ITMWG 94

Chapter 94…

 That’s all for the story.

The carriage on the way back was quiet.

Altair was lost in thought, and Nadia was imagining how things would go from here on out.

Altair, the villain in the novel. Prince Orca, the villain’s master.

Since the two of them were going to clash head-on, it was easy to guess that something unusual would happen.

Just the thought of Altair and Orca confronting each other made her shiver, perhaps because she already knew what kind of tragedy had occurred in the novel.

“Nothing big would happen to him.”

Altair, who she thought was lost in deep thought, calmly opened his mouth as if he had seen her shudder.

“If the other person’s ‘higher-up’ is Prince Orca…nothing grim would befall upon him because of his relationship with the emperor.”

Prince Orca was a member of the royal family.

The Emperor may not cherish him as a son, but they were still of the same blood, and the Emperor, who valued honour and authority of the Imperial Family, would not dismiss his son easily. As it would ultimately affect his honour and authority.

But she could finally understand now.

Prince Orca trusted the Emperor.

If this issue were to surface, the Emperor would bury the situation no matter what.

The Emperor might not want to help him as a father, but as the ruler, he would have no choice but to do so.

That said, Prince Orca seemed to be convinced.

With that considered, he is a really meticulous person.

It was indeed a villainous act that shook up the whole story.

“Then what should we do?”

The reason she publicly sued her uncle and made matters worse was to reveal the truth with the Emperor’s influence.

However, if the truth they wanted to reveal was something that harmed the Emperor’s honour and authority…

They could never hope for his cooperation.

“I think we need to make a deal with the Emperor.”

“Instead of quietly handling this matter behind the scenes, we can get what we want. But to do that, we need to present solid evidence that the Emperor cannot deny.”

Altair stared at Nadia as he said that.

“In order to find that evidence, I need information.”

“…you need a reason why I am so certain that the ‘higher-up’ is Prince Orca.”

“This is not a matter of faith, but rather a weapon that will get what I want.”

Altair emphasised once again that ‘it is not a matter of distrust’.

Nadia smiled awkwardly.

“I know. I also understood that solid evidence was needed. However…I do not have the information to find such evidence.”

Altair was baffled.

She knew that the other party was Prince Orca. However, she did not have the information to get there.

It was a natural reaction, since the middle link was unknown.

The moment a strange silence invaded, the carriage arrived at the Viosques residence.

Nadia took a deep breath, steeled her resolve, and looked at Altair straight in the eyes.

Marie and Anna, who were about to welcome the returning couple, turned worried at their bleak expressions.

Nadia sent the two of them out and asked them to keep a close watch for a while so that no one would approach.

At her request, Marie and Anna nodded vigorously like knights who had been given a great mission and firmly guarded the entrance.

And with that, Altair and her were able to sit across from each other in silence.

She had made up her mind in the carriage, but when she saw Altair’s face, her mouth didn’t open easily.

She knew how absurd what she was about to tell him would sound.

However, she thought that if she didn’t tell him this time, she wouldn’t be able to tell him in the future.

“I know what happens in this world.”

She mustered up her courage and grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands.

“So, I read a ‘story’ about this world.”

“Story?”

Nadia nodded and began to tell a more detailed story.

“I have memories of my past life. I read a novel in my past life, and it was about this world. At first, I didn’t know, but after I was reincarnated, I started to realize it as I learned more about this world.”

She then told him all about what she had read in the novel.

That the novel was a ruined novel where all the main characters died.

That the Prince of Orca was the villain who led the rebellion in the novel.

That Altair was the subordinate of the Prince of Orca.

That’s why she married a local nobleman on purpose to avoid the bloodshed that would occur in the capital.

That she was surprised when she came to Aylesford and realised her husband’s true identity.

That she found the magic stone mine based on the story she heard in the novel, saying she would live hard.

That the person she met a little while ago named Dwinhofer was the Prince of Orca’s secret organisation in the novel.

However, not all of the villain’s circumstances were in the novel, so there was little other information about him.

Altair listened intently to her long story without interrupting.

Nadia studied his face intently, worried about how he would take her story, but she couldn’t get any hints from his expression.

