Chapter 9
Let’s think positively.
Maybe my introverted friends just didn’t care about rumors.
Maybe they’d heard about them, responded just enough to stop false gossip from spreading, and then simply stopped caring what people thought, so it’d still be fine if I approached them…
…Yeah, right.
“Oh, sure. As if people in their positions could be that ignorant. We’re talking about the Crown Prince, the Dragon Master, and a duke.”
Even I thought that sounded ridiculous.
I’d never confessed to anyone, yet somehow I’d been rejected by two men.
Muttering curses under my breath, I read through several more newspapers.
The Rakater Gossip magazine had been the most aggressive.
The rest all reported roughly the same stories, just in milder tones.
“…Leta must’ve suffered a lot.”
There were question marks everywhere.
Whenever an article crossed the line, she’d scribbled little question marks all over the margins.
I kept reading through the recent gossip magazines until…
“Ugh… My eyes are getting dry…”
I finally looked away from the pages, worried I’d end up with dry eyes.
Outside, the sun had already begun to set, bathing the sky in shades of crimson.
Which meant I’d spent the entire day locked inside my room doing nothing but research.
Me.
The person with absolutely zero attention span.
“…No wonder I’m hungry.”
I quickly returned the newspapers to their proper places before leaning halfway out the window in search of someone to eat with.
From my study, I had a clear view of the garden below, making it easy to spot people.
“Jackpot.”
Pell happened to be walking by.
I took a deep breath and shouted as loudly as I could.
“Peeeell!”
“…?”
Pell stopped where he was and looked up.
Afraid he’d leave, I hurriedly called again.
“Stay there! I’m coming!”
“…Please come down carefully.”
Yeah, yeah.
Don’t worry.
Korean students survive running down staircases three steps at a time every day.
Surely someone reincarnated into the body of a martial arts expert could manage one flight of stairs.
As I headed toward the first floor, several servants spotted me and cried out in alarm.
“Young Lady! That’s dangerous!”
“Thanks for worrying about me!”
“Eek!”
…Why were they backing away in fear after I thanked them?
Still, the fact that they’d gathered the courage to warn me showed how kind and lovable they were.
Anyway, by now I’d completely forgotten about gossip magazines and ridiculous love quadrangles.
I’d become friends with the novel’s protagonists later.
For now, the people around me came first.
Besides, because of my amnesia, I couldn’t exactly go wandering outside.
Future problems could wait until the future.
While I remained cooped up here, time would solve most of them anyway.
‘People’s attention shifts surprisingly quickly.’
It definitely wasn’t because I was too lazy to deal with it now.
The moment I stepped outside, fresh air filled my lungs.
A pleasant breeze brushed against my cheeks.
Without hesitation, I ran against the wind toward my friend.
Pell was still standing exactly where I’d told him to wait.
“Pell! Are you getting off work now?”
“Yes.”
“Have you had dinner yet? If not, want to eat together?”
Pell hesitated over such a simple question.
Looking away slightly, he answered,
“…I’m not hungry.”
What a stubborn little act.
He couldn’t lie convincingly…
But he also found it difficult to reject me outright.
He’d approached me first, yet now he kept retreating.
Actually…
I knew exactly why.
‘He’s shy.’
Some introverts I’d met had bravely started conversations with me at first.
Then, after that initial success…
They suddenly became incredibly timid.
Fortunately…
Every one of them was already in my Introvert Database™.
‘They just don’t know what to say anymore… and they’re embarrassed.’
The first time an introverted friend had confessed that to me, I’d almost bitten them from sheer cuteness.
Pell was probably feeling something similar.
Even so, he’d still approached me first.
How admirable.
I glanced around before lowering my voice dramatically.
“Pell… There’s something I never told you.”
“What is it?”
Pell leaned in slightly.
That made it easy for me to whisper directly into his ear.
“The truth is… best friends have to eat together every single day.”
“…!”
Pell hurriedly stepped backward, covering one ear.
“…There’s no such—”
“There is now!”
