Chapter 290: Personal Space

“Did you find any useful information?”

As I covered the documents and placed them on the table, the original protagonist asked as if waiting.

I couldn’t help but wonder whether I should answer or not.

‘Is the original author writing this situation into the novel right now?’

I lowered my gaze and swept my eyes over the table.

I saw snacks that existed outside the world of this novel placed on a plate.

And they looked like something that would be trending on various video sites or social media.

‘Just from this, it seems there’s no possibility of observation…!’

But I can’t be certain.

Because Author Senna was the type who didn’t put much effort into food descriptions and daily life depictions.

Omitting entirely the description of Reysir taking the potato chip chocolate blocks out of the fridge, unwrapping them, borrowing a knife and cutting board from Yor, slicing them, and transferring them to a plate.

Because there was a possibility that she condensed the above into a single sentence about her protagonist offering snacks and drinks to a guest.

From now on, it would be safer to answer under the assumption that whatever I say is also known to the original author.

Then the issue I need to consider now is just one.

‘Is it better for the original author to know my thoughts, or not…!’

If the original author, after learning this, overturns their original plan, that would be perfect.

No matter how much I thought about it, I only concluded that it couldn’t happen.

Because the original author preferred developments where the protagonist steps up to solve the incident, or ends it at the cost of a major supporting character’s life.

‘But the method I thought of leaves no room for the original protagonist to intervene… She might dislike it and move the villain before my plan is executed to push for the development she wants.’

Anyway, as things progress, the original author will inevitably find out.

Still, the later she finds out, the fewer opportunities she’ll have to intervene, and her methods will be obvious and simple.

If so, I won’t need to always be on edge and suffer from anxiety.

I can focus on the moment when the original author is likely to intervene, and prepare for danger stably.

“Well, so-so?”

There is a reason why, despite having laid out such a long internal narrative, I answered the original protagonist’s question like this instead of denying it.

And that reason is.

“How do you plan to use what information?”

“I’ll tell you later. I need to organize my thoughts first.”

-It’s to buy time.

If I say this, Senna’s readers will be curious about what method I thought of.

At least until she finds out my plan, the original author won’t be able to recklessly manipulate the villain to cause trouble and will have to wait.

But since I don’t need to hide this from my dear readers either, let me give a little hint here.

I plan to use Valtraus.

Just as Ragfrid, the sister of this possession body, has served as the First Imperial Princess’s playmate, his older brother Valtraus also has a close friendship with the First Prince for the same reason.

And the older brother of the Confession Villain has a friendship with the First Prince, and his house seems to be entirely on the First Prince’s side.

Moreover, according to the materials Pret handed over.

This villain greatly respects his older brother and listens to him more than his parents, and even his preference for submissive women is supposedly due to his brother’s influence or something?

Anyway, because of that.

I plan to inform Valtraus that that villain brat was spouting that ‘The head of the house can’t remarry because the house is worthless.’

And send a letter telling him to properly educate his friend’s younger brother.

That villain only said that to insult Hailga’s house, the Bitnir Viscount family.

But since Hard also hasn’t remarried, that remark is tantamount to looking down on the Austri Ducal family.

Furthermore, it can be interpreted as meaning that Hard must quickly find a new wife to avoid being disrespected like this.

‘Valtraus, who is such a severe mama’s boy that he still hates the younger sibling born with his mother’s death, and has a hot temper unlike the other family members—once he finds out, he definitely won’t stay still!’

Although the Austri Ducal family hasn’t clearly chosen between the First Imperial Princess and the First Prince, and is keeping ties with both.

Even so…

No, precisely because of that, the First Prince won’t be able to side with the Ophrausi Count family.

If Valtraus were to turn his back on him, and the Austri Ducal family ended up fully supporting the First Imperial Princess, the loss would be immense.

Rather, I think he might join forces with Valtraus to berate the villain’s older brother.

***

After such an incident, that older brother will be truly shaken.

Feeling a sense of crisis that he might be cast out by the First Prince because of his younger brother.

He’ll force his younger brother to apologize for that remark, and constantly monitor his behavior, educating him thoroughly.

If that happens.

At least that villain brat won’t cause trouble around me.

The safety of Hailga, a fellow member of the Awakened Special Class, will also be secured.

‘I am worried that the original author might intervene and make him resist instead of submit.’

I clearly recognize that a factor of unease exists.

Still, my conclusion is that this is better than being dragged along by the original author’s development.

“But hey, was reading these documents really your true purpose?”

It was around the time I thought I should quickly finish the snacks and drinks and return to my room, since my purpose was achieved.

That Reysir suddenly threw out the above question.

