[Soul Synchronization is now complete.]
[Warning! Curses are now considered as one.]
[You can now view Josephine Von Konrow's status.]
[Josephine's Doom Rate: 17%]
*gasp*
"I-I'm alive."
Wait, why am I on my bed? Wasn't I in the mausoleum?
"Wait, look at this notification… hmmm... I can roughly guess what happened."
I stood up fairly easily and stretched myself quickly. I felt lighter, faster, and even better than the last time.
I looked at myself in the mirror. It was still my usual white glowing hair with golden yellow eyes.
"Hey Josephine."
The figure in the mirror changed its characteristics to jet black hair and bloody red eyes.
"Yawn… what is it, Yoo-ra?"
She looked like she had just woken up in my consciousness.
"I was just testing things."
"Hah, so now I'm your test subject?"
She crossed her arms.
"Just because I said you can call me anytime doesn't mean you should abuse it."
She opened her fan.
"Know your place, commoner."
"Pfffft." I couldn't stop laughing internally and had to hold my stomach.
"Y-you!"
"Honestly, can I just come inside there and hug you?"
I totally forgot that I always stan'ed Josephine even in my old world.
"What—I'm going."
Josephine disappeared from the mirror. I heard a knock at the door.
"My Lady, may I come in?"
I immediately jumped back into bed and tucked myself in.
"I'm coming in."
Jane must have thought I was still asleep.
Wait, how long was I out anyway?
I could feel her in my mind vision fixing the vase with new flowers.
"Hahahahaha—!"
I slowly rose from my bed. "Hahahahaha!!!"
"My L-Lady?!"
"Thank you, I live again!"
I let out an aura of intimidation. Jane, however, withstood it.
"Who are you and what have you done to my Lady?"
Jane immediately armed herself and prepared to jump on me.
"W-Wait, wait! It's really me, Josephine Von Konrow!"
Just as her inhuman knife was about to reach me, she stood still in silence.
"What is my Lady's favorite food?"
"Egg pie with lots of custard."
"What does my Lady dislike?"
"Sweet and savory mixed together, annoying people, abandonment—"
"S-stop!"
Jane covered my mouth.
"I-I get it. But—"
Suddenly she pounced on me.
"I'm glad… that the Lady is fine," she wept, crying at the hem of my nightgown.
The Lady hadn't woken up for almost 2 months now.
Then we somehow talked about the events that transpired while I was asleep. It seems that after I entered the tear, the crack somehow began to suck all of the miasma from the surroundings, so the cursed had to retreat back to the surface. The nearby surroundings crumbled as the tear tried to devour everything. Fortunately, Peter and Jane were rescued by the sages before the entire thing collapsed. Then after a while, they arrived at the outer wall and saw the whole thing happen. The miasma that had spread through the entire continent condensed into one spot. And after a while… the ground shook violently as the condensed miasma formed into a sphere and it… got devoured by the tear!
Honestly, I couldn't really believe Jane since she was somewhat confused as well, because according to her, the tear somehow turned into a giant woman and it grabbed the sphere and ate it. Again, I'm not really believing it since there wasn't any other primary source of the event. After a while, it floated into the sky and, with a blinding light, it disappeared.
Then for some reason after it disappeared, I was falling from the sky and the sages launched themselves to cushion my fall. After that, well… I couldn't really be woken up no matter how hard they tried. The sages, particularly Amadeus, said that there was nothing wrong with my body and he even noted that my situation had somehow gotten better since the instability of my soul was cured. But that meant that—
"No," she said.
She was the one resting on my shoulder.
"You are still my Lady, no matter who you are."
I held Jane's head with my arm.
"When you are ready, you can tell me anything."
I somehow got really emotional at this bit. But Jane only nodded.
The sages said that they would handle the capital from then on, and from what they said, they would be busy cleaning the aftermath.
"Don't mind us, we already gave your maid the mask you've been looking for. If you have the time, come see us."
…was what was written on a note that had a box on it. I slowly opened it. A mask that looked like an emotion. I lifted it up and used Appraisal on it.
"Yes… hahaha… hahahah…!"
Countless bottled emotions erupted within me.
This mask… this fucking mask! I did everything just to get this fucking mask!
I slowly stood up and went to the mirror. I used the mask and covered my face with it. Then my jet black hair and crimson red eyes resurfaced once again.
"Finally," I muttered.
Well, the issue with the appearance is OK. But…
"What happened during my slumber?"
Then Jane said that apparently Adele visited my mansion.
"Hmmm?"
And from what she said, it seems that she was trying to see my situation. And my worries were not unfounded, as it was inevitable that Peter and Adele—
I guess it's not as bad as I thought. Surely proving my worth right now is not that hard, and I can even raise myself as the heir of Konrow and steal her place, but…
"It's not worth it, for these bastards."
Josephine in my mind also collectively agreed with my sentiment.
"No." Jane squinted her eyes.
"Peter, he… ignored Miss Adele."
"I'm… what?" I was perplexed.
Peter… avoiding Adele?
Josephine summoned a parchment of the contract she held with Peter.
Let's see… I didn't forbid Peter from meeting Adele completely. It was only in the event that I was on vacation or in circumstances where I couldn't move freely. He was allowed to interact with her, so why?
"Where's Peter?"
Jane looked down. "Peter, he… returned back to the Palace after that day."
I clenched my fist.
"Yes!"
[Oi Kim, why are you grinning so much?]
Josephine asked me inside my head.
That bastard is finally out of my grasp!
But why does Jane look so… sad?
Shouldn't she be happy that Peter is finally out of here?
Her gaze drooped lower.
"Lady Nephi, I know Peter and I had our differences, but… we both had the same goal of protecting you. I'm sure that he went back to the capital since Lady Adele is probably scheming something against you while you were unconscious."
Wait… was he always like this?
[I told you, right? It's definitely a sign of—]
Obsession.
I scratched my head in annoyance. I read through the newspaper archives and saw Peter racking up achievements.
"The Empire's Newest 9th Tier Woadmaster is the Crown Prince?!!"
…was the title written all over it. Monster kills, subjugations, infrastructures… that bastard was using the status I taught him to leverage himself.
[Ugh oh. I think it's only a matter of time before he becomes the—]
King.
And in the worst-case scenario on our part… he will definitely try and aim for my hand.
I originally just taught him so I could have a chance at surviving, but getting noticed on the battlefield was his end goal? Is this how he repays me?
This is bad.
Now that things have changed, I will definitely have to change my plan again.
[You know, maybe getting married to Peter isn't a bad thing—]
Shut the fuck up. Weren't you the one who hated his guts after knowing he'd decapitate you in the ending?!
But isn't he your type?
I recall you drooling over his abs during that arc—
I SAID NO!!!
I CAN'T HEAR YOU AT ALL!
[You try and deny it, but you have a thing for good-looking men? Your past life apartment had a bunch of hot men with their upper bodies exposed—]
Will you shut up, bitch! How can you casually reveal a maiden's secret like that?!
Josephine laughed like a typical noble.
[Ohoho! It seems that I used up all of my mental power. I won't speak for a while, ok? Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, during these times—]
Jane slammed the door open.
She had kind of left earlier as I was assessing things.
"My Lady! The matriarch has called for dinner!"
[Do not take Marquis Jhake lightly. He is more cunning and perceptive than you think.]