Resetting Lady

“…What the hell.”

Carynne stared at Tom’s face once more.

Tom also stared back at Carynne. Tom wasn’t angry, nor was he delighted. He showed an appearance that was different from the bold action he displayed just now.

The moment Carynne saw that expression, she became discouraged. Why? Why are you making that face? Then why did you do that?

“…I, don’t—”

…understand.

Carynne couldn’t comprehend what just transpired.

“Um, uh, yeah. I don’t get it. You’re not the main character and… I really don’t get it. You, I mean, Tom shouldn’t have done something like this here. Up until now, it’s just, I’ve showered you with my favor, I’ve given you my admiration, you were the steppingstone to my love.”

Out of disgust for herself, Carynne shut herself up.

Right.

At the end of the day, Carynne did not consider Tom to be important. Wasn’t she just acting under the impression of how she thought a main character in a novel would do, that’s why she saved Tom?

“Isn’t that okay?”

His disgustingly extreme obsession with life. As soon as she saw how he burned his own mouth, Carynne had a hunch.

This time again, for his sins, Tom would die. And because this was a plausible conclusion… Carynne was also convinced.

Carynne was prepared to take her own life.

“I’m not only determined…”

She was looking forward to it.

Wouldn’t this read as a good progression, too? A cliché plot. A story about good and evil. A story filled with revenge for the sake of one’s parents. The story of killing the crazy killer and finally achieving happiness.

Painstakingly living a life that’s full of threats and mockery, the boy committed one evil deed that would lead to him being gradually healthy… But just one year was too short though. If the story was longer, would another villain appear in the future?

Carynne wondered.

“If you… were going to kill someone, I thought it’d be me.”

“……”

Due to his severed tongue, he could only groan and make noises, but this was enough for the boy to express his anger. Tom used his entire body to show his rage. As Tom had watched all of Carynne’s evildoings, he came to know her. He picked up on her madness and her belief.

“…You figured out how to screw me over.”

Carynne turned her gaze from Tom and to her father’s corpse. The once-handsome man’s face was grotesquely distorted. He must have prepared himself for his own death a lot, but he did not prepare for this kind of demise.

“With this, are you satisfied?”

She was curious. Was he satisfied with this?

Carynne’s past experiences were, in the end, extremely limited. Carynne looked back on Tom as he was in the past. Tom was a street rat whose father was a rapist. As she had the role of the female lead, Carynne fostered Tom. The boy did die eventually, but his death was written with such detail in the novel.

“…Is it fine to use this kind of plot device? Are you aiming for the modifier of ‘a side character’s revolt’, something like that? You prefer that kind of progression? Tom. Thomas. Tell me. What do you think? This, what you just did, is it a traitorous act of the rebellious side character in the 「 story 」?”

“……”

But there was no answer. Tom was a mute. Because he sacrificed his own voice for the sake of his life. And at this very moment, Tom’s silence was his revenge against Carynne.

“Tell… me…”

Still, Tom refused to answer, didn’t even nod or react or anything.

Then, he stared straight into Carynne’s eyes and lifted the corners of his lips.

Haha. Carynne let out a despondent laugh.

It felt like she had been punched across the face. Carynne could think of no other analogy to what she was feeling right now.

“This life isn’t going as I’m expecting it to.”

Carynne had hoped to change her character.

So, to understand the story entirely, she would also have to try and understand that boy who looked at her with such fear in his eyes yet killed the fief lord like that. If she could do that, then she’d be able to relieve this heaviness that was pressing down on her stomach.

“But honestly, it doesn’t matter.”

“……!”

Right then, she felt a presence.

Shit.

Carynne noticed that when Tom ran out, he left the door open. He’s screwing with her through and through.

She narrowed her eyes at the open door.

There, she saw a head of washed-out blonde hair. There was just one person who had that hair color inside this whole mansion. At this, Carynne sighed and approached the door, thinking that it was perhaps fortunate that it was just Isella.

This scenario had happened time and time again. This was the first time that the fief lord’s death was Tom’s doing, but it’s not the first time that the fief lord died. Furthermore, it’s not the first time that Isella was a witness to the fief lord’s death.

This was still written in the story. This was manageable. This was a story that’s still within the bounds of her control.

Carynne walked towards the door.

She would have to work yet again. Carynne visualized in her mind a normal expression. A face that would be suitable for this scene. Don’t laugh. Don’t get angry.

