Kill the Author, Then to Hell - Chapter 11.1
‘Is it… working?’
Indeed, the faces of the three men seemed to become more serious and sentimental.
I gained a bit more courage and broached the main topic.
“So, what I mean is, if I could help out with even the trivial tasks…”
I intended to ask for permission to enter the closely guarded study or even to be allowed to clean the laboratory. That way, I might pick up some stray hints.
But before I could finish my statement,
Johan grabbed my hand with a burning gaze.
“Edith! I had no idea you were thinking like this. You’re not useless.”
Peter shook his head in disapproval.
“Sister, please don’t feel pressured. Just by being by our side and smiling, you give us strength.”
If someone else, in a different context, had said this, I might have been moved, but I was just annoyed.
That’s not what I’m talking about, you punks!
“Haha, I didn’t mean that, I just wanted to… maybe get into the study…”
I tried to bring up what I wanted to say again, but their ‘goodwill’ kept misfiring in strange directions.
“Edith, do you know when I am most grateful for our family’s position? When I see you, not having to lift a finger, chirping happily like a bird.”
“Right, Sister. We’ll handle the hard work. And we have several servants, why would we need your help too?”
“Even so…”
‘I want to! I want to help!’
There was no chance for me to speak. Or rather, it felt like my words just wouldn’t stick in their ears.
Then, Simon, who had been silent all along, heavily interjected with his hands clasped together.
“Edith has a point.”
I was startled and turned my head towards Simon.
‘Wow, the buff works pretty well, huh?’
Even a psychopath accustomed to murder seemed to be showing goodwill.
However, just when I was filled with hope that the head of the family was on my side,
“Edith is already seventeen. It’s time we started preparing to send her away.”
The conversation started veering off in a weird direction.
“It’s time for… bridal training for our Edith.”
‘What the heck? Bridal training now?’
Suppressing the urge to roar in frustration, I focused all my energy on managing my expression.
‘Smile, just smile.’
But Johan and Peter, unlike me, had faces of dim-witted revelation.
“Ah, we hadn’t thought of that.”
“Right, Father. With Mother gone, we should have taken care of her, short-sighted of us.”
I tried to steer the conversation back quickly, but
“Haha, no, I’m fine… I just want to be allowed into the study, I can manage on my own…”
It seemed my words just weren’t getting through to them.
‘Is there some kind of spell in effect now? One that’s muting only me?’
“Ah! My friend at the academy has a sister who’s being educated by a governess.”
“Is that so? Then, Peter, you look into it.”
“I will also write to my acquaintances in the capital. We need to prepare for the debutante ball.”
“Well, Edith has been so independent that we’ve just left her be… but now it’s time to start preparing for her marriage.”
“Yes, we can’t just marry off our Edith to any household.”
The three of them couldn’t have been more in sync, leaving me out.
Before even 5 minutes passed, a plan was perfectly formed to educate me well, make a successful social debut, and find the best husband for me.
‘I’m doomed.’
[00:01]
Just like that, without achieving what I wanted…
The once-a-month [Affection of One’s Blood and Flesh] buff came to an end.
The bigger problem seemed to be that using the buff again next month would likely not yield a different result.
‘It seems that’s the limit to their goodwill?’
The buff promised to bring out goodwill, but it guaranteed nothing about the outcome.
In a world governed by magic, it seemed common sense that women, who cannot use magic, should be taught household duties early on and married off.
They would probably think finding a good marital match was as filled with goodwill as it gets.
‘But I! I can use magic!’
I returned to my room alone and furiously punched my feather pillow, gritting my teeth.
‘Just you watch, I’ll find a way.’
***
The methods that came to my mind were…
‘Is there really nothing I can get? Not even a beginner’s magic book? Or some magitool?’
I didn’t want to go this far, but I had no choice. It was impossible to sneak into the magically sealed study and library.
While keeping an ear out for my family’s movements with the [Perkily Perked] buff, I went into my younger brother Peter’s room and rummaged through his bag.
It seemed he had only brought a few simple items of clothing since he was just briefly home from the academy, but you never know.
I thoroughly emptied every pocket.
Then, from the depths of a pocket, my hand grasped a piece of paper.
‘Hm? Academy first quarter report card…?’
The grades were dismal.
Many subjects were barely above failing, and the overall comments at the bottom were harsh.
‘The student is easily distracted and lacks clarity… Wow, that’s harsh.’
Anyway, it wasn’t what I was looking for, so I was about to put it back when a conversation I had overheard at the dinner table came to mind.
[Father, Peter has once again ranked in the top 5% of his grade at the academy this quarter.]
[Hm, 5%? That’s expected given our background. It’s only natural he should achieve at least that.]
The Marquis had appeared quite proud despite his words.
[Yes, I will try harder, Father.]
‘Peter didn’t deny it, huh?’
Of course, it was natural to hide it.
If he had shown this report card as it was, the backlash would have been obvious.
‘What if I use this as leverage? Ah, forget it.’
As someone who had artfully embellished report cards herself, I felt a moral obligation to cover for him when,
“Father, may I excuse myself to my room for a moment?”
