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Chapter 21 Loop 8＋α - 1
「I've been eagerly waiting for you to come, Sister. I've been wishing that one day we'd become close and could perhaps stay up late chatting together. I can't believe my dream has come true so soon. I'm so happy.」
Serrie smiled as she said this to me, who was frantically trying to run away in an unbecoming manner.
I've been ignored, mocked and neglected by the man who would become my husband, and received cold looks from the maids. My brother hit me on the head countless times, Rhysel killed me dozens of times, and to top it all off, some strange person showed up and started talking about loops, history, corrective forces, and distortions in space-time.
Since I came to this mansion, I've only had terrible experiences.
But among all the people I've met in this mansion, only Serrie has been kind to me from the beginning. She even got mad on my behalf.
It's wrong for that child to be killed.
◇
T-Thank goodness. I've looped again.
Standing in front of the pillar, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Serrie being murdered definitely wasn't「something that should've happened」that Mr ge told me about. It was wrong for such a good child to be killed. Or rather, I was surprised that there was someone in this world who could kill such an angel-like child.
But even then, I felt uneasy when dawn broke. If the morning continued as it is, and the time advanced with the loss of Serrie…
For the observers, they might not be pleased with this development, but I can't help but rejoice at the arrival of a new loop.
As I mulled over those thoughts, I soothed the maidens, moved from the pillar to the dresser in a familiar motion, and surrendered myself to the hands that were reaching out from all sides to prepare me.
「Hey Harie, Serrie is a really good girl, isn't she?」
When I asked this, Harie seemed a bit perplexed by the sudden question but answered「Yes」.
「Lady Serenia is a wonderful person. Despite her beauty, intelligence, and noble status, she is never arrogant and remains humble. I've never once seen her lose her composure or act selfishly.」
Hmm? Why does it seem like there were barbs directed at me in her words? When I noticed it and was about to open my mouth to respond, Petra hurriedly interjected.
「She really is adorable, isn’t she, Lady Serenia! I've heard that nobles and royals from neighbouring countries have been appealing to our lord to let them take Lady Serenia as their wife! Some have even said that if she’s going to be taken by some foreign nobleman, she might as well join our royal family instead!」
「That’s a bit of an exaggeration, Petra. There isn’t anyone in our royal family who is close in age to Lady Serenia.」
「Oh, come on. Lady Serenia is someone who could become a queen if the time was right. She's practically like princess of this country.」
Petra's words drew a reaction from Ines and the two of them got excited, leaving me out of the conversation. Only when Harie cleared her throat did they quickly shut their mouths and focussed their attention back on helping me get dressed.
Seems that Serrie was well-regarded by the servants too. Of course, it's not like they could speak ill of her, but somehow, I could feel that they genuinely respected and admired her.
As I thought, it's unlikely that Serrie was killed because someone held a grudge against her.
『—Yes. Because I lacked resolve, Serenia died.』
I recalled Mr Rhysel's words from just a moment ago in the last loop.
When I asked him「Did you do this」his answer to my question was「Yes.」 But his expression was filled with so much sorrow, he didn’t look like someone who had killed Serenia.
It doesn't change the fact that Mr Rhysel was a murderer. …However, he was the type of murderer who killed people with a sword. In all my encounters with him up until now, I’d always been killed by a sharp thrust or a clean slice to a vital area.
However, there weren't any wounds that looked like that on Serrie's body. There was only a reddish mark on her throat, as if she had clawed at it.
Still though… According to the man who was in Serrie’s room, Mr Rhysel was the first person to discover her. I think someone once said that the first person to discover a murder is often the culprit.
…Hmm? Wait a minute, does that mean Mr Rhysel went to Serrie's room right after talking to me in the previous loop? It was already quite late at night, so how was it possible for a man who isn't family to suddenly visit an unmarried young lady's room?
Darn it. I should have asked the old man who looked like a doctor for more details on that part. He talked about it so naturally as if it was a matter of course that I just overlooked it.
Get your act together old man.
Jeez. In the end, I couldn't make any progress with my deductions due to lack of information. I worked so hard to find the real culprit, but when I tried to corner Mr Rhysel with style, for some reason, Serrie was the one who was killed this time. The reason for her death, whether or not Serrie is related to my murder, or how Rhysel is connected to any of it remains unclear.
What should I do? Should I confront Mr Rhysel again?
As long as my brother is in Mr Rhysel’s room, I’ll just end up getting a knock on the head and won’t be able to corner Rhysel. ——In that case, I’ll have to take my brother immediately to Serrie's room to await the suspicious person's attack. Oh, this plan might actually work.
Cautious little me decided to simulate this plan before taking action.
I’d accuse Rhysel, get yelled at by my brother, then move to Serrie's room—Ah no, this won't work.
Last time, I said I wanted to meet the Duke, that's why my brother went with me to the library. But if it’s Serrie’s room, what then?
He’d surely tell me not to do anything unnecessary and get in my way. Worse yet, he might even pick me up and toss me into the master bedroom, like in one of the previous loops.
Even if I managed to get Brother Tris to agree, what then? The bride and her brother loitering in front of Serrie's room late at night? That would be too conspicuous, and the culprit wouldn’t even come close.
If I tried to wait for the attacker inside Serrie's room alone… That's no good either. I don't know if Serrie will cooperate with me, and there’s no guarantee I could catch her attacker. In the worst-case scenario, both Serrie and I could be killed together.
In other words, the plan to ambush Serrie's attacker was a no-go. In the first place, there’s no way I could carry out a plan that would put Serenia in such danger.
So what now? How can I bring Mr Rhysel's misdeeds to light while ensuring Serrie's safety, and if possible, find out who attacked Serrie and make the Duke eat his words?
「Madam, it's about time to head to the Master's room.」
「Ah…」
While I was deep in thought, the maids had already finished getting me ready, and were waiting patiently for me to stand up.
Is it time already? What should I do now?
I couldn't just go to the master bedroom again and have another showdown with Mr Rhysel…
Then suddenly, the Duke's face popped up in my mind.
Come to think of it, my conversation with him was left unfinished in the last loop.
There were still a lot of things that I wanted to talk to the Duke about. About Mr Rhysel, about Serrie, and this marriage.
The Duke, Crusseld Vrag was once top of my list for suspects. And although the "charges" against him were cleared thanks to my brilliant deduction, I'm sure he’s still involved in this case in some way.
A long time ago, someone in the Baltic family once taught me, "If you want to defeat an enemy general, you must first shoot his horse." If I want to defeat Mr Rhysel, I have to start by dealing with the other issues around him.
「I understand. I’ll go to the Duke's.」
When I nodded my head, Theresa and Harie looked visibly relieved.
Then Ines, our usual guide, stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves and stomping her heel on the floor as if to say,「I won’t let you escape.」
「Madam, please do your best.」
Finally, before I left Petra made a somewhat suggestive remark.
Though I had no intention of striving in the direction she had in mind, I nodded firmly, full of determination.
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!!
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