Chapter 21

In the end, even when it was time for dinner, Rin did not wake up. Huey refused to leave her side, so the discussion was held only among the remaining members.

Two major decisions were made. One was that everyone would return to their respective mansions tomorrow, effectively ending the sleepover. Despite the increased security, there was no benefit in staying here any longer. The second decision was that the Sylvie family would take responsibility for investigating the incident, as it occurred within their territory, which was a natural decision.

"Still, who is the culprit, and what did they want to do..."

Modred sighed as he ate, and of course, his investigation was also scheduled to end here.

"Indeed. If it was just a kidnapping, it would be one thing, but the intention to kill is hard to understand. If it was for ransom, Leen would be a less likely target than her."

Jade said this while glancing at Cecilia.

"Then, is it really because she is a candidate for the shrine maiden?"

"What benefit does the culprit gain from harming a candidate for the shrine maiden?"

Following Dante, Oscar also spoke. Who the killer was and why they targeted the shrine maiden candidate were unknown to Cecilia as well. All she knew was that the killer, who had been silent until now, had started to move.

That night, Cecilia was on the balcony of the cottage, enjoying the night breeze. Considering the ease of security, she and Rin had moved from the neighboring cottage to the one where Gilbert and the others were staying. Despite her mood, the stars in the sky were breathtakingly beautiful.

(Since the killer has started to move, I need to be even more vigilant from now on.)

Cecilia hung her head deeply. According to Huey, Rin had briefly woken up about an hour ago. However, she seemed to be still dazed and quickly fell back asleep. Upon hearing this, Modred had a regretful look on his face, saying, "She might have been drugged." He could only heal conditions he "understood" with his treasure, so he couldn't treat poisons or unknown causes.

(I hope Rin will be okay...)

Cecilia really wanted to be by Rin's side, but she couldn't interfere with Huey, who was glued to her. All she could do was look up at the room where Rin was from the balcony.

(I hope she gets better soon...)

"Cecilia."

At that moment, a voice called her, and Cecilia looked in the direction of the voice. There stood Oscar.

"Ah, Your Highness."

Cecilia instinctively hid her face behind the fan she was holding. Her cheeks twitched beneath the fan.

(Now that I've done this, I think he's already seen everything...)

When the incident happened, Cecilia was so focused on Rin that she forgot to hide her face with the fan. Moreover, her tone of voice had become much more casual, like when she was Cecil. Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if she was suspected.

(But, but! Oscar wouldn't think that a duchess's daughter is disguised as a boy and attending the academy! It must be okay!)

The only thing she could do now was to encourage herself. Giving up and confessing was out of the question, and she didn't think he would accept her past life's story as easily as Gilbert did.

Ignoring Cecilia's worries, Oscar stood beside her and gently draped his jacket over her shoulders.

"It's nice to cool off, but don't let your body get too cold."

His smile didn't seem to suspect her at all. He was the usual, friendly and kind Oscar. Cecilia buttoned up the jacket and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Ah."

His smile became even more relaxed.

(It seems to be okay...)

Cecilia sighed in relief. He probably hadn't thought that a duchess's daughter would be disguised as a boy... or he was just very dense.

(Oscar is so nice, but he's a bit dense too.)

If he had found out, the effort to avoid Huey's questioning earlier would have been for nothing. Well, avoiding it wasn't really her own doing...

Just as she was relaxing, Oscar's hand overlapped with hers on the railing.

"Even though things turned out this way, I enjoyed spending time with you this time."

"Ah, yes! I did too."

"Can we meet again?"

When asked this, Cecilia's eyes darted around. As 'Duchess's Daughter Cecilia,' the answer was a definite 'yes,' but as 'Baron's Son Cecil,' the answer was a definite 'no.' However, it was hard to say 'no' honestly.

"Can't you?"

"Um..."

Saying 'Of course' would be easy, but if he made a specific promise like 'in a few days,' she wouldn't be able to keep it. For some reason, this world's Oscar was quite proactive towards Cecilia.

"Sister."

Just as she was trying to find a peaceful resolution, Gilbert's voice came from the sliding door. Cecilia looked at him as if he were a savior from heaven.

"Ah, Gil!"

As she tried to run to him—

"Ah!"

" Sister?!"

She tripped on the hem of her skirt and stumbled. With the floor rushing towards her, Cecilia closed her eyes. However, the impact never came.

"You're quite clumsy, aren't you?"

"Your Highness Oscar."

She realized that Oscar was holding her. Her entire weight was supported by his arms around her waist. The fan she had been holding flew forward from the stumble.

"Be careful. If you get hurt, everyone will be sad."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Embarrassed, she thanked him with a shy smile.

At that moment, Oscar's eyes widened.

"It's okay, Sister."

"Ah, yeah."

"Really, be careful."

Supported by Gilbert, who had rushed over, Cecilia said, "Well, then," and left the scene.

Oscar, left alone, stood frozen, watching the two of them leave. He looked at the arm that had been holding her and caught his breath.

"Still, she is..."

He recalled her shy smile. He had been skeptical, but now his doubts had turned into certainty. Seeing her face so close, there was no way he could have been mistaken. The moment he looked up, his eyes met Gilbert's, who nodded with a deadpan expression. Oscar rubbed his forehead at the meaningful look.

"What is she trying to do by dressing as a boy..."

The face that came to Oscar's mind was that of a friend who was not there.

I noticed (laughs).