How to Survive as the Horror Game Villain’s Fake Fiancée - Chapter 171

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and gore. Reader discretion is advised.

‘So this is how business is done these days.’

She had thought a lot about whether she should use the knowledge she had gained on Earth to start a business herself, but it was still a field she couldn’t quite bring herself to touch so readily, so for now, she stopped at investing.

Segleninde had made a fuss about buying her any shop she liked, but she felt that if a perfectly fine business ended up in the hands of someone who had only ever been a salaried worker, it would be just right for ruining it. So, for the time being, she was only dabbling in investment. Her major back on Earth was also the sort that was difficult to apply in this world.

Still, these days, fairly concrete ideas were coming to mind. Considering the overall improved living standards of the territory’s people, thanks to Segleninde personally stepping in to create jobs on a large scale, she thought she might lightly try opening something like a tea house, which was popular these days.

It was still only a thought, but since it would be a place personally established by the Duchess, people would likely show a lot of interest. Imagining customers filling a shop with her name as its representative, Cynthia finished inspecting the territory with a face full of smiles and returned to the ducal residence.

After that, she thought she might drink tea while chatting about this and that with Melissa, but then she suddenly remembered a place she had not looked after lately and hurriedly moved her feet.

‘I was supposed to look at the new flowers to plant in the greenhouse last time, but I forgot.’

Arriving at the greenhouse built where the secret passage had originally been, Cynthia checked the flowers arranged prettily together in the flower beds.

Last time, the newly appointed creature in charge of the greenhouse had mistakenly brought in a flower that ate humans, and if the Ghost Rats hadn’t chewed at its roots, it could have been a disaster. Of course, that manager was fired.

There was no way of knowing what happened to a fired creature, but Segleninde had smiled brightly and said it had “returned to its origin,” so she had a feeling its end had probably not been pleasant. In any case, she set out to look over what could be newly planted in the spot where that flower had been pulled out.

She could have left this much to the servants, but since she had time left, she decided to personally choose flowers she liked.

If possible, she was thinking mainly of flowers with colors that reminded her of Segleninde and wondering which ones would blend well with the surrounding flowers, when an unexpected object suddenly caught Cynthia’s eye.

“Ah, that’s…?”

On top of an antique side table placed in one corner of the greenhouse, almost as if hidden, sat an old-fashioned music box.

Cynthia examined the music box, which she felt she had not seen in a long time. She had thought there were no music boxes left in the mansion because she had destroyed them all during the last incident, but facing one that existed in perfectly intact shape gave her a strange feeling.

‘Come to think of it… the music box was my database, right? Isn’t it bad for this to still be here?’

The music box that stored Cynthia’s soul and fixed her existence in this world was no longer necessary. She had already become a member of this world, and there was no longer any reason to turn back time.

But if this music box was still storing her soul, it wouldn’t be strange for a problem to arise at any time. For example, some kind of error could occur and time could turn back on its own.

After finally reaching a happy ending, she could not leave things like that.

She needed to check whether the music box still worked. Suppressing an ominous feeling, she touched the music box.

Beep— Bzzt, bzzt…

A strange mechanical sound rang out, and as a warped melody faintly flowed, a hologram-like message rose before her eyes.

But it soon shattered.

“Oh.”

Lights smashed apart like a glitch effect, distorting and scattering in every direction. Startled, Cynthia hurriedly took her hand away. Then the phenomenon immediately subsided, and the music box’s melody cut off as well.

Fortunately, nothing happened. It didn’t seem like time had gone back either.

But because of what had just happened, she became even more uneasy.

“…Is it okay to leave that as it is? Won’t it cause trouble later?”

If left alone, it might cause an accident. Cynthia hurried out of the greenhouse and went to find Segleninde.