I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration

“By the way, Your Excellency. If… Have you ever mentioned somewhere else that Lise and I would go out?”

 

“Who would I say that to?”

 

Well, it was difficult to imagine that the tiger-like Duke would grab people around him and talk about his daughters-in-law.

 

‘Besides, it was Lise who took me directly to <Millane Bookstore>… No, no. The two of them could be accomplices.’

 

She observed the Duke closely until the end, then bowed politely and left. Then she went to see Lise, who was lying on the bed with a lighter face than her.

 

“Ed, Edith!”

 

Lise, her big eyes filled with tears, greeted her with a guilty face. And next to her was Cliff, who seemed to have a hint of strength between his eyes.

 

“Are you okay, Lise?”

 

“Well, I’m fine. Because of me, Edith… Hmm… sorry. I really had no idea something like that would happen.”

 

“Who would have predicted such an accident? Isn’t it? There are some strange parts, though.”

 

She wiped Lise’s cold sweaty forehead with the handkerchief next to her and smiled. If anyone were to see it, they would think that the person who almost died was Lise. It’s not that it’s not true, it’s that Lise looked very bad somewhere.

 

‘Was it that shocking that I almost died? Well, I’m usually surprised when someone I go out with almost gets killed by a stalker.’

 

She decided to be generous and think that it was something that would naturally shock an ordinary person. But still, questions remained.

 

“Lise… Did Lise plan it in advance when she decided to go to Le Belle Marie Street with me?”

 

“No! No. It was just a thought that occurred to me when His Excellency asked me to go shopping with Edith. The only place I know is Le Belle Marie Street.”

 

“Is it so?”

 

Cliff’s gaze toward her was becoming colder. The mouth has been smiling since a while ago, but the eyes seem to have a thin layer of ice.

 

“What you mean is that you haven’t told anyone around you, right?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“All right. I wasn’t hurt either, and the person who did this committed suicide after causing a ruckus… Lise, please brush yourself off quickly and get up.”

 

She lightly patted Lise’s shoulder and then stood up. Lise stood up with a face as if asking if this was the end.

 

“Edith… really… are you okay?”

 

“Uhm… The fear of almost dying doesn’t go away anytime soon, but with Killian by my side… I’m trying to get over it.”

 

“Huh… sorry.”

 

“Lise, do not cry. There’s no need for Lise to feel this guilty, even though she didn’t do it intentionally. So, pop!”

 

She said it jokingly, but she thought that if Lise was the culprit, or if the original author who was creating this whole situation was watching, he would have noticed the meaning in it.

 

‘It probably means that you’re crying for a reason.’

 

After the conversation, she was about to get up, but Cliff was glaring at her without even a polite smile.

 

“It’s as if Lise intentionally put you in danger.”

 

“When did I say so?”

 

“Every single word you said was like that. Is that all you can say while looking at Lise trembling with guilt over such a small thing as going to the bookstore together and not finding you and leaving first?”

 

Cliff, like the male lead, would be the knight who protected Lise until the end. So even in this suspicious situation, Lise glared at her like she’s going to eat her.

 

“Cliff! Don’t do that! Please don’t do that! Ugh…”

 

Lise grabbed Cliff and almost begged him to stop. It was a sight that she could not understand at all. Rather than Cliff defending Lise, it’s Lise who overreacted to such a thing. 

It seemed as if she was doing everything in her power to make herself look like the victim. If not, then she was shaking in fear because she knew something. But first, she had to take some shots at Cliff.

 

“Cliff, can you really only say that? I almost died! Today is the first time I’ve seen Cliff since that incident, and you haven’t said a word to me about whether I’m okay?”

 

Cliff’s eyes widened as if he was surprised by the unexpected counterattack. Then he hit her again.

 

“Think of all the cases you’ve been accused of! Lise has never once blamed you!”

 

“I didn’t blame Lise either. And that’s something you can criticize Lise or me for, but it’s no excuse for Cliff’s rude attitude!”

 

Only then did Cliff close his mouth. Of course, he didn’t even apologize to her.

 

“You still seem to think of me as the villain of great rumors, but I don’t have any ill feelings toward Cliff or Lise. The reason I asked Lise was not to accuse her of being the culprit, but to find out how that man could appear there.”

