The man who entered the bathroom after me turned out to be none other than the baron's youngest son, Jeremy Seibel.
A tall guy with red hair and a scattering of freckles stood right in front of me, and I stared at him in surprise. To be honest, I thought I misheard.
— What... What are you talking about? — I asked in a trembling voice.
— Wi-fi, — he repeated more confidently, — Cellular, roaming, YouTube... You know that, right?
While the guy continued to list the names of things that don't exist in this world, I just shook my head like a dummy.
— yes...
After my words, a noticeable relief appeared on the face of the baron's youngest son.
— Ugh... Thank God. So I was not mistaken.
«...»
While I was frozen in place, as if I had been hit on the head with a frying pan, this guy continued to do something completely unimaginable. In the blink of an eye, the heir of a noble family, observing all the rules of etiquette, was finally able to remove this mask. The next moment, tears welled up in his eyes.
— I knew it... I knew I wasn't alone here!!!
The next moment, the guy I had known for only a few hours suddenly impulsively hugged me. It was like I was his long-lost sister. At first I was stunned. But then, as if imbued with this outburst of emotion, I also got emotional.
For a while we just stood there hugging and crying. It was like a madhouse.
— Wait a minute... You mean you're from there too? — I asked excitedly. It seemed that I still could not believe that what was happening was not a hallucination or a dream.
The realization that I was not the only person who had somehow moved into this novel made my heart race.
"Exactly," the baron's son sobbed, "and I'm so glad I got to meet you. I thought I was going to be completely lost here...
When we both cried enough, the guy told me about his unfortunate fate.
As it turned out, Jeremy Seibel really came from my world, moreover, we even came from the same country. Except they lived in different cities. Rufus (that was his name in a previous life) was an ordinary university student, just like me. So at what point did his life go awry?
And it happened like this.
— ...That day, as usual, I was sitting in class, — the guy reminisced, — In fact, I hadn't read any Internet novels before. But the roommate we were sitting with was fascinated by them. She wanted to interest me in some fantasy novel, promised that I would discover a new world for myself... Well, actually, that's what happened.
Succumbing to the persuasions of a friend, the guy glanced through the description and only looked a little into the first chapter. That was the end of his acquaintance with the novel "Darker than Black". Rufus fell asleep in class, and when he woke up, he found that he had already been here.
In his own opinion, it was terribly unfair. Unlike his friend, who read this novel from cover to cover, and nothing happened to her, he was the one who wandered here by chance.
I cleared my throat.
"Well, you know, there's not much justice in this world at all."
Despite my attempt to cheer up my new acquaintance with these words, the baron's son's face remained dejected.
I sighed. He and I leaned our backs against the tiled wall.
— You know, it seems to me that I'm going to go crazy here soon, — I shared my dejected state.
— Nothing, — Jeremy shrugged, — I've been in this position for three months now.
— Three months? — I asked, — Have you been here that long?
— Yes, — he nodded grimly, — but I'd rather forget... This is some kind of horror.
— Hmm?
The Popadanets looked at me eloquently. After that, he told me the difficult story of his new life. It seemed that now he had poured out on me all the feelings that he had been holding in himself all this time.
Like me, the guy was reincarnated in the body of a character who has nothing to do with the current plot. No, his situation was even worse than mine. The Seibel family belonged to the lowest stratum of aristocratic society, which promised not only poverty, but also numerous family feuds.
Besides Jeremy, he had six other older brothers. It was they who divided all the property among themselves, leaving the guy with almost nothing.
And while the elders were fighting for the inheritance and the paternal title, Jeremy was always on the margins of this family. He had to wear his brothers' clothes, and there was no need to talk about a sane attitude towards him.
Despite the fact that Rufus moved into this guy's body only three months ago, according to him, he already had to "put up with it."
It so happened that Jeremy Seibel dropped out of the race for the family inheritance before he was born. It was not worth talking about getting the title of baron in the future. At best, he will be able to build a career for himself and not starve to death on the street. But...
There was a problem here.
This guy turned out to be too stupid to take the exams at the state academy. His physical abilities also left much to be desired for service in the Imperial Army. And in this way... The baron's youngest son turned out to be completely useless.
No wonder the poor kid was bullied all his life.
Rufus took over the young aristocrat's body at the most inopportune moment. Now his father was trying in vain to find a mate for him to get at least a bride's dowry for his negligent son.
But no one wanted to mess with such a loser. Thus, all the humiliations associated with refusals fell to the lot of Rufus who got here.
In short, after listening to his story, I realized that everything was not so bad for me.
We sighed heavily.
— Wait a minute... — I suddenly realized, — How did you even know that I'm not from this world?
— well... — He scratched his cheek, — At first I just assumed it.
— And why is that?
I was wondering how the guy could even come up with such a theory, because in my mind I didn't stand out among the other local noblewomen. But Jeremy's answer literally took me aback:
— You put your elbows on the table during lunch.
— Eh?..
— And when you were drinking tea, you were holding the cup not by the handle, but by the body. No noble lady from this world would allow herself to do that," the guy eloquently remarked.
— ...
While I blinked in surprise, my initial amazement was replaced by an epiphany.
