Chapter 4

“What’s up with her?”

“No idea. I’ve thought she’s been a bit strange since yesterday, but… did something happen?”

“You go ask her.”

“…Want to come with me?”

“…”

My roommate maids were whispering something, but I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t care anyway. It seemed that Mo Je-won hadn’t exactly possessed someone. It was more like he was broadcasting a stream, and for some reason, I could see it…

‘To be precise, I’ve transmigrated into the very game Mo Je-won is currently playing.’

Did this make any sense logically? Well, it’s not like the situation was logical to begin with.

…Thinking about it, isn’t this just one nonsensical event added on top of another?

‘Maybe there’s no need to be so surprised.’

The survival period specified by the quest for Belita was until today. This was a situation where even staying fully alert might not be enough, so I couldn’t afford to be shaken.

‘I’ve prepared something to clear the quest, but I’m not sure if it’ll actually work.’

But since it was the only method I could think of right now, I had no choice but to trust it. As I was making a grim resolution, my roommates spoke to me.

“Belita, did something happen…?”

“You’ve looked like death warmed over all day, so we were a bit worried.”

When I stared back with a strange look in my eyes, Isabella even waved her hands dismissively, appealing to me not to misunderstand—she wasn’t trying to pressure me or read my mood.

‘I didn’t exactly look at her with that intention, though…’

Before I could even explain, a blue window blocked my vision.

Another choice.

‘Usually, in dating sims, choices increase affection or determine routes. Does that not apply to me?’

It wasn’t like I had been picking choices randomly, yet my affection points had never increased once. Still, just in case, I picked the option that seemed the most positive.

“Something big did happen, but I’m okay. Thanks for worrying about me.”

‘So it does exist…’

Then again, it would be weirder if it didn’t. What’s left of a dating sim if you take away the affection points?

“This is the first time you’ve spoken so warmly. Usually, you’re so cold, saying things like, ‘Mind your own business. It’s nothing, why don’t you just do your own work?’”

“Ahaha! That’s spot on!”

Was Belita really that much of a sociopath…? That aside, both of their values were already over twenty. I wondered if the affection they had before being registered was being reflected. After all, these two were already acquaintances of the original Belita.

‘I was worried since my reputation was “Bad”.’

I realized that, at the very least, my roommates didn’t hate Belita.

It was truly lamentable that I had to work even when I might die today due to a quest failure.

“Everyone did a great job at the banquet yesterday. You just have to work hard until today. Make sure not to get into fights with the employees of other families.”

They said the family head would be elected at the meeting tonight. The servants were happy, saying that once the meeting ended tomorrow, the guests would leave and they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Even if it was only for two days, I think it would have been better to hire some short-term labor for the cooking and cleaning.”

“The Duchess originally hates outsiders coming into the mansion. She was already appalled because each family brought dozens of their own attendants. We just have to manage this much on our own somehow.”

Because of the dozens of guests who had suddenly swarmed in, the employees—who usually only served two masters—were suffering under a cleaning workload and food volume that had increased several times over.

Right now, my roommates and I were hard at work cleaning an area that we usually would have just left alone or given a bare-minimum sweep.

“Sigh… I know the Duchess’s personality, but sometimes she’s just so frustrating.”

Well, once the new family head is appointed, that Duchess is also someone who’s going to be kicked out of this mansion. Since she won’t be the only one getting kicked out, I suppose she won’t be lonely…

“Whoa!”

I had been standing perfectly still, but a woman suddenly appeared and collided with me. She must have been carrying black tea, because a dark red stain began to spread across my clothes. Fortunately, it looked like I’d just need to swap my apron.

“Gasp, Belita!”

“You’re soaked.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I picked the second option.

“Ah, really? I’m so sorry, though. I’ll go get you a new apron.”

Before I could even respond, the woman hurried away. My roommates whispered as they watched her back as she sprinted down the hallway.

“…At that speed, didn’t she basically run into you on purpose?”

“Exactly. But don’t let it show. The Head Maid told us not to cause any trouble.”

Io grumbled that she was well aware of that much.

“Is she a maid brought in by another family this time? I haven’t seen her before.”

“Yeah, she’s the lady-in-waiting for Sir Robert’s wife.”

“Do you know her? How do you know that?”

“Hehe, did you forget that I’m the self-proclaimed ‘Social Butterfly’ of the maids? There isn’t a single person who has passed through this mansion that I don’t know!”

Isabella’s face crumpled immediately. She seemed to think Io was being full of herself.

“You mean ‘self-titled’.”

“Did you wait long?”

Without a sound, the woman from before—Sera Clock—appeared from behind, clutching an armful of items.

“No.”

“That’s a relief. Hurry and change into this new apron. Use this towel to wipe yourself off a bit.”

