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Frowning at the sudden visitor, I spoke,

“It seems we have an unexpected guest.”

“Who is it?”

Kyle craned his neck, trying to see who it was.

His eyes widened at the sight.

“It’s just her, why are you acting so serious?”

“…….”

Ignoring Kyle, I stared at the woman standing before us.

It was Fron.

She had come to see us.

The reason I was wary of her wasn’t anything specific, but simply because she seemed completely different from her usual self.

Why?

An indescribable sense of unease emanated from her.

I spoke coldly,

“What brings you here?”

“Stop with the serious act, it’s creepy.”

Tsk, I’ve been caught.

I relaxed my expression at her words.

Initially, I’d planned to pressure her, to find out what was going on.

But since I’d been found out, there was no need to keep up the act.

Fron sighed as she observed me.

Pulling out a chair from seemingly nowhere, she sat down and looked at me.

“As expected, both master and servant are cut from the same cloth.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“No, I meant you’re both idiots. You really don’t understand, do you?”

This girl…

I seriously contemplated whether I should help her or not.

Even though I knew everything that had transpired between Rem and the real Fron, her current attitude was testing my patience.

‘Adel’s sulking again.’

I pouted, prompting Fron to look down at me with disdain.

“……Please don’t do that, it’s creepy. I think I’m going to lose it.”

“If you beg me while calling me ‘brother,’ I’ll consider it.”

“Ugh, disgusting.”

Now that hurt.

Fron’s face was contorted in disgust, the blue of her hair somehow making her complexion look even paler.

Lever called me brother, why is she like this?

Tsk, tsk.

As I clicked my tongue, Fron spoke.

“Anyway, try to persuade the young lady somehow.”

“About what?”

“She’s stubbornly refusing to go back home, even after all the persuading I’ve done. I’m sure you can think of something.”

As I suspected, Rene still hadn’t returned to the Bares family because of me.

As Fron ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, I smiled faintly.

“Haha, of course I can.”

“Oh?”

Fron looked at me in surprise.

I smirked.

Of course I could.

There was indeed a way to send Rene back to the Bares mansion without any fuss.

And that was…

“Release me from here.”

“Are you crazy? That’s impossible. Besides, with your powers….”

‘You can escape by yourself.’

That’s what Fron seemed to want to say.

If Fron would just send Rene back to the Bares mansion, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to escape with Kyle on my own.

However, considering why I was still here, I couldn’t bring myself to run away alone.

“Didn’t I tell you? I need to hear your answer.”

“What?!”

Fron stared at me in disbelief.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

She really didn’t seem to understand why I had stayed here for so long.

Or rather, she was probably in denial.

After all, Fron was blinded by the prospect of my death.

Glancing at her, I continued,

“It’s only natural. Why else would I be here? I’m here to help you….”

“You said you woke up here one day.”

That didn’t work either.

It seemed my only option was to play hardball.

I pouted again, my expression filled with displeasure.

Fron, looking genuinely disgusted, said,

“Please, can you not make that face? I think I’m going to be sick… Ugh!”

Now that truly hurt.

Fron wasn’t faking it, she really threw up.

Dumbfounded, I reached out to her.

“I, I apologize. I won’t make that face again….”

“Wow, how ugly do you have to be to make someone throw up?”

Kyle, unable to contain himself, burst into laughter.

It seemed he’d been holding back a lot.

But as the one clearly in the wrong, I had no room to talk.

And so, I had to witness Fron’s vomiting spectacle in real-time until she finally stopped.

“Gasp, gasp….”

Finally done, Fron leaned against the bars of the cell, pale and gasping for breath.

Was my expression really that bad?

I almost pouted again but managed to hold it in.

Catching her breath, Fron took a deep breath.

“……It wasn’t just your face, though that was part of it.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Ugh, don’t show me that disgusting face again, I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“Pfft, cough…!!”

Determined to help Kyle, who was barely holding back his laughter, I decided to lend a hand.

Squeeze.

“Gyaaah!”

I pinched Kyle’s thigh, turning my attention back to Fron.

“……The fact that I feel so nauseous must mean the time is near.”

I could barely hear her, but I understood.

She was talking about the day of her death.

That was why her nausea had worsened.

And it definitely wasn’t because of my face.

Ahem.

Clearing my throat, I spoke.

“You’re referring to Pria’s ritual, aren’t you?”

“What? How do you know my mother’s true name…?! Only the head of the Bares family and I know that!”

Fron’s eyes widened in genuine shock.

I smiled faintly.

How could I not know?

I was the one who wrote the name ‘Pria,’ Fron’s mother, in the original story.

As Fron stared at me in stunned silence, I continued.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know something like that, especially after offering to kill your mother for you?”

“Have you ever considered how I could have said such a thing without knowing your past?”

“……Then, what do you know?”

Fron’s shoulders trembled.

It was a gesture that spoke of anger, sadness, resignation, and a touch of despair. It was as if she was forcing me to stop talking for a moment.

I closed my mouth and listened.

“What do you know? What I went through, why I made this choice, what do you know…!”

Bang!

Fron slammed her fist against the bars of the cell.

She hit them with such force that her knuckles started to bleed.

I simply replied,

“Everything.”

“I know everything you’ve experienced, everything you’ve seen, everything you’ve felt.”

“You…!”

Unable to contain her anger at my arrogant words, Fron kicked off the chair.

Crash!

She squeezed her hand through the bars, grabbing me by the collar.

“You really want to die, don’t you?”

Her voice trembled with rage.

She was truly furious at my presumptuous words.

I gently pried her hand off me and set it down.

“I know. That you’re Rem, and who the real Fron was.”

“……You, you. How do you…”

Fron stammered, panic creeping into her voice.

My words revealed a past that only she should know.

It was only natural that she found it hard to believe.

“The fact that you know this… Does this mean you were also in that prison? That’s how you know Fron, and my name, and… But…”

“You’re about to say you’ve never seen me in that space, right?”

“……Yes, how do you know about the secrets of the prison?”

“Because I experienced your past.”

“What…?”

I saw no reason to lie, so I told her the truth.

However, Fron simply blinked at me, completely bewildered.

Deciding that further explanation was unnecessary, I closed my mouth.

Fron stared at me for a moment before a wry smile spread across her lips.

“Right, if you’ve seen my past, you must know. Why I’m trying to die, and why I have to die.”

“Yes, I know. That you’re trying to escape the guilt by choosing death.”

“What?”

“Am I wrong? Fron, you’re just trying to escape the swamp of guilt by dying, unable to bear the weight of your friend’s death.”

“……You should watch your mouth.”

“Why should I? I’m not saying anything wrong.”

“You…!”

Fron grabbed me by the collar again.

Looking straight at her, I said,

“Stop running away.”

“……From what?”

“If you truly regret your friend’s death, if you truly understand the meaning of the last gift she gave you…”

I glared at Fron, my words laced with venom.

“Then live. Don’t you dare even think about dying.”

These were words meant for me as well.

Don’t run away from reality.

Don’t turn away just because it seems unbearable.

Nothing good will come from it.

These were the words I wanted to convey to Fron.

“Rem, if you truly feel sorry for Fron, if you know what her final gift to you meant…”

I stared at Fron, my words laced with urgency.

“Then live. Stop trying to escape through death.”

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