The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 117
I re-read the letter, doubting my eyes.
‘The message reached Shaelock too?’
I truly hoped Shaelock wouldn’t suffer because of me, but knowing she was willing to help… made me genuinely happy.
‘I thought our bond wouldn’t last long.’
Seeing it continue like this showed how unpredictable life could be.
The fact that Shaelock was coming to pick me up personally was reassuring.
Her handwriting was surprisingly messy.
I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
I chuckled and finished reading the letter.
…This will really be the last time. I should say goodbye properly.
…It seemed Shaelock was also saddened by the idea of not seeing me again. I thought of her and laughed softly.
Shaelock showed that genuine feelings do get across.
‘…Maybe I should keep in touch with Shaelock afterward.’
But to keep in touch with Shaelock, I’d have to continue with the guiding work. That thought made me hesitate.
‘Shaelock is also just a person.’
I had nothing to offer her, so I wondered if she’d even want to stay in contact.
I planned to distance myself from guiding after this deal.
But was that all?
‘I’m planning to turn this place upside down before I leave.’
After talking with Esban, I pondered deeply.
A story that would shake the Apharantes Duke’s household.
‘…The story about them trying to use me would be the most sensational, right?’
They had brought in a girl to act as a stand-in and even drafted a contract for Hedonia. If it became known that they intended to break it, his reputation would suffer greatly.
‘On the surface, he has cultivated a generous image.’
Few people, except the Espers who met him regularly, recognized Robert’s mask.
In fact, he was even receiving support for supposedly improving the welfare of guides.
Behind the scenes, he was quietly disposing of them and adjusting the number of guides.
This was one of the shocking revelations Hedonia had uncovered when he took control of the Apharantes household, which I remember vividly.
‘A psychopath who regulated the number of guides by killing them, feeling no guilt about it.’
Who could forget Hedonia’s swift takeover of the social circles when Robert’s atrocities were exposed? It left a lasting impression on my mind.
‘But to present evidence, I need to be able to talk about the contract.’
That would mean breaking the contract itself.
If you break the contract, you die.
If one dies, the other dies too.
‘But…’
If Duke Apharantes found a way to nullify the contract, couldn’t I do the same?
‘I need to find a way to break the contract without dying.’
Pheon, an expert in magic, would know best about this.
‘I don’t know what he might demand in return…’
It was revenge against Robert for trying to kill me and something I wanted to do for Hedonia.
I wanted to accomplish it.
No matter what it took.
The barrier weakens for about 10 minutes. If you have something to convey, write it here and send it over.
Unlike Hedonia’s elegant handwriting, the stiff look was undoubtedly Esban’s.
I closed the window, and the bird promptly landed on the desk.
I didn’t know who had trained it, but it was very clever.
When I smiled at the white bird, it tilted its head and chirped.
Sitting at the desk, I picked up the pen.
The first person to whom I needed to convey a message was, of course, Hedonia.
I’m doing well, Lady Hedonia. Don’t worry about me. With the awakening period approaching, please be careful. I mean it!
Although the scheduled time for Hedonia’s awakening was one week and six days away, things don’t always go as planned.
The awakening might start sooner than expected.
‘That would definitely be troublesome…’
Given the importance of the situation, I had to consider all possibilities.
I didn’t write anything personal. While I had many questions, it was wiser to hold back.
Even though the letter was for Hedonia, it was being delivered by a bird from the Cairoze family, so it was likely they would read it too.
The letter I received was also filled with brief words scattered across a large piece of parchment.
I decided to do the same.
‘Just in case, I’ll save some parchment.’
I reopened the parchment with their handwriting.
I started writing messages under each person’s words, like adding comments.
The first was a response to Shaelock.
Lady Shaelock, thank you for coming personally. But please, don’t overdo it. You have your position as a princess to consider.
Was my tone too stiff? I pondered and then added a smiling face at the end. I doodled some small flowers around it to convey feelings that couldn’t be put into words.
✿ ‘◡’ ✿
Having gone on dungeon adventures and played together, I had indeed grown very fond of her.
