Chapter 129

The fact that the Duchess had shaken off her closest personal maid meant that she had accepted Robert’s proposal.

Noah, who had secretly hoped that the Duchess’s fickle nature would kick in and cause her to reject the offer, felt a wave of disappointment.

“Where did she go?”
“I have no idea. Probably the walk she always takes. Ever since she was young, the Duchess has– Wait, why are you interrogating me like this?”

Ignoring Sera, who was getting heated over the persistent questioning, Belita was lost in deep thought.

Though it was a bit baffling why she was so curious about that, Noah quickly moved on to other thoughts.

Deciding it was nothing major since Belita always had her quirky moments.

“Ah~ Never mind all that! Since you’re here, Sera, take a seat right here! Come on, take this glass~ Let’s all just drink and pass out together today!”

“No, I was just trying to fill my stomach…”

“Bottoms up! Down the hatch!”

Despite her feeble resistance, Io forced Sera into a seat and filled a brand-new glass with beer.

Sera looked thoroughly appalled by the thrust-out beer glass, but she didn’t refuse.

“Woooow! To down that in one go!”

“Man~ You’re fierce!”

Starting with Sera, who chugged it down and even performed a celebratory move by shaking the empty glass over her head, Io’s curse-like declaration that they would all drink until they dropped eventually became reality.

As more drinks and snacks were swallowed, people passing out and drunkards spewing nonsense without hesitation began to pop up left and right.

“Heyyy, B-Belita. You’re a weeeal bad bastard. Y’know that~?”

“Hiccup! T-Threatening people and all. You’re s-so morally bankrupt.”

“F. F-Fr. ’Causeta you, my h-home…”

“W-What do you guys know! Our Beeelita is so kiiiind!”

It was absolute chaos.

Noah had managed to avoid getting completely wasted by stealthily discarding his drinks midway.

‘Even Belita is asleep.’

It was only natural after chugging whatever was handed to her.

Finding the sight of her slumped over the table asleep rather pitiful, Noah took off his outer coat and draped it over Belita’s shoulders.

“Whew, it’s hot. I-I should go get some fresh air…”

They weren’t the only table chanting toasts and drowning themselves in booze, but there were still a few people awake.

Making sure not to look suspicious, Noah climbed the stairs with a moderately swaying gait.

As he ascended the floors, the stuffy air of the basement vanished, and crisp air filled his lungs.

His mind, clouded by the alcohol haze, cleared up instantly, and a sense of reality rushed back in.

Still, there was no turning back.

Steeling his resolve, Noah quickened his pace.

‘…Let’s go.’

Robert’s method of murder had a sort of twisted sentimentality and a practical reason behind it.

Something like this, for instance.

“Why drop her in the ocean, you ask? Because I’d rather not look at Rachel’s corpse if I can help it. Think of how many years we spent together, it would break my heart.”

Stepping outside, the skin-biting wind and the distinctive salty scent of the sea assaulted his nose.

His feet felt like lead as they headed toward the cliff, but Noah didn’t stop.

Perhaps the alcohol he had consumed was lending him a bit of courage.

A short while later, a walking trail curving roundly along the cliff came into view.

Following the trail, he spotted the Duchess sitting on a bench in the middle.

And there was nobody else by her side.

Just as planned.

‘She’s a bit far…’

If possible, she really needed to be standing right at the edge of the cliff to make pushing her easy.

Did this mean he had to drag the Duchess all the way to the cliff first and then toss her over?

Noah wanted to choose the easiest, least guilt-ridden method possible. It was a selfish desire to have his own willpower play as little a role in murder as humanly possible.

‘Should I wait a bit?’

It seemed better to wait for the optimal moment to push.

Hiding his body in the patch of grass near the walking trail, Noah spied on the Duchess.

Not long after, the Duchess stood up from the bench.

Glancing around and letting out a sigh, it seemed to be a reaction born of growing tired of waiting for Robert.

Was she bored? The Duchess moved her steps toward the cliffside.

