I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 51

The extras can be flexible enough to deal with any unforeseen circumstances and not disrupt the flow of the original.

And the thirteenth Edith brought the Duchess and her aide Renon to her side.

She was walking around greeting nameless workers and attempting to change their perceptions of her.

I thought being framed for something she didn’t do after the pech pie incident would cause her to break down mentally, but once again, she calmly convinced Killian.

She was even more confident and assertive than she had been during the document leak, asserting her innocence and providing a plausible explanation for the Sinclair family’s involvement.

This seemed to sway Killian more toward Edith’s side, and another case where Edith should have been the culprit was swept under the rug.

If the previous Ediths were helplessly swept away and knocked down by K’s tricks, the thirteenth Edith was more like fighting K herself.

‘This is fun…… yeah, this is a fun situation.’

K capitalized on the tension he was feeling.

‘Okay, so how do I set the second condition?’

It had to be something that Edith could never pass.

If she passed level two, K’d have little control over Killian, and even less control over the main characters other than him.

Completing level three would render K’s control nearly useless, and if it prevented Lizé and Cliff from being together, K had no idea what would happen to this world.

It was K’s confidence, bordering on arrogance, that allowed him to take such risks and drag many souls from the multidimensional universe.

But K has the confidence to protect his world. This is a game he is winning anyway.

‘I need to come up with a condition that Edith will never be able to fulfill, one that will force her to do the opposite of what she’s supposed to do, and one that will reinforce the flow of the original story.’

Pondering for a while, K chuckled as he watched Edith’s every move.

After a while, the ‘original flow’, which is the system of this world, accepted K’s condition.

[The second exception condition has been set.]

***

After kicking Sophia out, Killian made a rough guess about Edith’s situation.

‘A daughter raised by the Riegelhoffs to sell at a high price.’

It wasn’t a new thing, really.

There were many families who bore and raised daughters for that purpose.

At least it was believed that a marriage alliance was the safest.

But it was surprising to see the Riegelhoff so dominant over Edith, even to the point of assaulting her through a maid.

That’s how perfect the Rigelhoffs’ play was.

‘But it would be embarrassing for Edith to reveal this.’

It would be a huge blow to Edith’s pride if word got out that she was being beaten by a maid, when she had been presenting herself as a domineering, proud young lady.

‘I can’t understand it at all, but every family has its own circumstances.’

Maybe they thought of it as ‘discipline’ in their own way.

It’s ridiculous, but people have different ideas, and even bad guys have their reasons.

If the abuse was truly unbearable, Edith would have asked for help.

That’s why Killian didn’t tell anyone that Sophia had assaulted Edith.

“Given recent events, the maid was suspicious, too,” said Killian.

Cliff was furious at his explanation, saying that they should have caught her and investigated her, not let her go.

But Killian calmed him down. “If we investigate the maid without corroboration, we’re just going to make it look like we are persecuting the Riegelhoffs’ maid, and that would be the end of it.”

“But……!”

“I took this opportunity to throw out a maid I didn’t like to begin with, that’s just the way it is.”

He tried to sound casual, but Cliff was still sharp.

“Then there’s no way the Riegelhoffs would have accepted without a fight……?”

“I can’t prove it, but they must have had a plan. When I told them that I was sending the maid back because there had been events that made me suspicious of her, they took it in stride.”

In the end, Cliff and the Duke accepted Killian’s decision.

‘What am I getting myself into for Edith?’

It had been a troublesome day, but I didn’t really feel that bad.

The last thing I saw of Edith as I dragged Sophia out was a look of relief on her face.

‘I thought she was a fox…… tsk.’

I thought she was a fox, a fierce woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer, but instead, she was a bear who wouldn’t say a word about her pain and endured it alone.

The maid had probably been beating Edith since she came in.

Yet Edith did not lower her proud chin, which was amazing.

‘How could I have been so clueless…… no, wait.’

