Chapter 20 Reincarnator
Anyway, the tension between the two was easing up quite a bit.
As they exchanged light banter, their conversation naturally drifted to Rhiannon's one and only friend, Halesia.
Kaine let out a light sigh.
"Seriously, I never thought Lady Halesia would be this kind of person..."
"Did you think someone who could be friends with me would be normal?"
"I got nothin' to say. I totally messed up the selection. I should've done my homework..."
"Halesia's a bit quirky, but she's a good friend. I hope you don't think too badly of her."
Just as Rhiannon was defending Halesia, the door to the room burst open, and the topic of their conversation, Halesia, strutted in with enthusiasm.
"I brought tea, snacks, and light meals! With all this, you could talk until morning!"
Behind Halesia, maids rushed into the room carrying various treats and snacks.
In no time, the table was overflowing.
Once they were done, the maids bowed and quickly left the room.
Faced with the mountain of snacks laid out before them, Rhiannon, who usually sparkled with excitement, couldn't quite muster up her usual joy today.
"Uh... how much do you expect us to talk?"
"Hehe, until I'm satisfied! But, I can see that just letting you two argue won't get us anywhere. So, I, Halesia Jouteau, will take on the role of moderator!"
With that, Halesia cheerfully took her seat.
Rhiannon, sneakily munching on some snacks, furrowed her brow a bit.
"Hey, Halesia. If you stick your nose into our problems, it's gonna get messy for sure. Let's keep this peaceful..."
"Are you talking about the problem where Lady Rhiannon is the villainess and is destined for ruin because of it?"
"Y-You're catching on way too fast!?"
In shock, Rhiannon dropped the half-eaten snack.
Kaine looked a bit surprised too.
Halesia casually took a sip of her tea, wetting her lips, and let out a small sigh.
"Both of you, you're being kinda distant. Since we're at it, feel free to pull me in too. ── After all, I couldn't do anything in my past life, right, Mr. Kaine?"
"Past life? W-why do you know that...!?"
Kaine flinched in surprise.
Halesia shrugged.
"If you listen to the conversation, you can kinda figure it out. I read about it in some old texts. Apparently, there are people in this world who know the future. They say those folks are living their second lives. In those texts, they called them 'reincarnators.'"
"......"
"So, Mr. Kaine, you're a reincarnator, huh?"
Halesia's purple eyes peeked through her bangs, staring straight at Kaine.
He was at a loss for words.
With such a direct accusation, he couldn't really argue back.
While Kaine struggled to respond and fell silent, Rhiannon clapped her hands softly, impressed.
"Wow, Halesia. You're really knowledgeable. ...Hey, Kaine. Why don't you explain the situation to Halesia? I'm sure she can help us."
"But..."
"Besides, I think Halesia would find out anyway. She's been following my story since I made my social debut, so she knows a lot about me. Like, for example..."
After hesitating, Rhiannon continued.
"...that the 'fated person' who saved my life was actually Kaine, too. H-how do you know that!?"
"Just as I thought. From your reaction, it seems what Halesia said is true."
Realizing he had been caught off guard, Kaine gasped and then made a bitter face.
Rhiannon chuckled.
Kaine never imagined that Halesia Jouteau, whom he thought was just a harmless noble lady, had been stalking Rhiannon for years and even knew secrets that could bury them.
Kaine put a hand to his mouth and thought for a moment, but finally shook his head lightly in resignation.
"Here I was, completely caught off guard... I can't believe there was a witness back then."
"Well, there's not much we can do about that, right? Halesia's ability to blend in is practically a talent at this point."
Rhiannon chuckled.
Halesia puffed out her chest proudly, saying, "Ehehe!" Of course, anyone else would probably not take Rhiannon's words as a compliment.
Anyway, Kaine fell silent, deep in thought.
He seemed to be considering whether Halesia was trustworthy.
In the meantime, Rhiannon started to briefly explain the situation to Halesia.
Halesia, quick to understand, grasped the whole picture from Rhiannon's clumsy explanation and frowned.
"Ah, I see. So that's what it was. But still, Sarah Belts is a real pain, huh? All the princes in this country are on her side..."
Halesia grimaced.
She hadn't thought much of Sarah to begin with, but Rhiannon's explanation seemed to deepen her dislike.
"Well, either way, she's not someone we can deal with easily. It's a good thing you brought me on your side. Having 2 allies is better than one, right?"
"Y-Yeah! The more allies, the better!"
"Absolutely, leave it to me!"
Halesia nodded confidently, but Kaine, who had been silent until then, let out a low growl.
"I still don't recognize Lady Halesia as an ally. My lady, please reconsider. Just like in your past life, you will ultimately be betrayed by those around you."
"Kaine..."
"Please give me some time to think. I should be able to correct our course soon. Even on my own, I can save you. This time, I will make you happy..."
Kaine's words sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
His golden eyes were vacant, and his fists trembled on the table.
(Kaine... he looks so pained.)
The usually composed and perfect butler, Kaine, seemed weak today.
Rhiannon instinctively leaned forward and took Kaine's hand.
"Sorry. It's all my fault for being so useless, making you carry everything. But, Kaine, you don't have to bear it all alone anymore."
"Lady Rhiannon..."
"Tell me everything that happened between us in our past lives. Based on that, I'll make my decision. After all, it's about my life."
After Rhiannon firmly stated this, she took a moment, her gaze wandering a bit.
"Um, well, I know I can be a bit unreliable myself."
"...So you're aware of that."
"Anyway! No more secrets from now on!"
Rhiannon said this while shaking Kaine's hand vigorously.
Halesia, who had been watching their exchange, nodded deeply.
"Mr. Kaine, if you want Lady Rhiannon to trust you moving forward, no more hiding things. If you really can't trust me, I'll step aside."
After a long silence, Kaine finally nodded.
"...Understood. I'll trust Lady Halesia for now. It seems my secret of helping the young lady has already been discovered. So, where should I start..."
With that, Kaine gazed off into the distance.
Then, he began to speak slowly, sharing a story that was far from a happy ending, a grim tale.
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