If you think about it, there really was some truth in Jeremy's words. The local nobles absorbed manners and etiquette almost with their mother's milk. Already at the age of six, children were taught to keep their posture and handle cutlery correctly.
Compared to them, of course, I was a real hillbilly.
— Besides, it was hard not to notice how you were tapping your foot under the table, as if you were sitting in line at the clinic.
As Jeremy continued to list out loud my terrible manners, which I didn't even know about, my dignity was sinking more and more to the ground. And I kept wondering why Yufil and the Duke were looking at me so strangely...
When the blush of embarrassment faded from my face, I bothered to ask:
— Ahem... Good. But how do you know that?
I was curious how a guy who had spent much less time here than I had managed to gather so much information about the local world order. Jeremy's answer was short and concise:
— Experience.
— "Experience"?
— I have been here not so long, but, unfortunately or fortunately, I have seen a lot...
Unlike me, who spent a year in four walls with minimal socialization, in the form of clueless conversations with nurses and a game of chess with old people, Rufus, although he spent less time here, was already actively integrated into local society. At least his father made him go everywhere in search of a bride.
Does this mean that I can consider him my "sonbe"?
Anyway, since there was no turning back for either of us, we just had to accept it and move on. At least now we could at least hold on to each other.
We chatted for at least half an hour. Of course, from the outside it might seem strange and even indecent: an unmarried lady and a lord alone in the bathroom, and who knows what they are doing there. This alone is enough to spread unflattering rumors.
But at that moment we completely forgot about it.
Finally, when the joy of our extraordinary acquaintance had subsided a little, I excitedly asked:
— What are we going to do? The Duke and the baron are going to force us to get married.
My hit man "sunbae" thought for a moment.
— well... I think it's not such a bad idea, — he said suddenly.
— what? — I was surprised.
— Think about it. These old men will force us to get married sooner or later. And I think it's better for us to do it than with anyone else.
— Are you serious?!
— A sham marriage," Jeremy concluded, "in my opinion, is the best way out of the situation. You know, I'd rather marry you than some grandmother for her fortune...
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
— What about it? That old fart had that option too!
Well, Jeremy's suggestion didn't seem so strange to me. Given the current times, we couldn't just tell our parents that we wanted a "free life" and pursue self-development or a hobby.
Marriage was a necessary attribute of modern society. And since the Duke insisted on marriage, I saw nothing wrong with forming an alliance with someone I knew at least a little. Besides, this guy was from my world, and that in itself is a great luck that we were able to meet each other.
At least it was much better than linking your life with a random person. Most of all, I was afraid of the idea of getting married precisely because of this kind of surprises. It's literally getting a "pig in a poke."
If I come across a domestic tyrant or other aggressor, I will not be able to divorce him. Divorce was considered almost a sin here. So I really only had one chance.
And Jeremy seemed to feel the same way.
— good. Then let's just support the old people in this venture.
Having made this mutual decision, we were about to return to the dining room together. But suddenly they stopped in front of the entrance, hearing a noise.
— ...keep in mind that our family is not simple! — The baron deliberately boasted, — The Seibel family has a centuries-old dynasty. That's why my son deserves better treatment.
The Duke de Walt ignored the obvious hint of an increase in dowry.
— I understand your concern. Of course, we will do our best.
— We are ready to turn a blind eye to the lack of a bride. But on condition that the wedding expenses are fully borne by you.
Jeremy and I looked at each other excitedly. The tension in the living room was growing.
The normally calm and unflappable Duke de Walt put down his knife and fork on the table. A dangerous light flashed in his eyes.
"Lord Seibel, I advise you not to forget your position."
— what?
"The de Walt family is the initiator of the engagement," he reminded him, "it is we who determine the conditions, not the other way around.
"You are the initiator, and our family has accepted the offer," the baron said, "but we can change our minds. Keep in mind that you are not the only one who should benefit from this.
— ...
— So we do a favor when we accept a defective daughter-in-law into the family, — the man kindly replied, — It's quite normal if you pay us extra for this. After all, who else will do it?
«.....»
In fact, I wasn't offended at all by these words. After all, it was I who started all these rumors. But the Duke's patience was beginning to wear thin.
"Are you saying that the de Walt family is unworthy of you?" He chuckled icily.
"You're exaggerating, Duke..."
— It seemed to me that this is what you meant.
— me...
— Really, what did I expect, messing with such scum?
«.....»
Jeremy and I froze, hiding behind the wall with our mouths open.
It felt like we were watching a dramatic scene unfolding in the series. Well, or a fight between drunken fathers at a wedding.
Victor de Walt's last words finally heated up the situation.
— What did you say?! — The baron exclaimed angrily, rising from the table.
— I think you heard everything perfectly.
And the next moment, we didn't even have time to realize when it happened, they were already pouncing on each other.
The brawl lasted for several minutes, and the Duke de Valt was expected to emerge victorious. He pinned the baron's face to the table and pinned his arms behind his back.
We gasped at this turn of events.
"Rather than mess with such scum, we'd rather not accept any offers at all," the Duke said through his teeth.
Baron Seibel swore indignantly under him.
— You...!
— I've already said everything. As long as I'm alive, there's no way I'm going to let the de Walt family be trampled into the mud.
And in this unforeseen way, my possible engagement was canceled.