 

Even if she said this, Cliff would not stop being suspicious and wary of her. Cliff was like that from the beginning. On the outside, he pretended to be gentle and generous, but on the inside, he was wary of everyone who could harm Lise’s well-being. Because he was the original male lead.

 

She gave up on Cliff and comforted Lise.

 

“Lise, I think you’re more surprised because I almost died twice in a short period of time, but don’t worry too much. I don’t think something like this will happen again.”

 

“Yes…?”

 

Lise, whose cheeks were wet with tears, looked at her with devastated eyes. Cliff was glaring at her, wary of what she might say to hurt Lise again. But she was just stating her expectations.

 

“Just like that. It doesn’t make sense that something like this happens so often.”

 

It was questionable how much power the original author has left to control this situation, or rather, whether he has any power left to control this situation.

 

“So don’t worry too much and take care of yourself, Lise. Cliff is so worried.”

 

“Yes… Thank you, Edith. Thank you.”

 

Lise wiped her cheek and smiled slightly. 

 

‘Yes, you have a pretty smile. So just smile like an angel and be quiet. Please.’

 

* * *

 

The incident in which she was almost killed by Fred Sicily was quietly buried thanks to Killian’s efforts. It seemed that Fred had caused a riot in the prison before his death, so the soldiers guarding the prison had to be silenced, but the Viscount Sicily was surprisingly quick to take action. It hadn’t been a day or two since Fred had become a problem for the family because of Edith, so the Viscount Sicily, who guessed that Fred had done things as he pleases, gave money to the soldiers to silence them.

 

‘Well, it’s not wrong.’

 

If the rumor spread, Viscount Sicily would be hit harder than Duke Ludwig, so Viscount Sicily would not have had time to mourn his son’s death. Maybe he thinks it’s a good thing he died.

 

‘It’s really unfortunate that there is no way to confirm who was overhearing.’

 

The most suspicious one was Lise, but considering that this was a trick by the original author, there were countless suspects. It was not just the Count Sinclair or Count Rigelhof that were always suspected. When she thought of the ladies who glared at her during the founding ceremony, she couldn’t count on both hands the number of people who wanted her dead. Maybe the original author made it sound like an auditory hallucination in Fred Sicily’s ears. Even as speculation continued as to who had announced my departure, the situation was changing rapidly. The Count Rigelhof family, which had supported Archduke Langston during the founding of the Empire, completely reversed its position as an imperialist and ally of Duke Ludwig. Now the Count Rigelhof was a representative of the Archduke Langston’s faction. And he began to raise minor complaints against the Ludwig family, with whom he had been closely involved in business.

 

‘Are we finally heading towards catastrophe?’

 

After passing this point of confrontation with Duke Ludwig, Count Rigelhof has crossed a river of no return.

 

‘It’s a train to the netherworld without brakes. It’s all well and good whether you burn your short lives passionately or not, but I don’t want to get on that train.’

 

But her will had no effect on the flow of the story. That night, an unpleasant letter arrived that looked like an express first-class ticket to the netherworld.

 

‘Well, well, what is that!’

 

She woke up from a light sleep to a strange crackling, crackling noise. She watched in bewilderment as a black shadow outside the window pushed something between the window frames of her room and disappeared before coming to her senses.

 

‘Was there an episode like this in the original?’

 

As she was thinking carefully about the original work, she found a point where she thought there might have been a similar episode.

 

‘A letter from Shane to Edith… It could be.’

 

Haven’t she seen it in her dreams? The letter from Shane sending her a strange device to install on the back door of the mansion was still vivid in her memory. That letter showed no concern at all for his sister’s well-being.

 

She took a deep breath and slowly walked over to the window and picked up the letter that had fallen on the floor. Then, without a letter knife, she just opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and read it.

 

[Sooner or later, you will be abandoned by the Ludwig family.

 

It’s all your fault for not playing your role properly and betraying your family, but since you are also of Rigelhof’s blood, I will give you one last chance. If you want to come back to Edit Rigelhof, hang a yellow ribbon on your window.

 

For a person who does not know how to reflect, there is only death.]

 

Although the letter had no sender, it was obvious who had sent it.

 

‘It must be Shane who received orders from Count Rigelhof.’

 

Every single line of the letter is full of lies, gaslighting, and deception.

 

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Translator Note: