A short while later, Sian let out a sigh of relief.
“Haah... that's good to hear. The chances of His Highness the Crown Prince falling victim to a monster seem low. And this room is quiet as well. The fact that the noise from outside is blocked means either this place is protected by magic, or the walls are incredibly thick and sturdy. Unlike Room 203, it's unlikely to break anytime soon. We should be safe here for a while.”
“I'm glad everyone is safe. Do you think the person carrying the greatsword is safe too?”
I giggled.
Sian frowned and answered through gritted teeth.
“Lady April... that monster is not part of our group...”
After that brief exchange, silence settled over the room.
Like Room 203, Room 207 looked like an ordinary guest room in a noble estate. The only difference was that there was a long sofa instead of a bed.
Sian began searching the room.
“Please remain seated for now. I'll investigate.”
“April will help too.”
I smiled brightly.
Sian immediately looked as though disaster was about to strike.
“Lady April, staying still is helping.”
“Hm, that's difficult. But since I want to help Sir Sian, I'll do my very best to stay still!”
I made no actual effort and simply sat comfortably on the sofa.
While Sian searched, he suddenly stopped.
“Who exactly are we supposed to grant eternal rest to?”
He muttered to himself.
“The things we've encountered here are demon worshippers and those mirror monsters that look exactly like us. I hope I'm wrong, but surely it doesn't mean one of us rather than a monster...”
He seemed lost in thought, but I couldn't help him.
I didn't remember anything either.
I sat there idly swinging my feet.
The wall to the right.
The door.
Then the wall to the left.
'Hm?'
My gaze suddenly stopped.
'Why is that section a different color?'
It was exactly the size of a picture frame.
Or perhaps a safe.
That specific patch of wall had a subtly different texture and color from the wallpaper surrounding it.
Even to my untrained eyes, it looked like a different material.
I stood up and walked over.
Running my fingers across the suspicious section, I examined it carefully.
'The walls are all stone... but this part is wood.'
Focusing on the sensation beneath my fingertips, I felt around the area.
Then I found it.
A slightly raised spot, almost like a hidden switch.
It was stiff and difficult to press.
I pushed down hard.
Click.
The oddly colored section swung open.
A hidden compartment.
Inside sat a first-aid kit.
'Come to think of it, the Crown Prince looked worse every time I saw him.'
The last time I'd seen him running toward Room 202 with Yeniel, he'd practically looked like a patient on his deathbed.
Maybe there was something useful inside.
I opened the kit.
Antidotes.
Neutralizing agents.
Bandages.
Headache medicine.
Stomach medicine.
And several other medicines I couldn't identify.
There were plenty of things that looked useful.
'Can I even use these? No. Why am I thinking about it? There's already someone here whose job is using his brain.'
I immediately grabbed Sian's sleeve.
“Sir Sian. Sir Sian.”
“Lady April. I'm busy.”
Hey. Look over here.
At moments like this, I was reminded again that Sian was much taller than April. I had to tilt my head back just to meet his eyes.
“April found a fascinating box!”
“The fault lies with me for trying to think while in the same room as Your Ladyship. What did you find?”
“This!”
I proudly presented the first-aid kit.
Sian's eyes widened in shock.
“Lady April! Where did you find that?”
“Over there in the wall. It's a first-aid kit, right? His Highness is sick, so April is going to make him better with this.”
Instead of answering immediately, Sian carefully inspected the contents.
Then his expression brightened.
“This is exactly what His Highness needs! Excellent! Very well done, Lady April. Everything His Highness requires is inside. It's thanks to you.”
Both of us were so pleased that it almost felt like we might embrace right there.
Then, while smiling, Sian suddenly froze.
His expression became oddly stiff.
“What's wrong, Sir Sian? Are you hungry?”
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased significantly!]
Sian's face turned red.
“S-Stay back.”
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased slightly!]
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased significantly!]
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased slightly!]
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased significantly!]
At this point, it didn't even go down anymore.
It either rose a little...
Or rose a lot.
“Okay! I won't come closer!”
If he didn't want me nearby, then I simply wouldn't go near him.
I cheerfully stepped back three paces.
“......”
For some reason, Sian's expression became even stranger.
He let out a faint sigh.
Whenever Sian saw April smiling like a flower no matter the situation, he felt oddly unsettled.
'What is this feeling?'
If it were anger, it wouldn't feel so embarrassing.
No matter what horrifying monster appeared before them.
No matter how gloomy the group's mood became.
April never seemed discouraged.
There was something comforting about the way she treated everyone with such pure sincerity.
That should have been all there was to it.
Yet—
“What's wrong, Sir Sian? Are you hungry?”
His heartbeat was so loud he worried she might actually hear it.
Thump! Thump!
Why did his heart stumble every time the distance between them shrank?
The answer was obvious.
Right.
The moment April came close, he'd become nervous because of her appearance.
'I suppose I've spent all this time being wary of Lady April. That's why I never paid attention to how beautiful she was.'
He needed distance.
If he kept his distance, this strange condition would disappear.
“S-Stay back.”
“Okay! I won't come closer!”
April immediately moved away.
And somehow, that felt even worse.
This time, his chest dropped.
About forty minutes remained until the appointed time.
“There may be clues in this room besides the first-aid kit.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“You clearly don't...”
Sian pressed a hand to his forehead.
“For now, have you noticed any special abilities or changes in yourself?”
“Hmm. Are you complimenting April?”
I smiled.
“Saying I'm lovely and beautiful like a lily flower? My family always said April becomes more like a lily every day.”
“......”
Sian seemed to lose the ability to speak.
[Strategist Sian's Affection has increased slightly!]
Why did it go up?
At this point, was everything I did increasing it?
Since I was thinking about it anyway, I checked my Awakening progress.
'Awakening Window.'
[April Sharon: Awakening in Progress... (81/100)%]
It was still crawling upward painfully slowly.
Would it ever actually reach one hundred percent?
Would I ever awaken my trait?
“The first-aid kit contained a neutralizing agent to stop monster venom from spreading, as well as antidotes. The rest of the medicine seemed useful too.”
“April doesn't really understand those kinds of things.”
I laughed brightly.
“...I wasn't expecting much. And please stop looking at me with that expression while I'm explaining.”
“With what expression?”
“Looking at me so innocently... never mind.”
I'd only been staring at him normally, but Sian answered with surprising irritation.
Still, ever since finding the first-aid kit, he seemed noticeably happier.
It suddenly occurred to me.
'He must have been under a lot of pressure because of the Crown Prince's condition.'
Yeniel's faction—the heroine's faction—supported the Imperial family.
They served the Crown Prince.
If he died, naturally they would lose a great deal.
The Empire itself would descend into chaos without an heir.
And the blame for failing to protect him would probably fall on the same Imperial faction.
'Not really my problem, though. By then I'll probably be back in the real world.'
The thought made me pause.
'Wait. How exactly am I supposed to get back to the real world?'
Suddenly, the Awakening Window appeared before me.
[April Sharon: Awakening in Progress... (82/100)%]
It had increased by one percent.
For some reason, it felt like an unspoken answer.
As though awakening would reveal everything.
■■■■ Patching in Progress...
The censored section remained unchanged.
And I still had no idea what exactly was being patched.
With so many things on my mind, I fell silent.
Sian had been quiet as well.
Then, after a moment, he spoke first.
“Lady April...”
His gaze settled on me.
“Why did you choose to follow Lady Yeniel of all people?”
