Chapter 7
But my dissatisfaction melted away like cotton candy, disappearing without a trace.
‘If you want to become friends with someone, you should be the one to approach them first.’
It was an eternal truth.
As I’ve said before, introverts generally don’t make the first move.
Sure, there are occasionally sociable introverts who approach first, but the moment I enthusiastically respond, they retreat as if nothing had happened.
‘They make eye contact for a second, then immediately look away. So adorable!’
What is the solemn and serious mission of an introvert collector?
To approach every kind of introvert first and accept their unique traits as naturally as a river flowing downstream.
Even if they’re cold at first.
Once you become close, they all relax and reveal the cutest sides of themselves—and only to me.
Do you know how exhilarating that moment is?
“Hmm, hmm~“
Humming to myself, I headed toward Father.
Right then, I made eye contact with the knight guarding the study.
‘Oh, he’s the one who brought the doctor the day I transmigrated.’
He looked to be in his early thirties and was built like a massive bear.
“…!”
The moment he recognized me, his eyes wavered as if he were struggling with an internal dilemma.
I waved cheerfully.
“Hello~ Working hard again today? About last time…”
“You may go in.”
“…? Thanks.”
Apparently finishing his inner conflict at lightning speed, the knight threw the door open.
At this point, it was practically an automatic door.
I waved energetically as I walked in.
“Father, I’m here!”
“…You’re here.”
He didn’t exactly sound happy to see me.
I ignored it and stepped inside.
From observing him these past few days, I’d concluded that Father was a man obsessed with efficiency.
‘Just look at this office… Wow. This is what you call a true minimalist.’
Other than the desk, chair, and bookshelves packed with books and paperwork, the room was completely empty.
There was a separate reception room, sure, but couldn’t he at least put a sofa in here?
Behind his desk hung tightly drawn grayish-green curtains that blocked out every bit of sunlight, making the room feel even more desolate.
‘No wonder he always looks like that. He’s already quiet, and when he keeps his mouth shut while staring people down like that, who’s going to dare approach him?’
And on top of that, this was a feudal society.
He was a count.
Not just any count, but the wealthy and powerful head of a prestigious noble house.
‘Yeah… I bet no one around him even dared to squeak.’
Anyway, if this world had Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, I’d celebrate by completely renovating this office.
“…What do you want?”
Without even looking up from the document he was reading, he tossed out the question as though it were a bother.
Straight to the point.
That was exactly like Father, who hated wasting time.
Father.
Unfortunately, I still didn’t know his full name.
All the servants called him “Master,” while Mother simply called him “Dear.”
You might ask why I didn’t just ask Pell.
Well…
I’d been too busy clinging to him to think of asking.
‘I should’ve asked.’
It was such an obvious solution.
Since Pell was busy working in the library, I’d ask him after work.
Not knowing my own parents’ names felt ridiculous…
Though, technically, they weren’t my parents, so maybe it was only natural.
When I didn’t answer immediately, Father spoke again.
“…If you have nothing to say, leave.”
So cold.
Father disliked pointless conversations and hated talking for long.
Talking was bothersome.
Listening was bothersome.
Everything except the main point was unnecessary.
At this rate, he’d probably start communicating by telepathy.
‘He even hates reading long documents.’
That explained why, when Mother had handed him an enormous stack of reports, he’d practically panicked and immediately accepted her proposal.
Every conversation in the world has meaning…
But if he disliked it that much, I might as well accommodate him.
I answered casually.
“Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow morning. For the peace of our family.”
I even added a convincing reason, but Father merely sighed.
“Our family is already peaceful…”
Yup~
I knew he’d say that.
That’s why I’d prepared my ultimate trump card.
In the same flat tone Father always used—but filled with completely selfish intentions—I continued.
“No matter how troublesome it is, let’s have breakfast together. Your dearly beloved daughter Leta wants to.”
“…”
I’d stunned him.
The documents and fountain pen slipped from his hands onto the desk with a soft thud, and his lips parted slightly.
Suppressing the grin threatening to spread across my face, I cupped my cheeks with both hands and took another step forward.
“I really, really, really want to eat breakfast with you.”
“…”
Judging by his expression, maybe I’d laid it on a bit too thick.
Enough emotional nonsense.
Now it was time to appeal to the thing he loved most.
