“I told you not to go, and yet you went anyway… Roir? Roir, are you awake?”

As she continued murmuring reproachful words, Raylin hastily grabbed his hand again.

“Ray… Cough!”

“Don’t force yourself to speak!”

Raylin, hearing his hoarse voice and watching him struggle through coughs, carefully lifted a small cup to his lips.

The cup held just enough water to moisten his parched lips and tongue. Once it was empty, he spoke again.

“Trade… ship… Cough, cough.”

“I told you not to talk!”

Of all things to mention upon waking, he had to talk about the trade ship?

The tears that had gathered in Raylin’s eyes dried up instantly, and she shouted.

“Is that really what’s important right now? Why did you even go there? I told you not to go! You idiot! Fool! Imbecile!”

But instead of an answer, what she got in return was a deflated chuckle.

“Heh… Ha ha ha.”

Raylin, caught off guard, instinctively pressed her palm against his forehead while pulling the call rope to summon the doctor.

“What’s this? Don’t tell me your head got messed up? Roir? Do you know where you are? What year is it in the empire? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two. Greuga estate. And the empire… hmm.”

“Oh no, did you really—”

“Kidding. Cough, just… kidding. Year 162 of the Imperial Calendar.”

“You can’t just joke about things like that! My heart nearly stopped! Then why did you suddenly start laughing?”

Her voice was sharp, but her touch was gentle as she brushed the damp strands of hair from his forehead.

Feeling the familiar warmth of her fingertips and the nostalgic scent of family, Roir smiled weakly.

“Why do you worry while yelling?”

“That’s because—!”

Raylin abruptly clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t very well explain that Koreans tended to express their worries by scolding.

Even after becoming Raylin Greuga in 『Re.Vil.Bre』, she had never denied or forgotten her reality.

There had been a brief period of confusion, but it hadn’t lasted long.

Perhaps it was partly due to the merging of Raylin’s original memories with hers after possession. But more than that, the reason she had quickly come to terms with it was because of what her father had said to her during her initial disorientation.

“You are my daughter. No matter what happens. No matter how unbelievable the circumstances. You are, and always will be, Raylin Greuga.”

His words had become a guiding beacon for her.

It felt like permission to live as someone in this fictional world.

Thus, Raylin fully accepted the fact that she had possessed a character in a novel and that she now lived as ‘Raylin Greuga.’

However, upon later recalling everything more carefully, she realized that it wasn’t just that one time—her father had often said similar things to her.

So she had to ask.

“Hm? Why did you say things like that to me since I was little?”

“Haha! Well, because you’re a Greuga. Our family’s ladies frequently experience strange things like regression, possession, reincarnation, and dimensional travel! I just had to prepare you in case something happened so you wouldn’t panic! Those family history books I used to read to you? They were all real! If you really want to pinpoint when it started, it was probably from Lady Stella’s time.”

Watching her father laugh so heartily, Raylin felt utterly drained.

So, in the end, he had no idea about her confusion or anxiety at all.

And yet, she still ended up laughing along with him.

Because that’s what family was.

People who could support one another with just a few words, even without understanding everything.

To Raylin, Roir was that kind of person.

“That’s because you completely ignored me and ran off there, only to come back in this state!”

Roir knew full well that her words weren’t entirely true, yet he merely smiled.

Because to him, she was that kind of person, too.

“Alright, alright. I was wrong.”

Even as he said it, he never once added that he wouldn’t do it again.

If he received a similar letter in the future, he would run off again without hesitation.

And Raylin knew that, which only made her more frustrated.

But knowing that Roir was even more stubborn than she was, she decided to take a step back for now.

“Forget about the trade ship for now and focus on recovering. If it really bothers you that much, I’ll send a letter to Father at the frontier asking him to return.”

“No, more than that, Raylin.”

“What’s with that face? Don’t say it. Don’t even think about saying it.”

Seeing his expression—one that could only mean bad news—she hurriedly covered his mouth, but Roir let out a groan instead.

“Ah, ahh. Ugh.”

