Who’s your dad?

Chapter 4

In the original work, Celeste was executed for the crime of regicide.

In the original story, Celeste was not only the successor of Count Louisette but also the last descendant of the Schwaben Marquis, her distant relatives.

Of course, she was not a direct descendant of the Schwaben Marquis, but if you look closely, she was about eight cousins, practically distant relatives.

But how did Celeste become designated as the last descendant of the Schwaben Marquis?

The Schwaben Marquis, who died early without a successor, was an only child. His father, the previous Marquis, and his grandfather, the previous Marquis, were also only children, so the Schwaben Marquis’s family was indeed a very precious lineage.

By tracing back up to three generations and searching for cousins, siblings, and descendants of those cousins, Celeste Aisha Louisette was eventually found.

So what happened?

From her father’s side, Celeste inherited all the property and title of Count Louisette, and from her mother’s side, she inherited the title of Schwaben Marquis. Celeste was destined to become the most powerful woman in the country.

However, when the male protagonist of the original work, Duke Albrecht, revealed something suspicious about the death of the Schwaben Marquis, the situation took a new turn.

Unable to be satisfied with just being a Viscountess, Celeste, who found evidence that her relative, the Schwaben Marquis, was murdered, was executed by Duke Albrecht without a moment’s hesitation.

And luckily, I was able to possess Celeste before the death of the Schwaben Marquis.

I stayed in the capital city for a while, but if I had stayed, I would have been inevitably involved with the Schwaben Marquis in some way, so I used illness as an excuse and disappeared to the countryside. That’s why I hide my identity and name, living alone here. But…

“Viscountess Louisette.”

From the rural village of Urentum, where no one knew, a person strongly suspected to be the male protagonist came in and called my name. Oh, dear.

“I never expected you to hide here in such a rural and shabby cabin.”

I casually pull back my chair and sit down. Anyone would think this was my house. I don’t like the casualness of the man who gestures for me to come over and sit across from him.

The reason I chose this cabin as a refuge was that, despite being a bit shabby, it had excellent sunlight. Among them, the living room, also serving as a reception room, was so sunny that the expression “flooded with sunlight” was perfect.

The reason I placed the table over there was also because of that.

“… Huh.”

I sighed, feeling uncomfortable, but nothing changed.

The sunlight coming in through the window reflected on the medals on the man’s uniform. Whether the man looked unusually bright because of the medals reflecting light or because of the clear protagonist buff on his handsome appearance, it was hard to tell.

I tried to have a cup of tea in the morning but gave up because the baby was crying, and I left the teapot on the table. The man naturally tidied it up. From the way he crossed his long legs and leaned back, his dignity overflowed.

I had no intention of sitting down obediently as ordered. Although it wouldn’t make much of a difference, I refused to sit and crossed over to the window, pulling the curtains closed. The man seemed uncomfortable with my attitude of not moving as he wished, so he sat still, furrowing his brows.

He said he had a hateful relationship with Celeste, and it seemed his temperament was indeed foul. What’s the use of being handsome? Even if you look like that, with that personality.

After closing the curtain and returning to my seat, I dragged the chair as far away from the man as possible. I could feel the man’s gaze following my movements.

Silence lingered for a while. Since he came and asked me to sit, it’s his turn to speak, and I wasn’t going to open my mouth until then.

There was a plausible reason behind my decision to stubbornly hold out.

Fortunately, knowing the future, I came here with the confidence that I could avoid death at any cost. But just in case, I had set up some traps in this small cabin for situations like the one I found myself in now.

That was the magical stones hidden in the living room floor.

If someone tried to harm me directly, the magical devices would use the power of magic to retaliate against them and buy me time to escape while dealing with them. I glanced discreetly at the right corner of the living room wall. There were four magical stones hidden under the living room floor. With the right activation spell, they would instantly trap this man.

I had come here for a reason. I couldn’t just let things slide.

The only thing I found satisfying after possessing Celeste was her immense wealth. That’s why I could afford to buy several expensive magical stones like these.

Money truly is the best!

From living without any wealth in my past life, I suddenly inherited the life of a wealthy heiress, so how could I not be content? Except for the fact that she was destined to die, it was an incredibly satisfying life.

So I had to survive by any means necessary to avoid my predetermined death.

The locations where I hid the second and third magical stones were the pillar in the opposite corner of the living room and the floor near the entrance.

And the last fourth magical stone was located…

In this suffocating silence, the man was sitting elegantly, staring at me with a relaxed expression as if nothing was amiss.

Unaware that there was a time bomb under his feet.

“Once again, it’s been a long time, Viscountess.”

Breaking the tension, the man spoke.

It was exquisite timing. If he had continued to glare at me, I might have woken up the fourth magic stone sleeping at his feet.

“Have we…… met before?”

Given the circumstances, I had to assume that this man was the main character. But I had to make sure it was really him.

I sneaked a glance at the man to try to guess his identity based on his reaction. On further reflection, I realized that there shouldn’t be any contact between Celeste and the male protagonist, Karl Albrecht, at this point.

As far as I knew, it would be after the death of the Marquis of Schwaben that Celeste and Duke Karl Albrecht would come face to face.

But I, as Celeste, came down here before the MArquis of Schwaben died, so in effect, Duke Albrecht and Celeste should never have met.

Of course, the original story could have been changed. Like how Celeste secretly gave birth to a child in a different way from the original.

“Ha.”

The man was amused.

For whatever reason, he looked incredulous.

“…Are you coming out like that? Fine, I understand.”

He muttered to himself with an even more uncomfortable expression than when I called him Franz.

Judging by his reaction, it seemed that he had met Celeste before I possessed her.

…Then he’s not the male lead?

“Then from now on, I will treat you as a public figure.”

The man straightened up expectantly and raised both hands on the table, looking at me with a relaxed face.

“Viscountess Celeste Aisha Louisette. I came here because I received an imperial decree to summon you to the capital immediately. A formal imperial knight will be dispatched soon to take you into custody.”

“What? Me? Why?”

Why would they want to bring me to the capital? There was no reason for that. And to “take me into custody” by imperial decree? It was hard to understand.

“Because you are under suspicion of murdering the Schwaben Marquis.”

Thud.

My heart sank.

What kind of nonsense is this?

I clearly left the capital before the Schwaben Marquis died and fled here. How could that nobleman who was just correcting himself have returned already! But what was even more shocking was that the suspicion of murder was being pinned on me again.

This can’t be happening. Something is wrong. I pushed my chair back with force from where I was sitting.

Screech. An unpleasant friction sound pierced my ears.

“T-That can’t be true. How could I have murdered the Schwaben Marquis?”

“It’s not confirmed. You’re just under suspicion.”

I could feel the sharp gaze of the man piercing through me. It felt like my whole body was being scrutinized by him, even though I had done nothing wrong. It made me feel jittery, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

It’s no use. Now’s the time, the fourth magical stone…!

“The exact truth can only be determined through investigation in the capital…”

“Aaargh!”

That was it. The moment the man froze in his seat at the sudden sound of a child’s cry coming from upstairs.