Keep a Secret - Chapter 1

“Huh?”

Faye Luvanessel was perplexed. It was the morning after a good night’s sleep. Just like yesterday, she opened her eyes a bit more refreshed than the day before.

So, what did she do yesterday? She spent enjoyable time with fellow nobles at the equestrian center. Among the memorable events, there was a conversation with a young count secretly admired by her.

After returning home, as usual, she soaked her body in flower-petal water and received a massage from a maid. What else did she do? Oh yes, she indulged in a few tarts, evading the watchful gaze of her mother’s right-hand woman, Miss Wetzel. The orange tart with a tangy filling that burst on the tip of her tongue, her favorite.

After rinsing her mouth, hugging a pillow, she went to bed. And when she woke up:

Name: Contina Wetzel

Strange characters began to appear before her eyes.

Faye rubbed her eyes vigorously with the back of her hand. White characters floated above the irritated Miss Wetzel’s irritated head.

“Are you listening? I told you not to eat anything after six o’clock! Absolutely nothing! Not even water!”

It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a delusion either. Staring blankly at Miss Wetzel’s forehead, she waved her hands to shield her view.

“Why are you spacing out? Who am I doing this for? Who declared at the royal banquet that she would wear Madam Minus’ latest dress! The outfit focuses on the waist and shoulders, so if you want to debut it on schedule, you need to diligently shed some pounds. You agreed to it, didn’t you, Miss?”

Suddenly, Miss Wetzel began to sob and sniffle, shoulders shaking. Recognizing it as a fake cry, Faye paid no attention. However, the <Name: Contina Wetzel> was bothering her too much…

The strange occurrences didn’t end there.

Name: Missy Rolfian

“Faye, here you need to play staccato. Short and crisp with the left hand, rolling arpeggios with the right hand. Let’s try it again. Starting from the second and third measures. One, two, rest. Again, one, two.”

Above the head of Ms. Rolfian, the piano instructor.

Name: Gerald Luvanessel

“Faye, I checked your Gemmoir composition assignment, and the grammar is a complete mess. Having fun is good, but you also need to pay some attention to your studies, right?”

Above the head of her older brother Gerald who was scolding her.

Name: On Piroc

“Why are you like this? Did you eat something wrong?”

Above her childhood friend On, who came over from the neighboring mansion to help with dance practice, characters floated around like fluffy clouds.

Why is everyone suddenly walking around with my name above their heads? Faye reached out to grab the characters above On’s head. The characters playfully circled around his head, then slipped out of her hand like a playful prank.

“…Are you crazy? You want to fight with me?”

Faye had grabbed a handful of On’s hair, so he spoke in a gloomy voice.

If Faye fought with On, she would obviously lose. Faye quickly unclenched the fist she had tightened. In an attempt to emphasize her harmlessness, she giggled, and On raised his eyebrows, expressing a complex mix of emotions.

“On, by any chance…”

Faye tried to ask if On could also see characters above other people’s heads.

“Eek!”

However, the moment she brought her face close, On pushed Faye’s cheek away in shock.

“After coming all the way to help, if you don’t have the intention, just quit!”

Leaving Faye curled up on the floor, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away. Faye’s disheveled sunset-colored hair swayed in the wind as she tried to gather herself.

The teacher, who had returned from reporting to Duchess Luvanessel after the lesson, looked puzzled as Faye got up.

“Why is On angry?”

“I don’t know, teacher…”

Faye responded in confusion.

Several days passed like this. After observing those around her, Faye came to a few conclusions.

Firstly, Faye could now see people’s names. (Her own name was not visible; she confirmed it with a mirror.)

Secondly, only Faye could see people’s names.

Thirdly, she could accurately see the names of strangers, and for married individuals, their names appeared with the changed surname of their spouse.

Fourthly, although she didn’t understand the mechanism—assuming it could be considered a problem with a mechanism at all—the characters displayed unique characteristics for each person. Typeface, size, and color were all different.

Fifthly, if she mentioned this fact, people would treat Faye as if she were crazy.

“Oh, Madam, Master… Miss Faye has finally…!”

Miss Wetzel’s ‘finally’ carried numerous implied meanings.

For instance, someone might have thought that she was a bit dull-witted, but it turned out she had a serious mental issue! Similar implications were embedded in Miss Wetzel’s words: “Our Miss’ mind… What has happened to it!”

While Faye felt a bit hurt, she quickly adapted to reality, retracting her statement about seeing strange characters above people’s heads and persuading Miss Wetzel that it was all just a prank.

Fortunately, the situation was resolved… However, Miss Wetzel’s formidable anger was unavoidable.

“Exactly how old are you, Miss? In this day and age, why would you play such an immature prank? Do you want to be labeled as a witch and taken away? Once marked, not only you but the entire family gets implicated! Even someone like me, who stays at home, knows about it. How could you, Miss…?”

With tears visibly welling up this time, Faye, with her millennium-long appetite now absent, earnestly asked Miss Wetzel for forgiveness.