WSMD 02

Chapter – 02

So, this morning.

I had woken up after fainting and sleeping through the night. And I was suffering.

A canopy bed with fluttering lace curtains.

I thought only princesses had beds like this, but here I was lying on one.

“As expected of the wealthy Count Travel family. They even put a canopy bed in the annex of the lowest-ranked heir… Why do I even know this stuff?”

This was my first time coming to the Travel Count family.

It would be normal for me to know nothing, right? But everything around me felt familiar.

Like how this place was my room in the Stone House, and how I wouldn’t be able to leave until I turned twenty-four.

“Is this really true? This isn’t a lie, right?”

I rolled around on the bed and slipped off along with the blanket.

In the distance, the fireplace looked upside down. Actually, my view was upside down. With my legs resting against the bed frame, I stared at it.

More precisely, the marble pillar of the fireplace carved with vines.

“…Grandma Marshall always said people should always be suspicious.”

Actually, I had fainted the moment I saw Grandfather yesterday.

Maybe these memories were just dreams.

“Right?”

With that thought, I suddenly had the energy to move.

Hup. I got up and walked toward the fireplace. To prove these memories were just my imagination.

“If you turn the flower decorations on the left pillar in the right order, a secret space appears~”

There’s no way something that ridiculous could be real. This is all a dream. A dream.

I walked confidently, but when I actually faced the six metal flower ornaments embedded in the vine carvings, I hesitated.

The pillar was about my height. That meant turning the six flowers wouldn’t be a problem.

No, more importantly—would those things even turn?

“They wouldn’t turn~ This is all a dream… a dre—”

Why are they turning?

I swallowed my urge to cry and moved my hands.

Creeeak. Click.

The built-in cabinet beside the fireplace slid aside, revealing a secret space.

“……”

As if welcoming the person who discovered it, lights began turning on inside the room.

As the magnificent sight revealed itself, I froze, unable to even remove my hand from the last flower ornament. I couldn’t blink my widened eyes or close my gaping mouth.

I’ve seen something like this in picture books.

When a commoner riding a flying carpet finds a magical cave…

“No way…”

I quietly turned the flowers back.

Rumble. Rumble. Creak. Click.

Leaving the cabinet restored to its original position, I trudged back to the bed.

Let’s just ignore what I saw for now.

“Phew.”

A sigh escaped my mouth. Honestly, the Stone House and these memories weren’t the real problem.

If anything, it was kind of amazing. It meant I had a superpower that let me know the future.

But.

It would have been fine if that were all. The problem was the strange memories that kept surfacing.

—Those gathered here will remember the noble sacrifice of Reitan Quartz Travel…

A priest spoke solemnly in front of a coffin draped with the imperial flag. Sixteen-year-old me stood there in black clothes, staring blankly.

My father, who had gone to war against other races by imperial command, returned inside that coffin.

From the day we buried him, I stood in front of the main house. It was a protest to make my grandfather—whom I had never even spoken to—hear me out.

—Miss, how long will you continue this? It’s already been ten days. Even if you neither eat nor sleep outside like this, the head of the family has no intention of listening.

—Uncle Kallet, don’t you think it’s strange? You knew my father well since you were his friend. He was so strong. A Grand Master dying in such a small war makes no sense.

—War is exactly the kind of place where such impossible things happen. And Reitan… Reitan wouldn’t want to see you like this.

I wanted the truth about my father’s death.

Because with the Travel family’s power and wealth, I believed they could uncover the truth even if it was only suspicion.

But no one in the family listened.

Sixteen-year-old me moved alone. Without family support, avoiding the interference of relatives.

After eight years of tearful struggle, I finally obtained a clue that could reveal the culprit—

But I died before I could even properly examine it.

Someone stabbed me in the back with a sword.

‘The other me is an idiot…’

Shiver.

My body trembled remembering the last scene.

At least I wish I had seen the killer’s face.

After all that suffering, I couldn’t even find the culprit, let alone get revenge. So unfair.

Was adult me so resentful that she gave me these memories?

“Waaah… I don’t know.”

I buried my face in the blanket.

Just a week ago, I had been living peacefully in a rural village with my dad.

If bounty hunters hadn’t destroyed Grandma Marshall’s herb field, I would probably be eating the fried eggs my dad made this morning.

“I don’t need these memories… or a rich grandfather…”

To be hit with this right after coming to the Travel family.

