“Wait, I can’t understand why they only remember such information, but let’s try to solve it anyway. Frankly, we should even consider whether the witness who claimed to have witnessed this is not an accomplice.”
If this continues, will they tear up the calendar and make saltwater?
(TLN : This expression is often used metaphorically to convey frustration or exasperation over someone’s behavior or actions. It suggests that if the current behavior continues, the person might resort to extreme or irrational actions.)
“Lady Viviana is really honest.”
“I’ve heard that a lot. Especially the talk about honesty being attractive.”
“I see…”
Anyway, since it was not a difficult logic puzzle, I began to solve it. Being good at math also means being good at logic puzzles.
“Okay, please pay attention while I explain!”
“Lady Viviana?”
“Don’t look at the clock! Don’t clean your glasses! You were supposed to do that during break time!”
“Lady Viviana? Why are you suddenly…”
“Oh, sorry. I got a bit distracted.”
Once again, I cleared my throat awkwardly and began my explanation.
“First, looking at numbers 4 and 5, it’s clear that Moretti is not the passenger living closest to the commander.”
“Since it’s exactly three times…”
“The commander lives between Pérez and Trevelora, so Moretti wouldn’t live in Pérez or Trevelora. It’s because this city is presumed to be the one closest to the commander.”
“What’s next?”
“Since Buffon lives in Pérez and it was mentioned that there’s a passenger in Trevelora, the commander must be Moretti.”
Simone nodded slowly as if understanding my words.
“Therefore, Juliny lives in Trevelora. According to number 6, Juliny is not a soldier, so Juliny must be the technician.”
“Exactly.”
Observing Simone’s gentle smile as he listened to me, I realized that he already knew the answer.
Well, a main character serving as a sort of brain wouldn’t have missed deducing even this level of answer.
Wait, why did he ask me this in the first place?
Blinking with that doubt in my eyes as I looked at Simone, he spoke with a peculiar expression.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Aurora, so I was just curious about who Lady Viviana is.”
“Aurora… talked a lot about me?”
“Of course, you two are close. Even though you two bicker often, it just proves your closeness.”
Hmm, did it seem like that? It’s fortunate I didn’t come across as someone who just bullied Aurora…
Oh, come to think of it, unlike in the original, the male leads don’t love Aurora here.
Could it be that the original story changed a lot?
So, for example, in this world, Seraphina might not have been the villainess after all!
To emphasize our friendship, I decided to say it again.
“Haha, although Aurora appears delicate and innocent, there are surprisingly interesting sides of her…”
“Huh?”
Simone asked as if he misheard.
“Aurora, delicate?”
“Um…”
“I can assure you, if there were ever a physical confrontation among noble ladies, Aurora would come out on top. No, she might even defeat most noble young men and assert her dominance in high society.”
…Did Aurora’s personality change too? Is she not the quiet girl as in the original?
At that moment, a bank employee approached and called Simone, who stood up from his seat.
“I should be going now, Lady Viviana. See you next time.”
“Uh, yes…”
After Simone left, my mind became even more tangled.
I need to quickly identify the parts that changed from the original so I can deal with them properly…
“Lady Viviana?”
“Oh, yes!”
With the bank employee approaching me, I followed his guidance to check my account balance. Soon, he wrote down some numbers on a piece of paper with a somewhat awkward expression.
“Currently, Lady Viviana’s account has this amount remaining…”
《 59 Marks. 》
I blinked for a moment.
“Um, how much was a piece of bread that commoners eat?”
“Uh, I bought a loaf for 4500 Marks this morning.”
“This is insane!”
Not even enough money to buy a piece of bread! This is practically destitution! She must have invested all her money somewhere!
Seraphina, even if she’s like this, should have saved some money!
The business at the bank ended so disappointingly.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the mansion, I rushed straight to my room.
“Were the Seraphina and Aurora of this world really close? Unlike in the original?”
Is there any clue?
Perhaps Seraphina kept a diary or something?
I started rummaging through my room drawers like crazy, and as a result, I found a really girly pink diary with a burdening cover!
“Yes, this is it!”
I immediately flipped open the first page of the diary.
– January 1st.
I met Aurora at the New Year’s party.
I wanted to insult her while I had the chance, but unfortunately, her amazing four friends were around her. They’re really close friends with Aurora, so I figured they might say something to me if I messed with her.
Then Aurora raised her middle finger at me!! Can you believe it?!
Why do people think I’m the only one bothering Aurora??
…So it seems the relationship between the guys and Aurora was just that of simple friends, as depicted in the original by Seraphina.
And it seems Seraphina and Aurora had more of a back-and-forth relationship rather than Seraphina just unilaterally tormenting Aurora.
Come to think of it, Simone used the term ‘banter’ earlier, too.
– January 2nd.
Went to Marquess Sanzio’s tea party and picked up Aurora’s diary that she dropped.
I was excited to find Aurora’s embarrassing moments to tease her, but since it’s a New Year’s diary, there was only one entry for January 1st… Ugh, annoying!
Instead, I found a note from Aurora about a good investment opportunity. Seems like high-level intel acquired from Marquess Shae.
Ugh, I gotta make money in the new year, so I might as well invest here.
