So, this morning.
It was after a night of deep sleep, during which I had fainted. I was in distress.
A canopied bed adorned with delicate lace curtains.
I thought these only existed in princesses’ homes, but here I was, lying in one.
“As expected from the Travel family, a family of great wealth. Even in the separate quarters of the lowest-ranking heir, they provide a canopied bed… Why do I even know this?”
It was my first time at the Travel house.
Shouldn’t it be normal to know nothing? Yet, everything around me felt familiar.
This place, for instance, being my room in Stone House, or that I wouldn’t leave this place until I turned twenty-four…
“Are you sure? Is this for real?”
I rolled around on the bed, then slipped off the edge along with the blanket onto the floor.
In the distance, the fireplace seemed to be flipped upside down. Actually, it was my view that was upside down. I stared intently at the marble pillar of the fireplace, which was intricately carved with vines.
“…Grandma Marshall used to say that people should always be suspicious.”
In truth, I fainted the moment I saw Grandpa yesterday.
Maybe these memories are just part of my dream.
“Right?”
With a reason to argue back, I felt energized.
I stood up energetically and walked towards the fireplace, determined to prove that these memories were all my imagination.
“If you turn the flower decorations on the left pillar in the correct order, a secret space appears…”
There’s no way such a tall tale could be true. This is all just a dream, a dream.
Even though I walked over confidently, when I actually faced the six metal flower decorations carved into the vines on the pillar, I hesitated.
The pillar was as tall as I was. Meaning, I could turn all six flowers in the correct order with no problem.
But before that, would they even turn?
“They won’t turn… this is all just a dream…”
But why are they turning?
I suppressed the urge to cry and moved my hand.
Creak. Click.
The built-in cabinet next to the fireplace slid aside, revealing a secret space.
“……….”
The room seemed to welcome the person who had discovered its hidden self, as the lights began to turn on.
Witnessing the magnificent sight unfolding before me, I froze in place, unable to remove my hand from the last flower decoration. I couldn’t even blink my now-wide eyes or close my gaping mouth.
I’ve seen something like this in a picture book before.
When a commoner, riding a flying carpet, found a mysterious cave…
“No way…”
I quietly turned the flowers back.
Whirr. Whirr. Creak. Click.
I left the built-in cabinet, which had returned to its original state, behind and trudged back to the bed.
For now, I’ll just ignore what I saw.
“Phew.”
A sigh escaped my lips. In truth, the fact that I had memories of Stone House and all didn’t really matter.
Actually, it’s rather amazing, right? It’s like having a superpower to know the future.
But…
It would have been fine if it was just that, but the strange memories that kept surfacing were the real problem.
– Those gathered here will remember the noble sacrifice of Reytan Quartz Travel…
The priest spoke solemnly in front of the coffin draped with the empire’s flag, while my sixteen-year-old self, dressed in black, stared blankly at the coffin.
My dad, who had gone to war against another race on the Emperor’s orders, returned in that coffin.
From the day we buried my dad, I stood in front of the main house. It was a protest, a plea for my grandfather, whom I had never met in person, to listen to my story.
– Miss, how long do you plan to stay like this? It’s been ten days already. Even if you stay outside without eating or sleeping for days, the Master has no intention of listening to you.
– Uncle Callet, don’t you think it’s strange? You’re my dad’s friend, so you know him well. You know how strong he is. The idea that a Grand Master could die in such a small war is absurd.
– The battlefield is a place where such absurd things can happen. And Reytan… Reytan wouldn’t have wanted you to do this.
I wanted to uncover the truth behind my dad’s death. I believed that with the power and wealth of the Travel family, even suspicions with only circumstantial evidence could be brought to light.
But no one in the Travel family would listen to me.
At sixteen, I acted alone. I moved without the support of the family, avoiding the interference of relatives.
After eight years of tearful struggles, I finally got a clue that could reveal the identity of the culprit – but!
I died before I could even fully grasp the clue. Someone stabbed me from behind with a sword…
‘The other me was a fool…’
A shiver ran through me as the final scene replayed in my mind.
If only I had at least seen the face of the person who stabbed me.
After going through all that suffering and not even finding the culprit, let alone getting revenge. It’s so unfair.
Is that why my adult self, out of sheer frustration, gave me these memories?
“Ugh, I don’t know.”
I flopped onto the bed and buried my face in the blanket.
Just a week ago, I was living peacefully in a rural village with my dad.
If those bounty hunters hadn’t ruined Grandma Marshall’s herb garden, I would have been having fried eggs cooked by my dad this morning.
“I don’t need these memories, or a rich grandfather…”
I came to the Travel house and got hit with this disaster.
My simple wish for a rich grandfather to buy me a teddy bear shattered.
“Berry, when did you wake up?”
Just then, my dad came into the room. His voice, which perked up my ears, made me jump up and call out to him.
“Dad!”
“If you step on the blanket with your feet… no, how’s your body? Are you in pain anywhere? Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
“That’s not important right now!”
My dad, who was rushing over to check on me, paused in his tracks.
Then what’s important? He asked with his eyes.
“I’m going to propose a job to you, Dad.”
“…A job?”
