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Chapter 4
“Sarah, how were you able to receive that note?”
There was a playful tone in Carian’s voice.
“No clue. Actually, until yesterday, I thought either you or James were just playing pranks on me.”
“What? It’s not me.”
He protested as if it was unfair.
“I know. At the same time, James is not the kind of person to play pranks on me in that way. I know that.”
I shrugged.
“But I really have no clue how the letter arrived. It was not documented in the reception book, nor a postmark stamp.”
“What?”
Carian’s face stiffened as he muttered.
“This is serious. It means there is a hole in the mansion’s security.”
“Hmm. I don’t know. It’s not serious, is it?”
He firmly countered my opinion.
“Is that so? A note with no address of the sender written as if to know your reaction. Is it just coincidence that these letters arrived repeatedly?”
‘Of course that’s true, but…’
Still, I had a different opinion from Carian. If we look at the situation with a clear mind, his claim that there is a security problem (albeit there is a mixture of some logical leaps and an exaggeration from unknown intentions) was justified.
But, would it be too lax of me to say that I have a hunch that the person who sent these letters will do no harm to me?
If the person had invaded the mansion with a knife instead of sending a purple letter, he might have died several times already. But what if he is just literally sending me a warning? I thought he was making a big deal with just one letter, no, four letters and a package, but Carian’s face was too serious for me to express my opinion.
“You’re in danger right now. I can’t, I think we should strengthen your escort with people you can trust.”
He bit his lip anxiously and his apprehensive face looked as if he were being threatened.
“Great. First of all, you should report the suspicious letters to the police. And for the time being, reduce attendance at outside activities…”
Seeing him making plans on how to strengthen the security of the mansion and the escorts, made me think I should not wait for the next letter and its demands.
‘In this situation, the ideal ending would be that someone just played a prank on me, but what if it’s not?’
If so, I didn’t mean to just trust in my fiance and wait silently not to change his mind. Of course, I don’t think he’ll suddenly fall for my friend and betray me. If Carian changes his mind, I will immediately bury him socially and perfectly, and I will be the only one who will eat well and live well, but still…
‘However, I still have to protect my fiancé with my own hands.’
“What, are you listening?”
In a dissatisfied tone, he smiled at me as I showed my discontent.
“Well, I think there’s something we have to do before that.”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“What? What are you going to do?”
‘Well, let’s see.”
First of all, let’s go see the person who was said to be possessed.
I have no intention of pretending to be a hero who can overcome any or all crises.
‘But if this is what was going to happen to me, especially it’s a different story if it’s a problem intertwined with Baron Johnson’s daughter, Lady Margaret…’
If the person who sent me the letters wants me to prevent this future, or wants me to prevent the danger of being possessed by a ‘reincarnated lady’, then I think contacting me is the right action more than anything else.
“Why? That close cousin, who was that? Anyway, there is the young lady of the Baron.”
Carian quietly listened to my reasoning and frowned lightly as if he couldn’t remember her name.
He was smart, but he had a tendency to draw lines too much regarding the opposite sex. As if it had been engraved on his head, he was able to recite the face, personality, and characteristics of the people he had greeted a few years ago.
However, for most aristocratic infants and toddlers, it was not possible to even connect their faces and the titles of their parents. No, he consciously tried not to remember or since he got engaged to me, he didn’t seem to talk at all with more than three words to a person of the opposite sex.
Just once, I asked him why, and the response was a bit cynical.
– I don’t want to be misunderstood. Even if I smile in a polite way, it is said that this would cause troublesome misunderstandings.
After all, no matter where he went, he was always at the center of people. Aside from his noble background, his appearance stood out in many ways.
To me, he was sweet with all kinds of aegyo¹ to me, but he was generally silent and expressionless. Perhaps, because of that, he exuded an intimidating atmosphere despite his gorgeous features and bright blonde hair, and such disharmony even more strangely attracted people’s attention.
– If I remember the name, rumors that I was deeply impressed or that I fell in love would get created and inflated, and there will be weird rumors that we secretly married each other by the following week. In the end, it’s a matter of being either fair and kind or being fair and cold to everyone. The latter is overwhelmingly better.
