy.

[Administrator: People are multidimensional, after all.]
[Administrator: (^⩊^)]

“No, this is borderline character collapse.”

Despite my uneasy feeling, I had to meet Seraphine eventually.

There were things I needed to deliver to prepare for upcoming events.

‘I should tell Icart first.’

As I left my room, I sensed someone nearby.

“Philip? What are you doing here?”

Philip was rummaging through the empty plate I had left outside my door.

He jumped as if caught committing a petty theft.

“Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t doing anything suspicious.”

“…?”

If he had acted naturally, I wouldn’t have thought twice.

But that denial only made him seem more suspicious.

‘He looks guilty as hell.’

I gave him a suspicious glare.

“What are you doing here? Why were you inspecting someone else’s plate?”

“It’s… really nothing.”

Philip hesitated, acting out of character.

If it’s nothing, why can’t you explain?

“Be honest. Depending on your answer, I’ll decide whether to tell my brother about this.”

“That’s exactly it! Please, tell the Viscount!”

I had intended it as a threat, but Philip immediately clutched at the chance.

“What?”

“After all, this was all ordered by the Viscount!”

Philip’s voice trembled.

Philip would come to regret it deeply.

The day he decided to resign, he should never have been swayed by the financial treatment.

After the Roselia attack and the crow intrusion incident, Icart grew more anxious.

“Can we expand the duke’s guard forces further?”

“But Viscount, increasing them now will only create inefficiencies in budget and manpower.”

Philip said with concern.

The guards were already stretched thin, and security had been reinforced multiple times with defensive wards.

Even with further expansion, meaningful improvement was unlikely.

Yet Icart couldn’t calm his mind.

Having faced a major crisis, unease had rooted deeply in him. With a few days until my return to the academy, his urgency grew.

“Then we need another method.”

“Another method?”

“We have no choice but to eliminate all potential risks from Roselia’s daily life.”

From that moment, Philip embarked on a frenzied game of risk elimination.