Unedited
It was written by my cousin, Judith Greene, who was about the same age as me. At the same time, the handwriting was too sloppy for her to have written it. It seemed she didn’t have the luxury to add decorative lines or draw smooth curves.
After the accident that occurred at the charity banquet, I did not hear from my cousin until I returned to Sancreek and spent the next few days in a haphazard manner. I wrote to Viscount Greene Estate, which she quickly replied to, apparently recovering enough to hold a quill. But her mind was not yet at peace. She said she had nightmares every night.
Jody described the incident of pushing me down the stairs with her hands as ‘an incident where the devil took over her body.’ It turned out that the dark creature that attacked her was none other than the devil that had inhabited her.
I found it hard to agree with her. Whatever had possessed Jody clearly wanted me dead. However, the thing that attacked Jody wanted to save me. The two entities were not the same.
Be cautious of Prince Spencer. It was a sentence written repeatedly at the end of the letter. According to Jody, the devil had some kind of relationship with the Spencer family, especially Jaden. She must have seen something the moment she was thrown against the tree, but she didn’t seem to want to explain, and with no other evidence to back it up, her claims seemed more improbable than reasonable.
Despite Jody’s absurd insistence, there was a hint of sincerity in her words. It wasn’t just because of the funny handwriting and shabby stationery that she would never choose, even while sleep-talking, to use as a fan to cover her mouth.
In my memory, Judith Green’s enthusiasm for the dragon knight was on par with Kendra Bradley’s. Although the direction differed, the intensity was the same as when she was sixteen. How on earth did she end up labeling her idol with such a vile word? Jaden Spencer is the furthest thing from evil I’ve ever known.
Keran Illestia, whom we last met in Florence Belle’s world, mentioned the secret Jaden had. It wasn’t hard to guess that the strange experience Jody and I had was connected to Jaden Spencer’s secret.
But how could I uncover it? Despite Kyle’s extensive knowledge, there were various limitations to his conveying it to me without the system’s surveillance. I’ve been seeing my childhood friend cough up blood so often lately that I’m completely sick of it.
I didn’t know if I could get an answer if I asked Jaden directly. He was very kind after all. However, there was also the possibility that I might cause unnecessary anger. There must have been a reason why it was classified as a ‘secret’.
Suddenly, I realized that there was a perfect, stealthy way to get my questions answered. The Keran Illestia of the parallel world would gladly become my encyclopedia, if I would only consider one small matter.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, information for information. The information I gave him was the truth about the world. I thought I might be able to get some clues about the honey pot that our bear-like, big, and cute friend had hidden.
It was almost certain that whatever possessed Jody and Pannington was the system. As for the side that attacked Jody, it was honestly a question mark. The only corner worth digging into was Jaden Spencer.
Saying that they are not the same does not mean that there is no connection, so I had to check. If Jaden and the black creature, or the black creature and the system, were connected in some way, it would be a big problem.
“Hey, what could happen that wouldn’t kill a person but would hurt enough to kill them? But they really shouldn’t die.”
So I asked abruptly. Fortunately, my very earnest and studious friend did not ignore the odd question.
“Oh, Ariel. Have you forgotten all the Adam Walsh torture methods we shared while playing cards? We were supposed to put fire ants in his underwear when school started.”
“That’s good too, but I mean like strangulation or stabbing, something like that.”
“Though I support you, our Emperor wouldn’t sit still. Marquis Walsh is said to be the top lapdog of her Majesty.”
“No, no. I’m not trying to do anything to Walsh.”
When I became fretful, Brianna’s eyes widened. ‘Then?’ she asked, but I didn’t know what to say, so I turned my gaze away from Bree and towards the sparkling turquoise lake. The sight of insects with translucent wings flying low was very peaceful and gave me some inspiration.
“Bree, are you a good swimmer?”
“Of course not. I’m terrible at it. Why?”
“Nilla!”
I suddenly got up, and the rowboat tilted sharply. Bree was horrified and grabbed the paddle. I guessed she wasn’t lying when she said she was terrible at swimming.
Cornelia, who was leaning against an old willow tree by the lake and turning the pages of a book, raised her head. It was the same with Kyle. He was releasing smelly and sticky slimes on the grass to distract his older sister from reading.
If I was afraid of heights, Kyle was afraid of depths. Although he used to enjoy playing in the water and had no traumatic experiences, at some point, he suddenly developed this fear.
Well, you don’t have to have a really significant reason to have the right to dislike something. After all, what makes the monsters under the beds or in the closets of all children scary isn’t something specific.