Suddenly, I remembered Edith’s strange behavior after Sophia came in.

‘Didn’t she say that after the peach pie incident…… Edith starved herself for days to lose weight?’

Sophia had said that Edith hadn’t eaten to lose weight voluntarily, but in retrospect that was ridiculous.

One only had to look at Edith, who started gaining weight as soon as Anna returned to her service, to see that she didn’t want to lose it.

So that damn maid was starving her master.

‘No way, is that why she asked for more maids?’

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place.

At the same time, I burst out laughing unintentionally.

‘She didn’t just keep her mouth shut, she had no intention of giving in after being beaten like that, did she?’

I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering Edith’s desperate face as she demanded more Ludwig maids to prove her innocence.

I should have looked at Sophia’s expression then!

‘That’s amazing, Edith Ludwig.’

She isn’t an ordinary woman after all.

She would do anything for her father, but she refused to obey even her family’s orders.

I found it strangely satisfying to realize that I had been used by her cunning.

Lizé was grateful for the decision to send Sophia away without much fuss.

“Thank you, Killian. I really…… didn’t want to think about it anymore.”

“I can’t say for sure that that maid, Sophia, was the culprit, I still think Count Sinclair is the most likely suspect, and I just took this opportunity to throw out a maid I didn’t like.”

“I see.”

Lizé, who was slowly recovering from the poisoning, looked genuinely exhausted.

“Are you sure you’re okay with burying it, Lizé?”

“Yeah, I’m serious. I don’t think I could handle it if it turned out to be Edith, or if it turned out to be the Sinclairs…… I’d rather just not know.”

Cliff had tried to talk her out of it, but there was no way he could beat a pitifully sobbing Lizé.

Neither could Killian.

“Okay. Well, what else do you want, I’ll do anything.”

Lizé’s face lit up at the half-playful offer.

“Are you sure you’ll do what I ask?”

“Of course.”

“Well, then, Killian.”

“Yes, Lizé.”

Lizé hesitated a moment, then raised her eyebrows and said, “Please take good care of Edith.”

“……what?”

“How hard can it be for Edith? Now that I’ve been poisoned, I can see how hard it must have been for Edith.”

Killian knows. He’s seen her in pain.

“I don’t believe that Edith was the one who did it, so please…… comfort her during this difficult time.”

“Ha…… you innocent little baby.”

Killian gently caressed Lizé’s cheek, which was still pale.

“But what can I do, I have to know how to comfort.”

“You’ve been good to me.”

“That’s because you are……”

“Please do the same for Edith. Take her for tea, take her for a walk, talk to her, just like you did when you comforted me……”

It was a suggestion that would normally have been met with a resounding “Am I crazy?”, but this time Killian seriously considered Lizé’s idea.

He felt a mixture of guilt that he didn’t know Edith at all, and curiosity to get to know her better.

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to keep an eye on her to see what she’s thinking.”

“I’m not asking you to be nice to her with that kind of thinking.”

“I know, but changing my mind is something I’m going to need some time to do, Lizé.”

Understanding his meaning, Lizé lowered her gaze apologetically.

“I am not blaming you, time is medicine, and I’ll be fine one day…… it’s just that I don’t know my own mind yet.”

“I’m sorry, and thank you, Killian.”

Killian smiled bittersweetly and kissed Lizé lightly on the forehead.

Her forehead was warm from the slight fever that hadn’t come down yet.

Suddenly, he realized he’d never laid a hand on Edith’s forehead when she’d curled up in a ball in pain.

I really don’t know why I’m thinking that now.

“Killian. Will you listen to my request?”

Lizé looked up at him with her big, clear eyes and Killian smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, sure.”

That’s not a hard thing to do.

Go out together, take a walk in a sunny garden, buy something nice and expensive in the downtown area, and eat something delicious together.

A bit of a hassle, but not impossible, so Killian didn’t think twice about accepting Lizé’s request.

But things didn’t go as planned.