At the same time, squeezing his eyes shut, Noah burst out of hiding, ran forward, and thrust his hands toward her back!

Thud!

Patter-patter!

The moment a dull impact registered in his hands and the weight suddenly vanished, Noah opened his eyes.

Even as her body lost its balance and tilted over the edge of the cliff, the Duchess turned her head to see who had pushed her, and her eyes met his—filled with shock and sheer terror.

“Hk!”

With goosebumps breaking out all over his body, Noah stumbled backward and sat hard on the ground as someone flashed past him.

Slap!

That someone hurled their entire body forward and grabbed the Duchess by the wrist!

Stunned into complete helplessness, a bewildered Noah shifted his gaze toward the person reaching their hand out over the edge of the cliff.

Jet-black hair and a maid uniform.

It was only her back, but Noah recognized her in a single glance.

Because that person was Belita.

‘That bastard acting all weird has to mean something’s definitely up.’

It wasn’t just because he was treating me coldly.

Ever since that day, Noah had been repeating foolish mistakes that were physically painful to watch.

Spilling tea was a regular occurrence, and he’d trip over absolutely nothing on flat ground.

And those mistakes happened especially whenever someone else was around.

Specifically, Robert.

So, anyone could tell why Noah was acting like this…

‘It’s definitely related to Robert.’

Whenever the topic of the family meeting came up, he’d anxiously tap his foot or flap around like a startled pigeon spreading its wings.

Therefore, I could easily deduce that something was going to happen at the family meeting because of Robert.

And that Noah was worried about it.

‘I need to be careful.’

To think that ominous things were about to happen at a villa I thought was practically a vacation spot.

‘Haah. Just how is this all turning out?’

A sigh naturally slipped out.

The second day after arriving at the villa.

I carefully monitored Noah, but nothing happened. Every now and then, he would look at me with a wistful gaze and fall deep into thought, though I had no idea why. It was just downright creepy.

The next day was the same. Nothing happened. But Noah’s anxiety seemed to have hit absolute rock bottom. His minor mistakes increased.

And finally, the day of the family meeting.

Suddenly, Robert announced that after the meeting commenced, the servants—excluding frontline attendants like butlers and guards—were free to take the day off and play. He even said he’d throw a party to reward them for their hard work.

Extremely suspicious.

“To think the Duke cares for us this much! We’ve got so much to be thankful for!”

“He said it was to reward us for our hard work. He really seems like such a thoughtful person.”

“Indeed! It just goes to show he’s a man worthy of being the new master of the Rubel family!”

Io and Isabella, however, were just thrilled.

The servants’ party was held near the kitchen located on the second basement floor. It was a suffocatingly gloomy atmosphere with only a few torches flickering dimly.

It seemed there simply wasn’t any other place large enough to accommodate all the servants, close to the kitchen, and far enough not to disturb the meeting.

Thanks to Io proactively having Noah and me sit together at the same table, I was naturally able to keep a close eye on Noah right beside me.

Though I hadn’t expected Bridget and her clique to be at the same table, too.

Thanks to Bridget’s grumbling, I was able to secure yet another Cider-path achievement, and just as the mood was getting heated up.

Noah kept checking the time.

Thinking it would be soon now, I finished off the remaining beer in my glass.

Then I pretended to be moderately drunk and asleep. That way, Noah would be able to make some kind of move.

Sure enough, after putting on an unconvincing act while feeling relieved, Noah left his seat.

I was just about to get up with the intention of secretly following him.

“Hey, you’we weally a bad biwch. Y’know? You gotta know, othewwise I’ll feel so unfaaaressed.”

Suddenly, Sera grabbed me by the collar and spewed out this kind of nonsense.

Sera was the bad one, and Belita was the wronged party.

I shoved Sera away forcefully and hurried up the stairs before I lost track of Noah.

I came out of the building, but there was no one around.

‘Should I use the tracker?’

Doing so would cost me another 20 points.

The shop points I currently held were 1,938.

