Chapter 39
I’d Be Fine If It Ruined Me…
“The culprit already knows where the author’s mansion is, who the servants are, and even what time they stop by the general store. From now on, wherever you go you should always have a bodyguard accompany you. Oh, and one more thing!”
Himena, who was about to leave the study, turned back and added one more line to the author.
“The pen is mightier than the sword. Sometimes words have more power than any weapon. Your novel may be like a precious child to you, but to someone else… it can be a cruel blade that rips out the heart. Please remember that.”
“Ahem. Th-that is…”
“The maid who said she found the threatening letter — I’ll see her on my way out. Well then.”
She left the flustered author without waiting for an answer and exited the study.
‘In my previous life there were so many people who hid behind anonymity and slashed away with malicious comments like knives… I never thought I’d come to a world where I’d be hurt by anonymous attacks disguised as fiction…’
“Then I’ll be going too. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Eron also said goodbye to the author, and followed the sullen-looking Himena down to the first floor, where they met the maid.
“Hmm… When I went to the general store that day there were a lot of customers. The owner was busy handling several guests, too. So I don’t really know who put the threatening letter into my basket… Ah, wait!”
The maid suddenly clapped as if she’d just remembered something.
“That day I bumped into a man inside the store and dropped my basket. He picked it up for me.”
“A male customer? Do you remember what he looked like?”
“Um… He was wearing a black robe and a hood so I couldn’t see his face well… He was very tall… and he had a sword at his waist, so I think he was a knight.”
“A man knight with a sword?”
Eron looked at Himena with a puzzled expression.
“Other than that, was there anything else memorable about that day?”
“No… not really…”
The maid shook her head — nothing else came to mind.
“All right. If you or any other servants notice anyone suspicious around the author from now on, please report it immediately to the city guard. The butler should do the same.”
“Yes, understood.”
The two left the author’s mansion, climbed into their carriage, and headed back toward Himena’s estate.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Inside the carriage, Himena kept bowing her head and tapping it against the carriage wall.
“Hi—Himena… are you all right?”
“Haa… Eron… do you believe in past lives?”
“Huh?”
Himena sighed and muttered to herself in a dejected voice.
“I must have been the kind of person who betrayed my country in the life before last. Otherwise… there’s no way I’d be born like this…”
Thud!
“Hi—Himena…”
“That mustached author — what will he write about me in Volume Two? He must have heard the rumors I spread. He’ll make me a conspirator against Marquis Termos… have my bodyguards beheaded… show Prince Diego as a pervert… haaa…”
Eron watched Himena sigh as if the earth had swallowed her, and had no idea how to comfort her.
“Milady, we’ve arrived!”
When the coachman stopped the carriage in front of the estate, Himena removed her blonde wig, let her long brown hair fall into disarray, sighed deeply again, and climbed down from the carriage.
“Thank you for seeing me home.”
“Himena.”
Eron took her hand as she was about to turn away.
“I know. I know you’re not that kind of person. All the rumors about you have been lies. And people will learn the truth someday — your true self.”
He kissed the back of her hand and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
“Eron… Eron, be careful too. If you get involved with me… your marriage prospects might be ruined as well…”
“Ah, Himena…”
“Goodbye…”
She slumped, turned, and trudged into the mansion. Eron gulped down the words he wanted to say that choked his throat.
‘I… I… wouldn’t mind if I were the one whose path got blocked…’
“Haa…”
“Oh? Miss. What are you doing still? Why haven’t you gotten ready yet?”
Lois, who had been waiting at the training ground since morning to practice swordsmanship, came up to Himena’s room because Himena hadn’t come down no matter how long she waited.
“Haa…”
Himena, who had met author Andrea the day before, hadn’t slept well, and sat by the window with dark circles under her eyes, staring blankly and sighing.
“I swear, you’re making the ground cave in from all those sighs. What on earth happened to make you sigh so much first thing in the morning?”
“Lois…”
“Yes?”
“Haa…”
“Gah, this is infuriating! Why are you like this?”
“Could you… dig a grave in the garden for me?”
“W-what? Why, why would you—?”
“I want to go in and lie down like this…”
“Gah! Miss, are you—are you a vampire or something? That would explain why you keep talking about age!”
