Episode 21: I Saw Through the Truth.
The tutor, Samuel, was within breathing distance.
His arms were spread as if to envelop my body.
Just as those arms were about to close—
“This is the carotid artery. Are you familiar with it?”
I pressed the concealed knife against his neck and explained politely.
He froze, his arms unable to complete their embrace.
“…Does one usually do that at this point…?”
Samuel, startled by the knife, slowly retracted his hands and moved away from me.
“Of course, I would. What do you think you’re doing, taking advantage of the situation? Don’t touch me without permission.”
I toyed with the knife in my hand, showing it off to Samuel, before hiding it in my clothes again.
Perhaps it was because my reaction was unexpected. His face turned bright red, and he raised his voice.
“Permission!? Do you expect me to get the Marquis’ permission every time I touch you!?”
“Huh? Why would I need the Marquis’ permission? This is my body. It’s my permission that matters, duh!”
Don’t screw with me. I’m not the Marquis’ property.
He’s a rude guy who suddenly tries to hug people, but I’m a little grateful.
It distracted me and stopped the trembling.
So,
“—But, thank you.”
I made sure to express my gratitude.
In response, he made a face as if he had chewed on thousands of bitter insects.
What’s with that rude look? I went out of my way to thank him.
“W-well, if you’re finally back to your usual self, that’s good enough. Just make sure you protect Ati-sama with that same energy.”
He somehow erased that strange expression and tried to leave through the door.
But,
“Wait.”
I stopped him.
Samuel’s body stiffened, and he froze.
“W-what is it?”
He turned around with awkward movements.
“Anything you know about Ilias-sama, no matter how small, I want you to tell me.”
That’s right.
Fear is an emotion you feel towards the unknown or things you don’t know how to deal with.
The reason I’m scared of Ilias is that I know almost nothing about him. The best way to deal with fear is to know your enemy.
Well, even when you know everything, you can still be scared when there’s nothing you can do.
“Even if you say that—”
Samuel averted his gaze from me, his eyes wandering around the room, hesitant.
“Please. You’re good at gathering information, aren’t you, Samuel? You must know more about him than I do. Please, for Ati’s sake, tell me.”
When I pressed him like that, Samuel hesitated for a moment before taking his hand off the door.
“I-if you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice.”
With a slightly pleased and bashful smile, he returned to the room and sat on the reception sofa.
Yes! My plan to stroke his ego was a huge success!
“So, what do you want to know first?”
I’ll put up with Samuel’s slightly overbearing attitude for now.
First, I need to extract the information I want from him.
“First, I want to know about Ilias-sama’s personal life.”
I also sat on the sofa opposite him.
And then, I listened intently to his boastful words.
Apparently, the future Yandere Ilias is a love-obsessed maniac, and when he loves something, he tends to eliminate everything that gets in its way.
According to the tutor (Samuel), several of his (Ilias’) tutors have been fired, and since he became Eric’s caretaker, Eric’s tutors have also been quitting one after another.
—That boy is behind it. But the fact that there’s no evidence is what makes him so terrifying…
Come to think of it.
When I was playing the otome game, it was annoying how this guy (Ilias) would always interfere when I played Eric’s route.
Presumably, before he shifted his obsessive affection to the otome game’s protagonist, Eric was his target. If I remember correctly, when playing Eric’s route, Ilias and the Villainess Ati’s interference was a pain in the ass—
Wait?
That’s right, isn’t it?
When playing Eric’s route, the otome game’s protagonist was the target of the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias).
Then, what about when playing the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias)’s route?
Eric has a shallow but strong sense of justice and isn’t the type to steal what belongs to others.
So, when you play Ilias’ route, he gracefully steps aside.
If that’s the case… the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias)’s target is—
Ati.
The Villainess Ati.
The Villainess Ati envies the otome game’s protagonist’s position and harasses her in various ways out of spite.
The Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias), noticing this—
I remember.
Ati gets killed.
The moment I remembered, a shock-like chill ran down my spine.
This is it. The reason for my fear.
The one who might kill Ati is Ilias.
That’s right.
Moreover, in order to plunge Ati into the depths of despair before killing her, he first kills Marquis Karamanlis and his wife—that is, me.
Wow, he’s seriously messed up.
How does someone grow up to be such a psycho?
But, but, but.
It’s different now. The possibility is low.
Because Ati won’t become a Villainess. I won’t let that happen.
So, she won’t interfere with the otome game’s protagonist when she eventually appears.
So, it should be okay—
Wait a minute?
Right now, the otome game’s protagonist isn’t here yet.
