I cautiously opened my mouth.
"……In exchange for telling me about the illness, do you want to know the whereabouts of your disciples?"
"If that was all it took, I would've visited Drimokan before bothering to meet a lowly creature like you."
Smooth talker, aren’t you?
Drimokan was a strictly restricted area. Even I, the young lady of the Roygin family, had never been allowed in there—so that says it all.
With Peril’s power, he could’ve forced his way into Drimokan, but he likely hadn’t attempted it because he needed to stay hidden.
"I asked about Drimokan disease."
As I cautiously nodded, Peril curled one corner of his mouth as if to mock me.
"Drimokan is not a disease. It’s a kind of curse."
"……What?"
"The only way to break the curse is to kill the caster. But a mere creature like you could never kill the caster……. Regrettable, but your friend who’s cursed will face death."
Peril calmly stated my grandfather’s fate.
A curse? Just who would do that to Grandpa……?
More importantly, who said Grandpa was going to die?
"Still, you’re quite benevolent. You just told me that if I kill the caster, the curse can be broken."
"Foolish thing. Do you even know who the caster is?"
Of course not.
But judging by how far Peril went to say that, it seemed the caster was someone I never would’ve expected.
Regardless of who it was, there was no way I’d just stand by and watch my grandfather die.
I bit down hard on my lower lip and stepped closer to Peril.
"……Please. Even if the illness can’t be cured, there must be a way to ease the pain."
His serpent-like pupils gave me chills, but I summoned my courage.
"Just tell me that method. If you do, I’ll do anything you want, teacher."
At my words, Peril’s pupils narrowed faintly.
……I can’t back down now.
Even in the original story, Grandpa’s illness was never cured.
While I was quietly waiting for his response—
A panicked voice rose from below the mountain, carried up by the wind.
"Summon the Duke’s physician! Hurry!"
Ricardo……?
Don’t tell me he’s hurt?
Peril’s gaze shifted down the mountain at the sound of the commotion.
"So that child attended as well."
Peril tilted his chin. At the end of his gaze stood Idette.
Ah, that’s right, Idette said she’d bring cookies……
I left without saying anything. She must’ve waited a long time.
From afar, Idette was restlessly pacing around near Ricardo.
He must’ve injured his leg badly—Ricardo’s delicate brow was faintly furrowed.
And in that moment—
Ricardo turned his gaze toward Peril and me.
Startled by our eyes meeting, I quickly turned my head away.
Peril, who had been watching me intently, tilted his head. His long hair fluttered in the wind.
"……Seems like someone you know?"
"Y-Yes. He’s someone I know."
"Then why don’t you go down to him?"
I smiled bitterly and shook my head.
"Your answer is more important right now."
It’s not like he’d be happy to see me anyway. If it’s Ricardo, he’d definitely prefer being with Idette.
Peril’s eyes, fixed on me, narrowed.
"He looks like he’s just waiting for you to come down."
……Who? No way, Ricardo?
That’s ridiculous.
Peril didn’t seem to have the best eyesight.
"So, your answer?"
"Are you fearless, or just thoughtless? You must be the only creature still breathing after rushing me like this."
Peril clicked his tongue.
He must’ve said that to the female lead too.
Our thousand-year-older Tower Master didn’t seem to have great eyesight—or memory, for that matter.
Peril fell into thought.
Though his timeworn face appeared to be that of someone my age, his deeply sunken eyes were like an abyss. Someone who had lived through years I couldn’t even imagine.
……No, could Peril even be called a person?
Finally, his sealed lips parted.
"Fine, very well."
Only then did I feel the tension release.
"I have a favor to ask of you too."
Peril’s smile made me oddly uneasy.
……Is this really going to be okay?
* * *
What I faced after coming down from the mountain was like a market square. Actually, a market might’ve been quieter.
"……Where’s Ricardo?"
"My lady, it was chaos!"
Emily ran to me as if she had been waiting.
"The Duke suffered a serious injury, and apparently, it was because of a mistake made by Count Owen!"
Just how many shocking details could there be in a single sentence?
I had no idea how I was supposed to react.
So…… Leon accidentally hurt Ricardo?
I quickly tried to find Leon and Ricardo, but neither of them was in sight.
"Where’s Leon?"
"That, I don’t know either. My lady, this isn’t the time—go to the Duke quickly. Hurry!"
Pressed by Emily, I headed toward Ricardo’s tent. But my head was a mess.
Count Owen injured the empire’s only Duke.
It felt like things were about to spiral into something much bigger.
……This can’t be just any ordinary situation, right?
The area near Ricardo’s tent was swarming with people.
The hands of the servants rushing out of the tent were soaked with blood-stained towels. Even at a glance, it was a lot of blood.
As I approached the tent, the knights standing guard dropped their sheathed swords in front of me with displeased looks.
I was about to say something in disbelief when—
"Lady Bianca!"
Just then, Benjamin, who had been exiting the tent, spotted me and looked startled.
Benjamin’s gaze toward me was no different from that of the knights.
My heart stirred uncomfortably, but first, I asked about Ricardo’s condition.
"……How is the Duke? Is he alright?"
At my words, Benjamin nodded.
"They say he won’t have any trouble walking. You don’t need to worry too much."
Despite Benjamin’s reassurance, I couldn’t calm down.
Maybe it was because of all the blood on the towels……
"Lady Bianca, while I understand your concern for the Duke…… now is a time when His Grace needs to focus on treatment."
He was telling me to get lost and stop hovering.
The servants of House Hessen generally didn’t like me. That was probably Ricardo’s influence.
"……Please give the Duke my regards."
Rather than forcing my way in when I wasn’t wanted, it was better to step back.
At my words, Benjamin let out a sigh of relief as if he had managed to get rid of a major headache.
* * *
I was the type who preferred to know the ending before watching a movie. It felt more comfortable to know who dies or who turns out to be the villain ahead of time.
The same went for games. If a character I liked was doomed to die, I’d rather not get attached in the first place.
That rule applied to novels too.
The novel I’d possessed.
This was a story I knew all the way to the end.
Erkishian and Idette would promise each other their love and have a happy ending. Peril and Ricardo, who loved Idette, would never be able to forget her and would live on alone.
……But what about me?
What about Bianca, the one I’d possessed?
I often had that thought. Could I really settle down and live in this place?
I wasn’t Bianca.
Apologizing to Ricardo for things Bianca did, feeling sorry for things I never did—it wasn’t something I found pleasant.
I told myself it was for the sake of my future……
After possessing Bianca’s body and floundering for a while, I had long ago drawn a conclusion. I had no way back, so I had to live as Bianca. And to do that, I had to change the ending I knew.
But now, I couldn’t help but wonder what the point of it all was.
This world wasn’t real—it was just ink on a page.
Even if I changed Grandpa’s ending and was lucky enough to return home, none of this would matter……
‘I’ve finally gone crazy.’
……What was I even thinking just now?
I should’ve known better than anyone that I couldn’t go home.
Thinking back, it must’ve been seeing those knights and Benjamin block me outside the tent that made me think such pointless things.
A mere villainous supporting character falling for the second male lead—this was far too much of an emotion for someone like me.
……Yeah, I know that too.