I took off the damp apron and changed into the new one Sera gave me. For some reason, the pattern was slightly different from my original apron. It smelled nice and the fabric felt much softer; it seemed to be a high-quality item. Sera then handed me a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid.

“Here, take this too. It’s an apology. It has a fatigue-relieving effect, so it’ll be perfect to drink after you’re done cleaning.”

After Sera—who had thoughtfully provided enough for my roommates as well—truly left this time, Io added a comment.

“Well, I guess she’s not a totally bad person?”

Hm?

…?

Mi-Minus eighty?

I rubbed my eyes and looked again, thinking I’d misread it, but nothing changed. Is that a level of affection you can even get from someone you just met? I was deeply unnerved.

“Could you guys give those to me?”

“Huh? Is it a drink you like?”

“Sure, our Lita can have it all~.”

In the meantime, I had managed to raise my roommates’ affection levels bit by bit until they broke thirty. Thanks to that, they followed along without questioning my request.

If thirty felt this favorable, then what on earth was minus eighty…?

At any rate, I definitely shouldn’t drink this suspicious liquid. I quietly moved to a deserted area and poured all the collected drinks out the window.

Deep orange shadows were beginning to stretch across the floor. Something was about to happen soon, but the lack of any signs so far only served to increase my anxiety.

“It’ll start soon.”

“Yeah, the result will probably go exactly as everyone expects. Gasp… You don’t think we’ll be kicked out, do you? That family will probably try to bring in all their own employees.”

“Let’s just hope they write us good letters of recommendation.”

“Giving up already, Isabella?”

“Call it being realistic. I’m just accepting the coming future.”

It seemed all the employees who served the previous Duke were facing the crisis of losing their jobs. Following the Head Maid’s instructions not to disturb the mansion during the evening meeting, we headed to the servant’s quarters where the staff rested.

“But maybe it’s because I’m tired, I’ve been feeling so lethargic lately.”

“You too? It’s not even time for me to be sleepy yet, but strangely…”

With those final words, my roommates slowly drifted into sleep. For some reason, my own eyes began to close as well…

“Hah!”

It’s a familiar feeling. The sensation I felt a few days ago. A pitch-black room. A soft bed.
Ignoring the chill of the cold marble floor, I ran toward the door without hesitation. No matter how much I had prepared myself mentally, I couldn’t stop my heart from thumping wildly.

‘Don’t get too nervous.’

If I proceed according to plan, I can definitely succeed. Out of habit, I checked the shapes of the items I had hidden inside my clothes. I could feel them. Good, I can do this.

‘The murder of Robert is merely a device to trigger the protagonist’s involvement with the heroines.’

The current events in the Rubel family are all part of the prologue. The main story deals with what happens after being kicked out of this house. While wandering in grief over the loss of his father, the protagonist gets caught up in incidents and builds deep bonds with the heroines.

‘…While completely forgetting about Robert, of course.’

As the story progresses, the protagonist—that supposedly ‘hardcore’ devoted son—doesn’t even give Robert a second thought.

‘Does it make sense that most endings fail to properly uncover the truth behind Robert’s unfair death?’

I’d even begun to wonder if the murder case was actually a MacGuffin. Therefore, I didn’t know the exact circumstances of how Belita ended up killing Robert. The sound of iron armor clashing as it shook began to surround me, and the flickering light of torches started to envelop the surroundings.

“There! That’s the woman!”

In the prologue, I had woken up on the bed in the room where Robert died.

Wasn’t that a bit unnatural?

Usually, does a murderer stay and sleep in the room with the victim they just killed? Especially in this mansion where hundreds of people reside. It’s much more persuasive to think that someone moved a soundly sleeping Belita there. In other words, someone was trying to frame Belita.

“I saw it! I saw Belita coming out of the room where Sir Robert passed away!”

A familiar silhouette was gradually approaching from a distance. Actually, it wasn’t surprising. I had expected it to some extent after seeing the state of her affection points. Sera Clock.

‘The woman who stood in front of the bars and mocked Belita when she was locked in the dungeon was Sera Clock.’

My theory was that they drugged Belita with something like a sleeping pill to knock her out and then moved her to that location. But since I hadn’t even touched that suspicious drink, how on earth did they put me to sleep?

Two soldiers grabbed me by each arm. I chose to stay quiet rather than offer a pointless resistance. The place I was taken to—unlike the prologue—was not the dungeon, but in front of the members of the Ducal family. The protagonist, his mother Lady Rachel, Carlo, Oscar, Duchess Hyacinth… and other members of the Rubel family I didn’t know.

“That thing… killed my father…?”

“Under whose orders did you commit such a deed? Who exactly?!”

The sharp, high-pitched voices of the protagonist and Lady Rachel tore at my ears. As all the malicious gazes from the surroundings focused on me, I opened my mouth.

“It wasn’t me.”

“What?”

“It’s true. I can prove it.”