So, everything—including the fact that the male leads and I teamed up to chase after Aurora—was part of her plan all along?
Now that I knew the truth, Aurora looked completely different from before.
Come to think of it, she had even written in her letters to the male leads that she had stolen money from me. It was all part of her scheme to bring us together.
“It’s obvious that the reason you had to run away and all these strange occurrences must be related to Princess Eva.”
“I’ve always disliked Princess Eva.”
“…Why?”
“Because whenever you were with her, you became strange.”
“….….”
“Seraphina, your father, I, and everyone around you knew it. We all noticed how you changed when you were with Princess Eva.”
…So that was it. Everyone knew, except for me.
Overwhelmed by emotion, I moved closer to Aurora and hugged her tightly.
“Aurora, you went this far for me…?”
“Oh, come on. We’re friends!”
“But why didn’t you just tell me the truth from the start?”
Even if she wanted to help me escape, there was no need to go this far to provoke me, right? Curious, I asked, and Aurora responded with a gentle smile.
“I wasn’t sure how much influence Princess Eva had over you.”
“Oh…”
“I thought that if you kept chasing me and got farther away, you might eventually break free from her control. If I had told you to run while you were still under her influence, it wouldn’t have worked.”
“To be honest, I don’t even understand why I liked Princess Eva so much back then… But now, she just scares and disgusts me.”
As I looked at Aurora with teary eyes, suddenly, something came to mind.
“Wait a minute. But that still doesn’t change the fact that you spent my money, does it? I mean, if you had at least saved some for me…”
“Hehe.”
“You crazy woman! That was my entire fortune!”
And just like that, the emotional moment was shattered.
Aurora had spent almost all of my money under the pretext of saving me… Though, of course, I couldn’t really be mad at her since she had saved me.
Anyway, with this, we finally uncovered the full truth of the situation. Everyone around us, seemingly moved, looked at us with glistening eyes.
“Aurora, I never realized you were such a deep thinker.”
“Yeah, that was unexpected.”
“This noble self is truly touched by your brave actions, Aurora. I shall recognize you as… as a close companion!”
“Amazing…”
Aurora simply smiled brightly, as if enjoying the attention.
Before, I would have found that smile annoying. But now, I didn’t feel that way anymore.
“Aurora, let me tell you everything we’ve found out about Princess Eva.”
I then shared all the information we had uncovered—my diary entries about her, the gaps in my memory, the fact that she had created artificial humans, and the possibility that she might have an entire army made of them.
Though I didn’t reveal that Maria was the author of this novel, I did mention that Maria likely possessed some kind of special power.
After hearing everything, Aurora nodded with a serious expression.
“To be honest….”
“Yes?”
“I think Maria might be dead.”
“What?”
“I’m not certain, but I’ve prepared myself for the possibility. Princess Eva is just that powerful.”
No way. A character capable of killing the original author of the novel?
Just how strong is Princess Eva?
“I’ll tell you what I found out in Eiken.”
Aurora then shared what she had experienced.
“I managed to find Maria’s diary in a library here. Maria believed that I was old enough after my debutante and that it was time for her to live her own life. That’s why she left the Marquess of Shae’s estate.”
“I see.”
“She started traveling across the continent at a slow pace. At first, it seemed like a journey without purpose. But then…”
Aurora’s expression darkened as she continued.
“When she arrived in Eiken, she seemed to realize that something about this world was twisted. I don’t know the details, but she identified Princess Eva as the cause. So she returned to the Kingdom of Boleno to meet her.”
“Oh…”
“Not long after entering the royal palace, she sent me her final letter. The one where she said she had lost because she had come to love this world too much.”
“But….”
Seeing Aurora looking downcast, I quickly tried to console her.
“She might still be alive. The fact that she sent a letter means she survived her defeat. Maybe Princess Eva has her locked up somewhere in the palace.”
“Yeah, that’s possible. But I need to prepare myself in case Maria really is gone.”
Aurora forced a bitter smile.
“And Maria sent me a letter through a pigeon.”
“A pigeon?”
“Remember how I once told you that Maria used a power that wasn’t from this world’s magic? One of her abilities was controlling pigeons. She usually sent her letters that way.”
“That’s… Wait a second.”
At that moment, I had a bad feeling.
Something about that “pigeon” unsettled me.
There was a particular word that came to mind when I thought about pigeons.
Wait, what was it that Mr. Benini said about Maria earlier?
“A-Aurora, can you tell me more about Maria? Do you know anything about her past?”
“Maria’s past…”
Aurora blinked a few times before continuing.
“Do you want to see Maria’s diary?”
“Yes, show me.”
Aurora showed us Maria’s diary. The last page was written as follows.
– May 17th
I think it’s time to admit it. There’s something wrong with this world.
Aurora has grown into a strong person. She can now take charge of her own life. I have no doubt that she will overcome any adversity.
But this world itself is strangely twisted. Magitech has advanced too quickly. What’s the problem?
Airships weren’t supposed to exist in this era yet…
Princess Eva’s abilities have surpassed my expectations.
No matter how I look at it, there’s something off about her. I need to return to the Kingdom of Boleno to meet her.
“Maria definitely had some kind of ability, maybe foresight? But if her foresight didn’t match reality, she must have been shocked.”
“Hm, that does seem possible.”
I simply nodded.
To avoid unnecessary confusion, I decided not to reveal yet that Maria was the author of this world.
“Can I check the other pages too?”
“Sure.”
I slowly flipped through the diary, but there was nothing particularly unusual.
Maria had only recorded what she had seen and learned while traveling across the continent.
Then, at the beginning of the diary, I found something strange and narrowed my eyes.
– April 27th
Sometimes, I miss the place I used to be.
I never expected to end up in a strange world like this.
Out of curiosity, I tried something once—and I could never go back. I ended up falling in love with this world too much.
But sometimes, I miss my old self.
My family, my friends.
Most of all, I miss Sera.
I wish I hadn’t spoken so coldly to her before cutting off contact.
I hope Sera wasn’t too hurt because of me.
“…….…”
I stared at the diary in silence for a long time.
A devout believer. A love for literature. The ability to control pigeons.
The clues tangled together in my mind.
I should have realized it when I first met Mr. Benini.
Why only now…?
Finally, I understood.
The author of Try to Run Away for Once, the dimensional traveler, the maid Maria—
She was none other than my friend, Lee Seongryeong.
