39. I am the true master of the house, De Gula

Just as my dangerous nature as the “great villain” and “big boss” easily attracts deadly scripts, some things don’t even require my attention or urging; they will come knocking on my door by themselves.

A few days later, on the night I sent off the bear girl, Rose, it was time to fulfill the promise I made to Rinka. In the evening, at this moment when day transitions into night, Rinka, with her blue hair and blue dress, meticulously dressed up, approached me with a forced smile that didn’t seem very happy, inviting me.

“The time for our previously agreed ‘dinner’ has come. Please come with me.”

[Rinka is lying.]

Once again, the script reminded me of the danger, like an alarm clock, but this time I didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, I took Rinka’s hand and followed her as she led me to the “private” place she had prepared to make up for the interrupted dinner.

“Mr. O’Keefe, they… aren’t here, are they? Didn’t they follow?”

Is it because this is an important time, heading to an important occasion, and she has dressed up carefully? Rinka not only became cautious and graceful in her movements, but even her way of addressing me felt somewhat comparative and unnatural, as if she were revealing her inner tension to me, and…

The truth of the script.

Although my response wouldn’t change because of Rinka’s reaction, Kephir and Nilu indeed did not follow me tonight, nor were they hiding somewhere, secretly protecting me while feeling jealous.

“No, isn’t this your personal invitation? So I told them, and they won’t come to cause any trouble.”

Glancing at Rinka, I received such a “sensible” answer. Clearly, Rinka, who already had feelings for me in the script, didn’t seem happy about this “rare opportunity.” On the contrary, the hesitation and uncertainty in her eyes deepened, and even the grip on my hand tightened slightly at that moment.

I… pretended not to see and asked, “Rinka, why are we heading deeper into your castle?”

“Ah! This, um, it’s because I had the servants prepare dinner inside the castle. That way, we won’t have to go outside and run into any troublesome matters, right?”

Rinka, caught off guard and flustered by my question, seemed to have made some kind of resolution afterward.

“Anyway, please come with me to see the inside of the castle first!”

Saying this, she shook the keychain in her hand and, at this moment when day and night seemed to blend, opened and pushed the heavy door leading into the castle, making way for me.

It felt as if she was bringing me into “another world.”

“Mr. O’Keefe?”

“It’s nothing, just lead the way, Lin Ke.”

After all, at this moment, inside Lin Ke’s family castle, everything before my eyes was astonishing! I had been here once before on a certain afternoon, guided by the bear-like midget, Rose. At that time, aside from being “eerily quiet,” the interior of the castle didn’t seem particularly strange.

However, now it felt as if the place had transformed, even as if… it had changed into another world! Under the suddenly dim moonlight, a scarlet glow illuminated everything, making all the familiar sights in my vision seem to come alive, becoming strangely unfamiliar once more!

Moreover, more than the surroundings that were so different from the ordinary, what caught my attention were the servants quietly moving about! Although they all wore black suits and appeared to be Lin Ke’s “subordinates,” when did Lin Ke bring so many “subordinates” here!?

The next moment, Lin Ke’s voice, which was even trembling slightly, interrupted my thoughts.

Looking up, I found only Lin Ke’s turned-away face.

“The dining area is right here, please follow me.”

“Uh…”

After a moment of silence, I nodded in agreement, not telling Lin Ke that I had been to the place she pointed to before, and it was definitely not used for “dining.”

After all, it was too late to say anything now.

I stepped forward, entering the exceptionally spacious hall that Lin Ke led me into. The scarlet moonlight poured in through the windows on either side, making everything before me seem less than real. Moreover, I didn’t see any dining table or a “candlelit dinner,” only a “throne” at the end of the red carpet stretching out beneath my feet.

Then, a heavy door slammed shut! When I snapped back to reality, I saw a familiar white-haired midget half-sitting, half-lying on the throne at the end of my line of sight, looking over at me.

Even from several steps away, I could clearly recognize her! After all, just a few days ago, I had “sent her home”!

“Rose, you’re here?”

In this second encounter, the little midget who had been at odds with me recently seemed to have lost her teasing demeanor, as if she had become a different person—noble, aloof, surveying me like a regal monarch examining a humble ant. Beside her throne lay something that looked like scissors, the blade stained with the scarlet moonlight.

“Why can’t I be here? Didn’t you send me home, you useless one?”

Her voice carried a hint of triumphant laughter, “So, I’m home now~”

Her crimson eyes, like a beast’s “gaze,” were fixed on her prey, and at the same time, some “script” I had once doubted but couldn’t find answers to finally revealed its last secret!

【Yasai Rose De Gula is the true head of the De Gula family, to which Lin Ke belongs.】

Surprised? Of course, a little, but having reached this point, I was no longer flustered or at a loss upon discovering this fact from the script.

After all, from the chaotic thoughts in Rose’s previous script and our purpose, I already knew her identity—it definitely wasn’t as simple as the “relative’s child” that Lin Ke mentioned! And now it seemed that only the dangerous “true head of the family” behind Lin Ke could easily arrange an identity for her, vouch for her, lie for her, and even… make excuses to bring me here alone at this time!

I turned to look at Lin Ke, but unfortunately, this time I couldn’t even see her reaction.

She lowered her head and retreated behind me, not daring to look at me even once!

Was she afraid of being reprimanded by me for her obvious “betrayal” and “deception”?

Just as I was about to say something to Lin Ke, Rose reacted as well.

However, compared to me, she seemed to have just noticed Lin Ke’s presence, and… in the next moment, I finally saw the true “relationship” between Rose and Lin Ke, which was not just superficial?

“Hmm, what? You’re still here…”

“Your task is complete, Lin Ke. You can leave now.”

Rose raised her hand and waved it at Lin Ke.

As if shooing away a dog.