TKPIMD 13

“Wh-What kind of medicine is that? And Lionel isn’t a woman who cares about appearances. She would love me just the way I am…”

“‘Love me for who I am’ is the kind of bullshit only an ugly bastard says.”

The man clicked his tongue at Adrian’s self-defense.

“Inner beauty is important, of course. But you have a problem that comes before that. Look in the mirror and think objectively. Does your current appearance really make someone want to look beyond your exterior and see your inner self?”

At the man’s words, Adrian turned his gaze away.

He looked at his enormous body, which completely filled the full-length mirror.

“Not just Lionel. What woman could possibly feel love for you? Want to kiss you? You should be grateful if they don’t run away because you disgust them.”

The man was right.

Although Adrian had desperately tried to ignore it until now, the truth was that his current appearance was not merely unattractive—it was downright repulsive.

Who could possibly like a man with a double chin, jiggling belly fat, dull eyes, a face covered in acne, and cake smeared messily around his mouth?

“Then… what should I do?”

Adrian asked tearfully.

“I’m ugly, I’m fat, I’m timid, and… disgusting…”

“That’s why I brought this. Medicine that will make you slim.”

The man held out the glass tube.

With a confident voice, he continued persuading Adrian.

“Put this against your stomach. You’ll definitely see results within a few weeks.”

Adrian instinctively accepted the glass tube.

Inside the tube, which had a pointed cap at one end, was a transparent liquid.

“Really? If I do what you say… I’ll lose weight?”

“Of course. I guarantee the effect. Lionel is a doctor, isn’t she? She knows how difficult it is to lose weight, so she’ll definitely take another look at you.”

It wasn’t as though Adrian had never tried dieting.

But he had failed every time, and whenever he failed, he would binge-eat again, gaining even more weight.

But to think he could lose weight with a single medicine like this…

It was more than tempting. He desperately wanted it.

“…What do you want from me?”

The man smiled warmly.

“It’s fine. I don’t need anything in return. Instead, I’ll watch from afar as you become slim. Seeing that will be enough to satisfy me.”

“Really? That’s really all?”

“Yes. That’s really all.”

After hearing those words, Adrian had no reason to hesitate any longer.

He removed the cap.

Then, grabbing his thick belly fat, he turned the glass tube upside down.

“…For Lionel…!”

Without hesitation, Adrian pressed the glass tube against his stomach.

The spot where the tube touched his belly glowed red, and the liquid inside flowed into his body and disappeared.

“Well done, Adrian. Everything will work out now.”

The man in the robe smiled brightly.

A red glow briefly flashed beneath his fluttering robe before quickly disappearing.

“Wow, this place is incredible. It’s much bigger than I expected!”

I marveled as I looked at the endless rows of shops and street stalls.

Everain, who was walking beside me, lightly nodded.

“It is thanks to the nearby Lumiere Port. Goods from all over the world gather there, so the shopping district has developed considerably as well.”

“It’s large enough to rival the market in the capital. Where is that macaron shop we’re looking for?”

“It’s just a little farther ahead, then down the alley on the right.”

Yesterday, I had declared that I would completely end the accelerated-aging diet.

For four weeks, the Duke had diligently undergone the rapid-aging process, and even at that very moment, he had still been eating chocolate and biscuits.

“It was quite an enjoyable time.”

I gave him a bitter smile at his brief assessment.

“I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Personally, though, I was rather disappointed.”

“At least the people in this mansion won’t feel that way.”

The Duke was right.

The Karseido Duke’s family had finally escaped the three-meals-a-day jerky hell.

Thanks to their employer regaining his appetite, the servants were all grateful to me and bowed deeply whenever they saw me.

‘Well, I didn’t accomplish my original goal, but I should consider myself lucky. Thanks to that, I’m able to go buy such expensive desserts today.’

Lily, whom I had grown close to because of the accelerated-aging diet, was knowledgeable about desserts, as one would expect from a teenage girl.

When I told Kaylen about the dessert shop she had recommended, he suddenly said he would get permission for me to go…

And in the end, I found myself going to buy macarons for every servant in the mansion.

Thanks to the Duke’s consideration, Everain had also accompanied me as both my escort and guide.

“Sir Everain. What is that?”

“That is called a tapestry. It is a textile artwork made by weaving threads together.”

“Oh! Young lady, do you like this? You have quite a discerning eye.”

The merchant, who had overheard our conversation, came outside.