My simple wish that my rich grandfather might buy me a teddy bear was completely shattered.

“Berry, when did you wake up?”

Right then, Dad entered the room. At the sound of his voice, my ears perked up and I jumped up.

“Dad!”

“You shouldn’t step on the blanket with your feet… Never mind. How’s your body? Does anything hurt? Do you remember yesterday?”

“That’s not important right now!”

Dad stopped mid-step as he approached to check on me.

Then what is? his eyes asked.

“I would like to offer Dad a job.”

“…A job?”

“Yes. Listen?”

I didn’t want to believe in a future where Dad dies. But I needed to confirm whether these memories were real.

I came up with a clever idea.

Compare the identities of the people visiting the Stone House today with my new memories!

“So?”

Dad picked me up, and I asked him to play investigator while I secretly listened.

With detailed instructions.

“So! Dad asks the visitors their information! Name, age, everything! Then I hide and listen and surprise them!”

Dad frowned after hearing my perfect plan.

“…I don’t want to do that.”

“But Berry’s dream is to become a competent investigator. And… Berry still has fainting aftereffects… ouch…”

“……”

“Will you help me, Investigator Reitan?”

“…Yes. Investigator Berry-Berry.”

And now, this afternoon. The result was…

Perfect. One hundred out of one hundred.

‘I even got right that Head Butler Cerber bought Ink Company stock.’

I looked at myself in the mirror with a troubled expression.

I didn’t really need to mention the stock, but I had my reasons.

‘Jacob, the replacement, is a total cheapskate.’

Cerber loses his house and fortune due to stock failure.

He gets sick and eventually quits, and Jacob becomes the new head butler.

A villain who’s stingy with food!

The main house butler decides supply items for annex heirs.

After Jacob took over, supplies gradually decreased. Especially food.

Desserts had less sugar. Breakfast was always bread and soup. Lunch and dinner only had one main dish.

‘Because Dad’s annex was the Stone House? Hmph.’

So Cerber was better.

He was also aligned with my uncle, but better the lesser evil.

‘Huh?’

Something felt strange. My thinking felt more mature.

I tilted my head at my reflection. I was still seven.

—Better the lesser evil. That’s why I came to you.

Memories of my twenty-four-year-old self surfaced again.

‘So you were the culprit…!’

That’s why I was thinking like that!

I almost accepted these memories as real.

You want me to believe this is the future? But I—

“Berry, don’t look at the mirror too closely. It’ll hurt your eyes.”

“Okay.”

Dad took the mirror from me. His face reflected beside mine.

I don’t want that future.

“What’s wrong?”

“Berry… doesn’t like big Berry.”

I pouted. Dad gently squeezed my cheeks.

“You’ve been saying for months you liked being seven again.”

“I take it back.”

“Very well. But Investigator Berry-Berry.”

“Yes.”

“I have a question.”

A question?

His suspicious eyes told me I wouldn’t like it.

“What was that stock story you mentioned earlier? That wasn’t in the info I gave you.”

“Oh…”

That was dangerous.

We often played investigator, but the stock thing was harder to explain.

“Grandma Marshall told Uncle Peter not to buy Ink Company stock because it would fail. You know Uncle Peter right? The one who likes card puzzles?”

And in times like this, you bring in a respected adult. That was another memory.

“Marshall said that?”

Dad’s suspicion eased slightly.

Marshall was the only adult Dad couldn’t resist.

She was the village herbalist who treated me since infancy.

“When I saw the butler I suddenly remembered! Don’t Uncle Peter and the butler look alike?”

“…They do…”

“Right?”

I smiled innocently.

Dad thought silently, then said:

“Berry-Berry, let’s make a promise.”

“Depends. What is it?”

“While we stay here, keep it secret that you’re talented.”

I stared at his warm eyes.

People said he was scary. But to me, he had the warmest eyes.

Even now. Full of worry.

“We won’t stay long. Just while we’re here.”

—Berry, I’m sorry. We might have to stay longer.

But in my memories we stayed forever.

Dad spent his life protecting me.

—Relatives are all beasts. They only think about tearing each other apart for inheritance.

One of those beasts killed Dad.

“How do I hide being talented?”

“Pretend you can’t do what you can. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try. Since you asked~”

That’s why I can’t ignore these memories.

Even if there’s only a one in a billion chance.

If Dad’s death is real?