Arma, who had sent her to escape first to deal with the assassin alone, did not show up at the promised place.
So, aside from this man right in front of her, Roselyn had never seen anyone block her path until now.
It is not that she had never seen it because she was strong.
This is because no one tried to block her path.
It was the same inside the Duke's household, and the same outside.
So she lived without even expecting anything.
Because she tried to handle it on her own.
Even if she cried, there was no one to help her, and even if she vented about how hard it was, it only made things harder for the other person.
'In that case, I'll just have to endure it alone.'
It was a time she lived thinking that way.
The 27 years Roselyn lived in her own world were a time of getting used to loneliness.
Thanks to that, Roselyn was now fine even without someone protecting her.
So she remained unfazed even when pointed at as a vicious villainess who abandoned familial bonds and lacked any sense of loyalty.
She managed to survive even as a criminal falsely accused of being a royal assassin who killed the Third Prince.
Although the period of running away was only about a year, Roselyn learned more in that one year than she had learned in 26 years.
She had gained enough medical knowledge to treat herself if she got injured.
She learned how to survive on her own without relying on others.
She realized that stealing is harder than she thought.
She also felt that there was almost no one to trust.
She developed the patience to endure pain.
She realized that simply enduring and not speaking up is not the best solution.
She realized that there are things that cannot be conveyed unless spoken.
She engraved the way to live on her own into her body.
She came to realize the agonizing loneliness.
She realized love.
She knew the loss.
...she learned to regret.
"Granddaughter, are you alright?"
Therefore...
At those words, Roselyn felt a little numb.
I would have given up on things like relationships a long time ago...
She wondered why that single remark resonated so deeply.
She couldn't even remember the last time she was asked if she was okay.
However, Roselyn thought.
I thought the life I had returned to wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either; it was then that she realized that wasn't actually the case.
Suddenly, Roselyn's vision blurred.
Tap tap.
In an instant, tears poured from Roselyn's eyes.
The first to discover it and freeze was Devon, who was asking how Roselyn was doing in front of her.
Next was Cherty, who was behind.
Lastly...
"...Young Lady?"
It was Arma who was blocking her path.
He was staring at Roselyn with his eyes wide open, as if he had seen something he should never have seen.
"Uh, are you okay? Were you very sick? I... Just a moment. No. I mean. Here, personally..."
It was the moment when Arma hurriedly took something out and handed it to Roselyn.
"Granddaughter!! Why are you crying!!"
Devon, who had been keeping his mouth open for quite a while, pushed Arma aside, came over, and shouted.
Crying?
'Who?'
Roselyn thought blankly.
"Is it that bastard? Did that bastard hurt you somewhere?! Fuck, I'm going to go stomp that fucking asshole to pieces and smash him to pieces. This fucking asshole is going crazy wanting to die...!"
A strange wind began to blow around him, who was filled with murderous intent.
Even though it was indoors.
It was just when Roselyn was flustered and about to reach out her hand.
"...Baby."
A trembling hand grabbed the hem of Roselyn's clothes.
"You..."
Cherty's fingertips trembled slightly.
It was only when Roselyn saw the raindrops plopping onto the floor that she realized she was crying.
"...Uh."
She quietly marveled at the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"...I don't know what on earth is going on at a joyous banquet I attended with my wife for the first time in a long while."
Someone lightly placed a hand on Roselyn's shoulder and said.
"Roselyn, are you alright?"
This time, even Marquis Garen appeared.
Roselyn was starting to feel like fainting.
However, unlike her frail body, Roselyn had a fairly strong mentality and was a tenacious one...
Unfortunately, she couldn't faint.
"...Marquis Garen...!"
So Roselyn took a small pill from the pocket on her sleeve and shoved it, along with her finger, into Cherty's throat, who was gaping in surprise.
"Ugh!"
Cherty, who was staggering and about to go berserk, fainted.
It was like that.
Instead of being unable to faint herself, Roselyn decided to make someone else faint.
And it was a great success.
***
“Is this true?”
Roselyn, lying in bed with a cold, wet towel on her forehead, muttered softly.
A room with an unparalleled splendid chandelier, so large and spacious that it makes a person lying down feel uneasy, and glittering in golden light in every direction, making one want to stare only at the ceiling.
A bed so spacious it's excessive, large enough for about five people to lie down and sleep on.
Various gift packages placed by the bedside.
Even a gorgeous bouquet of flowers stuck in a truly excessive vase.
It was like that.
Roselyn was now lying on a huge bed in a huge room of the castle she had been assigned thanks to the Emperor's consideration.
There was no particular reason.
'I can't believe I got a fever just from crying a little yesterday.'
Come to think of it, she seems to have been weak around this time.
She thought her body felt a bit warm after the banquet ended so chaotically yesterday, but she didn't mind.
This is because, back when she was living away from home, a fever of this magnitude was a trivial matter.
Is that why?
Come to think of it, she thinks that was when she was the healthiest.
She was able to live diligently because a fever of this magnitude was actually proof that her cells were working hard.
However, thanks to the overbearing guardians, she was now buried deep in a thick, pure white blanket with only her neck sticking out.
'I think it would be better to just move.'
Once you get used to this fever, it doesn't bother you at all.
If she becomes independent, she’ll have to live alone again, and it was annoying to be sickly every time something like this happened.
Based on experience, one gets used to a sickly body.
Therefore, after a brief moment of contemplation, Roselyn stood up from her seat.
Since she had come all the way to the Imperial Palace, she thought she might as well visit the library.
She wanted to get a better grasp of the situation and minimize the discrepancy from the original world as much as possible.
Of course, just because she became independent, she had no intention of living like a beggar again like before, so she had to come up with a suitable business idea.
'And... it's about time we caught the culprit behind the missing persons case.'
However, the reason they are not taking action right now is that this disappearance case is not expected to happen again for some time.
Even if it were to happen, Marquis Garen would take care of it.
The problem is business.
'The gold mine has already been given to the family...'
It was a mine that would be difficult for Roselyn to manage alone anyway.
It is not a bad result since they prevented it from falling into the hands of others.
'Let's go to the library first and think about what comes next.'
She thought briefly, put on her brush, and left the room.
Never imagined that such a trivial action would turn the Imperial City upside down.
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