The Manuscript Beckons
Aaah, so this is what they call a manuscript.
In the original story, Milene was banished, faded into complete irrelevance, and died off-screen. Later she was resurrected by a lich and served as one of the Four Heavenly Kings’ Saintess before dying again. Even knowing that much, I had assumed she simply perished alone with no connections whatsoever. Just some wandering soul who met a lonely end. But then there was Marie. The problem was that I thought Marie was the end of it.
I frowned at the handsome man currently sobbing his eyes out in front of me. Right. This person was the head of House Roen. And if we’re treating me as Milene now, he was my mother Elysee’s younger brother. His name was Ainhart.
Ooh, handsome. So handsome. The Roen bloodline really does produce exceptional looks. As for how we ended up in this situation… I had been summoned to the palace once again to protect K the author’s confidentiality. That was where I ran into Count Roen, who had been waiting for me. A face that could launch ships, currently ruined by a waterfall of tears. Did most uncles dote on their nieces this much?
“Aaaah, Milene! My beloved niece!”
“Um, you call me your niece, but I’m actually…”
I had said I wanted to meet someone from House Roen, but I never expected it to happen this quickly. Hmm. What exactly am I supposed to do here? It’s all so sudden that I have no idea how to react. I never dreamed Ainhart would be this intense.
Then again, if my earlier assumptions were correct, House Roen really had been crushed by House Holpert. Which would mean he truly was a complete niece-obsessed fool. Or maybe not. Perhaps it was simply because I was the child of his beloved older sister. Or maybe Duke Holpert had somehow been involved in Elysee’s death. I didn’t know the details, but something about this reminded me of those old TV programs back on Earth—the ones where they arranged heartfelt reunions between long-lost family members.
“Since this is a family reunion, we outsiders will excuse ourselves.”
The king and queen smiled kindly and vanished. Outsiders my ass—you’re the king! This is the royal palace! What are we supposed to do if you two disappear? That king is seriously suspicious. The way he keeps trying to be so nice to me makes me think he’s after something. No matter how popular my novels are, there’s no way he’d treat me this well unless he had an ulterior motive. It’s not like I’m hypnotizing him. Maybe the power of the Hero really is that overwhelming? Either way, it feels a bit off. It seems like he expects me to keep working hard for the kingdom’s sake from now on.
“Those Holpert bastards kept you hidden from me for so long. I’m so glad I can finally see you again. You look exactly like my sister.”
“Oh, do I?”
Hahaha, I see. Back when I lived in Korea, I barely ever met my own uncles or any extended family. Part of that was because my family was a total mess, but still—could the average uncle-niece relationship really be this close? Just how much had this Ainhart guy adored his older sister? Well, if he was seeing his dead sister in me, I suppose it couldn’t be helped.
“I had no idea you’d been suffering so much.”
“It wasn’t really suffering, exactly.”
Honestly, your sudden involvement might cause problems.
“Now you don’t have to worry about anything. Just come to Roen.”
“To Roen?”
“Why, don’t you want to? Don’t worry. I don’t have any children yet, so you can simply take on the role of the Count’s daughter.”
Excuse me? Me, a count’s daughter? I’m already an author, the Sword Saint’s disciple, the prospective Hero, and now a count’s daughter? How many side jobs do I have at this point?
“Is that even possible?”
“If I adopt you, there’s nothing stopping it.”
Since I’m connected to Roen through the maternal line, a formal adoption probably wouldn’t cause any issues. But to be honest, he looks like he’ll push this through even if I try to ignore it. And if history changes because of this, House Roen won’t get destroyed by Holpert either.
“Adopt me… I see.”
“Do you dislike the idea?”
A fully grown adult man was looking at me with glistening eyes like a child begging for a new toy. This wasn’t a simple matter of liking or disliking it. My entire life was on the line here. Or more precisely, Milene’s life was on the line. Suddenly being told to become a noble lady came with a mountain of problems. What exactly was House Roen? What would happen to me if I went there? And how far could I actually trust this head of House Roen?
Politely declining here was certainly one option.
“Of course not. I’m simply worried that my existence might bring great trouble to House Roen.”
“Don’t worry. We will cut all ties with House Holpert.”
What? Is this guy insane? House Holpert is currently the most powerful family in the kingdom. That fact hasn’t changed. That’s why no one dares criticize them even after they expelled their own biological daughter. Still, if he’s this determined, I don’t really have a good reason to refuse. In that case, I should think about how to gain the most benefit from this.
Let’s think carefully. Which side benefits me more? Actually… this might not be so bad. If House Holpert’s faction comes looking for me, they won’t be able to touch me recklessly. And if I refuse him now, this man looks like he might declare it’s his sin for failing to protect his niece and try to commit suicide or something. For now, I should accept and continue staying in the capital. To summarize, House Roen’s protection would act as a breakwater for me. Even if Holpert tried to harm me, they couldn’t openly criticize the fact that I had gone to a friendly family. In that case, I could use Roen as a shield and simply continue writing from behind it. Perfect.
“Then, could you prepare a separate residence for me in the capital?”
“You want to stay in the capital?”
“Yes.”
Roen’s main territory would be outside the capital, after all. If I went all the way there, it would be difficult to write and stay in contact with Portmus. “Now that I think about it, I’ll have to return to the academy as well.”
