Chapter 24
Why on earth was it “obvious” that Lu was the sub-male lead?
I briefly considered the possibility that Lu might also be a candidate for the sub-male lead, but honestly, he was just a man around Deriksha—I only thought of it in passing.
I never imagined that someone who hadn’t even glanced at Deriksha could be the original story’s sub-male lead, the one who tormented her so much.
“But Lu…”
“I know. He’s not interested in Deriksha. That’s what confuses me too. On the day of the summer ball, it was Deriksha, not you, that he brought out to the market street. He fell for her during the festival…”
Oh, so I went along with Demian.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. If you already knew the original story, you could have told me earlier!
Unintentionally, I had overturned one of the biggest points of the original story. I had planned to block the relationship between the sub-male lead and Deriksha, but even before I could act on that determination, I had completely shattered the original plot.
A truly excellent “celestial bridge” intervention, no doubt.
“Why do you think Lu’s interest shifted from Deriksha to me?”
“I don’t know either. You talk a lot more and act strangely compared to the original, so maybe that piqued his curiosity.”
I tilted my head at Able’s words.
“Do I have a very different personality from the original Lily?”
“Massively. She was only pretending to have lost her memory; her personality as a noblewoman was exactly the same as before.”
If the original Lily had been a noblewoman in the rigid class system of the Dern Empire, one could imagine how unpleasant her personality might have been.
No wonder Lu didn’t find the original Lily interesting. Unless he had very unusual tastes, he wouldn’t have liked someone like that.
While nodding at this reasonable explanation, Able, who had been staring at me, spoke up quietly.
“Even if it’s late… Lu’s no pushover either, so be careful.”
Lu might have a bad personality, but calling him “trash” stung as his exclusive maid.
What had our Lu done? He ran away, ignored the head maid, even fought people… okay, he did cause some trouble.
Tracing back my memories, I had to admit it naturally.
“Anyway, that’s all I can tell you. You said you’re not a vessel, so I can’t tell you more. Just knowing the future is enough to completely change the original ending.”
I nodded. With all the information Able had given me so far, I already had plenty. I didn’t want to put her in any more awkward situations.
“Ah, still, it feels good to get this off my chest. I’ve been worrying alone for over ten years.”
Able sighed, looking relieved. I glanced at her, then spoke carefully.
“You said my personality is very different from the original Lily, right?”
“Yeah? Can’t say more than that?”
Able stayed put, waiting for me to speak. I hesitated a moment, then finally asked.
“Then… did you start disliking me because I’m not the original Lily?”
Able flinched slightly at my question.
Whether I was a vessel or not, I was clearly different from the original story’s Lily. The same applied to Able. Even though she sometimes hid her true feelings and acted like an innocent child, I still liked her after learning she was a vessel.
From the start, I liked Able as a person.
The feelings I had for her over the past six months hadn’t faded.
“…I liked the original Lily, so that’s why I treated you well.”
I listened carefully as Able spoke. She stared at me and chuckled softly.
“But now… I guess I just like you.”
In Able’s expression, there was no more pretense or act. It was her first genuine smile directed at me.
I smiled back at her.
Was it really true that Lu commuted to the academy? After class, he returned to the duke’s residence.
I watched him drink tea, my mind circling around what Able had said this morning about Lu being “trash.”
He didn’t seem like a bad person—he just poked at things a little. Was that what made him trash?
Even if he became trash in the future, he was still young enough to be taught. I finished my thought and spoke to Lu.
“Master.”
“What?”
“Don’t they teach manners at the academy?”
Lu made a sour face. He set down his tea and sighed quietly.
“What now?”
“Your tone, Master.”
Since I was being honest, I decided to say everything.
If not me, who would correct his tone? The duke spoiled him, and Odin never listened anyway.
I would take on the responsibility of reforming Lu’s character.
“My tone?”
“Yes. It offends me.”
Lu opened his mouth, shocked at my bluntness. For a nobleman raised in privilege, this must have been a first. Even without this, his evaluation among the maids had been dropping for months.
His tone alone—always saying “hey, you” when calling someone, answering with curt words—was irritating.