“Yup. Listen to me, okay?”
I don’t want to believe in a future where my dad dies. But I had to verify whether these memories were correct.
I came up with a plan.
I would compare the identities of the people who visited Stone House today with my new memories!
“What is it?”
Dad picked me up, and I used the excuse of playing detective to ask him to play the role of an investigator. I even added a detailed explanation.
“So! Dad, you have to ask the people who come into the room for information! Their name, age, and other things! Then I’ll hide and listen in, and later, I’ll surprise them!”
After hearing my perfect plan, Dad frowned.
“…Dad doesn’t really want to do that.”
“But Berry’s future dream is to be a competent detective. And… Berry… is still suffering from the aftereffects of fainting… Ouch, it hurts.”
“……..…”
“Will you help, Investigator Reytan?”
“…Yes, Detective Berry.”
***
And then, this afternoon. The results were…
A perfect score of 100 out of 100.
‘I even guessed correctly that Butler Cerberus had bought Ink Company stocks.’
I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling down.
Honestly, I didn’t need to bring up the Ink Company, but I had my reasons.
‘The person coming to replace him, Jacob, is a stingy one.’
Butler Cerberus would lose his house and his entire fortune due to a failed stock investment.
He would even lose his health and, like a withering leaf, slowly waste away. Eventually, he would quit, and Jacob would take over as the new head butler!
‘He’s a nasty piece of work who skimps on food!’
The head butler of the main house had the authority to decide on the provision of food, clothing, and other supplies for the side residences of the direct descendants.
But once Jacob became head butler, the supplies began to dwindle. Especially the food.
For desserts, only those with low sugar content were allowed, breakfast was always bread and soup, and lunch and dinner were restricted to just one main dish.
‘It’s all because Dad’s side residence is called Stone House, right? Hmph.’
That’s why it’s better to keep Butler Cerberus.
Although Butler Cerberus is also close to my uncle, he’s the lesser of two evils….
‘Wait a minute.’
Something felt off. I had been thinking in a much more adult-like way for a while now.
I tilted my head as I looked at myself in the mirror.
I was still seven years old.
– Because it’s better to choose the lesser of two evils. That’s why I came to you.
The memories of the other me, who lived until twenty-four, had newly formed.
‘So you were the culprit…!’
That’s why I had thoughts like whether I was the lesser evil or the worst evil!
I let my guard down. I almost naturally accepted the new memories.
Are you trying to make me believe that what you experienced is the real future? Well, I’ll tell you-!
“Berry, you’ll hurt your eyes if you look too closely into the mirror.”
“Yes.”
Dad took the mirror, which I had brought right up to my face, out of my hands. His face was reflected in the small table mirror on the sofa in front of me.
I don’t need any such future.
“What’s wrong?”
“I… don’t like the big Berry.”
When I pouted, Dad lightly pinched my cheek and shook it gently.
“You’ve been singing about how much you wanted to turn seven for months.”
“I take that back.”
“Sure, but Detective Berryberry.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
A question?
I lifted my head to look at Dad.
He had a suspicious look in his eyes. It felt like it wasn’t going to be a pleasant question.
“What’s the story about the stock you mentioned to Cerberus earlier? That wasn’t part of the information I gave to the Detective.”
“Oh…”
Asking such a tricky question.
I could easily get away with the other things since we often played detective, but the Ink Company stock would be hard to pass without suspicion… right?
“Grandma Marshall told Uncle Peter not to buy Ink Company stocks because they would crash. You know Uncle Peter, right? The one who likes matching pictures with cards!”
And at times like this, it’s best to bring in a seasoned adult… was what the other me remembered saying.
“Marshall?”
I could hear the suspicion in Dad’s voice easing a bit.
Grandma Marshall is the only adult who can make Dad soften up, and she’s a benefactor to both me and Dad.
I used to get sick often when I was a baby, and every time, Grandma Marshall, the village pharmacist, would take care of me.
“When I saw the butler, it suddenly reminded me of that. Don’t you think Uncle Peter and the butler look alike?”
“…They do look alike….”
“Right?”
I grinned innocently as if I knew nothing.
Dad remained silent, deep in thought for a while, then asked me,
“Berryberry, how about making a promise with Dad?”
“Hmm, what is it? Let me hear it first.”
“When we’re at Grandpa’s house, let’s keep it a secret that Berry is talented.”
I stared at Dad quietly. Others might think Dad is scary, but I’ve never seen anyone with eyes as warm as Dad’s.
Even now. His eyes are full of concern.
“We won’t be at Grandpa’s house for long. Just for that time.”
– Berry, I’m sorry. It looks like we’ll have to stay longer than expected.
But in my memories, we lived at the Travel house for the rest of our lives. Dad spent his life trying to protect me.
– All the relatives are beasts. They’re only thinking about tearing each other apart to seize the position of heir.
One of those beasts killed Dad.
“But how do I keep being talented a secret?”
“You pretend you’re not good at the things you’re actually good at. Can you do that?”
“Shall I try? Since Dad is asking~”
That’s why I can’t ignore these memories that I don’t want to believe.
Even if it’s just a one in a million chance.
What if my dad’s death is real?
