Chapter 9

Yesterday, I went straight to bed after getting home and woke up feeling refreshed by mid-morning the next day.

"I slept well."

I stretched as I got up. It’s a bit of a struggle, but it’s not as if I have to get up on my hands and heave myself up like I used to in the beginning. Yeah, I’ve made some progress.

I haven’t eaten dinner from yesterday or breakfast today, but I’m not really hungry. I guess it’s because I ate cake and scones when I had tea at the duke’s mansion. They were really delicious; I even considered taking some to go.

Then I remembered the troublesome events from yesterday.

I looked around and found the thin book on the desk. It was a good thing it was within reach.

"Is this a book, or should I call it a fancy notebook?"

The cover was red with elaborate gold embroidery, and the pages inside were thick and sturdy. There was no title. The text wasn’t in a language like Japanese.

"Still, what beautiful handwriting. She really is a duke’s daughter."

The flowing, elegant script was impressive, though the content was a different matter.

I propped a cushion against the backrest, leaned back, and opened the thin book.

The story begins with the opening ceremony of a magic school. The content is written from the heroine’s perspective, and it’s, well, disjointed. The story jumps around, and the interactions between the heroine and the handsome guys are oddly long and forceful, while other parts that the duke’s daughter probably found unimportant are glossed over. It’s clearly missing a lot of details.

"Still, why is it so heroine-centric? What’s the point? Is this a game? What’s so interesting about it? (serious face)"

If I asked her, she’d probably say something about the romantic interactions with the handsome guys being interesting. I understand there are mini-games, puzzles, and seasonal events, but they don’t really interest me.

"More importantly, the important parts are missing. I get that Reimi was gloomy, but why does she try to expel the heroine from the magic school? It’s true that constantly serving different men is annoying, but it doesn’t seem like a reason for Reimi to want to expel her. Maybe she was ordered by Lady Arelia? The second prince, who is Lady Arelia’s fiancé, is one of the heroine’s suitors—"

The game ends with the completion of the year, but my part ends at the end of the first semester. Apparently, I have an important role in helping the heroine awaken her abilities.

Me, a sacrificial pawn!

"What’s this, a mid-boss? Give me a role like an evil empress or something!"

I recalled the duke’s daughter’s words and punched the cushion as if it were a punching bag. But I know, with this body that gets winded after a few punches, being an empress is probably out of the question, and a mid-boss is definitely not happening.

"Anyway, what exactly are the heroine’s abilities? If they’re not detailed, does that mean Lady Arelia doesn’t know either?"

I tilted my head as I skimmed through the notebook. Besides, too many pages are dedicated to romance. What’s the point of writing this? To avoid being the villain?

In this game, my role seems to be to interfere with the heroine’s dates and bully her. It’s written that I should be careful because I hinder the main characters from increasing their affection levels. Careful, huh, careful.

It’s completely from the heroine’s perspective, but I’m starting to think that person has no intention of stepping down as the villain.

"Well, she’s her, and I’m me. In short, I just need to avoid being the villain... But why is Lady Arelia possessed by a demon? That’s the real issue, but it’s not written at all."

Was it intentionally left out, or does she really not know? She seems a bit air-headed, but even so, as a duke’s daughter, she might have something up her sleeve. Still, after just one meeting, it’s hard to really understand a person—

My hand stopped turning the pages.

"Hmm? What, Baudi appears too? And as a prince from a neighboring country..."

I quickly closed my mouth. It’s absurd for a prince to be working at my house. He must have some reason... It’s probably best to keep quiet about it. My father, who loves helping people, might have taken him in without knowing—no, if he knew, he wouldn’t act so normally. So, he must have hired him without knowing.

I continued to think as I turned the pages.

"After I leave, my family will fall, and Baudi will be poached by the heroine’s family. If they take in Bori and the cook too, that would be great... But from the way it’s written, it seems they’ll only protect the handsome guys. After all, they’re a poor baron’s family, so they can’t afford to hire many people."

Even our poor baron’s family can only manage three people.

Ah, I’m getting tired of reading this.

Still, I forced myself to read to the end and closed the notebook with a deep sigh. Good for me for finishing it.

"It doesn’t explain why my family will fall, and depending on the choices, there are stories where Baudi and the heroine end up together, or the second prince, or the prime minister’s grandson... What a lineup. Also, the duke’s daughter uses mind magic to control the magic school, but the ‘reason’ isn’t written. Anyway, there’s not enough information, but in this world without the internet, I’ll have to gather information on foot, I guess."

On foot, huh.

I pulled back the blanket, and my negligee was flat from the knee down on my right leg. There’s a vague sense of despair, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

"I need more mobility."

I want to be able to move without relying on Baudi. The main issue is that the only option is a wheelchair.

By the way, there’s also a ‘magical artifact’ in the notebook. It’s a mini-game where you create magical artifacts. Magical artifacts are devices that use the magic power stored in magic stones like electricity. Oh, that’s right, stoves that don’t use fire are also magical artifacts, which means... an electric wheelchair is possible!

But, a wheelchair is still cumbersome. I’ve decided to make an electric wheelchair, but I still need prosthetic legs and crutches.

"I want to go to school soon."

According to Lady Arelia, something big will happen at the magic school, but if I don’t get involved with the heroine, the story won’t unfold as it’s supposed to, so there’s no need to worry. Honestly, I don’t care about the heroine’s love life at all.

But this notebook is a problem. It has details about what will happen in the future, like disasters, Lady Arelia’s conflict with the royal family, and a sudden visit from a neighboring country’s envoy related to Baudi. The situation with the duke’s family depends on Lady Arelia, but the other two are certain to happen. Having such a prophetic book is probably dangerous.

Well, where should I hide it—

As I looked around the room with the glittering notebook in my hand, the door was knocked on, and I was terribly startled.