Aha, so this is where Seraphina’s entire fortune went—into this mining investment. I hope it pays off…
– January 3rd.
There was a New Year’s gathering at Count Viviana’s.
Guess what!! That brat Camilla was there too!!! Ugh, infuriating!!!
Just thinking about how much Camilla belittles me for not being able to use magic pisses me off.
It’s not just Camilla. I’ll crush Chessare and Lucia too someday.
No, let’s change perspective. So what if I can’t use magic!!!
The age of humanities will surely come.
Hmm, so the original Seraphina wasn’t exactly easygoing…
And her inferiority complex about magic seems to stem from the gatherings, and she really loved humanities…
Somehow, I felt a slight affinity with Seraphina in this part.
In my previous world, I was a math teacher, but back in my student days, I had a great interest in humanities.
So, when I was in college, I also double-majored in philosophy, read a lot of humanities books, but ended up becoming a math teacher after all.
Anyway, making a living is an important issue…
“So, you went from tutoring to diving into the private education industry?”
“Well, yeah. I didn’t major in business or computer science, and with a double major in math and philosophy, there weren’t many job options. Since I had a good academic background, I thought I’d give private tutoring a shot.”
“You weren’t particularly interested in math, though?”
“What can I do? I have to make a living.”
Yeah, that happened…
Anyway, let’s keep reading the diary.
– January 4th
Got into a fight with Aurora and I pulled her hair.
But wait, she scratched me first??
Of course, I grabbed her hair much better and eventually won. She said she’d work on her skills and come back stronger next time.
So, Aurora wasn’t exactly a docile character… It seems like it was a two-way teasing relationship.
“Seraphina!”
As I was halfway through the diary, I heard my father’s voice from outside the room, prompting me to quickly get up from my seat.
“Yes?”
Opening the door and stepping out, I saw my father standing there, his fists clenched.
Judging by his facial expression… Excitement, and success?
“Don’t worry, Seraphina! I had a good talk with Marquess Shae!”
“Ah…”
“They probably won’t hold you responsible for anything.”
“Thank you, Father. I promise I won’t bother Aurora again.”
As I reassured him, pride for his well-raised daughter shone on my father’s face.
Seraphina really should have been closer to Father sooner.
“Come to think of it, you haven’t been going out much lately, have you? You seem to be staying at home all the time.”
Invitations to tea parties and receptions kept coming. The original Seraphina was quite popular in social circles and had many friends.
But without memories of them, it was hard for me to act naturally, so I just let them pile up.
“Yes, I’m planning to stay home for a while. I’m worried about Aurora, too…”
“Your heart is too soft. Does that mean you won’t be seeing the princess either?”
“The princess?”
I furrowed my brow, trying to recall information about the ‘princess’ from the original work.
Yes, if it’s the princess…
It would probably refer to the princess ‘Eva’ of this kingdom.
In the original, whenever Seraphina bothered Aurora, they would compare her to Princess Eva.
Seraphina greatly admired Princess Eva, so she felt upset when Aurora, whom she already disliked, shared the same blonde hair as Princess Eva.
In short, it was like this.
“Hmph, getting all excited because some insignificant noble said something nice. Compared to Princess Eva, you’re not beautiful at all!”
“Ha, Princess Eva is much smarter and more spirited than you!”
Then, how is Seraphina’s admiration for Princess Eva used?
It is used in the latter part of the story when Aurora seeks revenge on Seraphina.
Aurora becomes close to Princess Eva and even takes her away from Seraphina. In the story, Seraphina nearly suffocates with jealousy.
For reference, Princess Eva is portrayed as truly beautiful, kind, intelligent, perfect, and popular.
Princess Eva praises Aurora’s performance, which helps Aurora rise even higher.
“Yes, I don’t plan on doing that for the time being.”
Unlike Seraphina, I don’t admire Princess Eva, so I can’t shower her with praises.
It would be wise to stay quietly at home for the time being.
“Really? That’s a good thing. It wouldn’t have been good to become too close to the princess. Weren’t you too indifferent to your father because you were so busy chasing after her, haha?”
“Haha… Was I?”
“Well, now that you’re not liable, there’s no need for you to meet them directly.”
“Ah, those people…”
He must be talking about Raffaelo Nesta, Arkhangelo Phyro, and Ghieuspe Ascary, who visited the mansion a little while ago.
“We agreed to meet here tomorrow, so I’ll meet them until then.”
I don’t know why, but Raffaelo said he still needs my help tomorrow.
***
The next day, they came to the mansion at the same time as yesterday.
It was the same three people as yesterday, with one more added.
“Oh, uh, hello…”
“Nice to see you again, Lady Viviana.”
“Uh, hehe…”
As I felt at the bank yesterday, he’s definitely the male lead. Wow, his eyes are so dazzling that I can’t even look at his face properly.
“I apologize for the breach of etiquette in coming to your home unexpectedly, Lady Viviana, but there’s something I must tell you.”
“I don’t know why you’re apologizing for a breach of etiquette, but please, go ahead and speak.”
“Yes?”
“Oh, she’s always been a bit odd. Don’t mind her.”
Ignoring Raffaelo’s words, Simone cleared his throat and continued speaking with proper manners as he sat down on the sofa.
“Lady Viviana, how much do you know about Aurora?”
