Chapter 14

"Sorry for the inconvenience during the holiday—(´；ω；`) Ugh…"

After dinner, everyone was free to do as they pleased. Reen and Cecilia moved to the adjacent building. The buildings for men and women were separated, as a formality.

After moving to the new building, Reen and Cecilia entered the same room. There were plenty of vacant rooms, but they decided to share one, as it was a special occasion. Cecilia had been looking forward to Reen's visit, despite everything.

"Finally, the first day is over!!"

"Good work."

Cecilia flopped onto the bed, completely drained. Released from various tensions, her body felt more exhausted than usual. Behind her, Reen was unpacking her luggage.

Unpacking luggage was something that servants were supposed to do, but Reen had refused. The reason was probably the stack of notebooks that took up half of her trunk. They were her idea books.

Cecilia pouted at Reen, who acted as if it was none of her business.

"Whose fault do you think it is? Ugh!"

"Well, I think it's your own doing for dressing as a boy at the academy."

"That might be true, but..."

"But still, thanks to that, I've gotten some good material. I'm not exactly repenting, but I do appreciate it."

"What I want is repentance and self-restraint."

"That's not going to happen."

With a slight smile, Reen shrugged. This aspect of her personality hadn't changed from her previous life. She always did things her way. Even if her best friend was lying in the middle of the path, it didn't matter. If she didn't run away, Reen would just run over her.

However, it was this somewhat annoying trait that made her lovable and enjoyable to be around. It still was.

"Hey, have you noticed?"

After hanging up a few days' worth of clothes in the closet, Reen asked.

"noticed what?"

"Isn't this like a recap episode of an anime?"

At this, Cecilia, still lying face down on the bed, twisted her neck and asked, "A recap episode?"

"The Princess of Vruehel Academy 3" had been adapted into various media, including comics, novels, drama CDs, anime, and movies. The anime was two seasons long, consisting of 24 episodes plus two recap episodes. The main route was centered around Oscar, and it ended with an original grand finale where the protagonist didn't end up with anyone.

"Yeah, I think it was between episodes 8 and 9. The appearance of Mr. Mordred and other elements were pretty much the same! However, the setting was 'the cottage prepared by Prince Oscar' instead of 'the Silvy family's cottage.' Since the focus was on the knight and the protagonist's interactions, the antagonist, Cecilia, didn't appear. There were quite a few differences."

"I'm starting to remember..."

Cecilia pressed her temples. This episode was like a recap, where everyone reminisced about past events. It was essentially a continuation of the fun and safe school life.

"Cecilia, your memories from your previous life are still unclear, aren't they?"

"Unclear is an understatement; it feels like there are gaps."

Cecilia's memories from her previous life were like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Each piece was vivid, but large sections were missing. She could vaguely remember her family's faces, but the faces of her classmates, except for Ika, were unclear. Some students whose names and faces she could match were completely blank when she tried to remember them.

Even the memory of her own death, which was one of the strongest, only came back when she was surrounded by fire.

Her memories of "The Princess of Vruehel Academy 3" were relatively clear, but if asked whether she remembered every detail, she wasn't sure.

"Your reaction means you haven't remembered that event, right?"

"Huh, that event?"

"Right. Here, the protagonist and Oscar—"

At that moment, the door was knocked on, interrupting their conversation. When Cecilia said, "Come in," the door opened, and Gilbert peeked in.

"Sister, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What is it? At this hour of the night?"

"I need to talk to that person over there."

He pointed at Reen.

◆◇◆

Does he know the implications of calling an unmarried woman to a locked room at this hour?

(Well, he must know.)

Gilbert closed the door behind him and fixed his gaze on Reen. His eyes were cold, different from the ones he usually directed at Cecilia. This was probably his true nature.

While the settings might have changed slightly due to Cecilia's memories, his inner self was likely not much different from the game's "Gilbert Silvy." He was calm, cold, and exclusive. He didn't care about anyone outside his circle, but he would protect those he cared about with any means necessary. He was definitely that kind of person.

Reen maintained her smile as she looked at Gilbert. She had a good idea of what he was about to say.

"Let's get straight to the point. Don't you also have memories from your previous life?"

Reen couldn't help but laugh at his accurate guess. She hadn't thought she could hide it, but she hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly.

"I've been suspicious for a while. You've been unusually close to my sister lately, and you've had many private conversations. When you went to save her, you said, 'I can't let that child die again.' It sounded like you knew about the first time."

Gilbert continued calmly.

"Also, you knew about the Hymerth hideout. I suspect you cleared 'Dante's Route' in your previous life and remember it. My sister didn't tell me about you, so you must have made her keep quiet."

Reen's eyes widened at this. She sighed, sat on the bed, and crossed her legs.

"Even if that's true, what do you want from me, Gilbert-sama? You didn't call me here just to say that, did you?"

"You're right."

"If you want information, I might give it to you, but I expect proper compensation."

There was no point in pretending anymore. Reen smiled slyly. However, Gilbert's expression didn't change.

"I have only one request."

"What is it?"

"Reen Lazaroa, I want you to become the princess in my sister's place."

"..."

"If you do, I'll take care of all the debts you owe to the Lazaroa family."