You Said I Was a Persecuted, Terminally Ill Grand Duchess? - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22

 

“You should rest today as well.”

 

“What?! Today too?!”

 

“You haven’t fully recovered from your cold yet, have you?”

 

“I’m getting restless though. How about leveling the ground in the garden or something?”

 

I was naturally a homebody.

 

Actually, if you think about it, homebodies can be divided into two types.

 

The type that’s constantly bustling about at home—reading books, decorating, doing housework—and the type that just lies around like a corpse doing absolutely nothing.

 

I was definitely the bustling type.

 

During my graduate school days, I had to do research, go to field sites, write papers, and clean up after professors.

 

I was ground down so finely that I was forced to live the latter lifestyle.

 

But here, eating well, sleeping well, and resting well, my ‘bustling homebody’ tendencies had been revived.

 

“The maids will take care of that.”

 

“No! That’s my joy! If you’re going to do it, let’s do it together. Please? Pretty please!”

 

“…Alright. But only after you’ve fully recovered. You can easily catch a cold again in this kind of weather.”

 

“Ah, but I’m so bored. Then, shall we clean the storehouse? The storehouse is indoors at least.”

 

“My lady…”

 

Betty seemed to gradually think of me as hopeless… but it couldn’t be helped.

 

That’s because this world naturally didn’t have smartphones either.

 

Although I’d been bedridden with a cold for several days, the reason I didn’t regret going to the festival was because I keenly felt how invigorating such events could be.

 

I’d refrain from meeting others for a while…

 

But as long as my body was fine, wouldn’t there be new events called housework?

 

If I started farming, there would be even more small events!

 

‘I want to farm quickly. Just wait until it gets warm. I’ll plant everything.’

 

“Hmm…”

 

Betty, reading my earnest gaze, tilted her head as if troubled.

 

It seemed like she was almost convinced!

 

Even though I still had a lingering cough, I’d been sleeping for days.

 

Of course I was fully recovered…

 

“Oh my, my lady!”

 

“Huh?”

 

Suddenly Betty called out to me with a pale face.

 

Why is she acting like that? Just as I tilted my head in confusion.

 

Drip, drip, I felt something flowing down my chin.

 

Startled, I looked down to see dark red liquid dropping onto the blanket.

 

‘Damn. Why a nosebleed at this timing!’

 

Betty, nearly fainting, quickly plugged my nose with a handkerchief.

 

With one nostril blocked, I spoke in a muffled voice.

 

“Oh, oh no. Do we need to wash the blanket?”

 

As soon as I finished speaking, Betty’s expression turned fierce.

 

Betty, who usually never showed her teeth to me.

 

I was slightly shocked and instantly deflated.

 

Even though it seemed unlikely, I thought Betty was weak to me… I thought if I spoke cheerfully it would work…

 

“Not a chance! Go to sleep right now!”

 

* * *

 

Sorry, Betty.

 

But you’re also not getting your way.

 

“I’ve slept so much I can’t even fall asleep.”

 

Counting sheep and getting lost in fantasies alone had reached their limits.

 

Betty, who was shocked seeing me with a nosebleed, fed me a spoonful of syrup-like medicine, then kindly put an eye mask on me, telling me to sleep.

 

She even sat in front of the bed until I fell asleep.

 

I actually understood her worry that I might run around again and get sicker.

 

So I obediently lay down and made gentle breathing sounds.

 

Though my eyes under the mask were wide awake.

 

Betty couldn’t know that, right?

 

Thinking I was asleep, I felt her checking on me closely, then heard the rustle of fabric and the click of the door closing.

 

I waited about ten minutes to guard against a fake-out before slowly lowering the eye mask.

 

As expected, Betty was completely gone.

 

“Hehe.”

 

A sinister laugh escaped me naturally.

 

“Rustle. If I go quietly like a shadow without anyone knowing, it’ll be like it never happened, right?”

 

Though it was broad daylight with the sun high in the sky.

 

I didn’t care and roughly threw on some clothes before leaving the cottage.

 

The nosebleed showed that I still had some cold symptoms remaining.

 

Moving around too much would indeed be overdoing it.

 

“I should go to the library and bring back a bunch of books.”

 

Since I had nothing to do anyway, shouldn’t I return to basics?

 

I headed toward the main residence, humming.