She took one more step.

Now, she had the face of a shocked daughter who had seen her father’s death. She made her hair messy. She rubbed around her eyes to smudge her makeup. Tears naturally trickled down her cheeks.

One more step.

To Isella, Carynne recited the usual lines of dialogue.

“I-Isella… What do I do? My father, m-my father…”

Then, the last step led her to the threshold.

Carynne swung the door wider, and there stood Isella. Carynne’s tears trickled down profusely. And Isella—

“Ah.”

One sigh was enough.

With that sigh,

Carynne realized that Isella did not believe her.

And Isella, too, realized that Carynne had noticed this.

* * *

Sighing, Verdic took out his pipe from his coat pocket. He filled and lit it. Smoke rose up while his mood dampened.

“It’s so hard to raise a daughter.”

He would have had an easier time if he had a daughter as well-mannered as Carynne Hare. Verdic wholeheartedly loved Isella, but her behavior tonight was a step too far.

“…Damn it.”

It was through his daughter and Raymond’s marriage that he’d receive the diamond mining rights to the Helaion Mine, guaranteed. Just thinking about the numerous contracts and schedules that his daughter had just stepped on was already giving him a headache. The already complicated transaction had gotten even more twisted up.

No, wasn’t it already screwed? The countess would try to dig into any of Verdic’s shortcomings here. In the first place, wasn’t she already being nice to Carynne Hare even as they were not acquainted nor affiliated? Verdic felt wretched about the fact that Isella had slapped Carynne right in front of the countess.

“…Why be so preoccupied with so many useless things. That little girl should know when she should take a step back. In that place even…”

After his anger subsided, it was bitterness that settled in. He wanted to give Isella only good things. Isella would ask why she wasn’t given her own share and complained, but truthfully, Verdic didn’t want to give her that. Isella didn’t have any semblance of moderation.

Was this perhaps the privilege of a daughter? Dirty work and violence was a man’s business. Isella didn’t need to dip her toes into that.

Verdic believed this and had no doubt about it.

A woman would just have to wear fine clothes, listen to music, admire handsome men, cry, and raise her own children once the time came.

“How the hell did Selena raise Isella.”

Blaming his wife, Verdic lowered his pipe. He and his wife had, one way or another, managed to live together well enough for many years. She gave birth evenly to one son and one daughter and overlooked her husband’s mistresses. She was always known as a wise wife.

But Isella was different. She was prone to jealousy and she complained a lot. Just who the hell did Isella take after?

“…Haa.”

Verdic closed his eyes and pressed down on his throbbing forehead. Planning to buy a new woman as soon as he got back, he locked the windows and doors, then closed his eyes once more.

* * *

Isella desperately forced herself to think. What now. What should I do. I got caught. I got caught.

“…Isella.”

“C-Carynne. The f…fief lord has p-passed away…”

Express your regrets. Think that she’s a poor girl. Come on, think that she’s a poor thing. If I don’t think that from the bottom of my heart, then I’ll be caught!

“O-Oh, Carynne… It’s such a te…rrible thing.”

This can’t be. My voice is shaking.

Isella tried to force her face to turn up into a smile, but her body wouldn’t move as she wanted.

Carynne instead was the one who smiled at her. Her smile was so natural. Carynne responded.

“What’s this, Miss Isella.”

“W-What?”

“You sly fox, you.”

Carynne did not hesitate. The silver candelabra that she had hidden behind her thick sleeve was pulled out, aimed precisely at Isella’s temple.

“AHHHH!”

“Since when have you been watching?”

With a wry smile, Carynne drew closer.

“Shh… You’re too loud.”

“AHH! AAAAHHH! AAAAAAAHHHH!”

“I said you’re too loud.”

Carynne’s white teeth shone in the dark. A detestably disgusting peal of laughter rang out. That laughter sounded like the noise that a flipped over insect would make. Beneath that girl’s beautiful appearance, insanity wriggled out.

Isella needed to back away. She managed to avoid a hit to a vital point at that moment because of her skittishness. It was due to that nervous energy that she couldn’t act properly, but it was also because of this that her life was spared. Isella immediately ran away.

“Help! Anyone! AAHH!”

Carynne ran after Isella.

“Isella! Just a moment!”

“AHHHHH!”

Isella disappeared in an instant.

“It’ll only take a moment though…”

It’ll be done in a quick second. Ha, what a waste. All this in the middle of the night, and for what.