Chapter 24: Chapter 24

This Won’t Do. Focus on the Monsters and the Fiefdom.

“If the monsters are real, it’s only a matter of time before they can no longer be hidden. Is the lord just using a foolish stopgap measure? Or does he have some other ulterior motive? And why was she so flustered over her shoulders showing? Is she planning to keep herself wrapped up even in summer? Not that it matters!”

Tristan shook his head, but thoughts of Doris refused to leave his mind.

What kind of dress had she worn tonight?

What might she look like beneath that heavy shawl…?

Several times, he stopped on the roadside, staring at walls to calm himself before resuming his walk. By the time he returned to the palace, he was exhausted.

The sight of the neatly arranged documents on his desk brought a faint sense of relief.

“Not that the solution to Blue Atrium’s problems will magically appear on paper.”

For now, he decided to sleep. Lack of rest was clearly what was letting these unnecessary thoughts plague his mind.

“Sometimes, solutions come to you after a good sleep.”

After a quick wash with a damp towel, Tristan lay on the sofa. If he used the bed, he might sleep too deeply, which wouldn’t do.

Extinguishing the lamp, he closed his eyes…

Four hours of sleep later.

As he had anticipated, the previous night’s thoughts had coalesced into a semblance of a solution.

“If I gift her a dress, she’ll wear it, and then I’ll get to see…”

“No! Not that kind of solution!”

Tristan hurled his pillow, which landed with an unusually loud thud.

Before he could even process the incongruity, more thuds followed—thud, thud, thud—coming from the other side of the door.

“At this hour?”

He instinctively reached for the hilt of the sword hanging on the wall and called out, “Who’s there?”

An all-too-familiar voice answered, though it was laced with urgency.

“Your Highness! Sir Dyne, your trusted knight, has returned suddenly in the dead of night.”

The servant, panting heavily, added in a voice edged with dread, “He’s gravely injured… as if he’s been attacked by a monster.”

***

Four Months Into Reincarnation

After four months of being reincarnated here, I decided to assess the current situation, which aligned with the "introduction" phase of the original plot.

Maria Meyer, the story’s heroine: She has developed feelings for Arthur, somewhere between friendship and romance. She’s also grown close to me.

Arthur Albion, the male lead: He harbors romantic feelings for Maria and even comes to me for advice.

So far, so good.@@novelbin@@

“At least I’ve avoided the classic reincarnation trope of, ‘Why is the male lead interested in me instead of the heroine?’”

Rick Ray, the second male lead: Seems to have been secretly in love with Maria all along. Finds me irritating.

“Up to this point, the characters from the protagonist's side are on track!”

The problem lies with the villains.

First, there’s the pathetic supporting character, Tristan.

His actions—ignoring Maria’s dance invitation to approach me, showing up with snacks for a get-well visit—are all strange.

“Does a conscience suddenly sprout like that? Even if redemption is a reincarnation cliché, doesn’t it usually require drastic measures, like, ‘We’re breaking up!’ to kick-start? I haven’t done anything to trigger this!”

Tristan is supposed to hang around Maria, stoking Arthur’s jealousy. At least his sharp tongue hasn’t changed. Small mercies.

The biggest divergence from the original, however, is Natalie.

In the original story, Natalie is driven by a single, shallow desire to marry the handsome young duke, Arthur. She chases him to every ball he’s invited to, lavished with the Redfield couple’s financial support for extravagant dresses and jewelry.

But now? Natalie seems to want to pair me with the young duke instead. Not for herself, but out of genuine care for me, her younger sister.

“There’s no way anyone could call her a villainess like this!”

Still, as long as she’s trying to disrupt the Maria-Arthur pairing, the outcome should stay the same.

Even after considering this, I couldn’t reach a definitive answer.

Despite Natalie no longer fulfilling the role of a villainess, the world continues to follow the original plotline.

The maids were gossiping about a new rumor that had the capital abuzz.

I was hiding in the wardrobe to avoid another of Mother’s lectures, so I overheard the conversation clearly.

“You know the bloodstains left on the main street the other day? My friend said they were from a knight who came back injured after patrol. The wounds were massive, like he’d been bitten by a monster.”

“Good heavens! Do you think it was a monster?”

“Oh, stop worrying. Monsters are only in the north. He probably got caught by a bear or something while hunting bandits.”

Still, someone tried to reassure the anxious maid.

“And we’ve got the young duke of Frost Hill in the capital right now. If a monster appears, he’ll take care of it!”

“That’s true. Speaking of which, didn’t the young duke visit the count’s estate recently? Did anyone see him? How handsome is he?”

