Chapter 8 Loop 3-1
「!!」
I breathed in as hard as I could, and I choked from the sudden intake of air.
My heart was thumping wildly as beads of sweat drenched my forehead.
Ugh, it hurts so much…
What was that? Why was I suddenly feeling suffocated? My throat and eyes were burning; I couldn’t breathe and I thought I was going to die. Moreover, that “shing” sound I heard and then I felt something hit back hard from behind. I was killed…
「My lady! That’s enough!」
Suddenly hearing Theresa’s voice immediately snapped me back to my senses.
There was a pillar in front of me; one that I was clinging onto before I knew it.
When I turned around, I saw Theresa and the three maids assigned to me trying to pull me off the pillar——it was a familiar scene.
It was not a dream. I was really——
「Just give it up! It is your important wedding night that’s coming up soon…」
「I-I understand. I’ll be good so you can all let go of me.」
The maids exchanged looks with one another before reluctantly letting go of me. I slowly moved away from the pillar, taking care not to incite their wariness of me. Then I looked around at the faces of Theresa and the three maids.
「Is everyone alright? Is there anyone who is hurt?」
「Eh? No, we’re alright, but if I had to say, my arms are all sore from trying to pull you from the pillar, Lady Katrea.」
I didn’t observe any abnormalities or wounds on Theresa as she casually replied to me with a sarcastic remark. The other three didn’t appear particularly pale either.
(lilies: katrea is like so damn chill)
「That’s great…」
I heaved a sigh of relief.
Then, I staggered over to the vanity and sat down on the chair placed before it. Anyway, I just needed to sit down, calm myself down and gather my thoughts.
…This time I’m sure. I’m caught in a loop of this night. This is the third time.
The first time, I was taken to the master bedroom and thrown in by Brother Tris, which ended with someone stabbing me in my chest and abdomen. The second time, I inhaled some poisonous gas which put me in a lot of pain, causing me to collapse onto the ground and I was (probably) stabbed in the back.
Even though the process by which the series of events unfolded was different, the beginning and the end were the same——the loop starts with me clinging onto the pillar and finally ends with me dying and the next loop starts.
Why is this happening? Is it some kind of curse? Or maybe magic?
I had no idea what the cause of this situation was, but at least, I can confirm that this wasn’t a dream of vision.
The feeling of being stabbed, the pain; they were all real. And I’ve already died twice.
「What’s the matter with you? You abruptly kicked up a fuss and now you’re suddenly all quiet.」
Theresa had a worried expression on her face as she put a hand on my shoulder. The warmth from her hand made my heart clench.
「You’re completely drenched in sweat and you look so pale… Are you unwell?」
「No, it’s nothing, I’m fine. I just need a rest.」
I must look really terrible. Even though I’ve settled down and was no longer causing a racket, the three maids watched me silently.
I’m caught in a terrible situation. It’s already bad enough that there’s someone out to kill me in this castle, but worst still, there’s this mysterious phenomenon where time would rewind when I die.
There’s nothing strange about the surroundings. I'm probably the only one who has the memory of being rewound.
I wonder who that murderer is. His face was hidden behind a black cloth so I couldn’t see who it was, but I could tell from his physique that he was definitely a man. I could tell from his skilful swordsmanship and decisive strikes that he was quite an expert at the sword.
However, he must have been a devious and persistent person seeing how he also made use of poison.
The most suspicious person was, of course, the owner of the master bedroom, Duke Crusseld Vrag. He’s known to be a highly skilled swordsman and he’s the only person who could be patiently waiting for me in that room.
If the murderer was another, they’d run the risk of bumping into the Duke in his room.
I’m fairly certain the Duke hated the idea of marrying me so much he wanted to turn me into a corpse. No, I had in fact become a lifeless body.
If that’s truly the case, then I would be so enraged. This marriage only happened because it was the Duke’s household that asked for the union. Even so, wasn’t it too selfish of him to kill me, his bride, because he got disappointed when he saw me in person and I wasn’t as he had expected? And I wasn’t the only one, he even laid his hands on Theresa and the maids…!
Alright, so the prime suspect is confirmed to be the Duke. I’m absolutely going to make that man cry.
As for the other question of just what the hell this death loop was——I’ve decided to just stop thinking about it despite it swirling around my head. It’s not like I’ll be able to figure out the cause even if I racked my brain over it. For now, my main focus would just be on surviving.
Well then, this castle is the stronghold of our prime suspect. The only people I can trust here are Theresa and Brother Tris.
As for the maids who were only assigned to me today, I’ve removed them from my list of suspects since they did become collateral damage because of me. However, I couldn’t fully trust them.
At any rate, if I want to get some help, the only person I can ask is Brother Tris who could fight.
「Theresa, where is Brother Tris now?」
「Huh? Hmm… I think he should be… in the guest room…」
「Alright. Let’s go there.」
I quickly sprung up onto my feet but one of the maids, Harie, stood in front of the door.
「Lady Katrea, you aren’t planning on running away, are you?」
Urk.
Harie was the most powerful, or should I say intimidating, of the three maids. Feeling threatened by her blank expression, I faltered a little.
But despite my wavering heart, I answered slowly.
「I’m not running away. Starting today, aren’t I already a part of the Duke’s family? I just want to say hello to my brother.」
「…」
「I’ll go to the master bedroom after speaking to my brother; I promise.」
Harie stared at me for quite a while, seemingly still suspicious of me.
Well, it’s not her fault. Towards a woman who was clinging onto the pillar expressing her utter disdain for her marriage just a moment ago suddenly becoming all quiet and obedient——anyone who would easily believe someone like that must have a screw or two loose.
「Alright… but only after you’ve finished getting ready.」
As she said that, Harie stepped away from the door.
Although I really wanted to go to my brother immediately, I did as she said and sat down in front of the vanity. It was better to cooperate with them and get ready quickly rather than to rashly against them here.
In fact, because I was so tame now, the preparations were done in no time under the cooperation of the maids. Perhaps it was because my complexion wasn’t too good and I looked rather pale, unlike the second loop, they applied blush to my cheeks.
「Now then Ines, please bring the Madam to her family’s room and then escort her to the master bedroom.」
「Yes.」
「Harie, what do you plan on doing after I leave?」
Taken aback by my unexpected question, Harie raised her brows slightly.
「I plan on briefly cleaning up the room before leaving to take my rest when Ines returns… If you have any further orders, I'm at your service.」
「Oh no, no, I don’t have any orders for you… Ah, just one thing…」
I almost forgot to give her the important instructions.
「Do not let anyone enter the room until Ines comes back; be it the Duke, Lady Serenia, or the head butler Faro——absolutely no one. And after Ines is back, don’t stay around for too long and disperse immediately, okay?」
「…I understand.」
Although I guess she agreed to do as I said, having received such strange instructions, Harie had a sceptical expression on her face even as she nodded her head.
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!!
You can support me by sending some love in the comments or through the button below
peace lilies~