Efficiency.
Still holding the flower pose beneath my chin, I stopped right in front of his desk.
“…?”
Father looked up at me with puzzled eyes.
“Father, listen carefully.”
My friends always said that, normally, I looked like I had nothing going on in my head.
But when it came to making friends, I suddenly transformed into a talk show host who seemed to know everything in the world.
Well, of course.
Smooth talking and a bit of showmanship were essential if you wanted to get close to people.
“Inhale…“
One deep breath.
Then, with precise pronunciation, a steady pace, and a pleasantly calm tone, I launched into my speech.
“If we don’t have breakfast together, there will be side effects. Your one and only precious daughter will remain upset, so her memories won’t return. If my memories don’t return, things will stay exactly like this. That means the capable and efficient Leta—who resembles you so much and always helped with work—will instead become an incompetent daughter who’s only cute, energetic, and lovable. Since the only heir to the Count’s family becomes completely useless, the future of the house naturally falls into jeopardy—”
“…”
“—and the Count’s family will come to ruin in my generation.”
Having finished my explanation, I clasped my hands together and looked as pitiful as possible.
“…We can’t let that happen, right?”
The last part was practically an outrageous leap in logic, but it didn’t matter.
By now, Father had already suffered such a series of shocks that his eyes had lost focus.
After maintaining an efficiently timed ten seconds of silence, he finally proposed an alternative.
“…What about your mother?”
Husband and wife really did think alike.
They even used the same excuses.
Clapping my hands happily, I beamed.
“I already asked! She said she’d love to. She said she’s looking forward to it.”
“…Really?”
Hearing that his wife was actually looking forward to it, Father wore a strangely conflicted expression before eventually nodding.
Mission complete.
I’d expected it to work, but success was always satisfying.
‘Perfect… I’ll conquer this entire Count’s household one step at a time.’
I hadn’t completely cleared the route yet…
But the moment I’d secured the breakfast appointment, victory was practically guaranteed.
“Have a great day at work, Father!”
“…”
Having achieved my goal, I quickly greeted him and immediately turned to leave.
The giant knight outside the door had apparently heard every word through it.
He stared at me with an expression that looked one step away from fainting.
You’ll get used to it.
This is going to be happening for quite a while.
Judging by Father’s condition when I glanced back before the door closed, the doctor would probably come examine me again today.
‘Go ahead and investigate for a hundred years if you want. How are you ever going to explain this phenomenon?’
Even I had no idea what was going on.
There was no point overthinking it.
No matter how much I racked my brain, I wasn’t exactly a genius.
I’d probably just get sleepy and end up taking a nap.
More importantly, whenever I found myself in an unfamiliar situation, I simply did everything I could in that place.
For example…
Working hard to befriend introverts.
“Alright, alright. Busy, busy.”
Time to head to Leta’s private study.
I had to become the masterful social host capable of thoroughly disrupting every introvert’s peace of mind.
The study was practically a library.
Books filled every shelf.
Just like its owner, everything was neatly categorized, giving the room an overall sense of immaculate order.
Right now, I was reading Leta’s personal records.
Written in concise, emotionless notes centered around keywords, they calmly documented the life she’d lived.
Imperial Calendar xxx.xx.xx
Weather: Clear.
Completed Tasks #13–15 in the morning.
Completed Tasks #16–20 in the afternoon.
Family meeting scheduled for tomorrow’s breakfast.
It wasn’t merely calm.
It was practically mechanical.
She really took after Mother in that regard.
‘The whole point of a diary is that it’s so detailed and full of embarrassing private thoughts that you’d die of shame if someone else read it!’
I quickly flipped through the pages.
Finally, I found something familiar.
Information about the protagonists of the original story.
Imperial Calendar xxx.xx.xx
His Highness the Crown Prince showing signs of his sixteenth berserk episode.
Imperial Calendar xxx.xx.xx
Gawen, the Magic Tower’s youngest Doctor of Magitech, appears to be the ideal person capable of suppressing the berserk state.
Imperial Calendar xxx.xx.xx
Possesses extensive knowledge of dragons.
Fully qualified to become a Dragon Master.
Excellent compatibility between the two.
…What is this?
This isn’t a diary.
It’s practically an observation journal on the story’s main characters.
