I Became the Female Lead Ruined by Others - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 33

Though I’d insisted there was no need to overexert themselves, Ted and the other retainers proved their devotion was beyond question.
And so, the following morning, I received their report the moment I’d awakened.

“Master, the Third Floor has been cleaned and organized so thoroughly that you may ascend whenever you wish.”

His face bore the hollow exhaustion of someone who’d gone without sleep the entire night, yet his voice and bearing radiated unmistakable pride.

“We’ve positioned a couch by the sunlit window so you might rest comfortably. The furnishings believed to have belonged to the late Baron are currently being restored by the overseers.”

I narrowed my eyes. My mind returned to the contents of the servant roster.

‘The overseers… that must mean the brothers I brought from the Training Ground.’

My brow furrowed only slightly at the unfamiliar term, but Ted flinched and hastened to add more.

“And, well, we took the precaution of inspecting whether any household items might be worth salvaging, but found only rubbish. The room having been neglected so long, there was nothing of function or value.”
“And?”
“Yes?”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, yes. That is all.”

This second possession is proving far from merciful to me.
It wasn’t even my first misstep since becoming Roselina, yet frustration churned inside my chest.

‘No, what I wanted was not some comfortable rest space or a family treasure hunt—it was the ledger that previous possessor had hidden!’

I stood for a moment with my arms crossed, grinding my teeth, before tilting my upper body slightly forward.
That smallest gesture alone was enough for Ted to bend at the waist and draw nearer.

“Regardless, well done. You haven’t been back up there since, have you?”
“Pardon?”

Naturally, that man was merely an NPC in this game, so it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d found the ledger first. He couldn’t read it anyway.
But he was a difficult man to gauge, so I couldn’t rule out the danger of him spiriting the ledger away.
Better safe than sorry—with that thought, I’d sent him back to his quarters early.

“Did he spend the whole night cleaning along with you?”
“Ah… Do you speak of the guest, Master?”

Ted’s mouth curved downward in an expression befitting the phrase “turned sour and cold.”

“He did not return to the Third Floor after that. And this morning, he left the house on an errand you had entrusted to him.”

An errand I’d given? There’s no such thing.

‘If he’s going out, he can make his own excuses without using me as cover.’

Does he still believe he must thoroughly deceive the servants’ eyes?
I don’t know what his true nature is, but his thoroughness is remarkable.

“Very well, you’re dismissed.”
“Ah, Master.”

At my dismissal, Ted pivoted reflexively as if struck by lightning—then stopped abruptly.

“Would it be acceptable to prepare herbal tea instead of the special tea this evening as well?”

Special tea? Was he referring to poison?
Now that I thought about it, I’d forgotten all about the poison I’d been diligently consuming every day since the transmigration.

‘Well, there’s nothing left to learn by using it as an excuse.’

Any information I could extract from Ted by citing the poison’s side effects was information Ted himself already knew.
But now, whatever that transmigrator shared with Ted, I knew all of it too.

“It has only been three days since the master awoke, and no instructions were given regarding it, so I did not prepare it. However, if I may be so bold as to offer my opinion, it would be advisable to refrain from the special tea for the time being.”

It was sincere counsel—the kind that bore traces of having considered even the details I’d carelessly forgotten.

‘Ted’s right. I’ve been drinking it all this time, but I have no information about the poison itself.’

Besides, it was more efficient to act according to priorities right now, so delaying countermeasures against the poison seemed reasonable enough.
And having only recently awakened, who knew what might go wrong if I drank it recklessly.
But since I might need it again someday, I had to leave the option open.
So I played along, pretending to be reluctant, and answered accordingly.

“You’re right, it’s a good idea. I feel fine now, of course, but there’s no sense pushing it.”
“A wise decision, sir!”

At my words, Ted broke into a broad smile and left the bedroom.

“What a bore.”

Alone again, I swept my gaze around the bedroom once more, though it was a fruitless gesture.
There wasn’t a corner of this room I hadn’t already searched.

‘Where on earth did he hide that ledger?’

If I had that, I might be able to break through this situation.
Of course, judging by the difficulty of this transmigration alone, even if I obtained it, another trial would be waiting. But still—
I rose from my seat in a fit of restlessness and began pacing the room.

