episode_0004

As I stepped out of the door, the magnificent scenery of Dalia Manor unfolded before me.

I descended the grand central staircase and surveyed the lobby.

It was the starting point from which corridors spread out in all directions.

The lobby was spacious enough to host a banquet. The entrance at the end of my sight seemed small in comparison.

“If the Marquis’s manor is this grand, how impressive would a duke’s or royal palace be?”

Is the Marquis’s authority particularly high?

No, it wouldn’t be. Primera Kingdom isn’t the focus of the novel. The center of the world was the Empire and the Academy.

If that’s the case, there must be more extraordinary sights than what I’m seeing now.

That thought made my heart flutter slightly.

“I found another good thing about being possessed.”

I’ve developed a habit of looking for positive aspects of this world.

Just a few hours ago, I was adamant about being sent back…

Humans are creatures of adaptation. Or maybe I’m just overly simple.

A few servants who were busily welcoming the morning were visible, but they only nodded lightly at me and didn’t strike up a conversation.

After passing through the lengthy lobby and stepping outside the manor, I saw an artificial fountain nestled in the middle of the garden.

Around the fountain, a yellow dahlia flower bed was basking in the spring breeze. From the outside, the manor was adorned in white and yellow.

So this is Beatrice of Dahlia’s territory…

That’s what it meant.

The Marquis of Dahlia was the owner of the territory where dahlia flowers grew beautifully.

*

It was while strolling slowly through the garden.

“Miss Beatrice.”

Yuria approached.

“Yuria, good morning.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, very refreshing.”

Yuria was dressed in a maid uniform without a wrinkle. Her beauty became even more pronounced under the sunlight.

“Breakfast is ready. Please come inside.”

“Alright, let’s go in.”

To avoid revealing that I didn’t know the way, I deliberately had Yuria lead the way as I followed behind her.

I thought it was rather natural.

*

I thought breakfast would be a light meal in the room or on the terrace.

However, Yuria led me to the dining room.

There was a long table where twenty people could comfortably sit. At the end, there stood a couple with gracious smiles.

A blonde woman and a brown-haired man.

They were the Earl and Countess Dalia.

“We have brought Miss Beatrice.”

“Thank you.”

Yulia curtsied slightly and then slowly stepped back.

No other servants besides Yulia were visible.

“Good morning, Father, Mother.”

I tried to speak as much like a noble lady as possible.

The silence lingered.

The countess with blonde hair looked at me and Yulia alternately, her eyes widening.

“W-what are you saying now…?”

The countess’s words were interrupted by the earl’s gesture.

The earl wrapped his wife’s shoulders with a tender touch and stepped forward.

“Yes, we should start preparing. We will soon face the world.”

The earl gestured to his wife.

“Sit, Beatrice, the coffee must be getting cold.”

“Yes, Father.”

I approached the spot indicated by the countess’s fingertip.

It was the end seat of the table, the farthest from the door.

As I sat down, the earl and countess also took their seats on either side of me.

There were croissants with ham, coffee, and various fruits.

Perfect for breakfast.

Perhaps due to fatigue and stress from last night… I forgot about my plan to play the noble lady and focused on eating.

Then suddenly, I realized Theo wasn’t here.

“Oh. Where is Theo…?”

It was only the earl and countess, Yulia, and me here.

“He is still asleep. Also, it is not yet time for him to join us for breakfast.”

Yulia answered, stepping forward.

Not time? Don’t young children eat breakfast here?

“Um… Be… Beatrice?”

The countess called me cautiously.

I put down the bread I was holding and looked at her.

“Yes, Mother.”

She looked to be in her late twenties at most, assuming she was aging well, or in her early thirties.

“What’s this? Even if it’s a novel, can someone that young have a grown-up daughter?”

With Beatrice, it was impossible to see them as mother and daughter.

She looked so young… and didn’t really resemble her. The Countess was also beautiful, but she felt different from Beatrice.

Oh, could it be a secret of birth? Is that the setting…?

“I woke up last night because of a nightmare…”

It seems Yulia told me.

“It’s okay. I slept well after that.”

I tried to finish my bread.

“Do you remember anything about the dream?”

This time, the Count spoke.

The Count also looked like a man in his mid-thirties.

He didn’t resemble me much either.

“Oh, that… I don’t remember anything. It must not have been important.”

…

The Count opened his mouth after a moment of thought.

“Maybe it’s not the right time yet… It could just be a coincidence.”

