Chapter 118
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower. Chapter 118 'The conversation ended faster than I expected.' I stared blankly at the spot where Blaire Grand Duke had been standing, then flopped back onto the bed with a heavy sigh.
"Haah..."
Despite having been awake for only a brief moment, my entire body felt sluggish and heavy—a clear sign that fatigue had accumulated considerably. Or perhaps the mental pressure had been far more overwhelming than I realized. Still, looking at the bigger picture, nothing truly terrible had come to pass. At the very least, I no longer needed to burden myself with unnecessary worries going forward—wasn't that a good thing?
"Regarding the dark magic altar, I've already received a report, and I've requested the Magic Tower dispatch an investigation team. They'll inform us of any findings as they emerge."
"Ah, I see. Then... what about the attackers?"
"They're presumed to be professionally trained assassins, so all Assassination Guilds in the Imperial Capital have been placed under manhunt. It shouldn't take long for the mastermind to be revealed."
Moreover, the matter concerning Stefan Trading Company was also being resolved as the Marquis's trusted aide voluntarily brought forth evidence. After hearing all these explanations, I felt somewhat embarrassed—the Grand Duke had handled most of the affairs while I lay unconscious. 'Did Ian report about the dark magic altar first?' Given that he understood the details without my having mentioned it, that seemed to be the case. But separate from that, knowing that Ian—who was supposedly busy with his primary duties—had taken care of such troublesome matters before his leave made my heart feel rather heavy. 'Ian really should get some proper rest.' Throughout our return to the Grand Duchy, I had never seen Ian truly resting. He hadn't slept properly, and even after joining the 3rd Knight Order, he remained perpetually vigilant. In fact, after joining the 3rd Knight Order, he seemed unusually more exhausted. Reflecting on it, I suspected Ian's inability to rest properly stemmed particularly from Randolph's hostility. And...
"Mmm..."
Restless and fidgeting on the bed, I eventually pushed myself upright again. Today's meeting with the Grand Duke wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Ever since I'd begun to suspect he harbored feelings for me, I'd been avoiding him—but seeing him again after so long, I felt genuinely glad instead. And when he proposed the contract romance, I actually... '...felt relieved.' To be honest, that's what I felt. The reason I'd been avoiding the Grand Duke all this time was because of the original story's intended marriage partner. But seeing things unfold today, even that concern seemed to matter little. Yet as I observed the sequence of events, one question suddenly began to gnaw at me. 'What exactly is the original story?' I had believed I'd possessed the body of a character from a book called "Forced Empress"—the original work. But as I lived through this world, I discovered it differed far too greatly from what was written in that book. 'Most notably, Lemeia.' In the original story, Lemeia was clearly described as an intelligent princess beloved by all. At first, I'd attributed her completely reversed personality to mere coincidence or a hidden twist within the original work, but after meeting Lyden, my perspective began to shift. He was depicted in the novel as a tyrant consumed by obsessive madness, yet in person, he was the type to coldly calculate schemes in his mind. If anything, that aspect felt rather unsettling. And then there was the Grand Duke... 'I've already noticed many differences, so it's not like my involvement alone changed the original story.' In the first place, am I even living inside the book? It felt a bit late to be pondering such things now... 'Perhaps it's I who needs to let go of my preconceptions.'
And if my thinking is correct, couldn't the story diverge even further from this point onward? After all, the contractual romance with the Grand Duke didn't exist in the original work either. Truth be told, I disliked troublesome matters and headaches alike, so I had no desire to interfere further or create unnecessary complications. But having narrowly escaped death this time, I found myself making a new resolution. To stop cowering in fear and retreating preemptively. Until now, I'd been terrified of things changing because of me, and without realizing it, I'd grown passive and withdrawn at crucial moments. However. 'So much has already changed.' When I thought about it, my involvement had already caused reality to deviate significantly from the original narrative. Perhaps I'd simply turned away, using the original work as an excuse while harboring desires to evade and ignore the truth. If I continued like this and met an unfortunate end through some unlucky attack as I had recently, I felt I would truly regret it. It was somewhat troublesome, frightening, and despite all the complications I'd caused, my nature fundamentally despised dramatics... but I didn't want to leave myself with regrets later.
"Oh, that's right."
I didn't know when Ian would return, but what should I say to him? Thinking of how desperately I'd denied being anything like a prospective Grand Duchess all this time already gave me a headache.
"Ugh, what do I do!"
Wouldn't he think I was strange? There were countless things to worry about. My relationship with Ian still hadn't been clearly defined.
"Wait."
As my thoughts spiraled and compounded, something else caught my attention. I know this situation. I've seen it plenty in romantic dramas. A woman caught between two men—this is completely...
"Hey, am I playing both sides?"
Good heavens. Had I unintentionally ended up straddling two horses? * * * ―Imperial Capital, Stefan Marquis Residence.
"Ugh...."
Stefan Marquis, bottle in hand, raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Damn it, damn it all!"
He was in absolute agony. No matter how late the night grew or how much he drank, sleep eluded him—a testament to his distress. The reason was... painfully obvious. It was the damages claim that had arrived from Blaire Grand Duke this very morning. A proxy damages claim as a patron of the creators of 【Safety Regulations Concerning Goedam Duchy】! Not just one page, but a full two pages.... And within them, every piece of evidence was meticulously listed, leaving no room for denial.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"
Crash! The empty bottle slipped from my hand and shattered into countless pieces. Stefan Marquis's trembling eyes held not a trace of composure.
"When did they track all of this?"
Upon reading that the counterfeit tumblers and thermal bottles had been seized entirely, my face finally contorted in anguish. It meant the warehouse I'd leased in Rollax County for storing and distributing the counterfeit goods had been raided as well. And that was something I'd arranged in absolute secrecy with Rollax Count through a binding agreement! On top of that, my masterwork—my redemption piece, "On the Secrets of the Monster Duke"—was completely ruined before it could even be finished. The disastrous image of Stefan Marquis combined with a story that kept spiraling off course created a perfect storm of disaster. I'd spent considerable coin recruiting painters, but soon I wouldn't have the funds to pay them, would I? 'I'll have to cut most of those painters loose and keep only the essential ones.' Hiring so many painters had been solely to shake the Blaire Grand Duke House; I'd never actually needed that many people. And since I'd written the contracts heavily in my favor from the start, those uneducated painters wouldn't dare voice their grievances no matter how wronged they felt. Yet even dismissing the comic book problem so easily, Stefan Marquis's expression showed no sign of relief. The most critical issue still remained. 'What do I do...' The counterfeit tumblers and thermal bottles. Since Oriana Empress had been sponsoring this venture, one misstep and my political career would be finished. And to cover the damages claimed by the Blaire Grand Duke House, even selling my grand mansion wouldn't be enough to settle the debt... Completely exhausted, Stefan Marquis recalled the voice of his wife who had just stormed out of the room.
"What if this gets exposed! We won't be able to show our faces in High Society anymore, and neither will our children!"
Somehow, rumors that Stefan Trading Company had distributed counterfeit tumblers had already spread throughout the Imperial Capital. As a result, orders for the rare and luxury goods that Stefan Marquis House originally sold were dropping in real time.
"Damn it, Blaire Grand Duke! If only that cursed bastard didn't exist...!"
Just as I was about to shift the blame onto others as I always did.
"You seem busy."
A discreet voice reached my ears.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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