Chapter 76

Translator(s) note: We’re back guys! Finally! We’ll deliver translations to you again!

However! Maybe this is sudden yet again, but we decided to change the frequency of the translation to 3 times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) for now. Hope it’s all right. Peace!

*Rainelle’s POV

I talked to the woman next to me while having mental chaos in real-time,

“—Which one is Young Lady Gwynell? There are so many people who greeted me, so…”

“Ah, Rainelle-nim. That’s the girl.”

I nodded my head in gratitude to the woman who kindly informed me. Then, I looked at the noble young lady, who was presumed to be the original heroine.

The bright blonde hair was the first thing that caught my eye. If Karmeut had bright blonde hair that was shining like the sun, Young Lady Gwynell’s hair was honey blonde.

The thick, glossy blonde hair was looking like it had been coated with honey. It had a different charm from Karmeut. Moreover, although it may be a cliché expression, her blue eyes were deep like the sea. The blonde blue-eyed beauty was classic, but it was a very popular combination.

Um, um.

This is not the time to admire—!! Wait, let’s think about it!! What did the original female lead look like?!

Ugh!! No!! Why can’t I remember!! Crazy crow head!! No, even if I was human, I would only vaguely remember what I did years ago!!

God damn it!! Why am I given this kind of situation!!

My pupils shook.

No no no! If I go crazy here right now, I will get scolded by Madame Fangxia! Argh!

“…?”

When Young Lady Gwynell looked this way, I hurriedly grabbed a teacup and brought it to my mouth. I couldn’t feel the taste of the hot tea that wet my lips.

What do I do? The original female lead has appeared?! The fact that the heroine appeared means that the attack(?) will start now, right?

Of course, it differs depending on who the person who possessed the heroine is targeting. The target characters are Karmeut, Namuel, Galenos, Miel, and a hidden character that hasn’t appeared. A total of five people.

To be honest, I can’t remember who the hidden character is or how he appears, so let’s not think about that now! Mm, I don’t even know who the one that possessed the heroine will choose, right?

Then the odds are one in five! If the original female lead doesn’t know the hidden character either, it’s one-fourth—!!

Now, probability is probability, but what will that person think when she saw me, ‘the being who shouldn’t exist’?! Maybe she will think that she needs to get rid of me? Or throwing me away somewhere—?!!

I put down my cup because I felt like I was going to have an upset stomach while drinking tea. I felt like I was hit by an unexpected nuclear bomb, so I wanted to go back to my crow form and fly away.

People can’t fly, so I can’t fly!

Why, why?!! Why is the heroine appearing now?!! Wuuu—!! I want to cry! In a normal novel, if this is the case, the original heroine would hate the person who is not supposed to be there, and bullies them! Interfere in every way! In severe cases, they try to assassinate—!!

I shouldn’t have imagined it!! At, at least I know it’s that Young Lady, so it’s okay, isn’t it—?!

“…Rainelle-nim? Are you uncomfortable?”

“—! Ah, ah, it’s fine, Princess Sepia. For a moment… my mind was somewhere else.”

Seeing Sepia looking at me worriedly, I answered with a smile on my face.

Ugh, there’s no way I can say this to anyone. I can’t even understand.

I grabbed a cookie while suppressing my pounding heart.

—It was the same kind of cookie that Karmeut always gave me, but now, for some reason, it taste like grains of sand in my mouth.

*Galenos’ POV

Galenos narrowed his eyes and looked at Rainelle.

“…”

The atmosphere around Rainelle had changed a while ago.

It doesn’t look like she’s having fun. It’s like she’s uneasy about something…

Because of the Emperor’s orders, Galenos had been paying attention to each and every action of Rainelle and Sepia, so he could easily feel it.

But what’s the problem?

There was nothing special happening. All the food and tea were inspected before being served at the tea party. There was no poison, and the investigation of all the participants was thorough.

No, the tea party wouldn’t have even started if there were any problems in the first place. The princess and the next empress will participate after all. To miss the possibility of something unfavorable would happen to them meant the Emperor’s wrath.

Because of this, Galenos’ had no choice but to sharpen his nerves even more.

What is the problem? The refreshments and tea that came up to the tea party are the same ones that Rainelle-nim and Princess Sepia usually eat. It is mainly the refreshments that they preferred.

So, is the problem coming from people? …but Rainelle did not have the opportunity to meet other noble ladies. The last banquet was her first banquet. The same goes for the young Princess.

It was an unpredictable change, but the important thing was that Rainelle was nervous.

Galenos calmly examined the noble ladies.

—If any of them makes Rainelle uncomfortable…

Report it to His Majesty the Emperor. Because what His Majesty cares most about is Rainelle’s well-being.

***

*Karmeut’s POV

“…”

Karmeut remained silent at the sight in front of him, which was so rare, or it was even the first time he saw it. No, probably no one has seen anything like that:

The figure of a crow sitting on a perch with its beak slightly open and its gaze staring into the air. It looked silly.

That figure, no matter where you looked, seemed to be completely distracted and dazed. It was even strange because the bird was usually bustling and vigilant.

“—Rainelle?”

Karmeut called carefully, but there was no answer. Worried about the crow’s behavior of just gazing into the air, Karmeut approached the perch.

He approached, but the crow did not respond. Getting more worried, the Emperor reached out and tapped the crow with his hand.

Then the crow immediately fell off the perch. The one surprised was Karmeut. He moved quickly and reached out his hand to catch the crow before it lands on the floor.

