The Impact of the Author's Intervention on a Blank Page - Chapter 21
Even pretending to be a naive, sickly young master was proving to be quite challenging.
They say when the body suffers, the mind works harder. Going from someone who could destroy a tank with just a flick of a finger to someone who couldn’t lift anything heavier than a spoon meant my mind had to work three times as hard.
“But Emily, is there something troubling my brother lately? If he’s grown to dislike me…”
The best way to extract truth from someone is to state incorrect information. People rarely answer direct questions, but they’re most eager to correct others’ mistakes.
Ja-hyun recalled the description he’d seen earlier about Emily:
[A figure who discovered the Grand Duke of Izatrix’s predicament from close quarters.]
Emily wrinkled the bridge of her nose and slowly began to speak.
“What if… what if… hypothetically speaking…”
“Yes?”
“…if His Grace were to start treating young master carelessly… what would you do?”
“Pardon?”
“As you know, our master can be quite ruthless with outsiders. While his reputation within the Grand Duchy is favorable, many in the Imperial Capital fear him. There are many unsavory rumors… As you know, there’s talk about how he drove two rival houses to ruin and sold them as slaves to the Eastern countries. Though these are merely false rumors, of course.”
I see…
‘Brother, even here there are strange rumors about you…’
It seemed the system had preserved this aspect of his brother’s setting. In their original world, his brother’s reputation and image weren’t particularly good due to various incidents. Of course, the real brother had nothing to do with those rumors, but others didn’t know his true nature.
“But why would you think brother might treat me that way? Why suddenly?”
“…His Grace is experiencing some confusion with his memories. That’s why. He’s forgotten some memories of you, young master… But I wanted to tell you not to be too heartbroken. If he doesn’t cherish you as he used to, it’s not because he’s grown to dislike you…”
So Emily was indeed one of those who knew about brother’s penalty.
“……”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine soon. If you just endure a little longer…”
Emily suddenly startled and turned around mid-sentence. At the same time, there was a heavy sound. Someone was outside the door.
Thud, creak…
After some rustling sounds from outside, the door finally opened.
“…What are you doing awake at this late hour?”
Beyond the door stood the Grand Duke’s butler. With an irritated, cold expression, he held a lamp while wearing only a shirt on top.
The butler’s eyes widened upon discovering Emily inside. His attitude suggested suspicion.
“Emily, surely… You haven’t said anything, have you?”
So this person knows brother’s secret too. Still, to voice his suspicion so openly – he seemed completely unconcerned about my presence. Well, I suppose there’s no need to be wary of a patient with numbered days.
This works in my favor, actually. When they let their guard down, it becomes easier to deceive and probe deeper. Instead of letting Emily respond, Ja-hyun addressed the butler casually.
“I was asking because brother doesn’t remember our conversation from summer. I’ve only read about it in case studies, but apparently it happens sometimes. They say people who are overworked, stressed, or suffered physical trauma occasionally experience memory confusion…”
Ja-hyun spoke while thoughtfully touching his chin, as if he’d figured everything out by himself. Emily’s eyes widened before she pressed her lips shut. She realized the young master was trying to cover for her.
“…Even if such a thing were to happen, brother wouldn’t show it… But I would know. That’s why I was asking. Whether you’ve noticed anything strange about brother lately.”
The butler visibly hesitated at those words. After a long silent deliberation, his expression grew complicated and he furrowed his brows.
“Hah…”
The butler closed the door and approached with slow steps. The lamp swayed with each step, making shadows dance across the wall and Emily’s face.
“Well, Master Rijin… you’ve always been like this. I’m not sure how much you’ve figured out, but your suspicions are probably correct.”
“Brother…”
Standing beside Emily who sat in the chair next to the bed, the butler looked down at Rijin’s face on the bed and spoke.
