As I fully recovered, I explored the facility Claire and I were staying in, discovering how advanced its medicine was. The technology and machinery were archaic, yes, but it was as if I was stepping into a hospital back on Earth!
The next few weeks after were a blur.
Following my directions, the stream Claire frequented was quickly found and thoroughly sampled.
Lord Clafford later informed me Claire and I were exposed to an amalgamation of infectious bacteria found in the stream. His team of doctors and researchers were currently finding a cure, and he assured me I could visit Claire soon.
He also told me access to that stream and all other bodies of water sharing a point with it had been blocked for the time being to prevent any exposure to the bacteria.
"After your sister is cured, we'll see what we can do for her favorite stream, alright?" Lord Clafford said warmly to lighten the mood.
"Perhaps the waters carried down those bacteria from a ghastly source upstream?" I suggested, something the game had hinted without giving much else.
He visibly froze before looking sad. "You're not wrong, however…that matter is far beyond my powers. My team and I will do what we can for those streams and those infected, but we can't go further than that." He paused and gave me a wary look. "Even if you are an intelligent child of the Duke's…for your sake, you too shouldn't speak further about that matter."
I soon learned why Lord Clafford had given me such an ominous warning.
For the next few days, the facility buzzed with rumors about the mounds of bodies found in a hidden part of the river near a town southwest of the capital.
"My cousin is a palace guard, and he says every one of those souls were killed the same way those three were that night," I heard a servant whisper as I walked past.
"How awful…!" a maid gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.
Who were the three they were referring to…?
"All the more reason to catch whoever's responsible," another servant snarled, visibly shaking with anger. "I'll never forgive that sonofabitch who killed our beloved queen."
I connected the dots and froze, chills raking down my back.
The river running along the towns near the capital fed into some of the streams in the Duchy of Bearington. Claire's stream was likely one of those streams.
So, that ghastly source upstream that tainted the waters had been dead bodies…? And they were killed the same way as the Queen Consort, the princess, and the Marquess…?
I sprinted towards my room, bursting in on Mary—the maid attending me since my arrival—cleaning.
"Young miss!" she yelped as I rushed past her towards the only desk in the room.
I pulled out paper and ink and a quill pen from its drawer and began writing down all I knew about that event.
·-> Three powerhouses killed; Rosen saves Lilith
·-> Bodies found near capital—all killed similarly (rumor/possibility)
·-> Lilith devotes life investigating motive behind murderer
·-> Meerian spy assassinates King
·-> War
·-> End of game
"What elegant symbols!" Mary complimented.
The symbols I wrote were part of my previous life's language instead of the script used in this world, and I distractedly thanked her.
All signs pointed to Meeria. A Meerian spy was going to assassinate the King in the future…perhaps that same spy or whatever organization they belonged to was responsible for all the deaths in and near the capital?
But aside from the powerhouses, why murder the others? …Who were those people in the first place? Were they killed at the same time or had the bodies accumulated over the years?
…Too many unanswered questions and possibilities the game hadn't answered that were probably now being investigated by the King...
Yet…the game never revealed anything about the killer's true motives even after the war! Did the developers forget to include it, or…?
Ah!
Back in my previous life, I was working on an assignment late at night when my phone was notified about a game I was following—this world. Turns out the developers were releasing a sequel to that game, one focused on Lilith's and Rosen's backstory!
…Don't tell me they were going to delve deeper into the mystery behind the murders in that sequel that I died before playing!!
I slammed my head against the desk, causing Mary to look horrified from across the room.
"I…I just need to lie down," I reassured her and myself as I laid on the bed.
If the developers needed a sequel to expand on the princes' backstory, the murder mystery was more complex than I realized. If having Meeria involved with Dorono wasn't complex enough, what else would further complicate the situation…?
Three horrible words wormed its way inside me.
[War of succession.]
…Perhaps Prince Rosen…?
Before I could finish thinking, Lord Clafford's words echoed in my head.
[My team and I will do what we can for those streams and those infected, but we can't go further than that…for your sake, you too shouldn't speak further about that matter.]
Meaning…I would be targeted if I continued prying into the mystery myself.
…
I closed my eyes and exhaled.
That's right...I was only a little girl, one meant to become the villainess only to later be exiled.
I held no power except for the fact that I was the Duke's daughter. Yet, even that fact wouldn't save me from being killed if I continued walking as I was now into the complex web at the heart of Dorono.
…I didn't want to die…
There was someone else I had to see first…to save…
"Sorry… This is as far as I'll go…" I mumbled, Prince Lilith's pitiful face flashing in my mind. "Since there's a sequel to that game, you'll probably learn all you need to know later in the future… I'll do what I can to help with that mystery, but…"
[…saving that candy is my priority.]
My eyes flashed open.
Guilt coursed through me, but I let it sink into my bones as I jumped out of bed and walked towards the desk.
I gave the paper I wrote on a final glance before crumpling it.