CH 27.2

So, I would use a dessert, to control her consumption of desserts.

I started tearing off the wrapping paper of the box lying next to me. It was my appeasement measure to control the villainess in case of an unexpected event.

In the original novel, there was a mention of a dessert shop that the villainess liked. Clie also liked that place, so the two of them often ran into each other.

It was also the place where the villainess went every day. She could have just ordered a maid to bring it for her, but she would go there personally because she wanted to eat it right after it was made.

I was able to remember that information and went to the dessert shop the villainess loved so much.

Then I learned all the recipes they had for preparing deserts. Strangely, the dessert shop disappeared after that.

So there was no way the villainess would have tried this dessert.

I opened the box and handed a cupcake to Shael.

“Try it.”

“…?”

Shael looked at the cupcake, then she took a bite and started eating the cupcake in a hurry. The cupcake was gone in an instant.

“Where did you buy it?”

“I made it myself.”

“…”

Shael went silent and just stared at me. Evidently, it was an unspoken signal for more. 

To that, I said with a friendly smile.

“If you stop eating other sweets for today, I’ll give you another one for dinner.”

“You better.”

It wasn’t something one would say from the recipient’s point of view. However, the villainess had finally stopped her gluttony, so I didn’t say anything. Of course, in return, she’d have no more desserts for the time being.

At least until tomorrow, she would have to endure.

I smiled inwardly at Shael and looked around. 

I looked at Clie with a sidelong glance. I needed to figure something out. 

Clie had been ignoring the Crown Prince and the Mage Tower Lord for some time now. It was the same even at the moment. She wasn’t even looking at the Crown Prince who was sitting next to her.

Clie was a terminally ill female lead who would eventually be cured of her illness. She was shrewd and had a personality that knew how to exploit her own weakness. However, Clie was acting slightly differently from the original novel.

I needed to find out why. I doubted that my intervention was the cause. Up until now, I tried to keep other things from changing other than the things that only affect Shael.

I could think about a number of reasons for her strange behavior. 

First of all, what if someone possessed Clie just like me?

However, that assumption was difficult to establish. 

The Clie that I am looking at now had maintained all of her original habit. The posture of tapping the handle of the seat with the fingers of the right hand and resting the chin on the left hand. It was similar to the cover of the romanic fantasy novel. In the writer’s words, that posture was her habit. So, if someone did indeed possess her, there was no reason for them to retain that habit.

Wasn’t it just a matter of curing her disease and connecting with one of the male leads who liked Clie?

Of course, even so, the possibility that she was a possessor couldn’t be ruled out. 

However, I had another assumption that had a greater probability.

What if the female protagonist was a regressor? In the second half of her novel, it was said that she could only return back in time once with the enormous holy power she later possessed.

I didn’t understand the reason for that setting, which was completely implausible.

Because I didn’t read the ending and side story at all.

However, I was just inferring that the current female protagonist might have regressed using her holy power.

In the meantime, Clie stood up. She seemed to be heading for the restroom.

This was an opportunity! A golden opportunity to have a talk with Clie.

I had no intention of intervening with characters other than Shael, but I needed to know how the situation would develop.

“I’m going to go to the restroom for a moment.”

Shael nodded her head. Fortunately, the restroom was out of sight from the spectators seats.

I went straight to the restroom, and was able to see Clie, who had gone behind the wall.

But, before I could catch up, she went into the bathroom.

I couldn’t just enter the women’s restroom, so I had to wait outside.

However, Clie came out of the restroom. It was less than three seconds after she had entered.

As if she had been waiting for me, Clie proceeded to walk towards my direction even though her seat wasn’t this way. It was also quite strange. There was no doubt that something was different from the original. 

Then, Clie spoke to me.

“Ah, isn’t it Lord Eran?”

“Yes.”

Now, how should I interrogate Clie? 

After thinking about it for a while, I was about to say something to her, but someone interrupted me.

“What are you doing?”

It was Shael. 

It was quite a confusing situation indeed. Doesn’t it look like that Clie and I were secretly meeting each other after prior arrangements?

Even in such a situation, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was because a small amount of powdered sugar could be seen on Shael’s lips.

It was something I had used when making the desserts.

Did she eat them all in such a short amount of time?