 

Recently, I was caught by the Grand Duke while cleaning the bathroom and got scolded…

 

‘But we built some rapport at the festival… maybe he’ll overlook me just stopping by briefly? And if I don’t get caught, it’s fine.’

 

Since I didn’t want to talk to anyone other than the Gana-da Maid Team if possible, I walked as quickly as possible to avoid being seen by the servants.

 

Fortunately, my shadow technique seemed successful.

 

‘Hehe. No one spotted me on the way here.’

 

Maybe I have a talent for assassination?

 

Of course, I don’t want to kill anyone.

 

Anyway, having been here several times, I arrived quickly.

 

But as soon as I turned the corner, I was flustered.

 

A completely different scene from before unfolded before my eyes.

 

“Huh?!”

 

The library door, which had been covered in blue-green rust, had somehow regained its original color and was sparkling brightly.

 

I carefully tried opening the door.

 

At first it wouldn’t budge with my strength, but now it opened smoothly with just a light push.

 

Since it was still midday, sunlight streamed brightly through the library’s large windows.

 

“Oh…”

 

The library that had made me dizzy thinking about cleaning it with just Betty had transformed into a state that was not just tidy but absolutely gleaming.

 

‘Did the girls do all this? But they didn’t boast about it even once…’

 

Knowing the hardship they must have poured in to make it this clean, I felt even more sorry to death.

 

If anyone else had done it, wouldn’t they have ended up bedridden like me?

 

Along with the guilt, excitement also bubbled up.

 

Even in my previous life, the library was a place I really loved. (For reference, my most favorite place is ‘my home’.)

 

With the dust cleared away, the rich smell of books made my heart pound.

 

“They worked so hard for this. Should I read here for a bit before going?

 

No matter how I think about it, not using this place would be too much.

 

I can just act pitiful and smooth things over with Betty.

 

‘The Grand Duke… Ah! It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just get scolded and that’s it.’

 

Having finished my self-rationalization, I stepped forward lightly.

 

The still enormous library held countless ancient books in slumber.

 

That alone made me feel inexplicably excited.

 

I’d always had a strange fondness for old things.

 

“Hmm…”

 

I started browsing through the nearest bookshelf when a thought suddenly occurred to me.

 

‘Have I been… too carefree all this time?’

 

I had possessed someone’s body, but that was essentially where it ended.

 

I wondered if I had been too indifferent about this world I had been transported into.

 

To make a slight excuse, it was partly due to my naturally strong tendency of ‘whatever works, works~’…

 

‘I know this is the Celeste Estate in the northern part of the Rembrandt Empire, but is it a bit much that that’s all I know…?’

 

But still!

 

Honestly, it’s not like I was studying geography.

 

How could I possibly memorize all the place names from romance fantasy novels?

 

I never had the habit of memorizing character names or place names one by one while reading novels in the first place.

 

As someone who was addicted to reading, I actually felt great satisfaction just from the act of reading something itself.

 

Most importantly, the romance fantasy novels I read were generally works posted on web novel platforms, so it was natural to read them quickly during commutes or in spare moments.

 

‘Seeing how I can’t remember anything at all like this… I guess it wasn’t a novel I read with particular impression.’

 

It was the tragedy of a graduate student who had more other important information to cram into her head than novel content.

 

If I had known I would die so suddenly and possess someone’s body, I would have studied romance fantasy novels by taking notes and memorizing them instead of doctoral studies!

 

But what could I do about it now. It was already too late.

 

‘Well… if I just live going with the flow like this, won’t I remember something eventually?’

 

Once again, it was a carefree thought that came full circle.

 

But there was no sharp solution, so what could I do.

 

Having organized my thoughts once more, I pulled out any random book from the bookshelf.

 

For now, I wanted to focus on the book in front of me.

 

I headed to the long wooden table placed in the center of the library, settled in the spot with the best sunlight, and opened the book.

 

Before I knew it, silence had arrived.

 

A quiet afternoon where no sound could be heard except for the rustling of turning pages.

 

I became absorbed in the text like that.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at the same time.

 

Zenos was sitting in his study, holding a pen.

 

But contrary to his gaze fixed on the documents, his mind was noisy with various mixed thoughts.

 

In his head, the festival day had been repeating continuously for several days.

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