As he said those words, he pouted cutely.
– Since I don’t even have enough time to focus on my only cold-hearted fianceé.
I couldn’t agree at all with him that I was cold-hearted, but now that I had a glimpse of his troubles, I couldn’t point out his somewhat rude attitude. So this time, I gave their names without saying anything.
“Baron Simpson’s daughter Maxine. It’s between Baron Johnson’s daughter Margaret and her maternal cousin. But the two aren’t that close. Rather than not being friendly, should I say that they have slightly different perspectives?”
To say it more explicitly, it was more accurate that Lady Maxine was bothering Lady Margaret.
However, one can’t blame the actions of Lady Maxine. There is no law that just because she is her maternal cousin, she has to take care of Lady Margaret who is two years older.
In particular, Lady Maxine came from a family on the verge of collapse and was trying to quickly find a suitor. It was impossible for her to go to parties with Lady Margaret, who was terrified just looking at the shadow of a man.
“I understand the situation. But that’s not enough reason to take care of the young lady.”
Carian said coldly.
“That’s not it. I’m not taking care of her, I’m worried about her as a friend.”
“Really?”
He asked suspiciously.
I actually feel a little guilty. I can’t say that I’ve never thought of Margaret as someone who needs to be taken care of.
But it wasn’t an emotion that seemed imbued with sympathy, benevolence, or self-righteousness. Rather, it was for a slightly impure purpose. Well, a little bit.
“Yes… Anyway, I can swear that it is not for bad intentions.”
To be honest, it is a little bit of self-interest. But that can’t be helped. It is because Lady Margaret committed a foul. My favorite animal is a white sheep, and Lady Margaret looked like a humanized baby lamb.
Small stature, hourglass feature, and crystalline curly silver hair.
Even when I first met her, I got a little excited.
– Oh my, what should I do? It’s just like a baby lamb trembling in fear at the sight of a stranger!
I reflexively classified people based on profits while leading the top, but Lady Margaret, that cute and pitiful baby lamb, was a friend I approached first regardless of profit or loss after a really long time.
It was also a problem that Carian changed his mind according to this prophecy, but on the other hand, it was a big obstacle for me if Lady Margaret were to be possessed of some kind of spirit.
‘Because I can’t lose such a good and lovely little lamb, no, Margaret’s soul to such an incomprehensible thing.’
Carian seemed unhappy that I didn’t immediately report the suspicious letters to the police and just ignored them, but, as always, he fully respected my wishes.
From a standpoint where he consistently courted me, and even insisted on this engagement, he seemed to think that the contents of this ‘prophecy’ were a series of lousy nonsense. Still, if my intuitive thinking was that I couldn’t completely ignore it, then I was in a position to do whatever I want.
“However, I have a condition.”
“Condition? What condition? A little while ago you said you don’t mind what I want to do?”
“Normally, there would be no conditions. But this is also a matter of your safety, right? In fact, there are serious problems with the security of the mansion.”
He had the look of a cold and stern nobleman, and made a fuss saying, “What would have happened if there had been an assassin instead of a letter?” I didn’t object to that, as I had similar thoughts.
“I don’t like you being in danger. As your fiancé, I think I can ask you for at least a few things for your safety.”
He said it in a calm and sassy manner, as if he had nothing to be afraid of, but he was very wary, for a person who just asked me about those things.
It was as if he had put something he had just hunted at his owner’s feet, confidently stood straight and waited, and suddenly saw a large dog who was staring at its owner and got wary.
Is it a misconception to think that the state of slightly rolling your eyes and your hands clasped together looks like the person who had been asked for conditions, rather than the person offering the conditions?
“So, what are the conditions?”
He quickly folded two fingers with a triumphant expression on his face, indicating that there were three conditions.
“In fact, I think there should be ten, but I’ll require three things. First, always have an escort, this is for your safety. I’ll recommend someone who is best and reliable.”
There’s nothing bad about that. And if it is someone he recommends, his skills are guaranteed. I nodded my head. I think this condition is alright?
“Second, contact me at least once a day.”
…I take it back.
—
[1] Aegyo describes behavior that shows one’s affection, cuteness, and overall charms, typically directed to an individual.
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