“Roir? Roir, are you in pain? The doctor will be here soon, just hold on a little longer—”

“If you take over the trade ship matters, I won’t be in pain.”

“Just be in pain. Suffer.”

Roir burst into laughter at the sight of Raylin clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.

“Hahaha… haah. Seriously, this time it really hurts.”

As Roir flinched from the pain surging from the wound where the dagger had been lodged, the irritation that had flared up in Raylin quickly subsided.

She asked curtly, “Is the trade ship schedule that urgent? I heard it was completed, but part of the trade route hasn’t been fully finalized yet, so there were still a few days of leeway.”

“You remembered all that? As expected of my Raylin, a geniu—”

“How could I not remember when you whine about it every time we meet?”

“I didn’t mention it that often…”

Roir slowly shook his head but quickly backed down when Raylin glared at him with sharp eyes.

“No, it’s just that they’ve been frustratingly slow on their end.”

“Fine, then tell me why you’re in such a hurry.”

The moment she finished speaking, the air around Roir, who was still smiling, turned heavy and sharp. Raylin, too, set aside her annoyed demeanor and focused on his slowly parting lips.

“I was attacked because of the trade ship.”

Roir continued as he gently touched the area near his wound, which still oozed traces of blood.

“So before the bastard who did this to me can interfere any further, I need to make sure the deal is a resounding success. That would be the best revenge, wouldn’t it?”

His face shone so brilliantly as he grinned that Raylin, exasperated, let out a deep sigh. But her expression soon turned serious as she nodded resolutely.

“Got it. Living well is the best revenge, right?”

“Ah, not exactly.”

“What?”

Roir, now lighthearted, smiled mischievously as he replied, “Making the trade ship a massive success to make that bastard seethe is just the beginning. The real revenge is tracking them down and putting them through the exact same ordeal.”

Only then did Raylin let out a breath of relief. For a moment, it had seemed like he was making unusually weak statements, and she feared he had been deeply shaken by the attack. But now it was clear—his determination was just as firm as ever. His earlier words were merely fuel to push him toward executing his true plan.

“Exactly. That’s real revenge. I’ll handle the trade ship situation as best as I can. But you know I’m terrible at this kind of work, right? If you don’t recover quickly, I might mess everything up.”

Feigning a warning, Raylin watched as Roir nodded earnestly.

“I’ll do my best to recover as quickly as possible.”

Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door, and the physician entered. As Raylin stepped aside, Roir gestured to her.

“Hm?”

Leaning in close, Raylin had to suppress the sudden swell of tears.

“I’m back. Sorry for being late.”

Roir said with a foolish smile.

***

An hour had passed since the lady’s promise, and just as the maid, restless at the door, was about to enter, the door opened silently. Raylin stepped out.

The maid quickly shut her mouth and moved to Raylin’s side, ready to assist her if needed, but Raylin waved her off.

“I’m not going back to my room. Let’s go to Roir’s study.”

“…Yes.”

Shouldn’t she rest first? The young lady needed sleep, or she might collapse at this rate. The maid had many things she wanted to say, but instead, she simply stayed close, prepared for any unexpected situation.

Noticing the words “worry,” “concern,” “frustration,” and “heartache” practically radiating from the maid, Raylin smirked and spoke aloud in an exaggerated tone.

“Ah, I suddenly have a craving for milk tea with cream made by the best hand in the mansion.”

The maid, who had been listening intently to her every word, instantly straightened up with a determined expression.

“That would be me! I make it the best! If you’ll be in the study, I’ll prepare it right away!”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Watching the maid dash off in a near stumble, Raylin gave a faint smile before swallowing a sigh.

To not even have the health or strength to stay by her sick family’s side, instead causing others to worry… How frustrating.

No, that wasn’t right. The fact that she had recovered this much was already a miracle. She had to remember the efforts her father and the family had put in to help her. It was only right to remain grateful.

Setting aside what she couldn’t change, Raylin walked toward Roir’s study.

It took only a few steps to reach the study, which was still an overwhelming jungle of documents.

“Just looking at this gives me a headache.”