Chapter. Laying the Groundwork ^1^
Laila.
Pretty. Nice. Has a good character.
She was the only one who came up to Camilla, whom everyone shunned, and spoke to her and smiled, but—
'I really hate you!'
'I want you to die!'
'Go away! Get out of my sight!'
Camilla hated Laila so much. No. She loathed her.
'It looked like jealousy to me.'
They both lost their biological parents when they were young and were raised by foster parents.
But the results couldn't have been more different.
Despite not being of the same stature as the Sorpel family, the couple who adopted her loved and cherished Laila as if she were their own daughter.
Growing up as a cheerful and beautiful young lady, she was always surrounded by people.
Everyone liked Laila. Even Pedro, who Camilla had been chasing, was interested in her.
They're in the exact same situation. Born to adoptive parents rather than biological parents, why is Laila different?
She must have been madly envious of Laila, who so easily won the affections of the people she so desperately wanted.
'But you didn't want to admit that envy.'
Because the moment she'll admit it, she'll be even more miserable.
Camilla protected herself by bullying Laila and spewing hurtful words.
The more she did, the more she was ostracized, but that didn't stop Camilla.
And in the end…
'Father!'
'…'
'P-please help me!'
"It's so annoying."
As that scene naturally came to mind, she ruffled her hair with a somewhat rough hand.
Affection that was not given to her.
But Laila, who has it all.
Overcome with intense emotion, Camilla kidnaps Laila and tries to kill her, only to be found out and suffer great embarrassment.
And that was the final straw, because it turned everyone against Camilla.
The Duke of Sorpel had completely shook off what little affection was left in the name of family.
This was also true for Ravi, her only blood relative.
That's why he had no qualms about involving Camilla in his plan to kill Ludville.
Camilla, who was practically isolated, was unable to resist Ravi's request to extend his hand to her.
I remember seeing it every time and rushing to find a cider to drink. She couldn't live with it, it was too much.
"You must be Lady Camilla, right?"
Camilla glanced over at Laila, who flashed her a bright smile, despite the pain in her ankle.
'Come to think of it, you transferred schools around this time.'
She is a person who irritated Camilla to no end, but she had completely forgotten about her.
"Um…"
When Camilla said nothing, Lail's expression grew cautious, and she took a step closer.
Whoosh.
Then she held out her hand.
Laila stared at Camilla's white, slender hands, a little dazed.
"Are you going to stay like that?"
"Ah!"
With a smile on her face again, Laila took Camilla's hand gingerly.
"Ugh!"
Laila staggered to her feet, wincing in pain at her swollen ankle, and Camilla helped her up with her other hand.
"Thank you."
"If you really are grateful, don't follow someone into a place like this, even if it's someone you like."
Can't she tell just by looking at it? What was she doing, following him into the dark and remote forest?
"I wasn't following him…"
"Then?"
"I was following Lady Camilla."
At her shy smile, Camilla gave her a look of disbelief. When was she following her?
"I was wondering why you went into the forest… I thought it might be dangerous for you to go alone."
Oh my god, did she see what happened?
"Do— Do you know me?"
"Yes! I know you!"
She knows her?
"Isn't everyone talking about Lady Camilla?"
"People are talking about me?"
"What did the Lady of Sorpel wear today? What kind of jewelry did she put on? Her hair, was it this way or that way? I even heard about what you did in class by the end of the afternoon."
"…"
"Everyone is really interested in Camilla."
She was vaguely aware that she was being watched more than before.
It must have seemed very strange to others that she was so comfortable with being ignored, unlike before.
'I didn't realize that they were even talking about my hairstyle.'
She overheard that the shops responsible for her clothes and jewelry are doing very well these days.
"I've been wanting to meet you."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"…"
There's something very glazed over her eyes.
'That look in your eyes is very familiar.'
That's how new actors look at her for the first time.
"Camilla."
Ludville slowly approached her side, and Camilla turned her attention back to her surroundings.
"Cough."
"Ugh…"
"Uh…"
Four men are kneeling on the floor, groaning in pain. One is sobbing.
'…What happened in that short time?'
All of them looked terrible.
Some of them looked like they had their arms and legs broken, but they still knelt and kept their hands up. As if it were the only thing keeping them alive.
