Chewing on his food, he suddenly turned his head towards Rachel. She didnât say anything, but he pointed at himself with a fork making a âWhen did I?â expression.
âFather said he seemed to have been too indifferent to me, so he told me to go with him!â
Rachel declared, looking as innocent as possible.
âThis is the condition. Father!â
Rachel then waved her finger, the one that had been pricked and bled. He saw a red dot-like wound.
Henry, seeing the wound, had no choice but to listen to Rachel.
âI decided to do that. To be honest, Iâve been raising her too strictly since sheâs the first-born.â
âYou werenât just strict.â
Rachel dipped her fork in the salad. Unaware of her feelings, Evelyn was delighted.
âI see. This is Rachelâs first trip to the capital, so what should she prepare?â
She was excited about her daughterâs first trip to the capital. Rachel wondered if this was actually something to look forward to.
âWhen I first went to the capital, I found everything amazing.â
She chattered as she recalled her memories of her first trip to the capital. Henry smiled happily, as if he was sharing the memories of his wife.
After the meal, Rachel was caught by Henry. He took Rachel to his study, telling the others that he would be talking to his daughter for a moment, perhaps conscious of his wifeâs gaze.
âWhat were you thinking?â
Rachel did not immediately answer Henryâs question. She crossed his desk and flopped onto Henryâs chair.
âUncle is after me, but I have no power. So, Iâm going to join hands with Abyss, uncleâs enemy. His merchant guild is in the capital, so Iâll meet him this time.â
âYouâre still saying that!â
At his daughterâs words and actions, he pressed down on his temples with his middle fingers and spoke. Rachel said, tapping her index finger on the desk.
âShall we make a bet? Sooner or later the Crown Prince will die.â
The whole country was in turmoil due to the death of the person appointed to be the next king. Rachel, who was imprisoned in the mansion, heard the news.
âThat kind of thing!â
Henry said as if her words were nonsensical, but Rachel looked up at him with a confident expression.
âFather will soon have no choice but to admit what I said.â
âAre you really Rachel?â
He asked. Rachel didnât even flinch. The amount of time she had lived as Rachel was not short enough for her to be flustered.
âOf course. Who else do you think I am?â
âYouâre so different from before.â
Wasnât he hostile to the Rachel he remembered? He didnât come home very often, so Rachel wasnât afraid if he doubted her.
âIt must be my rebellious phase. To be honest, I found out that my father didnât consider me his real daughter, wouldnât it be more strange if I was fine?â
Rachel answered skillfully.
The real Rachel loved Henry enough that when she saw Henry being captured by a monster in front of her eyes, she went to rescue him. She could tell just by looking at her diary. How much she respected and loved Henry.
That was why she felt betrayed. She knew how Rachel felt even though she was not the real one.
âIâm really sorry about that.â
âFather, letâs act like how we used to. Even if father is kind to me now, I will never forget what happened today.â
He should apologize, not to her, but to the real Rachel,. She couldnât forgive him, and she didnât want to.
Rather, she felt relieved when the reason why he was cold to her was revealed.
âArenât you going up to the capital soon? Take me to your lodging in the capital and take care of your business. I will try to approach Abyssâ merchant guild.â
Rachel got up from the chair. She had said all she wanted to say.
âThen have a good night.â
Rachel left Henryâs study. Henry didnât chase after her.
Rachel came out of the study and tried to go back to her own room. But there was someone in the hallway.
***
Factors in Unexpected Places
***
His short silver hair gleamed in the moonlight streaming in from the window in the hallway. The owner of the silver hair felt a presence and looked back. It was Enoch.
âYoung miss.â
âYes.â
He called Rachel the moment he ran into her, but he didnât open his mouth for a long time as if he didnât know what to say.
Rachel then approached the window, turned her back to the moonlight, and spoke to him.
âWhy are you in the hallway? Did you lose your way?â
âI did not. I thought it was just an ordinary dispatch as usual, but the situation has changedâŠâŠ.â
Rachel was surprised at Enochâs words. She already knew that his skill was considerable when he used his divine powers and when Priest Peace told him to stay here.
However, it was the first time she learned that he was strong enough to be dispatched.
âYou look young but youâre already out on a mission? Thatâs great!â
âNo. Itâs not that great.â
The boy blushed as Rachel clapped her hands in praise. He was modest but he didnât seem to hate compliments.
He hesitated, then cautiously asked Rachel.