Grab.
“…!”
I caught his hand.
Go ahead.
Try pulling away.
‘You won’t.’
Countless introverts before him had never been able to brush my hand away.
He wouldn’t either.
As long as he was simply shy…
As long as he didn’t actually dislike me.
Let’s be friends.
Wouldn’t that be nice, Pell?
“Come on~ Let’s eat! Eating alone is just too depressing.”
Pell’s eyes widened.
His large frame was effortlessly pulled toward me.
He offered no resistance.
No signs of discomfort.
He simply watched me silently with his usual calm expression.
Under the setting sun, something unreadable flickered across his face.
The warm breeze ruffled his curly hair.
For a brief moment, I saw my own smiling reflection in his eyes.
‘He could totally be an actor… Or maybe an idol?’
Thinking that, I happily led him onward.
At the kitchen, I asked the maids—who predictably looked terrified upon seeing me—for some simple sandwiches and milk.
Within moments, they’d prepared a picnic set.
“Thank you… I mean, thanks!”
“Eeeeeek…”
Thud.
By now, I was used to people collapsing.
House Suspenter was enormous.
There was an entire walking path leading from the front gate.
It even had its own little hill and lake.
I’d seriously become the sole heir of aristocratic royalty.
Better yet…
Now that I’d lost my memories, nobody expected me to work anymore.
I could practically live the life of an unemployed freeloader, eating and relaxing all day.
Nobody could complain.
This is heaven.
“Let’s sit here.”
We settled beneath a crape myrtle tree atop the hill.
Apparently the tree had been standing there since before the family estate was even built.
As Pell spread a cloth over the grass and arranged the food, he quietly said,
“It’ll be dark soon.”
“We’ll just eat quickly. Besides, I’m here. What are you worried about?”
This was a feudal society.
I outranked him.
This was the Count’s estate.
And I was the precious heir.
Who would dare lay a finger on me here?
Whenever I left the estate, knights escorted me anyway.
It almost felt like experiencing life as a celebrity with bodyguards twenty-four hours a day.
‘Oh… Right. It still doesn’t quite feel real.’
I took a bite of my sandwich.
The tangy sauce mixed perfectly with the fresh vegetables.
Delicious.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“…It’s easy to lose your footing in the dark.”
So that was what he’d been worried about.
Pell really was too kind.
To reassure him, I tapped the corner of my eye a couple of times.
“Pell, I have excellent night vision. Come on, eat your sandwich.”
“…Yes.”
Reluctantly, Pell picked up his sandwich and shoved it into his mouth.
…He looked like he was eating cardboard.
More like a soldier chewing dried rations on a battlefield than someone enjoying dinner.
Noticing my stare, Pell stuffed the last bite into his mouth and swallowed.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hm? I was just watching because you looked like you were enjoying it.”
“…?”
His face clearly said, No one’s ever told me that before.
Well…
Probably because you look absolutely miserable while eating.
Better keep that thought to myself.
I slowly chewed the rest of my own sandwich.
By now, the red sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.
One by one, stars began lighting up the dark sky.
It was beautiful.
I’d dragged Pell along because wandering around alone would’ve felt too lonely.
I’m glad I did.
I was quietly admiring the scenery when his voice suddenly broke the silence.
“…Who do you like?”
“Huh?”
That came completely out of nowhere.
There’d been no context.
No warning.
No hint whatsoever.
The question was so sudden that I had to ask again.
“What do you mean? Who do I like?”
“…His Highness the Crown Prince… or His Grace the Duke.”
“I’m only a servant, so I’ve only heard the rumors.”
“So… I thought perhaps that’s why you lost your memories.”
Ah.
So that’s what he meant.
I let out a quiet sigh.
“…Sigh…”
Even the librarian, who usually seemed uninterested in everything happening in the world, knew about those rumors.
They’d really spread everywhere.
Half resigned, I answered honestly.
“I don’t like either of them.”
Then I turned to him and asked,
“Do I look like I’m lying?”