Anyway, I thought it would be difficult to include my childhood friend in the plot that was floating around in my head right now. And that was a very rare case for us. I cupped my hand over my mouth and shouted out loud.
“Nilla! Are you good at swimming?”
“What do you take the siren of the Thameni River for?”
Cornelia snapped back with a smirk. I was delighted with the news. I headed straight to the edge of the boat. It will be fine. Ariel Dalton’s positive shade said, hopefully. You’ve been on the verge of death several times, but you’ve overcome it in the end. You’re, well, whatever luck’s called. Like a leprechaun’s green pants.
Besides, this time, I’m in the presence of the Siren of the Thameni River. As I was pushing myself forward, I made eye contact with Cornelia Villard. The way she frowned as she placed the blade of her hand on her forehead looked exactly like that of her brother. It was quite ironic, given how bad their relationship was. With a slight grin, I cupped my hands around my mouth again.
“If a dangerous situation arises, you must save me!”
“Ariel? Are you crazy—!”
(T/N: Same thoughts, Bree…)
Brianna gasped, finally realizing what I was about to do. Ignoring her shrill cry, I kicked off. The humid summer air pressed against my cheeks.
My sinking speed was faster than expected. The bottom of the boat seemed so far away that I found myself floundering without realizing it. When I started to wonder if I had been reckless, it was too late. I felt water coming in my mouth and my nose, and then I lost strength.
After that, a very quiet and mysterious landscape continued. The movement of swirling bubbles amidst the falling rays of sunlight felt artistic. The pain didn’t last long. Fortunately.
***
“… Indeed, if it were a world that existed for Flora, then it wouldn’t be able to remain idle. It’s not a bad way to verify ‘Ari’s’ claim.”
“Yes… .”
In the place where the turquoise scenery disappeared, features that met universal standards of beauty appeared. I answered roughly while pressing my eyelids.
“But there are a few things that bother me. Can I change the terms of the contract?”
“Are you asking for my consent?”
“Of course not.”
The crown prince of Illestia, who had lived a life without having to consider other people’s opinions, smiled. I smiled back, hollowly.
On the table between Keran and me was a piece of paper. At first glance, it looked like a contract of some sort. I was very familiar with the appearance of the letters, with numbers encircled and highlighted and the edges nicely curved.
As I sank to the bottom of Lake Fraswell, I imagined the various situations I might encounter if I crossed over to the parallel world. I hadn’t imagined anything so creatively interesting. Whether it was Florence Belle’s world or Rosemary Blossom’s world, there was nothing I could promise Keran that would need to be documented.
Suddenly, an ominous feeling struck the back of my neck. A very ominous premonition. The crown prince of Illestia was never a good partner for the daughter of a Viscount from Milua to enter into a contract with, and as I read the first clause, my premonition was confirmed. Goosebumps ran down my spine.
Article 1. Purpose of the Contract
SECTION 1. The purpose of this contract is to formalize, under mutual agreement, the obligations Ariel Dalton (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party B’) must adhere to as the lover of Keran Ilestia (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party A’).
Having to pretend to be Keran’s girlfriend after Jaden made me want to go back to the original world right away. After my experience at the Spencer Mansion, I became acutely aware of my own lack of acting ability and completely gave up my secretly cherished dream of becoming a great actor. Moreover, becoming the student council president’s girlfriend at Fitzsimmons would attract a different level of attention than being the ‘unkownown viscount’s daughter’ at Talon.
Article 2. Contract Details
SECTION 1. The term of this agreement shall be from the date mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto until the date of Fitzsimmons Academy’s graduation banquet.
SECTION 2. Dates are to occur three times a week, lasting at least four hours each. If this cannot be adhered to due to the circumstances of either Party A or Party B, it must be compensated.
SECTION 3. Expenses incurred during a date shall be borne by Party A up to 50 gold coins. If the number exceeds 50, Party A may deduct the excess amount from the amount to be paid to Party B upon completion of the contract.
“I’ll limit our dates to twice a week. I’m not as free as you think I am. One day during the week and one day on the weekend, with the weekend date being at least eight hours. We need to be seen by as many students as possible, so unless something special comes up, it would be best to meet on Finnigan Street.”
“Huh? Uh… .”
“And the 50 gold coins… I think we can leave that out. My pride is hurt. Could you change it to ‘Party A will be responsible for all expenses incurred during the date.’”
Keran seemed to have memorized the entire contents of the contract after only briefly looking at it, as he looked directly at my face and said. I took the quill from him, drew two diagonal lines crossing out “up to 50 gold coins” in Section 3 of Article 2, and wrote “all expenses” in its place. I completely struck out the latter part of the sentence.
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