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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Tracking Magic and Nightmares
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As expected, a few days later, Calix did not attend the ball.
Lellia dressed up and headed to the banquet hall with Romeo.
Though it was customary to escort a noble lady, it wasn't strictly necessary.
The banquet hall was in a large tower on the north side of the Imperial Palace, quite a distance from where they were staying.
For that reason, Lellia rode in a carriage with Romeo.
Looking out the carriage window, she could see several other carriages heading to the same destination.
Lellia nervously glanced at Romeo, who sat across from her.
He was gazing out the window with an unconcerned expression.
But as Lellia watched him, her palms began to sweat.
A few days ago.
With the help of her 'Alchemist,' Lellia had discovered that the cufflinks she wore had been enchanted with a tracking spell.
Who would cast a tracking spell on her?
There was no one else but Romeo.
After all, he was the one who had bought her the cufflinks she wore.
It was only then that Lellia was reminded of the fact that, in the original story, Romeo becomes an incredibly skilled mage.
The moment she realized this, sweat had poured down like rain.
She hadn't known until now, but it seemed Romeo still suspected her.
He had cast the tracking spell in case she tried to run away somewhere.
‘He might still misunderstand and think I killed Leo.’
Lellia discreetly wiped the sweat from her palms.
‘Then Calix…’
It couldn't be Calix. Not after the second favorability quest had opened…
Ever since discovering the tracking spell, Lellia's actions and words became awkward whenever she saw Romeo.
Because of that, Romeo might already know.
That she had found out about his tracking spell.
And yet, the way he acted so nonchalantly gave her the chills.
‘To think he'd grow up to be such a fox. He's a sly old snake.’
Just then, Romeo, sitting across from her in the carriage, looked at Lellia and smiled brightly.
"To be honest, I'm not really the ballroom type. I'll just watch from a corner."
"Yes, please do."
"You said you have to play the part of a playboy today, right? You'll be doing a lot of dancing."
"...Yes."
Lellia swallowed hard.
In truth, Lellia had started having nightmares the day she discovered the tracking spell.
Just like on the first day she was reunited with her friends, she dreamed they were trying to kill her.
In her dreams, Romeo, in particular, would point a sword at her with the same pretty smile he wore now.
And then, without a moment's hesitation, he would stab…
As the dream came to mind, Lellia squeezed her eyes shut.
In the dream, Romeo would smile the entire time as he watched her die. A radiant smile, like a gorgeous, poisonous rose.
"What's wrong?"
Just then, Romeo asked with the same smile from her dream.
"It's nothing."
Lellia answered calmly and looked out the window.
‘Since it's come to this, I have to get the holy relic, cure Calix, and obtain the Philosopher's Stone as fast as I can.’
The path ahead felt bleak and hopeless.
Ever since she'd escaped her fate from the original story as a child, she had never been this afraid of death.
The thought of dying at her friends' hands—that was what scared her the most.
But if she really were to die at her friends' hands, Lellia had decided she wouldn't reveal the truth, even at the moment of her death.
Even if she did reveal the truth in that moment, she would die anyway because of the gag spell.
‘If they knew the truth, they would surely blame themselves and grieve...’
Just like Emperor Perseus from the original story, who grieved after learning too late that Lellia was his real daughter.
That's why Lellia would rather die as ‘Leo's enemy’.
So her friends could live the rest of their days in peace, thinking they had avenged Leo.
Of course, she would do whatever it took to make sure that never happened.