“But the academy entrance is right around the corner…”

I found important information from the serious conversation of the Count and Countess.

“It’s before the novel’s perspective!”

I possessed Beatrice de Daria before her entrance to the academy.

Alright. There’s still plenty of time.

I didn’t want to meet the protagonist unprepared. Whether it was an adaptation issue or a matter of the heart.

The protagonist right now is someone who has been possessed outside of the novel, like me. Perhaps they are even more difficult and troublesome than the characters in the novel.

Until entrance to the academy, I will understand Beatrice and her surroundings as much as possible!

“If I graduate from the academy, can I become an outstanding knight like both of you?”

The Count and Countess Daria are key forces in the Prima Kingdom. Their strength is set to stand shoulder to shoulder with the strong of the empire.

So it would have been natural for Beatrice to show her prowess in the Knight Department.

“A knight?”

“A knight!? Be… Beatrice, what’s all this about?”

The Countess was greatly shaken.

What’s this, isn’t it common sense for me to enter the Knight Department?

I read the content before possession, so there’s no way I could be wrong…

The viscountess pacified her husband.

Do you not wish for our daughter to avoid the path of the sword…?

A couple who have lived the life of a knight, crossing life and death, may also hope that their precious daughter does not take up the sword.

But if that’s the case, the novel won’t progress.

“As the heir of the Dalia lineage, isn’t it natural for you to become a knight?”

I hastily added, fearing that the direction of the novel might veer off course.

…

“That’s natural, but…”

The viscountess sighed, pouring out her worries.

“Ah… Beatrice. The Imperial Academy is where talents from all nations gather. Even for Beatrice, wouldn’t it be too much to prepare for the Knight Department from now on?”

Hasn’t Beatrice learned the sword?

The viscountess’s reaction seemed full of concern, like a parent watching their child’s first driving lesson.

“Considering it’s where the guardians of humanity are raised, it’s not an easy place to start, but…”

The viscount also interjected.

“Even if we gather all talents and noble lineages in the world, no one can surpass the noblest Beatrice. It’s her destiny to stand above them someday.”

“But their backgrounds are different, aren’t they? Beatrice learning the sword, how could that happen!”

The viscount must be a doting father.

The noblest Beatrice? Saying such awkward words so casually…

“Blair, being too conspicuous can be dangerous. If it’s the Knight Department, maybe it’s better to wait and ‘blossom’ over time.”

After finishing the conversation with his wife, the viscount turned his head to look at me.

“Hmm…! Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Your safety is the top priority, so perhaps the Knight Department is perfect for you.”

Yes! I can’t avoid the sword just because it’s scary.

In the novel, Beatrice is among the top contenders at the academy. In this darn novel, I should also enter the Knight Department to at least have the strength to protect myself, right?

“If it’s the Dalia family’s sword, it will surely be fine even at the Imperial Academy.”

I drove the final wedge.

“It might be an excessive evaluation… but for your sake, we can sacrifice everything we have.”

“It can’t be helped, Beatrice. Just promise me you won’t push yourself too hard.”

In the end, the Viscount and his wife accepted the application to the Knight Academy, with a promise to personally teach her swordsmanship before enrollment.

“Alright. It seems like the first button is well fastened.”

I finished filling my hungry stomach.

The Viscount and his wife simply watched over me in silence.

*

The first meal after possession had ended. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was a perfect breakfast.

The Viscount and his wife seemed like good people.

Beatrice’s noble and cheerful demeanor in the novel seemed to be the result of her upbringing.

I must have grown up in a good environment.

However, it was unexpected that Beatrice learned swordsmanship late. I naturally thought she would have known how to wield a sword from a young age, but it seems she only started learning just before enrollment.

Still, since she eventually emerges as a model student at the Knight Academy in the novel, there shouldn’t be any problem.

Now I will be able to see what abilities Beatrice’s body possesses.

“I used to learn Taekwondo instead of swordsmanship when I was young, but this body must be overflowing with talent for swordsmanship.”

There were no events such as seeing the status window so far, obtaining SS-grade items, or receiving support from transcendent beings that usually followed possession.

The protagonist, Karl Mayner, had already received the choice of the Holy Sword long before entering the academy, but what about Beatrice..?

I tried to hide the anxiety in the corner of my heart. The anxiety that perhaps Beatrice’s strength disappeared due to my possession.

To shake off that anxiety, I approached the Viscountess and began training.