âHave you ever held a sword, young miss?â
âNo. Today was my first time hearing that mother used to wield a sword. How famous is mother?â
âEvelyn-nim is the youngest person ever to become a White Knight!â
The title White Knight was given to the highest ranking paladins of the temple. It was a title given only through swordsmanship, so it was separate from divine power.
âWhat age is usually the youngest?â
âNormally, one becomes a White Knight around the age 30, but Evelyn-nim was just 17! It feels like a dream to be able to spar with the Evelyn-nim.â
Enoch put his hands together in a prayer pose, covering his nose and mouth.
The boy, excited by the fact that he had personally met his object of admiration, looked no different from a boy of his age.
Rachel naturally laughed at the fact that the main helper in the original story was such a cute boy three years prior.
âIâll be rooting for you! Please catch the black magician with mother.â
Rachelâs cheering made Enochâs ears red. To Rachel, he seemed a little shy.
âI wonât hold her back, will I?â
âOf course not. Itâs a task that Priest Peace entrusted to Enoch.â
âThank you for saying that. Thanks to you, my anxiety has decreased.â
Rachel realized that he could be anxious too. âEnochâ in the game was the one who always calmed Rachel down and never showed fear nor anxiety.
Rachel admitted that she had been overlapping Enoch with âEnochâ in the game. She acknowledged that he could get nervous too.
âIf the game I played was real, then it wasnât that he was never nervous, he was just holding it in for Rachel.â
âAre you worried?â
âYes. I worry that Evelyn-nim will be disappointed because my skills are poor.â
Enoch showed little emotion, but he was human like her. Rachel realized it and walked over to him and patted him on the back.
âIt doesnât matter if she is disappointed, if you know your shortcomings, you can grow as much as you can, right? You can then show her how much youâve improved later.â
Rachel comforted him but became bitter. She was saying this now, but even if he tries hard, it will not happen if she returns.
She wondered how long it would take for her to see the results of Enochâs efforts.
It may be three years in other peopleâs time, but it would be at least three years for her, and may be several decades at most.
âSo, I must make sure that I donât die and return.â
She now knew that the opponent was close. Therefore, as long as she defeated the enemy within those 3 years, this d*mned curse and regression will end.
Rachel believed so.
âAnd thank you for today.â
âI just did what I had to do.â
âEven if it was something you had to do, I am sincerely grateful. Enoch, would you like to be friends with me?â
Rachel hoped that this wouldnât be a thing of the past. Hence, she offered to be friends with him.
Rachel didnât have any friends. It may have been due to her status as she couldnât be truly called a noble, but she wasnât entirely a commoner either.
Rachel had no one to call a friend because she repeatedly returned. This right now is her first friendship proposal.
âI know friendly relationships shouldnât really start with the word âfriendâ, butâŠâŠ.â
If she didnât say this now it seemed like Enoch would only consider her as Evelynâs daughter.
Rachel was unfamiliar with this situation of proposing to be friends, so she turned her head and waited for his answer. However, the desired answer did not come immediately.
âIs it weird to ask to be friends because Iâm younger?â
Rachel asked while still having her head turned away at the unanswered question.
She was so ashamed that she could not look at Enochâs face.
âShould I not have said that?â
âNo, itâs not like thatâŠâŠ.â
Enochâs bewildered words continued.
âRachel is my first friend.â
Rachel turned her head back. Enochâs face was as red as a ripe tomato. He, too, was speaking with his head turned to the other side.
âBecause my situation is unique, I didnât have any friends my age, and everyone around me were adultsâŠâŠ.â
His hands flailed about in the air. He was rambling without any sense.
Rachel realized that he was as flustered as herself, and grabbed his moving hands.
Enoch flinched as Rachel caught his helpless hands. He slowly turned his head to face Rachel.
âEnoch is also my first friend.â
Rachelâs words made his face blush even more. Rachel smiled brightly at the naive reaction and said,
âWe are each otherâs first friends.â
âYes.â
Regardless of who was first, the two burst into laughter at the same time. There was nothing funny in particular but laughter suddenly erupted.
âLetâs get along. Enoch. You are forbidden to call me young miss.â
âAlright. Rachel. Please take care of me.â
The boyâs smile under the moonlight was so beautiful. Rachel gazed at his smile and gently put his hands down.
âShall we go back to our rooms now? If there are any inconveniences while staying here in the future, please feel free to tell me. As a friend, I will do anything to help.â
âIf Rachel is having a difficult time, tell me. I will help as much as I can.â
Although it was a brief conversation, Rachel felt that she had grown closer to Enoch. The two walked down the hallway and reached Rachelâs room.
