Chapter 3

I couldn’t help admiring him inwardly.

Dadta… are those really the eyes a father should be giving his own daughter?

Still, since he was an introvert, I was willing to be generous.

Let’s tease him a little.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“……”

Yep.

Didn’t work.

What if I really had amnesia, Father?

I widened my eyes innocently and scratched my head.

“…Huh?”

“……”

Sorry, but your brilliant, capable daughter Reta is long gone.

This is a world inside a novel.

Whether I transmigrated or reincarnated, I honestly don’t care.

When the time comes, maybe I’ll get exorcised and disappear on my own.

But while I’m here, I’d at least like to make some new friends.

Counting you, there are already six people I want to get close to.

After finishing the novel, I’d reached one undeniable conclusion:

This place was an introvert’s paradise.

So please… just believe me.

Of course, things were a little awkward with everyone acting so hostile right from the start.

But people always say that great trials are followed by sweet rewards.

I believed that.

After a moment of silence, Dadta turned to the physician.

“Is… it really amnesia?”

“Yes. I can’t be certain, but it appears to be temporary memory loss caused by psychological shock. We should continue observing her.”

“I see….”

They’d barely exchanged a few words before Dadta accepted that I had amnesia.

He accepted it that easily…?

…Actually, maybe that made sense.

Could the original villainess Reta suddenly become cheerful, energetic, and friendly overnight?

Of course not.

Anyone would assume either she’d developed some kind of mental illness…

Or she’d genuinely lost her memories.

And honestly…

Believing it was amnesia was far more convenient.

Excellent judgment, Dadta!

Smiling quickly, I said,

“I’ll rest for a few days while I try to recover my memories. Is there anything that might help me remember?”

“You… liked keeping records. Go to the library.”

“What about people? Didn’t I have any close friends?”

“…No.”

Not even one?

“…None.”

Wow.

That was decisive.

Talking to people was far faster—and much more fun—than reading books.

I’d already stayed up all night reading a novel instead of doing my assignments, only to wake up here.

And now I was supposed to study here too?

Absolutely not.

“……”

Dadta turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

“Father.”

Not so fast.

Who says I don’t have someone close to me?

You’re standing right here.

I grinned.

“Let’s have a father-daughter conversation.”

“…Must we? I’d rather not.”

A refusal was just another form of Dadta’s sulking.

I ignored it.

Unable to outright chase me away, he ended up with me trailing after him.

In the end, all I managed to learn was what the original Reta had been like.

Or rather…

A more detailed version than what the novel described.

• Always expressionless.
• Extremely capable.
• Cold and distant.
• Never engaged in casual conversation unless work required it.
• Barely interacted with her parents after her coming-of-age ceremony.
• Apparently had no particular likes or hobbies.

After hearing all that…

I could only think one thing.

“How lonely….”

How lonely must she have been without any friends?

She didn’t talk much?

No.

From my experience, introverts often stayed quiet simply because they were shy or awkward around people.

No hobbies?

Again, no.

She probably just hadn’t discovered what she truly enjoyed yet.

No matter how introverted someone was…

There was always something that excited them.

And when they finally met someone who shared that interest…

They lit up in a way nobody expected.

Wasn’t that just adorable?

I loved witnessing the moment an introvert finally opened their heart.

Whatever the topic was, I’d gladly learn about it if it meant becoming friends.

Since I’d already ended up here…

Why not make the most of it?

I made up my mind.

“I’ll figure out everyone’s interests in this mansion and become friends with all of them.”

Busy, busy.

Expanding Silver Towns one neighborhood at a time was no easy task.

I spent the entire day wandering around the estate, trying to approach the servants warmly.

Everyone already knew I’d lost my memories.

Besides, I intended to live as my true self anyway.

Might as well let everyone know what kind of person their young lady would be from now on.

…

No.

Let’s be honest.

There was another reason.

I wanted out of my room.

Telling me to stay quietly locked in my bedroom without talking to anyone?

That was practically a death sentence.

The worst.

Absolutely the worst.

So I’d do whatever it took to win everyone over.

I’m going to throw girls’ night parties every single day!