Perhaps he seemed worse compared to the affectionate Odin and Able.
“…Which part?”
Unexpectedly, Lu asked seriously.
Had he finally grown up? Seeing Lu willing to acknowledge his flaws made me oddly warm. After all this time, I had to stop him from following the “trash” route.
“Your basic tone is just ruined. You didn’t take etiquette lessons as a child, did you?”
“…Yeah.”
As expected. Seeing Lu wield swords daily, it was obvious he had skipped etiquette lessons.
I clicked my tongue, and Lu tried to explain.
“I didn’t take them because Monica was in charge. I took the others properly.”
He really disliked Monica. That had caused his poor image among the maids.
Curious, I asked:
“Master, why do you hate Monica so much?”
“…”
Lu didn’t answer, just sipped his tea. I asked again.
“Why do you hate her?”
Still no answer.
“Why do you hate her?”
“Get out. I’m going to sleep.”
Lu finally chased me out. He had said he’d take a while today.
I left, used to being dismissed, and headed to my quarters lightly. Since leaving early had its perks, I had figured out new ways to annoy Lu today.
Humming, I silently thanked Monica.
Then, suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm as I was walking to my room.
“Come in.”
It was Able, speaking in a grim voice. I frowned.
“I was heading off duty. Could you call me during work hours tomorrow instead?”
“Shut up, come in.”
Able pulled me into her room.
Wow, she was so blunt just because she’d caught her vessel. I missed the pure young lady Able used to be.
“Lily. I’m very happy to find someone from my hometown after eleven years.”
Able sat with her legs crossed. I pulled a chair opposite her. Even as fellow noblewomen, we could sit together.
“Now that I have a comrade, I don’t want to agonize alone over the original story anymore.”
“Why protect the original story? Can’t we let Deriksha have a peaceful happy ending?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t you know about time paradoxes? Even tiny changes could completely alter Deriksha’s ending.”
Her argument made sense. I had already changed many parts from the original. If I continued like this, I could completely rewrite the ending.
I nodded, focusing on Able.
“Soon, a big event will occur among the protagonists.”
“What kind of event?”
“The first conflict between the male lead and the sub-male lead over Deriksha.”
I blinked.
“Isn’t that route already completely ruined?”
Lu had no interest in Deriksha, so there should be no conflict. I wondered why Able worried about something so trivial, but she shook her finger firmly.
“Are you sure Lu really hasn’t fallen for Deriksha? Maybe he’s hiding it?”
It seemed unlikely. I said hazily:
“…I don’t think so.”
“If you don’t know, ask him. The original story doesn’t twist that easily.”
Having already twisted the original story so much, I couldn’t understand that.
Still, I slowly nodded, sensing the strange certainty in Able’s words. Able smiled brightly.
“Then go ask him.”
“…Me?”
“I was confused too. Since you’re close to Lu, you should go ask him.”
Was she setting me up?
Able spoke as if she had been waiting for this, making me laugh bitterly.
“You want me to go ask him even though I just got kicked out?”
“Then should I go? I don’t want to talk about romance with my own brother, no way.”
Able said, disgusted. What’s with siblings? I shook my head, got up, and decided it was better to get it over with.
Escorted by Able, I headed to Lu’s room. I knocked three times and opened the door.
“…Why are you here?”
I asked, surprised to see him. He had finished preparing and was in pajamas instead of casual clothes.
Wanting to finish quickly, I blurted out:
“Master, what do you think of Deriksha?”
Lu looked at me as if I were speaking nonsense. Then he seemed to dismiss it as one of my usual random remarks.
Annoyed, he replied casually:
“She’s your friend.”
“…That’s it?”
He nodded. My friend? I didn’t understand why Deriksha’s impression seemed tailored to me.
Lu sat on the bed, waving me out.
“Go. I’m going to sleep.”
“Ah, yes… gotta sleep early to grow tall.”
Before his annoyance could spill over, I quickly closed the door. Phew, I got kicked out twice today. Surprisingly satisfying, I wiped under my nose with my finger.