‘If this keeps up, maybe I should just run away.’

Death lurked over me, that much was certain—the nobles I’d been blackmailing would see to it. And the man who’d installed himself here, Baron, the intentions of others: all were equally inscrutable.
The man, at least, showed no sign of threatening me; if anything, he seemed favorable toward me.
But there was no telling when he might turn and become a danger.

“This is so utterly suffocating…!”

As I lamented my fate, my steps halted before the desk.
As if bewitched, I opened the desk drawer and retrieved the note I’d carelessly tossed aside before.

[I shall accept with a grateful heart, kind one. Yuria in full bloom will have no objections either.]

Among the scant information I’d gathered so far, there wasn’t a single detail related to flowers.
And given that transmigrator’s meticulous nature—how they arranged everything with aesthetic care—the fact that this note was kept in the bedroom suggested—

‘This might be useful too.’

The handwriting on the note was unfamiliar.
Different from Ted’s, different from Cap’s—mature and fluid in its form.

‘So someone sent this to that transmigrator.’

But the problem, as always, was the cascade of secondary questions: who had sent this, and what did it mean?
Knock, knock.
Yet before I could so much as press my fingers to my temple, the sound of knocking came at the door.
The moment I gave permission, the door swung open—and Ted entered, as I’d somehow known he would.

“My apologies for disturbing your rest, but the Brilliant Marquis’s aide has come calling.”
“The Brilliant Marquis’s aide?”

My thoughts scattered like ash, and a stupid gasp escaped before I could stop it.

“…Ah!”

My eyes flew wide as if I’d taken a blow to the back of the head.

‘That’s right—the Assassin!!’

I’d let it slip from my mind again, crushed under the avalanche of events: the strange man, the missing ledger, Baron’s visit—everything hammering down without pause.
At this rate, I shouldn’t blame the situation at all.
That I’m still alive while this hapless is nothing short of miraculous.
Ted must have misread my shock; his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

“It seems they don’t know that barging in without warning violates all propriety. Shall I show them the door?”
“No, wait!”

I waved my hands and hurried forward, my steps brisk.
Ted guided me to the Reception Room, though his reluctance was plain.

‘Am I losing my mind? How could I have forgotten that?’

To be fair, I had no shortage of excuses.
The past week alone had been so turbulent that calling it merely “the worst” would have been an understatement.

‘An assassination attempt is the softer of the incidents? That makes no sense.’

I was exasperated, wondering if perhaps I was cursed to live.
Lost in pointless self-recrimination, I found a man standing rigid in the Reception Room, waiting.
The moment he saw me, he bowed with precise courtesy.

“I am Brian Bott, madam. Please forgive this sudden and unannounced visit—but his lordship the Marquis sent me in urgent haste, and I could not refuse.”

His formal uniform suited his composed bearing perfectly.
His piercing gaze and sturdy frame carried a certain menace, but I lifted my chin, refusing to be intimidated.

“I’m quite busy at present, so please state your business and be on your way.”

At my words, the aide extended a stack of documents.

“Upon investigation, that Assassin has been determined to have no connection to the Marquis’s knights. As the Guild will not accept such reckless commissions as the assassination of nobility, it is highly probable the perpetrator was merely a low-level brigand motivated by money.”

So they came just to tell me they have nothing to do with it?
My brow twitched, and the aide’s voice dropped lower, more forceful.

“That being said, have you perhaps examined the Assassin’s personal effects separately? Conducted a thorough search of their person?”
“…”

As far as I recalled, no—I had not.
The Assassin had attacked me, the man had subdued them instantly, and the servants had locked them in the Basement immediately after.
I shook my head slowly, and the aide continued.

“Is that so? If I may be so bold, might I be permitted to examine the body myself? Several days have passed, but his personal effects are unlikely to have decomposed yet. If you could tell me where the corpse was abandoned, I shall verify it myself.”

……A corpse?
The man who is very much alive and locked in the Basement right now?
As my face twisted slowly, the Adjutant’s expression grew peculiar.

“My apologies. It seems I misspoke. According to the young errand boy who came to the Brilliant Marquis Household that day, he was shot dead on the spot…….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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