Besides…

With this face?

If I smiled kindly and approached people, surely anyone would open up.

Imagine a celebrity coming over just to talk to you.

Even I couldn’t believe this gorgeous face belonged to me.

With that confidence, I walked toward the gardener.

“Hello! Beautiful weather today, isn’t it?”

“Gyaaah!”

…I hadn’t even started the small talk yet.

I took one step forward.

He took ten steps back.

Next.

The kitchen maids were busy cooking.

“Wow~ That smells amazing! What are you making?”

“AAAH! F-FIRE!”

Whoa.

I couldn’t even continue talking because they looked like they were about to burn themselves.

Watching them scramble to extinguish the flames…

I suddenly became worried the mansion might burn down.

Being homeless would be awful.

Cold.

Hungry.

Lonely.

Though…

Maybe it’d be slightly better if friends suffered with me?

After failing several more times…

I finally realized the problem.

Is it because I’m speaking too politely?

Maybe nobles weren’t supposed to.

Fine.

Casual speech it was.

This time I approached a few girls around my age hanging laundry together.

They were laughing happily amongst themselves.

I quietly joined them.

“Having fun?”

“N-No! We’re sorry, Milady!”

Aw.

I’d wanted to join in too.

Next!

The stablehand feeding a little pony.

“The horse is cute. How old is it?”

“AAAAAAAAAHHH!”

Did he see a ghost or something?

Alright.

Maybe I should try talking to someone higher up.

The stern-looking elderly head butler.

“Good afternoon. What are you doing?”

“I believe the Count instructed you to rest, Milady. Please return to your room.”

“Oh? Are you worried about me? That actually makes me happy! I was really bored today—”

“My deepest apologies. I spoke out of turn.”

Then he fled.

Again.

Next stop.

The training grounds.

The knights certainly looked impressive.

I couldn’t really judge their faces under the helmets…

But physically?

They could’ve been models.

The moment they noticed me, they immediately lined up.

“Good afternoon, Milady!”

They greeted me first!

This looked promising.

Glancing around the training grounds, I casually asked,

“How’s training going?”

“Yes!”

Good answer.

Not wanting to invade their personal space, I pointed toward a long sword resting on a nearby weapon rack.

“What’s that sword called? I don’t really know much about swordsmanship.”

Go on.

Show off your knowledge.

I’ll happily listen.

Let’s become friends.

One knight’s mouth twitched before he answered loudly,

“Yes!”

…Huh?

Maybe he hadn’t heard me.

I stepped a little closer.

Whoa… that smell.

I’d originally planned to stop five steps away.

Instead, I cut it down to two and a half.

The overwhelming scent of sweat from all their training hit me like a wall.

I asked again.

“I meant, what’s the sword called?”

“Yes!”

……

“Is the sword’s name ‘Yes’?”

“Yes!”

Nope.

Training discipline had broken him.

He wouldn’t even look me in the eyes.

He just stared straight ahead while shouting acknowledgments.

Technically, he answered.

Practically…

Conversation impossible.

…Sigh.

In the end, the only person I’d managed to have anything resembling a proper conversation with was Dadta.

As for Momta…

She was apparently still unconscious.

It turned out everyone in the villain’s family ate their meals separately.

I even tried inviting Dadta to have dinner together.

Failure.

Now he couldn’t even be bothered speaking.

He’d switched entirely to communicating with his eyes.

It’s fine.

I’d only been here for one day.

This cold war would last…

What?

A few days?

Maybe a week?

Making friends always comes with challenges.

Sweet rewards require patience~

…Or so I’d thought.

Several days had already passed.

Winning over the introverts of the Suspenter household was dozens of times harder than dealing with modern-day introverts.

I’ve already sent… twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? introverts to the infirmary.

I’d honestly lost count.

Once again, I found myself walking back alone to my lonely bedroom.

Strolling through the garden—which had somehow become my favorite place in the estate—I breathed in the scent of fresh grass.

This peaceful walk.

This quiet moment.

…

Ah.

I was bored to death.

It’d be nice if someone were walking beside me.

“Milady.”

Just then…

Someone stepped into my path.