Whack!
“Ow ow! Now you throw shoes at me?”
“That damn author — while I’m in deep distress he’s spouting nonsense!”
“Come on, tell me what’s so serious! If you tell me, I can help!”
“Forget it! How could you help?”
“Miss, there’s an old saying: joy doubles when shared, and sorrow halves when shared. How would I know if I can help unless you tell me? Come on, just tell me what’s wrong.”
Lois came closer, plopped down to the floor, and folded her arms.
“Chi… where do you hear stuff from, anyway…”
Pouting, Himena finally straightened up from her crouch and turned to Lois.
“All right… then listen carefully, Lois.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Once upon a time there was a woman named… no, just call her ‘Merona.’ She was fairly pretty, had a large chest, but a nasty temper.”
“Merona? Hmm… that’s a sweet-sounding name. So, what about her?”
“One day Merona fell head over heels for a handsome, extremely skilled man named… well, call him ‘Irion.’ But Irion didn’t care about Merona at all.”
“Aha! So Merona chased Irion but he didn’t come — he kept walking coldly away, right?”
“Exactly!”
“Tsk!”
“Still, Merona loved Irion so much she became jealous and vicious, bullying anyone who got close to him. Word spread and Merona turned into a notorious villainess.”
“Wow, such extreme jealousy.”
“That’s not all. Merona even spread a false rumor that Irion had pushed her down the stairs and injured her, using it to blackmail Irion into an engagement.”
“Gasp!”
“Even after their engagement, her jealousy only grew. She clung to him, suspected him… eventually schemed to kill an innocent woman, but the plot was discovered by Irion and Merona ended up locked away and went mad and died.”
“Yikes, that sounds like a full-blown melodrama!”
Lois became engrossed in Himena’s tale and her expression grew serious.
“Now! Here’s the unexpected twist!”
“What is it?”
“Lois — you!”
“Yes?”
“One day you wake up and realize you’ve become Merona!”
“W-what? Me?”
“Yes! If you were Merona, what would you do?”
“Well… if I were Merona… I wouldn’t act so vicious… I wouldn’t plot… I’d give up Irion. No matter how much I liked him, I wouldn’t risk doing the same thing that would get me killed.”
“Right! That’s it, Lois! You’re surprisingly sensible!”
Himena, delighted that Lois understood, continued the story.
“So Merona-you, that is, you, declare to Irion, ‘I don’t like you anymore! Let’s sever ties!’”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I’d do! Good for you, Lois!”
Lois patted her own head, pleased with herself.
“Now! Another twist!”
“Another? What now?”
“Some crazy murderer — not knowing you’ve become Merona and that you actually gave up Irion — decides to rescue you by killing Irion! That murderer assumes Merona will be jailed and die, so he thinks he must kill Irion to ‘save’ you!”
“Wait, hold on! So the murderer doesn’t even know I became Merona — he just assumes the old Merona, who was obsessive and would be locked up and die, is the real you? He’s convinced of that?”
“Wow, Lois, you’re a genius! Yes! That’s the idea! I should’ve asked you sooner!”
“Heh, it wasn’t that hard. Heh heh heh.”
Lois smiled broadly at Himena’s praise.
“Now! Another twist!”
“Again? This isn’t over yet?”
“Right! Not over. Listen. Some greedy author wrote a novel using the story of Merona and Irion. People didn’t know you’d actually become a good Merona; they only read the tale of the old vicious Merona.”
“Eh?”
“They wrote that Merona was obsessive and tormented other women, and the book became so popular everyone began to hate Merona — shouting that she should die or be jailed!”
“That’s awful! The author’s a bad person for twisting things without really knowing!”
“Exactly. I’m so mad! But! There’s one more problem!”
“Goodness, how many more?”
“This time the crazy murderer reads that hateful novel!”
“Gasp! The murderer read it? And then?”
“He gets angry and threatens the author! ‘Change your story. Make Merona a good person. If you don’t, I’ll kill you!’”
“That’s terrifying…”
“Now it’s done! Solve it!”
Himena opened her eyes wide and leaned toward Lois expectantly, her face full of anticipation.
