TRMPBADFBB 19

19. Observation

“Are you curious about the two of them having tea?”

The question caught me off guard, and I lifted my gaze. I was still a little feverish, but this was no time to dwell on it.

“Yes. I noticed that Princess Marguerite looks unwell… I wanted to understand the cause, if possible.”

It might have been a rather weak excuse, but it was the truth, and there was no other answer I could give.

“…Cough!”

Suddenly, a short, stifled cough pierced the air of the garden.

I flinched and instinctively leaned out of the gazebo to look.

There she was—Princess Marguerite, bracing herself against the edge of the table, coughing painfully.

“Mother!”

Roland’s panicked voice rang out. The maid beside her rushed over, but she was too slight to support the princess’s body. Without hesitation, Roland lifted his slender mother into his arms.

The speed and confidence with which he acted made it clear this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

“Water… no, medicine—!”

An unmistakable anxiety shadowed Roland’s forehead.

In his arms, Princess Marguerite was limp, coughing as she weakly opened her eyes. Her breaths were shallow, her complexion alarmingly pale. The edges of her lips were tinged slightly blue.

“Brother Roland…!”

I fought to keep my voice from breaking. Keith, sensing my tension, gently took my wrist.

“Lady Lilibell, please calm yourself.”

“…Yes.”

I nodded, my throat tight, trying to steady my racing heart.

In front of me, Roland, still carrying Marguerite, was giving instructions to the maids. Another maid hurried toward the building, and Roland swiftly carried the princess further into the garden.

A lone white teacup was left behind, abandoned and forlorn.

The dream I had seen had only shown part of this. A rough, prickling anxiety spread through my chest.

What if what I had just seen was a sign of illness?

What if, if left untreated…

I clenched my fists tightly.

(…I absolutely cannot leave it be.)

The wind stirred. It wasn’t cold, but a shiver ran down my spine as if brushing against my skin.

Perhaps the princess, who dies in the story, had overlapped with my own fate of an inevitable death.

It was a possibility that could really happen.

“…Is Princess Marguerite all right?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, trembling quietly and smaller than I expected. Beside me, I could hear Keith exhale softly.

“Judging by the way she looks now, it might not be something minor.”

His tone was calm, but I caught the slight unease hidden beneath it.

“If there’s anything I can do to help…”

I said, glancing down at my hands.

White, delicate fingers. I couldn’t even wield a sword, and I was still practicing magic. I had no power to protect anyone.

Keith lowered his gaze, thinking for a moment.

“Is that something for you to worry about, Lady Lilibell?”

“I do!”

I said firmly, without hesitation.

“Because Princess Marguerite is important to Brother Roland. If anything happened to her… he would regret it for the rest of his life.”

I knew that ending from the original novel.

Marguerite dies, and Roland suffers long from the disparity in medical care compared to the queen. Selfishly, I wanted to prevent that conflict before it even began.

“…Hmm.”

Keith placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought.

“Indeed, I’ve heard that Princess Marguerite’s health has recently declined. I have. But… shouldn’t the palace physicians be monitoring her?”

“I thought so too. But there may be another reason. My knowledge is still insufficient. Still, I want to do what I can.”

If I could identify the cause, I might be able to save her. Changing one tragic future might also alter my own.

Keith remained silent for a while, considering my words. Then he exhaled softly and met my gaze.

“You have changed, Lady Lilibell.”

“Huh?”

“If it were the previous Lilibell, you wouldn’t have cared about palace matters at all.”

My heart skipped a beat.

It was because my memories from my past life had awakened within Lilibell, and I was struggling to change the fate of her narrated death.

(…How am I supposed to respond?)

I froze, unsure what to say, and Keith chuckled softly.

“Still, it’s interesting. What the palace physicians couldn’t figure out, we might be able to solve.”

“Meaning…?”

I tilted my head, unsure of his intention. Did “we” mean just him and me?

“I will also investigate. If it is your wish, Lady Lilibell, I will cooperate.”

I lost my words. I understood why he offered—because of the marquis’s orders.

The words I heard in the garden came back to me:

‘Win over the princess.’
‘Do your best to be liked.’

(…Right.)

The reason he worried about my health and helped me with my studies was all to gain my favor. Keith wasn’t truly helping from the heart.

(Perhaps I should refuse…)

I didn’t want to move according to the marquis’s plan, and I didn’t know how sincerely Keith intended to help.

But—there was no time.

If Princess Marguerite’s health worsened, it might be too late. If I didn’t find the cause in time, the future couldn’t be changed.

It was unexpected that she would fall ill two years before the outbreak of disease.

I couldn’t investigate the cause alone.

(I should borrow the help of someone capable while I still can.)

Keith was clever, decisive, and fast.

“Are you sure about this?”

I realized I had asked. Keith squinted slightly.

“Yes.”
“Thank you, Keith.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

Even if he was only following orders, for now, that was enough. With Keith’s help, there was more I could do.

—I will absolutely not give up.

I vowed silently as I watched the plants swaying in the garden breeze.

Back in my room, I quietly closed the door and sat at the edge of the bed.

Sunlight streamed softly through the window, giving the room the calm atmosphere of a spring afternoon, yet in my chest lingered a restless unease.

—The scene. Princess Marguerite coughing, being lifted by Brother Roland and leaving her seat.

(It was the same as in the dream.)

I didn’t want to believe it, but I felt a certain certainty.

What had happened in the dream had actually happened.

The quiet garden, the tea gathering, the princess coughing, Roland’s surprised expression—everything I saw in the dream overlapped with reality.

Perhaps that dream was not just an illusion or fantasy. After all, the novel didn’t go that far.

“But… sometimes I have ordinary dreams too… where I don’t remember anything by morning.”

Vivid dreams, ordinary dreams—was there a difference?

Even so, I felt that this dream had shown a glimpse of the near future.

(Maybe… it can even see me.)

If the cause of death not mentioned in the novel could appear in dreams…

“I also need to figure out the conditions under which I have these dreams. Alright, I will definitely find out!”

A small clue had finally presented itself.

The cause of Princess Marguerite’s poor health, and the conditions for the dream.

To avoid the narrated death, I decided to start by resolving these first.