Chapter 63
After that, I continued, whenever I had the chance, to use my knowledge from the third playthrough to shake Tristan’s mental stability.
First, I distracted him with the foods he liked.
“Your Grace, Duke Callisto, I have prepared your favorite chicken stew, T-bone steak, and espresso!”
“……”
Even seeing the feast laid out on the small table didn’t bring Tristan any joy. Of course—not only was it a woman he had never known who had prepared it, but she also somehow knew all his favorite foods. It probably gave him goosebumps and completely killed his appetite.
“Ha… this is… impossible…”
As expected, Tristan barely touched his meal and finished eating reluctantly.
After that, I played classical music he liked.
“Your Grace, you used to enjoy Paula’s sonatas, didn’t you? You once said listening to this music brings peace to your heart.”
“……”
When Tristan looked bored, I even brought him a puzzle.
“Your Grace, are you bored? Would you like to put together a puzzle with me?”
“Th-this is…”
Tristan’s face stiffened as he looked at the puzzle.
That’s because it was a 1,000-piece puzzle I had barely managed to get through Black Rose, and it featured a large image of Tristan’s own face.
“Ha… the things you do…”
Tristan shook his head. Even someone as great as Tristan hadn’t expected such a small but undeniably obsessive move.
I feigned innocence and asked in a sweet voice:
“Your Grace, if 1,000 pieces are too difficult, should I bring a 500-piece one instead?”
Of course, that also featured his face prominently!
“Since you can’t move your hands, I’ll put it together for you. Just explain it to me verbally…”
“No need. Go away.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Tristan’s face went pale. He seemed genuinely troubled by my obsessive behavior.
If he’s like this, recovery will be fast.
I smirked and put the puzzle away.
Several days passed like this.
I repeated my obsessive attention whenever I had the chance, aiming to rehabilitate Tristan quickly. Naturally, it worked perfectly—because someone like Tristan is always weak when the tables are turned.
He would stop at nothing to claim the heroine for himself, yet when he experienced the same obsessive attention, he couldn’t last a day before his mental stability crumbled.
So these guys actually have fragile minds underneath it all…
Sure enough, Tristan gradually spoke less, and the spark in his eyes dimmed. He seemed to be realizing the fearsome nature of obsession.
Good. I think Tristan has been rehabilitated enough.
Nine days remained. Tristan could already move his arms and legs to some extent. He couldn’t sustain movement for long, but he could at least eat alone and use the bathroom.
Tristan’s recovery is unusually fast… I need to be intensely obsessive for a few more days and then slip away quickly.
I made that vow as I watched Tristan sleep. Since he was still lying still, it seemed fine for me to go to bed as well.
It’s already late… I’m so sleepy.
I grabbed a lantern and went to the adjacent room. During the day, I stayed in Tristan’s room to assist his recovery, but at night I slept elsewhere.
Ha… I’m exhausted…
I lay on the bed and blew out the candle. After a whole day of obsessing, I was utterly tired. Perhaps that’s why I fell into a deep sleep the moment I closed my eyes.
Where am I?
Looking left and right, all I could see was a vast green meadow. It felt almost like a dream. And there, I saw a very familiar face.
“…Huh? Julietta?”
It had been several days since I last saw Julietta. Overjoyed, I ran to her.
“Julietta! What are you doing here?”
“Ah, Aria.”
Julietta smiled brightly at me. She held a huge, radiant bouquet of flowers.
I immediately asked her:
“Julietta, what’s with the flowers?”
“Oh, these? They’re for you!”
“F-for me…?”
A bouquet? Was today some special occasion? My mind wasn’t working properly.
I accepted the bouquet with a puzzled smile.
“Th-thank you, Julietta.”
“No, I’m the one who should be thankful! It’s all because of you!”
“…Huh? Because of me?”
“Of course! Thanks to you, I didn’t go out of control!”
…Huh? How does Julietta know that?
“Thank you, Aria. Because of all your efforts, I didn’t fall under their obsessive influence. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Uh… uh…?”
“You protected the Empire. You’re the hero of the Pertian Empire.”
“Huh? M-me?”
“Yes! Of course! But… Aria…”
Julietta’s cheerful smile suddenly darkened.
W-what’s happening…?
With tears threatening to fall, she held my hand.
“Are you… okay?”
“…Huh?”
“Are you… satisfied with this?”
“Huh? With what?”
I couldn’t understand what she meant. I had protected the empire and Julietta, so wasn’t everything fine?
But Julietta shook her head sadly.
“Yet… in the end… you…”
“……”
“…will… die…”
I couldn’t hear her words clearly. And then, her form began to fade.
“…Julietta?”
I reached out to grab her, but she vanished like a mirage.
“Julietta!”
I woke up calling her. I looked around—it was pitch dark in the room.
Ah… it was a dream…
I finally realized I had been dreaming.
Hmm, what a creepy dream.
Meeting Julietta was pleasant, but the lingering feeling was unsettling. I turned on the lantern and got out of bed.
What time is it?
The clock read 5 a.m.—too early for Tristan to wake up.
Then, suddenly, an ominous feeling crept into my mind.
…What’s going on?
I grabbed the lantern and hurriedly left the room.
Huh? Nothing seems different…
Perhaps it was just paranoia. I thoroughly checked the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, but found nothing unusual.
But why do I still feel uneasy?
The uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away. Carefully, I peeked into Tristan’s room.
Just in case, I need to check Tristan’s room too.
Creak—the door opened. I shone the lantern inside.
Tristan was asleep, covered by his blanket up to his head.
Phew. Luckily, nothing happened.
I sighed in relief. But then, I noticed something strange.
…Huh? That’s weird.
Why was the blanket over Tristan so bulging? Even accounting for his size, it looked odd…
Something’s wrong.
I ran to his bed and pulled the blanket down—and…
“Ha, this…”
I was disheartened. Tristan was nowhere to be found under the blanket. Only a pile of pillows lay where he should have been.
Ah… this is…
Suddenly, everything clicked. The uneasy feeling I had, the inability to shake off the ominous mood, the reason I felt something was off even after checking the house—
Tristan, that bastard… he ran away!
He had escaped.
But how the hell did he manage that with his condition?
I placed my hand on my forehead and sighed quietly.
If anything, Tristan was the type of person who held no regrets about life.
Tristan must become Duke Callisto. No matter what.
Ever since inheriting the title according to his father’s will, he had everything at the age of seventeen—power, influence, and no one to challenge him. There was nothing left to strive for.
He could get whatever he wanted, and even the emperor had to yield to him, let alone the lower nobles.
Boring…
No wonder Tristan found life utterly dull. Seven years after inheriting the dukedom, nothing had changed. Each day repeated itself. The people around him were dull and constantly watching his every move.
The only thrill he had was hunting monsters in the Forest of Death.
Your Grace, isn’t the Forest of Burworin too dangerous? You shouldn’t go there alone…
Indeed. You should at least take the northern knights with you. What if something happens…
His retainers tried to stop him, but it was useless. The only time Tristan’s heart raced with excitement was in that moment—leaning on a sword, walking the fine line between life and death. That was his sole pleasure in life.
But he never imagined it would end like this.
What a crazy woman…
Tristan found it hard to accept reality. When he had been struck by Demones’ curse from a single mistake, he thought he was surely doomed. Yet, when he opened his eyes, he was in the house of a woman he had never seen before.
