* * *
Before the regression.
“Surveillance again? I’m sick of it.”
When I was first dragged into the underground laboratory, the very first person I t was Chloe.
“All the experints are done by the high priests, and all the grunt work is dumped on us. It’s so annoying.”
Chloe muttered with a sour expression, her tone lazy and disinterested.
“What’s the point in risking our lives and succeeding in the experints if it’s this hard to rise in rank? So it turns out there’s no real need to change our appearance? Damn it, then that ans just showing a bit of talent might be enough to beco a high priest—so why isn’t that opportunity coming to ...?”
Pinned to her priest robe was a glittering butterfly brooch.
“Hey.”
She looked down at with clear displeasure and spoke.
“Do you know Priest Yuta?”
...Yuta?
I made a face that clearly showed I had no idea.
She furrowed her brows and absentmindedly fiddled with the lower left wing of her butterfly brooch.
“He’s the one who gave this to ...”
It didn’t sound like she was speaking to . It was more like she was getting lost in her own emotions.
Her cheeks had flushed for a while, but then she seed to snap back to herself and tilted her head as she muttered,
“Why would Lord Yuta be interested in you?”
It was the first ti I’d heard that na, but just by looking at her face, it was obvious how much she liked this Yuta.
“You really don’t know him? Huh?”
“...I really don’t...”
“Ugh, what a waste.”
She clicked her tongue in irritation and suddenly grabbed my chin.
“Ah!”
There wasn’t even ti to cry out in pain from her harsh grip before a foreign divine energy surged into .
And at the sa ti, drowsiness crashed over like a wave.
“It’s too much of a hassle, so just sleep.”
Chloe often put to sleep because she found watching over too annoying. And every ti, I was tornted by nightmares.
Horrific nightmares so terrible, it would have been better to stay awake.
Dreams where Julian died in cruel ways.
I dreamt those scenes over and over, crying and screaming as I saw Julian’s pained face.
I even begged her, pleaded that I’d stay quiet if only she’d let sleep without nightmares—but she never listened.
“So noisy. Seriously. Won’t you just shut up?”
And so, I couldn’t even escape into sleep. Because of her altered divine power, I always had nightmares when I slept.
Throughout the continued experints, she remained extrely sensitive. One day, she began snapping constantly, her eyes puffy and swollen.
“I’m struggling too, damn it! Quit whining!”
“Please... I’ll just be quiet, okay? I won’t run... If you’ll ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ just, just make the nightmares stop...”
“Shut up! I don’t have ti to worry about soone like you! My love... My love is over!”
It was only later that I found out—Yuta had died around that ti.
“If I had known this would happen... I should’ve confessed at least once... Or maybe just changed my appearance and hinted at my feelings...”
She grieved endlessly. And all the while, she would habitually rub the left wing of her butterfly brooch.
“How could you leave with just this... Ugh... sob, sob...”
Though I didn’t know for sure, that brooch Yuta had given her was clearly sothing extrely precious.
Sotis, she’d show up with a different appearance. She said it was to lift her spirits when she was too sad.
“If I can just prove how necessary this ability is... then I really could beco a high priest...”
Usually, she’d change into the appearance of a prettily dressed noble lady or a noble girl. She had always dread of a glamorous, wealthy life among the nobility.
“But... it’s pointless now... I’ll never be with Lord Yuta anyway...”
Even then, though, she always wore that butterfly brooch. That was how I could recognize her.
And whenever I saw that butterfly brooch, I would tremble.
Because it was always a sign that the nightmares were coming.
* * *
That’s why, even if I didn’t recognize Chloe when she changed her appearance—I could still recognize that butterfly brooch.
Clara.
She was the kind of person who would never hand that brooch over to soone else. Which ant it had to be Clara in disguise.
Things were different from before the regression.
For one, I hadn’t been captured by the Temple, and Julian and Grandfather hadn’t died.
So Felide and Monica colluded with the Temple to fabricate a fake daughter—soone backed by the prestige of the Idra Duchy, soone the Noart Count Family couldn’t easily oppose.
She may look thirteen, but it’s definitely Clara.
Chloe was an adult—she couldn’t genuinely want to be engaged to an eleven-year-old Zahid out of love.
That was just a stepping stone for her to beco an heir. The person she truly loved had to be soone else.
And...
I pulled out a sheet of parchnt.
...Yuta is still alive.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
He was her one and only weak spot—the one person who could make her crumble.
When he died, she had sobbed pitifully for months.
I can use that.
Of course, Yuta was a man of the Temple, which ant there was room to manipulate things. I set the dictionary beside and started writing with my left hand.
To Lord Yuta, this is Clara. Just now, I received orders to eliminate Rosie Trian.
The Temple never referred to as “Rosie Noart.” They always added the surna “Trian,” which denoted my status as a lowly apprentice.
Wherever I went, I was seen as Temple property—soone they could do whatever they wanted with.
So, by adding “Trian” to my na, Yuta would undoubtedly assu this letter was written by Clara.
However, Rosie is being extrely wary of , so I can’t act alone. Would it be possible for you to help ?
The higher-ups said that if necessary, I may contact you for assistance.
Since you taught Rosie Trian directly at the Academy, you may find it easier to lure her in.
Let’s discuss the details in person at the Count’s estate.
All mail sent to the estate is monitored, so please don’t reply. Could you co on the 9th of this month? That day is Rosie Trian’s and my birthday.
You could say you’re familiar with and ca to celebrate my birthday. I’ll include a secret eting location with this letter.
p.s. The butterfly brooch you gave is still with .
Even if Clara had really needed to send a letter like this, she would have written it with her left hand to avoid having her handwriting recognized.
I even wrote about the butterfly brooch she used to boast about at every opportunity before the regression.
Forgeries for forgeries. Fakes for fakes.
Yuta would definitely co.
Then I can raid the scene.
Blinking slowly, I recalled his shimring golden hair.
Whatever it is, there’s no need to worry. Children’s problems are always for the adults to solve.
Whether I had any faint liking for Yuta or not, it didn’t matter. He was a Temple man.
Soone who would rush over the mont he was ordered to kill .
And I need to use that, too.
I let out a bitter smile as I folded the completed letter.
That was when—
There was a knock at the door.
“Rosie.”
It was Zahid’s voice.
“Can I co in for a mont?”
“Ah, sure.”
At my reply, Zahid stepped inside, looking a bit tired. It seed his private eting with Grandfather had finally ended.
I jumped to my feet and ran over to him.
“You idiot, why are you taking the bla for this?”
“It was annoying.”
Zahid trudged in and slumped down in my room’s chair.
“Anyway, things were resolved the fastest this way. After discussing it with the Count, it’s been decided that I’ll just send an apology letter to Lady Linna.”
“Grandfather believed your claim? That you stole it?”
“Would he?”
He answered shortly, then gave a crooked smile.
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Then he casually picked up the parchnt on my desk and muttered, “Borrowing this?” with barely any sincerity—then imdiately began writing the letter to Linna.
Wow.
I clicked my tongue and thought to myself,
Even the little goodwill I had is getting tangled up again.
He didn’t show a shred of remorse. And his postscript? Honestly irritating. But since it was a letter he was writing to another girl, I stayed silent.
No harm in piling up mutual dislike.
Besides, if Linna had really sent a letter like that, then she was a collaborator anyway.
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