Chapter 7 — Planning & Analysis.

I woke up in the still unfamiliar room. Today, the sleep paralysis didn't happen... thank goodness~...

Although... It was weird I woke up in the same position as I fell asleep...

"..."

'Now... That is surprising...'

I tend to move lots. I must have slept very deeply... I didn't even dream!

Good! Great! Good start! Us!

I glanced to my side and the candle that was left lit last night was nowhere to be found.

'Sorry. I forgot about you.'

If I'm not wrong, it must be around 9 or 10 o'clock...? The sun sliding into the room is not that strong...

I took a deep breath. Then, I opened the curtains and all the windows. A fresh breeze entered, I could smell a whiff of grass and flowers flowing into my bedroom. Relaxing by the last window, I gulped the nice aromas down to fill my lungs... To then go to wash up. While looking at the mirror installed in the bathroom, I tried to move my facial features to show some emotion... with no result, of course.

'There really isn't anything easy in life... huh.'

I dressed up as well as I could on my own. The dress I took out of the closet was the most simple I could find. The fabric was of a khaki dye and it was simple with little decoration. It looked sloppy once I put it on...but... who cares, I sure don't.

'Now, let's see... what do I do first~?' — I said smirking deep down.

Since my body still feels a little numb from sleeping so soundly... let's analyze the current situation and deduce a little from what I've learned. I've always enjoyed creating theories, therefore, it is time to put on a great performance as a detective.

First... Marianne Sylfinnier, the oldest daughter and born as the second child of the Sylfinnier household. No information was provided in the novel about her besides her death at the beginning of the novel and her blood relation to the villainess.

Next... Apparently, the only relative I can trust to some extent is the Duke, Her father. Thanks to her suicide letter that is highly possible. And, both her siblings are enemies. That's for sure.

Third... the journal. The abuse is not something that happens every day, not in the last few years at least. The latest entries had more than two to three days without record based on the dates between an entry and the next one. But the chosen days were prepared to bring her long-lasting desperation...

Lastly, the flash of past memories. Marianne wasn't mute and emotionless because of her physical condition. It was all a result of the abuse inflicted on her from a young age.

At least, she showed a horrified face and a loud heartbreaking voice while begging and asking for help and mercy to her brother. She lost this when she was around six or seven years old... from what I can tell.

More than ten years... at the very least. She's been mistreated... for that long.

...

And ultimately, she killed herself.

...

Not being able to protrude my lips while making sense of the facts is very unsatisfactory, I must say.

These undeniable facts don't need to be written down. I doubt they will leave my memory.

'Now that my brain has warmed up, let's work hard on remembering a few things of the main story.'

I don't need to remember everything. Actually, I already know the details I should focus to recall.

Hah~... really... I am SO CLEVER!

"Hm~hmm~hmm~.....?"

Eh?

'Hahah... it's almost a whisper, but we can pretty much hum just fine~ ... that's awesome~~'

Clap! Clap! Clap! ...Clap...

Gasp! Focus!!!

My distracted personality was still intact. It might have gotten even worse, which is truly a pain...

I took a sheet of paper, the ink bottle and the quill to organize my workstation.

I've always liked stationery, so I feel ecstatic with the materials I have at hand. The paper is very thin and has yellowish colour with hints of brown... it's smooth to the touch too... It gave me a calm sensation.

I dipped the quill in the elegant little glass bottle containing the ink of a strong coal hue... Paying attention to my hand's movement...

'This body is full with grace...' — This notion made me take Anne in an even brighter light.

The title of the novel was "Enchanting Lady Karina", a +19 rated novel about Karina...

Hmm... I'll give up on remembering the full names. I'm bad at that.'

Karina was the Female Lead and got entangled in a love triangle with the Crown Prince and a Duke... I think this Duke was given his title like a month before meeting the Female Lead, so right now, he should be The Little Duke...

Well, that's good enough for a rough view of the main characters and their connections.

The part I'm concerned with is... WHEN the novel starts.

The first chapters were about Karina making her debut in society, just like I will, in one of the Royal Balls.

Which one? I don't remember.

But I can calculate it.

In the novel, they explained that the Empire held a Royal Ball for every season on the day the respective season began. This was supposedly a tradition to express The Emperor's wishes for the well-being of the land and the riches the respective season produces and gives to his people. Although, the tradition was only for the nobles, meanwhile, the common people only had one festival which was held for a month in the middle of summer... I'm kind of surprised at being able to recall these many details.

'Alright, let's continue.'

The Royal Ball I am to attend is the Spring Ball.

And Theressa too.

I remember clearly that Theressa and Karina were almost the same age. There was six months' worth of a difference at the very least.

Also, Theressa was the oldest. Which means she debuted before Karina.

'...The story will start at the next Autumn Ball...'

And at that time... Marianne was already dead...

This is something I have no way of confirming... When did Marianne die?

Was she supposed to be already dead, but since I possessed her... Did things already change? Or did she die later?... No... did she actually die?

'Haaah...' — I sighed.

I have no way of knowing.

If she did die... it must have been after the Summer Ball and before the Autumn Ball. But I can't be sure. She could have died when I possessed her and the family made it public later so Theressa could make her debut without rumours going around.

'...It's a possibility.'

And since I don't know if Marianne made her debut before she died... I cannot make any certain assumptions.

Thus, the most important goal for us now is to stay alive until the main story starts. Once I achieve that, I will think about what to do next.

I wrote the main points of my brainstorming... I wrote it in Spanish though. The language I've heard them speak, is English. But since in my previous life I studied a lot of different languages, in case someone goes through my stuff, I decided to write it in one of those. I can't let myself be easily exposed...

"..."

'Now that I think about it... my survival might change the main story...'