It meant drifting further away from the trait, which cost a whopping 2,000 points.

However, trying to save shop points here would be an arrogant choice.

Right then, a remark Sera had carelessly dropped earlier flashed through my mind.

“I have no idea. Probably the walk she always takes…”

Though it was a bit of a gamble, Noah’s expression while listening to Sera back then had been far from ordinary.

He’d worn a bizarre face where a sense of ecstasy and despair coexisted.

And the walk Sera mentioned.

There was one thing that came to mind in connection with that.

Among the protagonist and Edelina’s events, there was an episode where they go on vacation to Edin.

“Goodness, Hereis! This place is amazing! The open view is so refreshing, isn’t it? I feel a sense of absolute liberation!”

“Haha, beautiful, isn’t it? My father reportedly proposed against this backdrop for that very reason.”

“Oh, really? That’s super romantic! And a proposal, no less. Don’t tell me, Hereis… the meaning of you bringing me here is…”

“N-No! Th– Not right now!”

“So that means you are going to do it eventually?”

“Th-That’s…”

…There was a reason I accurately remembered this episode despite having been possessed into this world for almost a year and slowly forgetting the minute details of the story.

As soon as the first run began, the cliff they were talking about happened to be the exact place where I took the oath.

Bad memories always lingered long.

‘To think I’m going back there again.’

Still, thanks to that, I roughly knew the way.

Given the angle of the building I saw while plunging into the cold ocean, I could figure out the direction.

Hugging the side of the building, I moved my steps to the right.

Since I was always pretty good at finding paths, I managed to spot the cliff in no time.

‘But what on earth is this situation?’

The Duchess standing precariously while gazing down the cliff.

And Noah hiding in the patch of grass on the opposite side.

‘Is he watching the Duchess?’

Noah was posturing as if he was about to pounce at any second.

I hid behind a pillar large enough to keep me from being spotted by either of them just to observe the situation.

That was when it happened.

Noah suddenly bolted forward.

‘You lunatic bastard, no way!’

Thud!

Noah shoved the Duchess!

I had a hunch he might pull something, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect it to be this!

Fortunately, having pursued Noah reflexively, I immediately bypassed him and thrust my hand down the cliffside with all my might.

I reached out hoping to grab anything at all, and by a hair’s breadth, I managed to catch the Duchess by the wrist.

‘If she’d been even a little further, I wouldn’t have reached her.’

The Duchess wore an indescribable expression.

Her face pale and terror-stricken, she let out a shrill sound and her lips parted.

“Hk, hk…! B-Belita?”

Noah’s startled voice reached me from behind as well.

It was contradictory how both the perpetrator and the victim were gripped by similar emotions.

“C-Can you pull me up…?”

Regaining her wits, the Duchess asked me cautiously.

Perhaps terrified that I might drop her, the Duchess’s hands trembled violently.

If Belita had the physical strength of an ordinary woman, pulling her up would have been tough, but I could rest easy.

I had enough leeway to hoist her up effortlessly with just one hand.

“Rest assured. I will pull you up, no matter what.”

“I-It’s okay even if you let go. You might end up in danger yourself, you know.”

It probably would’ve looked weird to pull her up too casually, so I put on a performance as if I were struggling appropriately.

“N-No, I can do it.”

To think it went up by 20 in an instant. Well, considering I was saving her life, going up by this much was only common courtesy.

“Hold on tight.”

Using my free hand, the one not holding the Duchess, to properly brace against the ground, I pretended to pour every ounce of strength I had into pulling the Duchess up.

“Hk, hk, huff…”

Rolling up over the edge of the cliff, the Duchess sat down, panting out the breath she had been holding in mounting tension.

As she crawled along the ground in silence, catching her breath for a moment, someone’s dirt-stained shoes thrust into my field of vision.

“…Belita.”

Following the shoes upwards with my gaze, I saw Noah, whose eyes were bloodshot from crying, staring at both of us, still with our backs to the cliff.