“That still seems a bit difficult for me right now.”
Glacia’s Royal Academy was essentially an integrated institution covering elementary through high school. Of course, if the truth came out that the condemnation had all been Sophia’s manipulation, I might have to go back. But honestly, why would I want to return to a place full of those nobles? The thought of them belatedly coming to me with fake smiles saying “We’re so sorry, ho ho ho” made me feel sick. And if they didn’t apologize, that would be infuriating in its own way. Above all, why should I have to attend the same kind of school in this life that I already suffered through in my previous one? I’d much rather stay in my room and just write.
“The ones who tormented you will be dealt with soon, won’t they?”
“Y-yes. It’s just… trauma, I suppose. It’s a little frightening. Plus I have work to do right now, so going to the academy would be…”
The moment I finished speaking, Ainhart grabbed both my shoulders tightly.
“It’s not dangerous, is it? If someone’s blackmailing you and forcing you to work in a shady place… No, this won’t do! I’ll immediately bring the troops from my territory and crush those Holpert bastards!”
“N-no, that’s not it at all.”
Shit. If you start a war with Holpert, you’re the one who’s going to die. The novel never gave specific details, but Holpert had always been a powerful house. Roen wouldn’t stand a chance. The difference in power between a ducal house and a count’s house was simply too vast. Unless Holpert was weakened to the point where they couldn’t do anything about this incident, at least.
“You’re scared… I see. So those academy bastards did this to you.”
He seemed to be thinking something strange again. It was probably best to pretend I didn’t notice.
“Still, it must be hard for a young woman to live alone in the capital?”
“I have a trustworthy maid who was fired from Holpert after taking my side. And His Majesty the King also said he would help me.”
“I understand. Then I’ll provide you with a house and living expenses.”
I didn’t necessarily have to accept, but since he was offering, I might as well take it. Refusing the money might make him suspect I was doing something suspicious again. Having an overly devoted uncle really was a problem. Technically he was my maternal uncle, but still. Why was he so excessively devoted?
“Then I’ll prepare the house right away.”
Ainhart declared confidently, telling me to trust him. Everything after that moved like lightning. I had no idea how much House Roen had prepared in advance. They immediately arranged the family register and added me to Roen’s lineage. Every issue I had was resolved in an instant.
“But this quickly?”
I was given a much larger mansion than before. It had only been two days since I asked. When I inquired how such speed was possible, I was told it was a property House Roen had already secured in the capital. In other words, I was now living in a house they had bought and left empty. And when I requested a location near Portmus, they chose exactly that area. I wondered if they had other properties in the capital. Considering that both Portmus Publishing and my workspace were in the city center, it seemed they had bought a house in the area with the highest foot traffic.
“This is so disappointing.”
Tiana stood in front of my new mansion with her mouth hanging open in an O shape, looking utterly dejected.
“Disappointing?”
“Well, since I lived right next door, I could have given you constant feedback.”
She said that, but she had never actually given me proper feedback. Instead, she had turned into a complete fanatical reader with zero intelligence, constantly pestering me for the next manuscript. Hmm, now that I think about it, that feels pretty bad. The fact that she didn’t give real feedback and just checked for typos while reading my work made it seem like I was just a test reader for her new releases. Anyway, the new place wasn’t that far from my old workspace. Not close enough to smell breakfast from the window, but close enough that I could see it if I opened one.
“Still, it’s not far from my workspace, so it should be fine. And I’ll probably be going back and forth for work anyway.”
To be precise, since Ainhart might visit frequently, I would need to commute to my workspace just to hide my writing.
“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”
No matter how I looked at it, she was suspicious. I narrowed my eyes and glared at Tiana.
“Be honest. You’re not interested in giving feedback on the manuscript—you just want to know what happens next, right?”
“Ahem. No, that’s not it at all.”
She was even doing that fake cough just like Jerry. Seriously, this is why I can’t deal with women. They lose all reason when it comes to romance. Especially Tiana, who had recently gotten completely swept up in the capital’s atmosphere and was doing multiple re-reads of The Villainess Has Her Reasons. It was good for me that she was being gaslit like this. And so, Author K continued her training of Tiana today as well.
I pulled out the manuscript I had brought in advance, waved it around, and put on an arrogant expression.
Aaah, so this is what they call a manuscript.
“Ooooh.”
Tiana was getting extremely excited. Was this woman really the romance department editor, or was she just a hardcore fan standing next to her favorite author and eagerly waiting for the next part? Sometimes I genuinely questioned whether she was actually my editor.
“Do you want this? It’s the manuscript for the next episode, you know.”
“I want it! Please bestow it upon me!”
Tiana stood before me with a desperate expression as if worshipping a god. I never thought I’d see something like this in real life. Maybe it was just the kind of humor that fit a monarchy like Glacia. Feeling a bit mischievous, I stuck my tongue out.
“Oops, actually this is the episode right after the Hero Party’s defeat. I should show it to Mr. Jerry the same way.”
Of course I planned to be a little nicer to him.
“Ugh! How dare the author tease their own editor!”
Tiana looked genuinely outraged, but that wasn’t my problem. An editor who let the author toy with her like this—training her was truly delightful. I burst out laughing.