Helena Fox's Point Of View

Things... have been relatively quiet since the kidnapping...

All that is left is a heavy and tense atmosphere that lingers in the air like rot.

"Do you really think we are going to war?"

A girl leans to her friend with worry.

"...I hope not... my grandmother lives near the borders. If they dig through the mountains she won't get away in time..."

The somber tone of the conversations have been like this... and meanwhile Claire and Alstair have tea like it's just another day to them.

At least 'Lily' doesn't appear immune to the rumors... or something weird happened.

She has been acting weird recently. She doesn't even look at me anymore either... it is as though I have disappeared from her view, and honestly I am relieved...

---*---

I grab the basket with my clothes and head off towards the bath. At this point I've decided to bath at a different time than 'Lily'. As far as possible I want to avoid her...

The rumors about Jesmaine and Headal have slowly begun to run freely as well. There are rumors that the prince got angry with her and... brought her home for punishment.

I don't know what to think. Their engagement wasn't a part of the game. She wasn't supposed to be engaged.

Still... Claire is finally flirting with Alstair, so the war should disappear, right? That is my faint hope, even though I know that this world is not a game.

It is painfully real.

I just wish that at least on the point of Claire's romance it would stick to the story. That way I would know how to save Jesmaine from her fate in the game. It is all too free in this game. If Lionel captures her now... would he kill her like he does in the game?

"Lionel~"

Eh?! Gilbert-sama?!

I end up stumbling over my own foot for a moment at Gilbert-sama's voice and cling to my little bath basket.

"...Gilbert..." Lionel responds back uncomfortably. Where are they? They aren't on the hallway I am in.

"Uwaaaaah~ she tore you up quite good," Gilbert-sama chimes happily like Lionel just gave him a present.

I glance around and realize they they must be past this bend and right in front of the dressing rooms for the baths. Was Gilbert-sama lying in wait for Lionel? He had a creepy habit of doing that to the Heroine if you went down his bad route. From the moment you failed his route the text would change just a tiny little bit from the good and the bad route.

"I heard you two finally got in a fight, and as expected of a big courageous and indelicate idiot, you ticked her off~" Gilbert-sama almost gloated.

I wanted to see what was going on, but with Gilbert-sama it was best not to. While his good route was amazing and charming... his bad route was terrifying.

"..."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Oh~ you're not going to deny it?" Gilbert-sama appeared to be in a good mood.

"I lost my mind. There is nothing to deny. Did you want something?"

Gilbert-sama hummed a bit at Lionel's somewhat tired and irritated response.

"I heard you told Lily to marry Alstair."

Gilbert-sama's tone changed in an instant... perhaps I just noticed because I'd seen his expression change in the game. On the forums they referred to this as 'Dark Gil'.

"I reaaaaaally wish you'd stop that, Lionel. If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to use Lily as an attack against me... you were so much cuter when you were still just a happily ignorant guard dog," Gilbert-sama continue with a low hum.

"I even took care to tell Alstair repeatedly to watch his behavior around you since you're more perceptive than your father. Must be because of that mistress he had. I heard she ordered quite a lot of poison over the years she was alive."

....Ehhh?! Why is Gilbert confronting Lionel like this?! There was no such event in the game! No, wait. What is this thing about Alstair? What was this thing about an attack?!

Wait...

If I am found out to have overheard this... will I be okay?! The Salender family had spies everywhere! When the Heroine tries to escape Gilbert-sama in the game she gets found and kidnapped by a random innkeeper and wakes up back with Gilbert!

"You knew?!"

Lionel's voice raised a bit... and then it went quiet for a moment.

"She's honorable. Alstair won't do anything... anything like that with her around him. Even if she takes away your filthy work your family will still prosper," Lionel gets out weakly... do what?! Wait... Lionel knows about Gilbert-Sama's family business?! He had no idea in the game! Is this 'Lily's' fault?

"I'm not so sure about that. Lily appears to have known about this for a long time now. Probably not all of it, but enough to make the decision to avoid me at every turn. That's why she avoids Alstair too. Even Eric appears to know about Alstair... really... house Celeste has always been too perceptive for their own good. No wonder they always get ignored and put down when compared with House Tepet... but you're misunderstanding something. The main reason we have peace is because of my family. You thought every competent enemy commander got sick on their own? You think the foreigners who conspire against us are allowed to live? There are so many random mugging and accidents in this day and age..."

I thought I could hear a small laugh from Gilbert. I knew this to some extent, but Lionel probably hadn't... but Lionel didn't respond back before Gilbert simply continued... now colder than before.

"Still, I am getting tired of your interference, Lionel. So I will give you a choice. Either you sacrifice Claire to Alstair and let her become the queen this country needs to protect us against our neighbors... or Lily will get... hurt... by the time we finish she should melt into whatever man's arms comfort her."

...what? Wait, why was Gilbert threatening Lionel if Gilbert didn't want her for himself? No, wait. What did all of these things have to do with Alstair? Alstair was the kind and genero- oh by the gods. Was... that not it? Was that why Lionel had been an ignorant guard dog? Did Alstair know about the work of house Salender?!

House Celeste knew that Alstair knew?

In that case, the reason they didn't tell anyone was to avoid the crown from using house Salender against them?

I... feel a bit dizzy...

"You wouldn't..." Lionel sneered out cautiously at Gilbert-sama.

"I would. I want to see her happy by the end, and if she needs to be broken a bit before giving in to either you or that new knight of hers... then I don't mind. Ideally I would have you two idealists happy together fighting against Headal like good loyal guard dogs."

Eehhh?! You're trying to match up those two?!

I felt a wave of cold wash over me as I recalled how 'Lily' had described torture here... she would give my name out if that happened!

"I'll look forward to your answer... your letter should be arriving in the morning. It sounds like an emergency. Alstair won't be able to keep you on a tight leash any longer. Let's just hope you don't turn rebellious while you're gone."

I couldn't stop trembling that night as I thought about everything I had heard... the letter that would arrive for Lionel could only be one thing... we were going to war.