âThen sleep well. Enoch.â
âMay Rachel have a peaceful night too.â
The door closed. Rachel jumped onto her bed.
âWow, heâs so handsome I thought he was the moon fairy.â
When she saw him frown in the daytime, she thought he was a great beauty, but when she saw him smile, the impact was much more significant.
Rachel couldnât control her pounding heart.
âMy heart races when I see a good-looking person. Itâs bad for my heart.â
Rachel didnât think she was in love with him. She thought her heart just fluttered when she saw someone cute and handsome.
***
âWhat?â
The next day, while eating lunch, Rachel dropped her fork as a blue message window suddenly appeared.
Evelyn scolded her that she had done something rude, but she couldnât hear her nagging because Rachel was concentrating on the contents of the message.
[Risk rate: 72%]
[As of the present time, all possible risk factors in the mansion have been resolved. The checkpoint has been updated.]
The risk rate suddenly dropped by 2%, and the same message as it was now appeared.
âThis can be updated?â
It was the 14th round, but it was the first time she found out that updating the checkpoint was possible. If Rachel had known this, she would have cared about the risk rate.
âWhat the hell have I been doing all this time!â
Everyone was taken aback by the sight of Rachel tapping on the table and the sudden contortion of her face.
âDid you see anything by chance?â
âIs it serious?â
Those who knew that Rachel saw an ominous future looked at her with concern.
Rachel saw the future through her dreams, but as her abilities were at the early stages of manifestation, the phenomena or form may have yet to be fully revealed, therefore, it could be different compared to how it began.
Rachel soon lifted her head. Her expression had cleared up.
âMother, did you give any special instructions to the employees today?â
âI told them to catch the rats. Why, is there a problem?â
âNo. You did a great job.â
It was the rats. The rats accounted for 2% of the risk.
âThen what about just now? Did you see something?â
She did see. A notice that the checkpoint has been updated. Rachel couldnât explain this at all so she said something else.
âItâs going to rain a lot this year so there will be a bad harvest. Keep enough grains in stock and tell the villagers to build strong dikes.â
In the summer of the first year when Jung Yu-ri became Rachel, it rained heavily. The mansion, where Rachel lived, was on high ground, so there was no major damage.
However, many suffered from the famine, but Paris Emporus, as if foreshadowing the flood, bought a lot of grain in advance and made a huge profit. With those funds, he supported the 3rd Prince, Damian, and was awarded the title of Count when he became king.
âI canât let that happen.â
As Rachel clenched her fists and made her resolve, Priest Peace opened her mouth.
âItâs so kind of Miss Rachel to sympathize with the pain and suffering of others.â
Priest Peace misunderstood something.
âThe Temple will also prepare for it.â
There was nothing wrong with the temple preparing. Rachel nodded her head. Then her eyes met Enochâs, and he gave her a pure smile.
âItâs good for the eyes but bad for the heart.â
Rachel thought to herself as she looked at Enochâs face. She wouldnât be able to see his face for a while. Henry is going up to the capital today, and Rachel will go with him.
âPlease. Priest.â
After the meal, Rachel got to the carriage. As Rachel was about to board the carriage, she made eye contact with Henry.
He got on first and held out his hand to Rachel, who grabbed his hand and climbed inside.
âThank you.â
âAhem. yes.â
The atmosphere was awkward. Even Rachel had no idea that she and Henry would be alone in such a small wagon.
âLetâs think about something, think about something else. There are so many things I have to worry about now.â
Rachel was consciously trying to think of other things. Then her thoughts drifted to the message she saw at lunch.
âCome to think of itâŠâŠ.â
She was so busy while eating that she inadvertently passed over the message. However, checking the contents again, there was a part that cannot be overlooked.
âAt present time and within the mansion.â
In other words, 72% of risk factors remain or will occur in the future, and they were not limited to the mansion.
Also checkpoints can be updated.
âShould I get rid of Baron Emporus to lower the risk and update the checkpoints?â
That was the only thing that came to her mind right now.
âI want to know why heâs after me.â
And the opportunity came right away.
The carriage, which had been running for a long time, stopped. It was night time so she thought that they had stopped at an inn in another village, but somehow she saw a familiar face.
âHuh?â
Rachel was perplexed by the face she saw approaching.
âWelcome! I think itâs your first time coming here with Rachel?â