“Do you think I came to see you for another purpose besides checking Drembi’s information?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“You couldn’t exchange ‘what you bought from Pret yesterday’ in front of the others. But you could have called me aside on the way back to the dorm after dinner to have a quick talk. Yet you deliberately went to your room, washed up, put on proper outer clothes, and came to my room.”

A reasonable point.

In Chapter 288, when I asked Bjorn to lend me cooking tools and ingredients.

I said it was too troublesome and inefficient to wash and change in the room, go eat, then come back to change again.

I think perhaps my readers might also be wondering by now.

“Is that a reason? Couldn’t it be that you suddenly thought of it while washing?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to make them pay for the insult you received? That kind of feeling wouldn’t suddenly arise while taking a shower.”

He has a point.

If it had been brought up during dinner at the very least, but that topic was mentioned during lunch.

It’s natural to think I’ve been planning it all along.

‘Besides… that expression says he has a guess.’

That face, smiling slyly and annoyingly, seemed to be saying, ‘I already see through your thoughts. So it’s useless to deny it.’

That excessively confident appearance only left me bewildered.

Because while I had a ‘reason’ why I couldn’t call Reysir aside on the way to the dorm, there was no ‘other purpose’ whatsoever.

‘I am curious about what he’s thinking… but the problem is that the protagonist of another novel’s current expression is exactly the same as when he teases me. I felt that asking would lead to no good.’

There’s a saying, curiosity killed the cat, isn’t there?

Of course, I’m not a cat, but anyway, the meaning of this proverb is very clear.

Excessive curiosity leads to trouble.

So I recalled the wisdom of the ancients and tried to just let it go with a ‘Hmph!’ snort.

But perhaps he caught onto my thoughts.

The moment I snorted, the protagonist of another novel started rambling on his own about something I hadn’t even asked.

“Since Pret was scheduled to visit my room last night to charge for Drembi’s information, you were disappointed that you couldn’t be the first person to visit my room, so you wanted to secure the second spot, right?”

“……”

It was such absurd nonsense that I was left speechless, my mouth hanging open.

“How is it? I got it right, didn’t I?”

Come to think of it, I seem to have forgotten to describe Reysir’s current appearance.

So let me explain now.

He was wearing a simple navy-toned pajama and had taken off the eye patch he always wore.

‘Since controlling [Jin-Ik-Nun] became possible, there was no longer a need to wear the eye patch even when alone in the room, and he probably judged it was time to get used to living with both eyes open.’

The reason I suddenly give this description is.

“How can you look at my expression with both eyes wide open and still come to such a conclusion, LF?!”

Before I confronted him like this.

I thought my readers should know that the protagonist of another novel had taken off his eye patch.

“You’re surprised because I guessed the answer correctly, aren’t you?”

“No! I was dumbfounded because it was so ridiculous!”

“H…?”

“Exactly! What does it matter to me who visits your room or not? Why would I care about something like that?!”

“Well, because you seemed to place great importance on letting someone into your personal space. Naturally, I thought you’d also care about the opposite, but is that really not the case?”

It was a statement I wanted to deny completely, but unfortunately, it was half right.

Both letting someone into my personal space and entering someone else’s such space.

Since I’ve always considered them very unfamiliar and distant to me, I can’t say these actions have no meaning.

‘Well, yeah… If we’re visiting each other’s rooms, it’s safe to say we’ve grown quite close. Yeah.’

But that doesn’t mean I intend to childishly dwell on the order of visits.

Pret didn’t come here to build a friendship with Reysir in the first place.

When I clearly know he came to collect payment for the information he fronted, why would I care about something like that?

As expected, it’s still ridiculous even upon reflection.

“No. I really don’t care. Whether you let Pret into your room, or Liolikin—”

“What about Svein?”

“Svein is…”

“So you do care?”

“No, well…”

“Well?”

The question of whether I would never let Svein into my room if I cared rose up to my throat.

But if I blurt that out, the protagonist of another novel will persistently ask for the reason, and I can’t explain what Svein did in the pre-remake version, can I?

And if I flatly say I don’t care, and the original protagonist ends up letting the original betrayer into his room, that would be a disaster.

“…Anyway, it is absolutely not to be the second person to visit your room! Have you already forgotten that I tried to just receive the items and leave without entering?!”

I decided to change the subject.

“Huh? Wasn’t that just a polite decline?”

“No!”

“From what I remember, you entered my room quite readily for a decline…”

“No!”

“Really?”

“Ah… maybe…?”

“Puhahahaha!”

Seeing that he no longer talks about Svein, it seems I succeeded in erasing that guy’s presence from the protagonist of another novel’s mind.

But I didn’t feel proud at all.

I was just embarrassed, tremendously embarrassed.