BSWRCPO Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Most of Clyde’s concerns were justified. Edith had a sealed envelope hidden in the inner pocket of her coat, containing the resignation letter she had written at home.

But after long hesitation, Edith had come to a decision.

She resolved to take a timid first step.

Though she doubted her ability to accept and support the mountain-like weight of Clyde’s feelings, she wanted to at least give it a try.

And before anything else, she felt it was only fair to give him the choice.

Since Clyde had laid bare his vulnerabilities and been honest with her, Edith decided she, too, would reveal her deepest secret, one she had never shared with anyone. She suspected Clyde had shown her the Emperor’s body as a means of holding onto her. In contrast, Edith braced herself to risk losing him entirely as she reached for his arm.

“Clyde, I have something to tell you.”

Their leisurely steps through the garden came to a halt. Clyde stared into the distance, not immediately turning to look at her.

Was he expecting her to bid him farewell?

But that wasn’t what Edith was about to say.

“Actually, I’ve been hiding something,” she began.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Though she had resolved to be honest, the words didn’t come easily. She hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.

“I’m not sure how you’ll take this, but…”

“…”

“I’m not Edith.”

“What?”

Clyde spun around, his tall frame turning swiftly, and fixed her with a confused gaze.

He studied her carefully, as if trying to make sense of the seriousness in her expression. The crease in his brow deepened as he tried to process her words.

“Are you saying you’re some sort of double for the Emperor’s aide? That the real Edith is somewhere else, and you’re here in her place?”

“It’s not like that at all,” she replied, shaking her head.

“Hmm. I suppose even if someone could find a lookalike, your genius is unmatched. Then again, no one could ever resemble Edith’s face either.”

Though his remark was an overly generous compliment, Edith let it slide. Clyde’s intense gaze as he scrutinized her features made her uncomfortable, but she knew she had to explain.

“Clyde, please don’t misunderstand me. Just listen,” she said.

“Go on,” he urged.

“This world is… well, it’s part of a story. A novel written by an author in the world I came from.”

“A story? This place?”

As expected, he didn’t believe her.

“I was reading the novel, and one day, I suddenly found myself inside Edith’s body. That was about four years ago.”

“But everything about you seems like the real Edith.”

“That’s because I’ve been relying heavily on the knowledge I gained from reading the novel. And Edith’s body retained her skills, though emotions tied to memories were erased. For instance, I can fluently speak five languages because I inherited those skills from her.”

Clyde’s expression remained skeptical. It wasn’t a story anyone could easily accept.

“Did you make this up because of me? Because I’ve been pressuring you too much?” he asked.

“No, it’s the truth. At least, it is for me.”

Taking a deep breath, Edith carefully laid out everything she knew.

“My body is identical to the original Edith’s. Her genius mind is a natural trait of this body. However, emotions tied to likes or dislikes disappeared when I took over. While I retained most of her past memories, anything with emotional significance is out of reach.”

“Is there any proof that you’re not the real Edith?” he asked.

“There’s no physical evidence, but…”

“But?”

“My father recently told me something. He said I used to visit the palace often as a child. He wondered if I had met you back then. I remember learning to walk as a baby, but I can’t recall any memories of visiting the palace—probably because those memories were tied to emotions.”

“So you forgot the times you met me? I thought it was because you were too young to remember,” Clyde murmured, as if piecing things together.

“Then… it seems the real Edith must have shared some special memories with you,” Edith concluded softly.

Gradually, Edith could read the confusion in Clyde’s eyes. It seemed he was starting to believe her, little by little.

Whether he believed her or not, she was simply revealing the truth as it was. Lifting her gaze, she met his eyes directly.

“Clyde, in the novel, you were the protagonist. I was just a minor attendant serving the crown prince.”

“If I’m the protagonist and you’re a minor character, that means we didn’t end up together in the story.”

“In the version I read, you were in love with Adrian.”

“With Adrian?”

“Yes, so deeply that you were willing to give up everything for him.”

“That must be a work of fiction, then,” he scoffed, clearly displeased at the mention of what he perceived as a hollow relationship, one that existed purely for appearances.

“Let me be blunt. I don’t like Adrian. His artificial omega scent is obnoxious. It feels like my nose is rotting whenever I catch a whiff of it.”

“It’s clear that your current relationship with Adrian isn’t great. The world of the story and this world are starting to diverge.”

“How so?”

“In the original work, Clyde didn’t have this kind of close relationship with me. I was just an attendant you kept by your side for convenience.”

“That doesn’t seem right. You’ve always been someone who stands out, both then and now.”

“Well, apparently, the author thought differently.”