In other words, the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias)’s object of affection is—Eric.
What that means is!!!
“Samuel…”
I realized a terrifying possibility and raised my voice.
“What is it?”
The tutor (Samuel), noticing, glanced at me.
“The one who’s targeting Ati isn’t someone in this mansion… not the man who called himself Sergios… the one who targeted Ati that time was…
Ilias.”
That’s right.
Right now, the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias)’s object of affection is Eric.
And Ati was about to become his fiancé.
In other words, for the Love-Obsessed Maniac (Ilias), Ati, who had the potential to take Eric away from him, became the target for elimination.
That’s why he dropped the lantern at the Andreu Estate, targeting Ati.
If she died, great. Even if she lived, she might have been disfigured by burns and unable to go outside.
In the original otome game, Ati didn’t die, and the burns were only on her back, hidden from view. As a result, contrary to Ilias’s intentions, the engagement became solid.
In the otome game, the tutor (Samuel) and the Head Nanny (Maggie) took advantage of that situation.
And.
The fear I felt today.
That was.
The murderous intent directed at me, who Eric has been so infatuated with lately.
“What are you saying? Ilias-sama is still a child, you know?”
The tutor (Samuel) shook his head with an exasperated look.
But I immediately denied his words.
“So what if he’s a child? Children have desires too. They have strong fixations and obsessions. Their lack of ethics makes them even more dangerous. Besides, at eleven years old, he’s perfectly capable of anything. Dropping a lantern is nothing.”
With just a knife, you can kill an adult. If you have the knowledge and the means to obtain it, you can use poison.
Rather, he can fully utilize his innocent and childlike appearance. If he’s aware that ‘adults are off guard because I’m a child.’
Even ordinary children will break things and kill insects if they aren’t taught otherwise. In some cases, they can even kill small animals without a second thought. That’s all about ethics. Something you acquire later.
Some people dislike it because they feel sorry for them, but I can calmly hunt and butcher deer and rabbits for food.
“Well, assuming that Ilias-sama was the one who targeted Ati-sama. Then, all you have to do is keep him away from the mansion, right?”
Samuel shrugged his shoulders in a tired manner.
Certainly, he’s right.
But.
“There’s still a possibility… the official engagement hasn’t been finalized yet…”
That’s right.
The other day was just a meeting. It was just an informal agreement to proceed with the engagement.
The real engagement is yet to come. In this world, engagements aren’t just verbal agreements. Proper documents are created.
Those documents are stamped with the thumbprints of the two parties involved.
“Don’t tell me, during the official engagement?”
Samuel, having come to the same conclusion as me, lifted his back off the sofa.
I looked straight into his eyes and nodded slowly.
During the official contract, Ati will once again go to the Andreu Estate.
It’s a place where he usually operates. Like his own backyard. I can’t imagine he won’t do something there.
“Do you know when the official engagement is?”
I haven’t been informed of the details of Ati’s engagement.
“It’s on Ati-sama’s fourth birthday.”
Samuel said, taking out a small notebook from his chest pocket and checking its contents.
“…The week after next.”
The week after next. It’s sooner than I thought.
……Ah! I forgot Ati’s birthday! I was planning to celebrate it in a big way!! I haven’t been paying much attention to the days since I started living here—but, no. That’s not the point right now.
“I need to think of various ways to protect Ati.”
I started searching for ways to keep Ati out of danger in my mind.
However, Samuel interrupted my thoughts.
“Wait a minute. Ilias-sama being the culprit is just a hypothetical scenario.”
Is it? I think it’s a done deal, though.
“Aren’t you forgetting about the unidentified man named Sergios?”
Ah, I forgot.
Because that’s just me.
“How did that man know that Ati-sama was being targeted? Moreover, he appeared on the scene. Isn’t that too strange?”
You’re absolutely right. It’s strange, isn’t it? I understand. Certainly.
But—
“…He’s different. He’s not Ati’s enemy.”
There’s no way he’s an enemy. I can’t possibly be Ati’s enemy.
The reason he knew Ati was going to be attacked is because I played this world as a game beforehand.
…But there’s no way I can say that.
“…Why can you say that with such certainty? Do you know him?”
Samuel stood up from the sofa.
He’s suspicious. Of me.
“Could it be that you’re making up this whole thing about Ilias-sama to divert attention…”
“That’s not it!”
When I stood up too, Samuel quickly distanced himself from me.
His sharp gaze pierced me.
It would be a pain if I couldn’t get Samuel’s cooperation here.
I have to somehow gain his trust.
“He… Sergios… is…”
I steeled myself and opened my mouth.