“This piece was painstakingly made stitch by stitch by a master craftsman from the Kingdom of Cremina who spent forty years making nothing but tapestries. This animal here is a wyvern, a monster known as the guardian of the kingdom.”

“Oh…”

The Kingdom of Cremina.

That was a name I knew very well.

It was the homeland of the male protagonist in the original story, a fallen kingdom that had been absorbed into the Raizenberg Empire and had disappeared from the map by now.

‘Back then, the Duke suffered a fatal injury while helping the Princess escape because she didn’t want to marry into the Empire.’

Even if the survival of the kingdom itself was at stake, she must have hated the thought of being sold off to marry an old man.

Especially as his second wife.

Having been in a similar position myself, I could understand the Princess’s suffering to some extent.

“The Kingdom of Cremina disappeared a long time ago. So how is it that an item like this still exists?”

History was history, after all.

When I asked suspiciously, the merchant furrowed his brow.

“Just look at this beautiful color and the intricate weaving! This is a technique that could never be imitated by anyone other than a craftsman from Cremina. This must have belonged to someone from the royal palace… Ah, forget it. This isn’t an item for someone who doesn’t recognize its value. You don’t have to buy it!”

Fine. I didn’t have to buy it.

Just as I turned away, Everain suddenly stepped in beside me.

“I’ll take it.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“Oh! Sir Knight, you certainly have a discerning eye. Please wait a moment!”

Before I could stop him, Everain had already paid for it.

Then he handed me the rolled-up tapestry.

I was flustered and tried to give it back.

“No, why? Why are you buying it for me?”

“It is a message from His Grace the Duke. He said that if you see anything you want while at the market, I should buy it for you.”

“But why?”

“You saved Kaylen’s life, and you have worked hard at the mansion all this time. I also feel grateful to you.”

Well, I had only done what I was supposed to do.

As I hesitated, Everain spoke again.

“I carefully observed what you paid attention to. You didn’t look at jewelry or clothing at all. But the moment you saw this, your eyes changed.”

“When did you observe me that closely…?”

“So please accept it. I have already paid for it, so I cannot get a refund anyway.”

After his repeated insistence, I finally accepted.

I hugged the tapestry tightly and bowed my head.

“Thank you, Sir Everain. I’ll hang it nicely in the examination room.”

Everain also bowed his head.

Watching his disciplined movements, I regretted it once again.

‘Ah, a handsome and decent young man like this really needs to be happy in this life…’

Things had ended badly for him in the original story, but if possible, I hoped my investment would end up with the heroine and that he would be happy.

I sincerely wished for that.

‘Since I’ve already been working so hard to twist the original story, maybe it isn’t such an unrealistic dream?’

After the Duke died, if I could somehow bring the heroine and my investment together, perhaps love would naturally blossom between them.

With that thought in mind, I suddenly asked,

“Sir Everain. You have a younger sister, don’t you?”

At my sudden question, his eyes widened.

“How did you… know about that?”

“Your aide told me. He said she’s the same age as me.”

Of course, it was a lie that Kaylen had told me.

Fortunately, he accepted it without much suspicion.

“Yes, that is correct. She is currently receiving treatment far away due to health problems.”

So even that part of the setting was exactly the same as in the original story.

I carefully opened my mouth.

“By any chance, your younger sister…”

—BOOM!!

My words never reached the end.

They scattered in every direction along with the sound of an explosion.

“Eek…!”

Flash!

I lowered my head as a blinding red flash assaulted my eyes.

In the middle of the marketplace, which had instantly descended into chaos, someone screamed.

“It’s a dark mage!! A dark mage has appeared!!”

‘A dark mage?’

Someone appeared in front of me as I barely managed to open my eyes.

It was a man completely covered in a black robe.

“Hello, Lionel Frencia.”

‘He knows me?’

A chill ran down my spine at his unpleasant, low voice.

As I backed away, Everain rushed forward.

“Stand back!”

Everain’s sword cut through the air.

The dark mage casually stepped backward and then floated into the air.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lionel. Then, let’s meet again.”

Once again, a powerful red light engulfed the surroundings.

And when I opened my eyes, the mage had already disappeared.

“Doctor, are you all right? Are you injured anywhere?”

At Everain’s words, I nodded.

Just as I was checking my body to make sure I hadn’t suffered any external injuries, I realized something.

The pocket inside my trousers felt empty.

“…I’m not injured, but I think I lost something.”

“What did you lose?”

I answered with a short sigh.

“My pocket watch.”