So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 57

Chapter 57

After what turned into a fairly long tea time with Katharina…

I need to get back—now!

I hurried down the hall, my steps quick and restless.

The melodramatic—no, no. Popular romance—I’d been reading,

The Maid Who Was the Duke’s Illegitimate Daughter’s Older Sister Was Actually the Lost, Precious Imperial Princess

was about to hit its peak.

I’d been dying of curiosity all afternoon.

Any minute now, the heroine would finally bring down her wicked half-sister—the villainess and the root of every disaster.

And that moon metaphor earlier? Absolute art.

Ah, fate beneath heartbreaking moonlight…!

I was going to devour it immediately.

Of course, spending time with Katharina was genuinely fun too, but—come on. Different joys for different moments, right?

Bang!

I yanked my door open, and Mari—who happened to be passing by—jumped and stared at me with wide eyes.

“Oh my, my lady. Why are you in such a rush?”

“Uh… I have something to do.”

“Oh my~ Are you writing a letter to His Grace?”

“….”

That wasn’t even worth responding to.

I shut the door neatly and marched straight to my desk.

Just before the door closed, I caught sight of Mari’s flushed cheeks—she looked completely unfazed by being ignored.

Classic delulu behavior.

Well… I couldn’t judge too harshly, considering I was also deeply invested in other people’s love stories.

Anyway. From here on out, this was my time.

I was about to witness—no, experience—the moment when the returning princess heroine confirmed her love with her knight-escort male lead and took her revenge.

That was what I thought as I opened the drawer.

But then—

“Huh?”

Gone.

“W-wait… where did it go?”

The book was gone.

And worse—my Treasure No. 1, my precious review notebook, had vanished without a trace.

“Kyaaah!”

No—!

I was already a little embarrassed recommending those books, so I’d hidden them carefully.

But now every single book I’d brought back… was gone.

And the biggest shock of all was the review journal.

I’d even added my own comments!

Even if someone took the books, getting caught with that was humiliating beyond words.

“Guys!!!”

I panicked, flung the door open, and summoned the maids in a frenzy.

“Just as I thought! My lady, you needed stationery, right? I brought plenty! Hurry and write your love letter!”

Mari arrived first, flushed with excitement, holding out a bundle of pink stationery.

“No! That’s not what matters right now!”

“Huh? Then what is?”

“Mari. D-did you… clean the first drawer of my desk?”

“No? You told us very firmly not to open that one, so I never touched it.”

“What about the others?”

“Probably the same. What happened?”

I asked the rest of the maids too, but their answers didn’t change.

“Did you lose something important?”

“Tell us what it is! We’ll search the entire ducal castle—no, the whole Empire—until we find it!”

Betty sniffed dramatically.

Like a true Cerberus, Garnet and Ria flanked her on both sides, eyes blazing.

They looked ready to hunt it down to the edge of the universe.

Those loyal expressions…

Yeah. There was no way my maids had done this.

They’d seen me reading plenty of times but never cared what it was.

They’d asked once or twice if it was fun—and when I looked uncomfortable, they immediately backed off.

They really were good kids.

I dismissed them with a vague excuse and sank into thought.

Books don’t just grow legs and walk away.

The only people who could freely enter my room were me, the archduke, and my maids.

The archduke was away.

And it wasn’t the maids.

Katharina came often too…

But it couldn’t be her. She’d been with me until just now—and more importantly—

She falls asleep after two pages.

I’d personally witnessed it.

Eliminating suspects one by one, a chilling possibility crossed my mind.

Then… could it be… Lady Diana?

But I dismissed it almost instantly.

“No. What kind of irreverent thought is that?! It can’t be her!”

Today, she’d scolded me with dignity and elegance beyond reproach.

Even imagining that was disrespectful.

I must have left them somewhere else…

I’d brought the books from the library and only read them in my room, but still!

Or maybe the books really did grow legs and run away.

This world has dragons, magic, and monsters.

Books escaping wasn’t completely impossible, right?

“Ugh, I’m doomed!”

My emotional damage was catastrophic.

While I was clutching my head in despair—

Knock, knock.

“My lady, this is Kal. It is time for the evening banquet.”

“Ah… okay. I’ll be there soon…”

Was it already that late?

Honestly, I had no appetite.

But skipping dinner would only worry the servants—and if I missed even one meal, a report would absolutely reach Xenos.

Just imagining his lecture made me drag myself toward the dining hall.

Tonight’s main dish was sweet-and-sour glazed ribs.

But I only poked at the lettuce on the side.

Why—why did my books vanish right before the climax…

I ate with lifeless eyes when Katharina apparently mistook it for genuine concern.

“Lady Renée, are you worried about something? You seemed so happy earlier.”

“Ah… yeah. I was.”

“Gasp—are you sick?!”

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

Everyone stared at me with terrifying intensity.

Even Kal—normally composed—panicked.

“Shall I send a carrier pigeon to His Grace?!”

…He was that dramatic.

“N-no!”

Flustered, I grabbed a rib and tore into it with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Only then did Kal relax.

“Whew! So eating is not a problem.”

“Of course not! I wasn’t sick in the first place!”

Why does everyone around me gradually turn into overprotective maids?

I truly didn’t understand.

Then Kal asked gently,

“Then why have you lost your appetite? Is the menu not to your liking?”

“Of course not! These ribs are delicious. I just… don’t feel very hungry today…”

“Is there a reason for that?”

“Th-that’s…”

I avoided Kal’s innocent gaze.

There was no way I could tell this spotless, pure-hearted man that I was emotionally devastated over missing trashy romance novels.

And Kal was Xenos’s subordinate.

If Kal found out, Xenos would find out.

“You… like this sort of thing?”

I could already picture his baffled expression.

No. Absolutely not.

I shook my head violently.

“I just… had something personally sad happen…”

Then I ate with theatrical intensity, like my life depended on it.

See, Kal? I’m eating just fine. Don’t you dare report anything.

That was the message.

“Some days you simply have no appetite. Why all this fuss? Just eat.”

Lady Diana’s sharp voice cut in.

She’d placed her knife down gracefully and was dabbing her lips with a napkin.

She’d clearly finished her meal.

Honestly… incredible.

For a moment, I was awed by how cleanly she’d eaten ribs with just a fork and knife.

But then—

Huh?

Lady Diana was suddenly right in front of me—

staring straight through me.