Chapter 17

(Wh-Wh-Why are the two of them here!?)

Cecilia trembled at the realization of the déjà vu she had felt earlier.

Ticky and Bernard are characters who do not appear in the common route. They only show up after entering a romance route, and Cecilia had only seen them in Gilbert's and Jade's routes.

(And, both of them are characters with bad impressions...)

Ticky Colson is a character who mainly appears with Bernard or his elder brother, Nicolas Colson. When he appears, he basically only bullies Gilbert. He mocks Gilbert when he sees him walking in town, and sends strange letters to Gilbert, who was chosen as a knight, saying things like, "You were chosen as a knight by chance. You're a disgrace to the Colson family. You shut-in bastard!" There is no character development to show that he is actually a good person or has a tragic past; he is simply portrayed as an obstacle for Gilbert to overcome.

And next to him is Bernard Broussais, a character with quite a unique personality. When he first appears, he is like Ticky's goldfish poop. However, his true identity is the perpetrator of a series of assault cases. He beats up women and small children, only targeting those weaker than himself, in the middle of the night or on deserted streets. The main theme of Jade's route is to pursue this assault case. Using the exchange diary, the protagonist and Jade work together to solve the case and corner Bernard.

In other words, he is the final boss in Jade's route. ...By the way, in 50% of the cases where Cecilia dies after entering Jade's romance route, Bernard is involved.

(...Can they just go away...?)

I really want to send them away. For my own future.

(But from what I can see in the newspaper, Bernard hasn't committed any assault cases yet. And Ticky hasn't tried to contact Gilbert. Maybe these two have slightly different personalities from the game...)

"What are you spacing out for, you slowpoke!"

"Kyaa!"

Her shoulder was pushed, and her body leaned back. Because she had been lost in thought, her body didn't move as she wanted, and she ended up sitting on the ground.

"Hurry up and show us around!"

(Huh!?)

Cecilia glared up at him from where she was.

(I-I take it back! I'm sending them away! I have to send them away no matter what!!)

Words are still tolerable, but violence is not. Absolutely not.

"What, you're glaring at me like that! Do you think it's okay for you commoners to look at me that way!"

"Y-You're in trouble! Ticky! Look at this person's clothes. They're tailored for ease of movement, but they don't look like a commoner..."

"Bernard! Shut up!!"

"Ah!"

Bernard shrunk his shoulders. In the meantime, Cecilia stood up.

She swallowed her rising anger and put on a composed face. After brushing off the mud from her dress, Cecilia straightened her back.

"Is this what a person born into a ducal family does? Ticky Colson"

"What!?"

Her arm was grabbed. The strong grip of a man made her frown. However, Cecilia composed herself in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, did you not understand my words just now? If so, let me explain it again, in simpler terms. ...Ticky Colson. Do you think it's appropriate for a son of the prestigious Colson family to treat a woman this way?"

Cecilia ran her free hand through her hair to show her composure.

"Even a wild monkey would think before acting, don't you think?"

"You--"

The grip tightened even more. It was painful, and she couldn't maintain her expression.

However, this is a matter of willpower. I won't let my expression falter until I make this guy foam at the mouth.

"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet."

"Huh!? Your name...?"

"My name is, Ceci--"

Just as she was about to say it, something whizzed past her ear at incredible speed. Then, with a thud, a familiar sword was embedded in the tree in front of her. A red line appeared on Ticky's cheek, probably a thin cut.

"...I finally found you, and this is what I get?"

The person who had thrown the sword a moment ago approached, his voice lower than usual.

Cecilia couldn't see him, but the man behind her must have had a very serious expression. Ticky let out a silly scream, "Hiii!" and the grip on her arm weakened.

"Back off. Ticky Colson. She is my future wife."

When Cecilia turned around, she saw Oscar with a fierce expression.

..◆◇◆

"Get out."

This was Gilbert's first words after hearing the whole story from Oscar and Cecilia. His unusually harsh words made Cecilia's heart clench, even though she wasn't the one being addressed. Ticky and Bernard also seemed to be trembling.

They were in one of the cottage's rooms. Cecilia, who was having a bandage wrapped around her bruised wrist, watched the situation unfold. Oscar stood by the door, arms crossed, watching them.

"Mostly, it's your fault! No matter how many times I tried to contact you, you never responded! I even contacted the academy!"

"Get out."

"Besides! It's not my fault about that woman! It's her fault for not coming forward sooner! If I had known she was from the Sylvie family, I would have--"

"Get out."

Gilbert, who was not listening at all, was being desperately pleaded with by Ticky. It seemed that Gilbert had been called by teachers at the academy recently, and it was apparently due to Ticky.

"Hey, Gilbert. Can't you listen to him a little more?"

Feeling a bit sorry for Ticky, she tried to help him. Ticky latched onto this, saying, "See, even the girl is saying it!" Gilbert turned to Cecilia.

"Sister, just stay quiet and get treated. Don't worry, I'll get rid of this guy soon."

"You--!"

"That's it, get out."

There was no room for argument. Gilbert was clearly very angry.

"I'm just asking for your help!"

"How many times do I have to say that I don't want to help?"

Gilbert spat out these words. It seemed to be a family dispute within the Colson family.

From what she heard, Ticky, the second son, was in a precarious position in the Colson family. Ticky had been raised as a backup for the eldest son, Nicolas. However, it seemed that Nicolas was about to take over the family business in place of their ailing father. At the same time, Ticky, who had fulfilled his role as a backup, was about to be kicked out of the family.

Not wanting to fall to the status of a commoner, Ticky was plotting to bring down Nicolas. He had come to Gilbert for help with this.

"I know! You have information that can bring down Nicolas, right?"

"How could I have such information? Where would I get it from..."

Gilbert's puzzled face now showed exasperation. He looked genuinely annoyed.

"Because you hate us, right? So--"

"So you think I'm gathering information to bring down the Colson family? Ridiculous."

"What!?"

Ticky's eyes widened at Gilbert's indifferent attitude.

"Let me make this clear. I don't care about you anymore. I don't want to be involved. So, that information is completely a rumor. ...So, you can go home with peace of mind."

"Wh--!"

"If you don't leave on your own, I'll have the soldiers escort you out."

Just as he said this coldly, the door to the room suddenly opened. There was no knock, and it was opened roughly. Oscar, who was standing by the door, jumped back from the force.

"What!?"

"Hey! Have you seen Leen?"

It was Hughie who entered the room. His words made Cecilia's eyes widen.

"Huh? Leen?"

"That guy. He went to his room to get something he forgot, and it's been about thirty minutes since he left! Do you know where he went!?"

At that moment, the three words 'Killer' flashed in Cecilia's mind.

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