Their gossip quickly shifted to Arthur, but I realized this marked a new development in the story.

The rumors about the monsters in Blue Atrium had finally surfaced.

Blue Atrium.

A prosperous northeastern fiefdom, originally destined to belong to Tristan.

In the original story, it’s revealed early on that monsters have started appearing there.

A territory plagued by monsters isn’t something just anyone can govern. The lord must raise and command anti-monster forces.

Hearing about the monsters, the king assigns Blue Atrium to the young duke, conveniently present in the capital at the time.

Tristan feigns indifference, claiming he doesn’t need land plagued by monsters. But later, a mana stone mine is discovered there, turning him into the proverbial sour grapes fox.

Arthur and Maria live happily in the now-wealthy Blue Atrium, eventually inheriting Frost Hill as well. The end.

What happens to Tristan afterward isn’t mentioned.

“Who cares about a villain’s assets, anyway? The author gave him a single sentence of redemption—‘He reflected on his wrongdoings and married his fiancée’—and that’s enough.”

Worrying about the royal family’s land is like commoners fretting over a billionaire’s wallet.

The maids had left, and the room fell quiet.

I decided it was time to emerge and grab a snack. As I stepped out of the wardrobe—

“I’ll prepare the vanity! You go find Lady Doris—oh, my!”

I came face to face with a maid who had just rushed in.

Her expression was one of shock, as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Milady? You’ve… been here the whole time? But earlier…”

Unable to admit I’d been enjoying some childish fun hiding in the wardrobe, I made a quick excuse.

“I just got back. What’s going on? Why mention the vanity?”

“Oh, right! It’s urgent—Prince Tristan is here! He’s invited you to join him for tea!”

What?!

Even if he’d just wanted tea, I’d be surprised. But inviting me out as well?

“This is so sudden! What if I already had plans?”

“We mentioned that, milady, but he said, ‘Doris doesn’t have any plans to speak of,’ with complete certainty…”

“….”

He’s not wrong, but still, how infuriating!

“This isn’t the time to dwell on that, milady. Let’s get you ready. What dress should we choose? Perhaps one of Lady Natalie’s?”

“No. Skip the makeup and accessories, too.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll just change into my outdoor attire. Prepare that for me.”

“Understood!”

Why did Tristan suddenly decide to show up?

If he was here to spout his usual garbage, that would be fine. But his recent attempts to act like a decent person were unsettling.

Go see Maria instead of bothering me!

As the maid helped me into my dress, she hesitated before speaking.

“Milady, I’ll follow your instructions, but… you should at least tidy your hair.”

She held up mirrors to show my reflection, revealing the mess my hair had become after rolling around in the wardrobe.

Walking out like this would be tantamount to declaring a breakup.

“…Fine. Fix my hair, please.”

“Right away!”

The maid sighed in relief and fetched a brush and pins.

Once I looked presentable, I headed to the parlor.

As soon as I saw Tristan, I regretted skipping makeup.

“He’s too well put together!”

Tristan looked like he was ready for a formal engagement meeting, his hair neatly styled. I averted my gaze to avoid being swayed by his appearance and approached him.

“Your Highness, you’re here.”

“…Yes.”

He gave me a once-over, then abruptly turned his head.

“Let’s go. I’ve reserved a small tea spot.”

“Your Highness, may I ask what this is about?”

“Must I have a reason to spend time with my fiancée?”

Did he do something wrong?

Afraid to press further, I let him lead me out.

The carriage waiting outside the estate was an unnecessarily luxurious four-horse coach, its destination…

“Wow…”

It was like stepping into a Monet painting.

A small tea house by a lake, where water lilies danced in the summer breeze.

This setting could make even poison taste good.

The food served to us, however, was far from poison.

“These are ricotta cheese pancakes.”

Topped with caramelized pecans, cranberry jam, and fresh cream, the pancakes were fluffy, rich with ricotta, and melted in my mouth.

Delicious!

I could forgive anything Tristan said after this.

“This is… absolutely delicious, Your Highness.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Tristan, chin resting on his hand as he gazed out the window, replied nonchalantly. Yet his lips seemed to curl slightly upward.

“You’ve put in enough effort today to deserve some praise.”

“…What?”

“Why are you surprised? I’m simply acknowledging your effort.”

The way he delivered the compliment was annoying, but what effort was he even talking about?

After I finished my pancakes, Tristan finally shifted from his lazy posture and looked me in the eye.

“Doris Redfield. I have something important to tell you.”