“…That’s all for the story.”

She finished with a nervous heart.

Perhaps because it was such a bizarre thing, Altair didn’t respond easily.

The longer Altair’s silence went on, the more anxious Nadia became.

“…Now I understand everything.”

Altair’s response was indifferent, considering the long wait.

“I understand after hearing your story. Why you were so scared of me at first, why you cared so much about Prince Orca. I thought it was all for different reasons…”

Altair’s forehead creased almost a bit too much.

Nadia felt somewhat bewildered.

This is completely…

It was a reaction she hadn’t expected at all.

She thought he might not believe her, and thought of it as nonsense, or he might suspect that she was not in her right mind, or he might get angry and ask why she kept it a secret from him until now.

He didn’t even seem surprised.

“Uh…”

Nadia blinked and tilted her head to one side.

“Aren’t you surprised? Even after hearing this?”

“I’m surprised. Even I would be surprised to hear something like this.”

The question came back with a quick, unhesitating answer.

It seemed that he was surprised for real, which made her even more shocked.

“If you were surprised, why are you reacting like this?”

“Why am I reacting like what?”

“You don’t look surprised at all!”

“Do I look like someone who would jump up and stomp their feet out of shock?”

As she tried to picture it at his words, she found it truly didn’t suit him. In fact, it was rather funny.

“Pft. That-, that really doesn’t suit you at all!”

As Nadia leaned back on the sofa, barely holding back her laughter, Altair’s lips slightly lifted.

“Huh?”

“You were shaking the whole time you were talking. Like a sinner being judged by God.”

“T-that…”

Honestly, that’s how she felt the whole time she was talking.

It was a story hard to believe, and even if he believed it was true, he could still get angry about this situation.

“I already knew the whole thing, but I fooled you by saying that I was a capable wife…and also, you might not like someone who talks so strange.”

“There’s no need to share the whole truth in a relationship. A couple is definitely close, but you don’t necessarily have to know everything about each other.”

Altair responded calmly and then quickly added, as if he suddenly remembered something.

“That doesn’t mean I’m criticising you for intentionally keeping it a secret. I just understand your situation. Such a big secret…would have been hard to talk about.”

Although his tone wasn’t particularly warm, his understanding response was comforting.

The countless worries that had led to her even bringing up the story and the fact that she had fallen into a tragic novel flashed before his eyes like a panorama.

Then, a sense of relief suddenly washed over her body, as if she had landed on the safe ground. It was as if she had become a tree rooted in fertile soil.

“Why-, why are you crying?”

Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Altair approached her with a somewhat flustered face, not expecting she would shed tears.

It was really rare to see Altair flustered, so Nadia thought it was strange, but her tears continued to flow.

(Drip drip)

She couldn’t control it at all. She couldn’t understand why she was crying like this.

Altair, who had been fidgeting for a while watching her just keeping her mouth shut and shed tears, carefully reached out and wiped her tears away.

“I’m really weird today. I’m saying weird things, and crying out of the blue. I’m sorry.”

When Nadia sobbed and apologised, Altair lightly tapped her forehead with his finger.

“Since you told me something so difficult, I should be…grateful to you.”

“Grateful?”

“Yes. Today, you let me into your world. Thank you.”

I let Altair into my world?

As her vision gradually became clearer and Altair’s face, which was no different from usual, came into view, her body moved reflexively…

She ended up landing a light kiss on his lips.

As soon as their lips parted, her eyes widened in surprise at her own actions and she immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

Altair must have been taken aback as well, since his eyes were equally wide.

Though, she couldn’t tell if it was her own heart or Altair’s.

Even so, their gaze never left each other.

As Nadia looked into those crimson eyes filled with heat, a thought crossed her mind.

I want to enter Altair’s world as well.

She wondered how she could open the door to that world.

Everything around her was confusing and scary, but her heartbeat was so strong that it illuminated the path more clearly than anything else.

She had tried to change her timid personality for a long time. But no method worked.

But she knew it now.

Her strong heart could make her strong.

Perhaps she was dropped into this strange world to gain such a small enlightenment.