Chapter 88

In front of her, a purple snake was baring its fangs at Lady Dana.

The young ladies around her also fled the scene in panic, trembling with fear.

“No, don’t come any closer!”

A knight, who had noticed the commotion and was rushing over from a distance, could be seen, but with Lady Dana screaming and frantically waving her hands, the snake might bite at any moment.

It might be too late for the knight to arrive in time, and from the snake’s color and pattern, I assumed it was venomous. I hurried over to the trembling Lady Dana.

“Please calm down and don’t move.”

“Eh...?”

After placing my hand on the shoulder of the trembling girl and speaking to her, I quickly circled behind the venomous snake.

I then slammed the snake’s neck to the ground with my palm and immediately grabbed it by the nape of the neck with my thumb and index finger.

The snake became docile, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Doing this makes it impossible for the snake to bite. The key is to grab it quickly and without hesitation...”

As I said this, I smiled at the trembling Lady Dana, and I noticed that everyone present was staring at me in shock.

Even Mariabel, with her large eyes wide open, was frozen in place.

Catching a snake with bare hands was far from the behavior expected of a noble lady, and since I, Grace, had done it, their reaction was understandable.

Even though I was in a panic due to the emergency, there were other methods, such as using magic.

“Please, don’t kill it. It’s pitiful, so let it go somewhere where there are no people...”

“Yes...”

I gently handed the snake to the knight who had rushed over, and he took it with a thoroughly perplexed look.

While I was internally panicking about what to do next, it was Mariabel who spoke up.

“Lady Grace, that was amazing! You were so cool!”

She clasped her hands and her eyes sparkled, clearly moved.

Seeing this, Lady Dana seemed to snap back to reality. Supported by the young ladies who had rushed over after the snake was captured, she stood up.

“Oh, thank you... I was saved...”

“No, it’s nothing. Snakes are timid creatures, so they don’t often attack unless provoked. So, it’s best to avoid actions like what happened just now.”

“H-ha... I understand.”

“...”

As I reflected on my unnecessary comments, one of the young ladies supporting her spoke hesitantly.

“Why does Lady Grace know such things...?”

“Well... in a crisis, one can only rely on oneself, so I have learned some self-defense techniques...”

I thought my excuse was a bit strained, and I couldn’t honestly say, “In my previous life, I often encountered snakes while searching for wild herbs and learned how to deal with them.”

However, they seemed to accept it, saying, “That’s impressive,” and “Maybe we should learn a bit too,” which made me feel relieved.

Just then, Charlotte rushed over, took my hands in hers, and said,

“Lady Grace, are you alright? I’m so sorry this happened at my home!”

“I’m fine. But, I wonder why a timid snake would be here...”

In such a beautifully and meticulously maintained garden, it seemed unlikely that it would be poorly managed.

Even though I smiled, Charlotte looked sad and bit her lip. Her expression was so cute that it made me want to protect her.

Despite my many concerns, I couldn’t help but feel that Charlotte was my beloved heroine from a favorite work, and my favorite character.

“We should disinfect your hands. Let’s go inside the mansion together.”

Charlotte led me by the hand towards the mansion. Although a simple wipe would suffice, it might be a good opportunity to get to know Charlotte better while we were alone.

Thinking this, I nodded and called out to Mariabel before following her.

◇◇◇

“This is Lady Charlotte’s room...”

“Compared to Lady Grace’s room, it’s quite simple.”

Being led into the cute room with red and white as the main colors, I felt as if I were on a pilgrimage to a holy site. I sat on the sofa I was offered and looked around the room.

I also remembered that this was the place where Lord Zain confessed his love to Charlotte, and I felt a vague sense of unease in my chest. My emotions were all over the place.

“Lady Grace, you’re truly remarkable! I didn’t expect you to be able to deal with a venomous snake.”

“S-so...? But, thank you.”

“Yes, I really admire you.”

After being treated with hostility by everyone around her earlier, I was touched by Charlotte’s kindness.

“Also, as the host, I should speak to everyone, right? I was hoping for a chance to be alone with you, so I’m glad.”

“S-so, you were? That’s good.”

Still, I wondered if there was a reason for her to like me so much.

Charlotte sat next to me with a handkerchief and a small box, and she carefully disinfected my hands. Her hands were small and smooth, and they smelled sweet like flowers.

“Thanks to you, Lady Grace, nothing serious happened. But, it’s been dangerous lately, so please be careful.”

Charlotte looked up at me with concern, and it seemed she genuinely cared.

She was a straightforward and kind heroine, and I began to doubt my earlier suspicion that she might have hidden motives. She was a truly good and cute girl, and I felt a sense of admiration.

Wouldn’t it be difficult not to be drawn to her after interacting with Lord Zain at close range?

“Thank you. Has it been dangerous lately?”

“Yes, there’s been a spread of miasma everywhere. Because of this, monsters are appearing in places where they shouldn’t, and I’ve heard that the knights are having a hard time.”

“...”

My heart began to beat uncomfortably.

Charlotte continued while applying sweet-smelling hand cream to my fingers.

“Because of this, the mineral water has also been contaminated, making it harder to collect.”

I felt a sudden drop in temperature, and my fingers became stiff. I forgot how to breathe, and I couldn’t draw in air properly.

“Eventually, this might lead to a war with the surrounding countries.”

“...”

Her words felt like a blow to my head.

Suddenly, I would like to introduce a work similar to this one, “The Escaping Woman VS The Pursuing Man” by Koto.

The manga “The Side Character Who Wants to Exit the Story But the Prince Who Seduced Her Won’t Let Her Go” is currently being released on Comic Si-maore! (The first chapter is completely free!)

Amazingly, it’s being illustrated by Ichihana Yoru-sensei...!

It’s unbelievably beautiful and divine;♡♡

(Note: This is an original manga, so there is no novel version.)

【Synopsis】========================

“After sleeping with me, do you think you can just say it was a mistake?”

Estar, a viscount’s daughter, was reincarnated as a side character in a popular web novel. Her role in the novel was to seduce the second prince and be exiled after being condemned by the heroine.

Wanting to exit the story quickly, Estar planned to pretend to seduce the second prince, but...

She accidentally called out to the first prince, Oscar, the protagonist—!? A heartwarming fantasy of a pitiful side character and a possessive, perfect prince!

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It’s a truly beautiful and heartwarming story, so I absolutely, absolutely want you to read it! Thank you!