Just then, purple eyes blinked.

“-CAAW!!”

Surprised, the crow made a loud cry as she struggled with her wings and feet. Then she was sat down properly. She clamped his fingers as if reproaching him and saying: “why did you do that!”.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know you are so unfocused.”

The crow, who was angry as he squeaked and puffed up her fur, turned her head away. Karmeut smiled bitterly as she jumped on his lap and clapped her beak as if shouting: “I’m tired!”.

As Karmeut gently stroked her feathers as if to appease her, the crow croaked as if she was still angry. Then, as if she found it annoying, she flapped her wings and flew away to the perch.

The Emperor’s furrowed his brows as he saw Rainelle staring blankly into the air again.

Rainelle is acting strange these days. The time she spent in human form decreased, but the amount of time she spent in a daze increased.

It had never happened before, so he couldn’t help but be worried.

And she fell off the perch with a slight touch, wasn’t she? What was she thinking about that she didn’t react until after she fell?

There was something that he can guess. She became like this after the tea party.

But… what’s the problem? Sir Windster reported that there was no abnormality. However, he also said that she became uneasy in the middle of the tea party…

“Rainelle, what happened at the tea party?”

The crow was startled when he asked such a question while tapping her beak with his index finger. Karmeut’s eyebrows furrowed even more at her behavior.

Normally, she would have turned into a human and told me why… Seeing her still in the crow form, it seems she didn’t want to talk.

He was frustrated and worried because he didn’t know the reason, but he didn’t want to force it out of her either. He smiled.

“Okay, I won’t ask you anymore if it’s hard to say.”

At Karmeut’s words, Rainelle rubbed her beak on his finger as if to say sorry. It was cute of her to be like this so quickly even though she had been pouting at him until a while ago.

“Nevertheless, Rainelle. You shouldn’t go to a tea party for a while.”

Rainelle’s behavior of nodding while cawing was also different from what she would do normally.

If she was acting normal, she would have asked “why?”. But Karmeut just smiled as he saw Rainelle nodding her head.

As expected, something must have happened at the tea party. Perhaps some of the people who attended that day felt uncomfortable with Rainelle. There was nothing in particular that stood out after all.

Seeing Rainelle dazed again, the Emperor smiled shallowly. He felt like his heart was burning, but if Rainelle didn’t want to talk, he just had to pretend he didn’t know.

*Rainelle’s POV

Ah, ah… It feels like I’m really losing my mind… It’s turning into dust… The heroine, the heroine appeared…

I couldn’t quite figure out how to act. No, is it right to act? Or is it better to stay still?

…Aaah!! I am a being that didn’t exist in the original story!! But whether a crow appears in the background or not, what would the heroine think when Crow no.1 occupies an important spot? Besides, according to the original setting, the original Young Lady is a noble who was possessed!!

Do I have no choice but to pray that the one that possesses her is a decent person now? Huh? Is that the only thing I can do?!

No matter how worried Karmeut is, there’s no way I can tell him this!:

‘Oh, I’m actually not supposed to exist here. Now I’m worried about what the original female protagonist will think of me.’

…Wow, I think that’s a crazy story. How absurd must Karmeut find it to be when he hears it! So I can’t speak!! That’s something I shouldn’t say in the first place!!

*knock, knock, knock*

I jumped on the perch at the sudden knocks. Losing my center of gravity and falling, I flapped my wings to balance myself, then I transformed into a human figure.

“C, come in.”

“Rainelle-nim, a letter has arrived.”

I was freaked out by the word ‘letter’.

A letter?! Did it come from the heroine?!

“Who, who is the letter from?”

“This is a letter from Marquis Albion.”

Marquis Albion? Who is that? —ah!! Right! Was the family name Miel received from Karmeut ‘Albion’?

It was only then that I remembered that Karmeut had given Miel the surname Albion a while ago.

Oh… it’s all good, then. It isn’t a letter from the heroine. …Hm? But why did Miel send me a letter?

I opened the envelope while feeling a lingering doubt. …Ooh, Miel wrote it briefly? It’s good that there’s no rhetoric!

‘Can I meet you in three days?’ Ummm… it’s not difficult to meet…

But… I’m worried about what the heroine will think of me meeting with Miel.

If the heroine had set Miel as her target, she will shorten my life. Or I might be just fine…

After much deliberation, the conclusion I came to was simple.

What am I hesitating about?! My existence itself is already at the level of destroying the original story, so why am I hesitating! Let’s meet, meet! We will meet because Miel had something to tell me …but I can’t deny that I’m also looking forward to seeing and appreciating his handsome face. Hehehehe… Karmeut is obviously handsome too, but the more I see, the happier I am!

As I wrote a reply on a piece of paper, I thought of Miel, who would come three days later. When I thought of his beauty that transcends gender, my heart became warm.

…Healing, healing!

Oh, if that’s the case, I could have gone to see Galenos and Namuel, right? I saw Galenos at the tea party, but I think it’s been a while since I’ve seen Namuel…

As I jotted down my reply, saying that it was okay, I thought of Namuel.

Ha… Namuel is also a very handsome man. Intelligent handsome man! His face’s ascetic beauty is brought out more by his glasses… Uu!

I put the letter with my reply in an envelope and gave it to the maid. I felt happy as I didn’t think about the heroine. But it only lasted for a moment. I despaired yet again.

Aaargh!! Don’t think about it! Arghh!!