We spent the rest of the journey in the carriage in silence. Yufil was sitting on one side of the cabin, and I was on the opposite side. We didn't communicate with each other. I stared out the window, blissfully dreaming of what a great future lay ahead of me.
To be honest, when I first realized that I was in this particular novel, I was terrified. After all, this is not a typical pink fairy tale — where in the end even the main villain repents of his sins and remains alive. In front of. You'll be lucky if you survive at all.
In this novel, the characters die like flies. You can go to an ordinary bar, where, without foreshadowing trouble anywhere, a random passerby will stab you with a knife. That's how the heroine's ally died. One of the central characters, the brave knight who accompanied Princess Jerica on her entire journey, unexpectedly died just before the finale.
Many characters died simply because they did not like the main villain, Kaena de Ronan. In other words, this world was like one solid minefield. One careless step and you're dead.
If I had been reborn as a commoner, things would have been much more complicated. I probably wouldn't even have lived to see this moment. But, fortunately, the Gods had mercy on me, and I became an aristocrat.
The youngest daughter of a not-too-famous ducal family. But it was enough to avoid money problems from childhood and lead a relatively carefree life.
By the way, that's exactly what I was going to do.
Now the capital and the entire empire were being terrorized by a Dark Army — the personal army of the Crown Princess, subordinate only to her. These people practically controlled the country from the inside. Because of this, it was quite dangerous to go outside now.
Considering the possibility of running into these villains, I definitely wasn't going to take any chances. It would be much safer to hide in the manor at such a time.
As I said, at first I thought I was terribly unlucky. It did happen to be reborn in an R-19 rated novel... but then I came to realize that my rebirth was actually a blessing. After all, where else could I get a lot of money without doing anything? And now I don't even have to work!
In my previous life, I could not be called a wealthy person. Since I was a teenager, I had to work hard to provide for myself and help my family. And now I finally have a long-awaited vacation. Perhaps it was a reward for all my efforts.
It remains only to wait for the end of the novel. When the main villain dies, the Dark Army will also be disbanded. Once that happens, the world will be safe and I will be able to spend money right and left. Isn't that real happiness?
Carried away by my fantasies, I did not immediately notice that we had already arrived. The carriage stopped in front of a luxurious burgundy mansion.
I remembered this place well from Camille's memories. She grew up here and at the same time suffered a lot of sadness and pain. This girl didn't even realize how lucky she was. It didn't matter that his father and older brother were such scoundrels. At least she can live in luxury and not starve like the majority of the empire's population.
And the family... After all, she is not chosen.
I got out of the carriage and took a deep breath of the smell of luxury. Ah... How wonderful.
"Hey, aren't you going to greet your father?" Yufil asked.
Just as I was heading towards the manor, he suddenly called out to me. I froze in disbelief.
— Why?
— Eh?
"He doesn't want to see me anyway."
My words puzzled the duke's eldest son. This was the first time Camilla had refused to meet her father on her own. Before that, the girl shed a lot of tears, even when she was leaving. A year ago, she wanted to stay at home until the last minute, but the duke wouldn't let her.
And now she's so indifferent to everything.
"If that's all you wanted to say, then I'll go."
And I just left. The guy looked after me with a puzzled expression on his face. "Since when did this whiny girl suddenly start acting so strangely?"
But I really didn't care. Usually, in such a situation, the main characters try to do everything possible to correct their situation. In other words, to win the love of your loved ones and attract them to your side. This formed the basis of the plot of most of these novels.
Her father and brothers, who hated this girl at the very beginning, are ready to give their lives for her towards the end. Many people were really interested to see this. To be honest, sometimes I also wanted to read something similar. Because in real life, this practically does not happen.
And now... Once in the "skin" of such a heroine, I suddenly realized that I was completely too lazy to do this. Wasting time on idiots who are not even able to realize that a baby in principle cannot be responsible for the death of an adult woman? It hurts.
The years of my life and the nerve cells were clearly not worth it all. So I decided in advance that I would just leave it as it is. Let them continue to hate me as much as they want. And I will enjoy my new luxurious life.
When I entered the house, I immediately remembered where my room was. A whole year has passed. I wonder if anyone cleaned there in my absence.
Passing by the living room, I saw a huge portrait hanging on the entire wall. It was my mother, Annette de Walt. A beautiful woman with blonde hair and noble features. She had big blue eyes like sparkling diamonds. It was no wonder that she was called one of the most beautiful women of the Ruthven Empire.
I looked very much like her. Except that because of my age, my face was more childish and doll-like. In fact, I couldn't tell if I missed "mom" or not. More precisely, I didn't know what it was like, because in my previous life I also grew up without her.
My mother left my younger brother and me and went to look for a better life in another country when I was not even three years old. Since then, we have been raised by a single father, who was far from the best parent. My father often drank and left us alone without supervision.
I've never had an example of a good family. That's why I'm not upset at all that I don't have it now. I've long been used to relying on myself in everything. Whether I'm the daughter of a locksmith or the daughter of a duke, I'll just live the way I've always lived.
Although, I must admit, I also did not feel much sympathy for the woman in the portrait. After all, she's the reason I've been bullied for years.
After standing by the painting for a short time, I went on.
When I got to the right floor, I saw that my room was still in good condition. It was quite modest, but cozy. I was happy to lie down on the big bed, arms and legs outstretched, as it is usually not appropriate for a noble lady to do.
Right now, I just wanted to take a break from recent events. And this is despite the fact that I have already spent a whole year in a hospital bed. After that, I could take a hot bath and relax.
I lay there until the evening. I didn't want to get up until the maid knocked on the door.
"My Lady, His Lordship invites you to dinner."
— Dinner?
Oh, right. Before, dinner was the only opportunity for Camilla to see her father. He was usually very busy and, of course, did not want to spend time with her. However, in memory of his late wife, the Duke preserved the long-standing tradition of their family - to gather at the table together.
However, it didn't feel like a real family dinner. The atmosphere was usually extremely tense and gloomy. No one talked during the meal, and poor Camilla was left out again.
— Tell him I won't be able to attend, — I said lightly.
— what? — The maid was very surprised.
Thinking that she hadn't heard me, I repeated my words to her.
"Are you really not coming down?" The maid asked, perplexed.
Camilla usually never skipped meals and always ran to the dining room first. Therefore, such an unusual behavior of the hostess clearly puzzled her.
— Yeah.
The girl swallowed.
— But... Then what reason should I give His Lordship?
— hm...
I've been thinking about it.
If you think about it, it was quite a long way from my room to the dining room. It would be easier to ask them to bring food directly to me. That's what I decided to do.
"Tell them it's too much of a burden for me to have dinner with them."