Chapter 29

Everything was going smoothly. While not everything could be trusted, the supervisor, Sai, was easier to deal with than anyone else, and there was no longer a need to claim that the handouts for class were insufficient.

Her body was changing, albeit gradually, and this newfound awareness was fueling her motivation. She continued her daily visits to the courtyard without fail, and her stomach had become somewhat stronger, reaching about half the strength of an average person.

Every day, she thought about various meals, and was considering moving on to a Western-style risotto when she saw a red tomato that looked incredibly delicious. Tentatively, she bit into a raw tomato. It was sweet and delicious, and tears welled up in her eyes. Even cold vegetables were now enjoyable. Being able to eat was a truly happy thing. Overwhelmed with joy and excitement, she shed tears, and the servant, who was in the corner of the dining room, said, "I didn't do anything!" and was peeing his pants on his own.

Lavie, without Nella noticing, visited Leon's shop while she was steadily progressing through the events. As she gradually sold off her possessions for money, the next step was to buy necessary items. She needed to get a backpack first, so she searched for hiding places under the bed and in the closet without Mari finding out. It was a very fulfilling time.

As for Nella, it seemed that she occasionally argued with Bald. While it was unlikely that she would make a mistake like letting the swan, or rather, the duck she had obtained, escape, it wasn't a bad sign. If they were arguing and paying less attention to Lavie, it would be perfect. She didn't know whose route she was on, but for now, she would do what she could. So, everything was going smoothly. Or so it seemed, but for some reason, she felt down. She had a strange, ominous feeling that everything could collapse and disappear at any moment. She was scared.

---

"Children of that age tend to have tantrums."

A raspy voice echoed. Light seeped through the crack of the open door. Her body wouldn't move as she wished, because this was from the past, when Lavie was much younger. It was the doctor's voice. When he told her to show her body, she screamed, ran, and thrashed around, making a mess of the room.

"Tantrum? Can that be called a tantrum?"

"Young lady, you are particularly intense compared to others."

Her mother, who looked very much like young Lavie, shed tears of sorrow. Her rabbit-like red eyes turned even redder, and her father gently embraced her.

"An evil spirit must have possessed our daughter."

In this country, everything is blamed on evil spirits. The servant once shouted that putting eggs on rice was an evil combination. This was the "future Lavie" thinking. The past Lavie, unable to think, dragged a large piece of the curtain she had just torn, trying to force out a voice that wouldn't come from the depths of her throat.

"Help me."

How wonderful it would be if she could shout that. Every time she tried to escape, her chest ached terribly. She feared that this pain might one day crush her heart. She begged for forgiveness and repeated her hopes, only to be crushed by Nella's mocking laughter. Still, she hoped to return to normal.

--- I am not possessed by any evil spirit.

Why can't anyone see that? I'm just being manipulated by Nella. Why can't these wise adults understand such a simple thing? Help me, help me. She wanted to scream, burst through the door, and cry to her parents. But when she heard her father comforting her mother, saying that even if Lavie went crazy, they still had a son named Fel, she felt despair. Looking back, there was a slight tremor in her father's voice, even as he tried to be strong. But to the young Lavie, it didn't matter. She felt abandoned.

"For now, we can only observe the young lady. Some return to normal as they grow."

The other side of the door felt impossibly far away. She wanted them to notice, but she also didn't want them to. The painful, slave-like mark on her chest was too unbearable to resist. So, instead of a voice, she shed tears and desperately tried to hide her face with a rag. Then she fled from them.

If there really were such things as evil spirits, they would surely have Nella's face.

---

In bed, she was drenched in a nasty sweat. Her eyes felt unusually dry. She sighed and wiped her face with one hand. She must have had this dream because everything was going too smoothly, which made her anxious.

She got up and tidied herself, then called for Mari. Mari, who was overly dedicated to her duties, was easy to handle at first because she left Lavie alone. But recently, she always seemed to have a comb on hand and would appear from somewhere to brush Lavie's hair. Lavie decided to call her before she could do that.

When she rang the bell, Mari immediately came and quickly started the morning preparations. However, Lavie didn't trust breakfast served by anyone other than the servants and dressed herself. The only things left were a light touch-up and packing for the academy. During this routine, a letter gave her a bad feeling.

"A letter from Prince Bald Swarg Whitey has arrived."

"…Yes, I see."

The familiar wax seal was undoubtedly from Bald. In the past, she would have jumped for joy at the sight of it, but now it made her feel drained. It was probably time for the regular meetings with her nominal fiancé. How punctual of him. She opened it and immediately read the engraved words. She shuddered.

"I would like Nella to accompany you to the next tea party—"

Her fingers trembled. The prince wanted to bring Nella back to the Heathfen household. She was so terrified that she could hardly read the words. After a while, she managed to read that it was to be a place for apologies, despite the various misunderstandings between them. She closed her eyes. She finally realized why she had been feeling so anxious despite everything going smoothly.

Because, in all the time she had been Lavie, nothing had ever gone right.