To think that I would experience such an incredibly lavish lifestyle. And to think it’s all thanks to drowning in reality, fate is truly capricious.

‘I’ll have to part with this mansion soon, but until then, I should enjoy it as much as I can.’

It was while I was thinking this and taking another sip of tea.

「Alisa’s face as she drank tea was pale, like a flower already withered.」

…Huh?

「To suddenly cough up blood.」

What is this?

Suddenly, sentences I had never thought of began to appear in my mind. I froze in surprise. The hand holding the teacup began to tremble slightly.

「Louise thought that perhaps Alisa Penvernon might die like this, wasting away.」

My eyes suddenly widened at this unexpected content. It was absurd.

What is this, saying I might die like this?

“Wait a minute….”

No, this wasn’t a sound.

I shook my head vigorously.

“My lady? What’s wrong?”

Louise’s voice brushed past my ears. Unlike sounds that resonate and disappear, these remained imprinted in my mind as if stamped there.

Have I been thinking too much? Is this phenomenon appearing because I keep remembering that this is a world inside a novel? Or is it something like my subconscious? What on earth is this?

As I frowned deeply and tried to concentrate on the sentences, at that moment, the letters in my mind disappeared without a trace, like smoke.

Ah, was it just my imagination after all?

Just as I was about to think that,

「Before the Duchess dies, I must report to the Emperor.」

Another sentence appeared in my mind, as if being typed, one letter at a time.

「That was the mission of Louise, the Emperor’s secret agent tasked with monitoring the Duchess of Penvernon and reporting on the movements of the Ducal family.」

…It wasn’t my imagination.

Clearly, inexplicable sentences were suddenly appearing in my mind.

Sentences that seemed to explain the current situation swirled within me.

Even though I hadn’t thought of them, even though I hadn’t seen or heard them, they left precise letters within me.

「Louise reassured herself once more. Alisa is not suited for the position of Duchess Penvernon.」

Again. This is strange. Have I gone mad? Why am I having such delusions? Sentences describing and explaining as if reading a novel kept piercing my head.

…A novel?

Ah, could it be.

In an instant, an intuition, like a flash of light, struck me.

This is a world inside a novel.

Novels are made up of sentences.

Then, could these thoughts forcibly occupying my mind be ‘sentences from the novel’ narrating the present?

Wait a minute, if that’s the case, does it mean that Louise, while outwardly pretending to be caring, is actually thinking like this inside? No wonder she seemed to treat me somewhat carelessly. But this isn’t just a matter of putting Alisa down or not.

I wonder if my guess is correct.

To confirm, I casually spoke to Louise.

“You know, Louise.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Do you think I’m not suitable for the position of Duchess Penvernon?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Louise’s eyes widened. Her green eyes seemed to shake with a hint of confusion.

“What are you suddenly saying?”

“I just had a feeling you might think that way.”

Louise jumped up and waved her hands.

“No, I’ve never thought that at all!”

“Is that so? If not, then never mind.”

“My goodness, my lady. Are you really alright?”

Louise put her hand on my forehead with an exaggerated gesture. It was a gesture asking if I was sick.

I chuckled and pushed her arm away. Seeing her overreact, it seems she does feel guilty about something.

“I just felt that way for some reason, so I asked.”

I’ve never seen Louise this flustered before.

“You know I still don’t know much. Even though it’s been over a year since I came to this mansion.”

“But you’re working hard, aren’t you? So it’ll be fine.”

In other words, she’s admitting that I don’t know much.

I shrugged once and casually changed the subject. I naturally continued with small talk, like how pretty this cup is, or how I’d like to try a different tea next time.

That’s when it happened.

「Louise was startled. It was as if Alisa had heard her thoughts and was probing.」

My intuition became certainty. I was glimpsing parts of the novel in this world within a book. The content of the sentences I had read in my mind earlier was true.

I waited for a moment to see if more would follow.

But no new content appeared. Is it not showing me anymore? I was dying to know what came next, but I didn’t know how to make the sentences appear, so there was nothing I could do.

Reading the ‘sentences’ of a novel, huh. What a strange ability. I wonder why I developed this ability. Is it because I’m a person from outside this book? It certainly felt like I was peeking into a novel.

So from now on, will these sentences create a new story separate from the original work I know? There were too many puzzling things.

‘If I could use this to read other people’s minds or see the future like I just did, it would be a truly terrifying ability.’

But if I only end up reading meaningless sentences, it would just give me a headache.

It would be better if I could control the content of the sentences or when they appear, which was a bit disappointing. Still, it seems to be an omniscient author’s third-person narrative, so it could be quite useful if it triggers well.

To think such an impossible thing is possible. Of course, a person entering the world of a novel is impossible to begin with.

‘I really am a person from outside this world.’

What’s happening here is, to me, just events in a novel. Even if the content changes a bit due to various circumstances, in the end, it’s not reality but just a story in a book.

Then instead of giving me a special ability, why not just send me back to my world? If that had happened, Alisa wouldn’t have destroyed the original content.

…No, come to think of it, if I go back, I might die. I don’t know what happened to my body that fell into the Han River. I have no memory of getting out of the water.

All I remember is the black water blocking my breath, the cold temperature cutting into my skin, the endless fall….

“My lady?”

I flinched in surprise. Louise’s voice woke me from my deep thoughts.

“Ah, yes. I’m tired. I’d like to rest a bit.”

I gestured, politely dismissing her.

For once, Louise failed to manage her expression and revealed an anxious look. She seemed worried about what I might be pondering.

To think Louise was a spy planted by the Emperor. It’s so plausible that it’s not even surprising. It might be more shocking if she wasn’t. It wouldn’t be strange if everyone except Alisa, who relied on her, was suspicious.

‘The Emperor is trying hard to keep the ducal family in his grasp.’

It means he’s that concerned about Rashid’s existence. It’s understandable, given that the Emperor personally intervened in the marriage to keep Rashid in check.

‘He might even think I’m the Emperor’s puppet too.’

I recall the faint hostility and cautious attitude Rashid showed. From his perspective, it seems like a reasonable suspicion.

I stared at Louise as she cleared away the tea set.

When reading the novel, I never saw Louise’s name. She was probably just Maid 1 or something. Or maybe she left this mansion after Alisa died.

I’m not sure what to do with her. Now that I know her true nature, I feel like I should send her away, but is that the right thing to do? Is it even possible?

For now, I need to get Louise out of the room. Too many things have happened suddenly, and I’m completely overwhelmed. I needed some time alone to sort out my thoughts and calm my mind.

“Louise, I want to rest. Could you leave me alone?”

“But My lady….”

“Now.”

I cut off Louise’s words sternly. She looked at me for a moment, then without saying anything more, bowed her head deeply. Her steps towards the door were cautious.

* * *

That night.

Louise, who had returned to her room, nervously chewed on her fingernails. It was a habit that emerged when she was flustered.