Clyde tilted his head slightly, his impossibly handsome face moving closer. His sharp gaze narrowed as he studied Edith, clearly struggling to process her confession and decide how to react.

“In any case…”

After taking a deep breath, she finally explained the reason she had gone to such lengths to tell him all this.

“I’m not the Edith you knew from your childhood. If you have feelings for me, and they stem from memories of the past, they have nothing to do with the person I am now.”

“Edith, that seems a bit premature.”

“I’ll leave the decision up to you.”

She handed him the resignation letter she had been carrying. His large hand opened, and she placed the envelope in his palm.

A strange sense of regret lingered.

Had she grown attached to Clyde? Or perhaps developed feelings deeper than she realized?

She feared he might accept the resignation too easily. Her hands lingered unnecessarily on the envelope as if reluctant to let it go.

“Would it be better for the Edith you knew to return?”

“…”

“Well, it’s not like I have any say in the matter. I don’t know how or when I came to this world, and I don’t know if I’ll ever return.”

“Does that mean there’s a chance you could go back?”

Just as she was about to resign herself to his decision, Clyde asked an unexpected question. Edith’s eyes widened as she looked up at him, her heart sinking at the possibility that he might be afraid of her leaving.

No, that couldn’t be it. Clyde had shown great interest in the character of Edith from the beginning. From the moment she bumped into him in the office or during the trial to become his personal attendant, he had treated her differently.

Shaking her head to clear her wandering thoughts, she replied, “I don’t know if I’ll live my entire life here or if I’ll be sent back to my world tomorrow.”

“I don’t know why you’re telling me this. Whether it’s true or not, I can’t verify it. But I can’t help wondering—are you saying this because I’ve worked you too hard or made you uncomfortable?”

“I suppose it might look that way from your perspective. But what if I could give you a glimpse of the future?”

“The future?”

“You’ll never reconcile with the noble faction.”

“Of course not. You’ve seen what they did to my father.”

“And you’ll strengthen the imperial family’s power to the point of carrying out a massive purge. It’ll shake the entire country. Beyond that, the empire will be destabilized to the brink of collapse.”

Clyde’s already furrowed brow creased further.

“No one knows about my plan to wipe them out. How could you possibly know that?”

“It was written in the novel’s synopsis.”

Edith stepped back, swallowing her lingering regrets. She felt as though her fate was no longer in her hands.

Her heart, which had been nervously fluttering, now pounded fiercely. She pressed a hand to her chest as she took a step back and slowly shook her head.

“I’m sorry for pretending to be Edith all this time. It wasn’t my choice to end up in this world.”

Her retreat was slow at first, but as soon as she turned away, her steps quickened. Shame and guilt washed over her. It felt as if she had stolen someone else’s life. Though it hadn’t been intentional, others might perceive it differently.

The wide lawns on either side of her offered no place to hide.

As she retraced her steps back to the crown prince’s palace, her back prickled as if Clyde’s gaze was still on her. She couldn’t tell if it was just her guilty conscience or if he was truly watching her.

When she finally reached the shade of the palace entrance, she quickly slipped inside.

—

The rest of the day felt like walking a tightrope.

Edith kept glancing at Clyde, who had grown noticeably quieter, trying to read his mood.

Still, as a servant, she had to fulfill her duties. During meetings with officials and nobles, she stood behind Clyde as usual, jotting down notes.

Even during brief moments of respite, he remained silent.

The quiet felt ominous.

She ensured preparations for the banquet the next day were proceeding smoothly and checked the outfits they would wear. When Clyde inspected his formal attire, Edith tried on her dress in an adjacent room.

The prolonged silence had nearly worn her down. Truthfully, she had assumed their relationship was over the moment she revealed her secret.

After all, the original Edith seemed to share cherished memories with Clyde. Her inability to recall those moments suggested they had been deeply emotional. It made sense that Clyde would treasure the Edith of the past.

Though they hadn’t argued, a cold tension persisted into the next day.

Edith decided to attend only the first night of the banquet. She had no interest in mingling or enjoying the festivities and wasn’t a particularly popular figure in high society.

Still, wearing a beautiful dress lifted her spirits slightly.

Several skilled palace attendants fussed over her, ensuring every detail of her appearance was perfect. Their meticulous hands adjusted her attire with precision.

If she were a member of the imperial family, a personal maid would have assisted her. But as a mere servant, she had to make do with palace staff. Even her family, the Kettsmoris household, couldn’t afford to hire a personal maid, let alone a housekeeper.

As she stepped out of the room alone, Clyde happened to emerge from his own chamber at the same time.

He stopped in his tracks, his golden eyes fixed on her without wavering.