'When did he get down?'
Jude, whom she had hung from the tree, was also on his knees on the ground, grunting.
She looked up and saw that the branch he was hanging from had been neatly cut off. It looked like Ludville had cut it.
How on earth did he cut that thing up there?
"Here."
Camilla looked at Ludville, and he held something out in front of her.
"Huh?"
It was a bracelet. Her bracelet.
However…
"It's broken."
The bracelet had shrunk back down to size, but one end had been cut off, as if the bracelet binding Jude had been forcibly removed.
"Sorry."
Looking at Ludville offering an apology, it's clear that this is a skill of his.
How on earth did he break it? Ravi said it could tie up a monster.
"It can't be helped. I'll have to ask Brother Ravi to fix it."
"Did Ravi give it to you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Why? If you asked her…
"I don't know."
Camilla smiled sheepishly.
"But maybe he gave it to me because I'm his younger sister and wanted to take care of me? He's my older brother after all."
Camilla's eyes narrowed as she remembered Ravi throwing the bracelet at her with an uncharacteristic awkwardness.
"…"
Crack!
'Huh? Crack?'
What was that soun— Hey!
Reaching out to retrieve the bracelet, Camilla's eyes widened at the unfamiliar noise coming from Ludville's hand.
Something sparkly had turned to dust and fell to the ground. Releasing it from his grasp, the man handed it to Camilla and spoke proudly.
"Sorry."
Camilla stared at Ludville in disbelief as he apologized again.
Averting his gaze, Ludville slipped the broken bracelet into her hand.
* * *
"That's weird…"
As she went to bed, Camilla was having trouble sleeping again.
Camilla's sudden encounter with Laila had her head spinning. Since her arrival, things around Camilla have changed more subtly.
'Especially Ludville.'
Laila is the first one to show any emotion of obsession, as she has little interest in people, objects, or even herself.
But today, their appearance was quite unexpected. They didn't even look at each other.
The two people she had seen in her repeated lives had been attracted to each other from the first meeting, and had shown great interest in each other.
On top of that, Ravi, Pedro, and other men would join in, forming a very chaotic love affair…
'Is it because this isn't where their first meeting was supposed to happen?'
The meeting today between the two was something Camilla had never seen before. It happened because she visited the Spirit Lake to find the Divine Beast's egg.
'They originally met at the marketplace, right?'
Just like today, Ludville happened to see Laila get into trouble with some bad guys and saves her. From then on, they quickly grew closer.
"…I don't know. I'm going to sleep."
Letting out a long yawn, Camilla tossed and turned for a moment, but soon fell into a deep sleep.
How much time has passed since then?
[Hey.]
"Mm…"
Camilla had fallen into a deep sleep and was forced to jerk awake by the familiar voice waking her.
[Are you awake?]
"Ah, go away…"
[Wake up.]
She was instantly awake.
There was a person standing at the bedside, staring down at her… no, it was a ghost.
If it was a new or a different ghost, she would have just let it go. It's not like she hasn't seen ghosts appear out of nowhere at night before.
"How are you here?"
However, it's a different story if it's a Haunt.
[Well, I don't know either.]
It was Herschel who came to Camilla.
She couldn't help but be surprised to see a man who had been trapped in his own grave, unable to move, suddenly standing in front of her.
'How on earth?'
She's never seen anything like it before.
[I've been waiting to hear from you for a while now, and suddenly I feel lighter today.]
…Do ghosts weigh anything?
Camilla let out a small sigh.
She believed it was the fact that somebody is able to find the Divine Beast had relieved his resentment.
'The desperate desire to tell her to find the Divine Beast quickly must've played a part.'
It was clear that it wasn't enough to have the butler ghost, Derrin, prodding him every day. Herschel himself must have wanted to come here and do it.
He broke the bonds that had held him down his entire life.
[When are you going to go get the Divine Beast's egg?]
"It's not that simple."
[It's not that difficult. I showed you where it is.]
"Sigh."
Camilla let out a short sigh again.
She's sure Derrin and Herschel will come everyday like this.
They're going to keep yapping about going to the lake quickly to find the Divine Beast's egg.
'I'm done sleeping now.'
She's already feeling tired.