The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration

etta’s diary day and night, but I could glean no other words except for the single mention of ‘transmigration’ and the other spaced out words.

It seemed like those were the only clues I’d be able to get from this diary.

‘I think I need to investigate the connection between my transmigration and the sacred relic after my birthday.’

I might be able to find more clues after I’m allowed to go to the secret library.

Regarding Urien, I had decided to put off thinking about how to deal with him for later.

The current situation was akin to a cold war.

Urien must be terribly fatigued right now, considering how many blue monsters he summoned.

On the other hand, I couldn’t move around freely because of the rumors.

So, yes.
For the time being, this cold war would continue until my birthday.

Leo and Daniel.

Those two were the likeliest suspects, but if I let my judgment be too clouded with my suspicions, it might bite me in the back later.

Of course, I had those two men investigated through Blanca.

I asked her about two things: Did either of those two start acting strangely this year? Or, did they act in any suspicious manner before or after the hunting festival?

That’s all that I could do right now.

As I was lost in thought, the clattering of tableware echoed amid the space.

And because my knife went astray for a moment, the sharp sound it made reverberated even louder.

Raising my head, I looked around.

The hands of the three people who I was dining together with stopped, and they all looked at me in unison.

The duke.
Damian.
Alicia.

Two weeks and five days had passed since the hunting festival.

At long last, the duke and Damian were able to come back home, and we were having dinner as a family tonight.

All of them looked at me with their golden eyes.
I felt a bit more awkward for no reason.

When I nodded slightly, I began to focus on my meal again.

Sitting next to me, Alicia whispered furtively.

“It’s not like you to make a mistake like that… Sister, are you alright?”

Instead of answering, I nodded once more towards her and casually went back to my meal.
At this, Alicia hesitated a little before she picked up her knife and fork again.

It was such an awkward dinner.

* * *

After a while, the stiflingly awkward, silent meal ended.
The plates in front of them were taken away, and what replaced them were teacups.

“Rosetta, your coming-of-age birthday is soon.”

The topic was brought up out of nowhere.

Even though he said nothing until now, it was the duke who said this.
His voice sounded as calm as usual.

However, only his outward appearance seemed calm.
Just like how he was during the hunting festival.

“Yes, it will be soon.”

Just as he said, my coming-of-age was less than a month away.

“Right.
How would you like your banquet to be held?”

Damian joined the conversation with a smile.

His attitude was also not that much different from how he had been before the hunting festival.

Still, it was obvious that they knew I was at the center of the hunting festival controversy.

Rumors were rampant everywhere, and the duke himself even defended me directly at the state meeting of the nobles.

At least, that’s what Blanca told me.

But here he was, bringing up my birthday so casually.

I rubbed the pad of my finger, feeling quite peculiar.

As my answer was delayed, the entire dining hall was blanketed with heavy silence for a moment.

“I just… want to let my birthday pass.”

Exactly like the sharp sound my knife made against my plate earlier, my words were particularly loud amidst this silence.

“Sister…!”

“What?”

Alicia and Damian spoke at the same time.

Both of them spoke in such unusual tones.

Besides that, Damian’s straight brows became furrowed.

Letting out a shallow sigh, he soon spoke again as if to persuade me.

“What do you mean by that? It’s not even an ordinary birthday—it’s your coming-of-age.”

There’s a good reason for him to emphasize that particular detail.

Coming-of-age celebrations were particularly meaningful when it came to the empire’s three duchy.

It’s the day that a descendant of a duchy would be given the chance to try and become the master of their respective sacred relics.

Therefore, it’s been customary for a long time now that every family member of the duchies would celebrate their coming-of-age birthdays splendidly and grandly.

Well, except for House Freesia, who took their characteristic traits of piety and frugality seriously.

Anyway, that’s not going to change my mind.

I glanced towards the duke, who was staring at me quietly, then I made eye contact with Damian.

With the right flutter of the eyelashes, and with just enough hesitance in this smile of mine, I watched as Damian reacted with slight panic.

Acting accordingly, I opened my lips to speak in a weak tone.

“I’m sure you know about it, too… That there are such rumors about me spreading.”

Again, the heavy silence weighed on the air around us.

“Even if we throw a banquet, it would just be a spectacle.
It’ll serve only as fuel for those rumors.”

I looked at Damian with a troubled expression, then I dropped my head and chewed on my lower lip.

“But—”

He tried to say something, but he couldn’t continue.

Because someone else spoke up and cut him off.

“Rumors? What rumors?”

It was Alicia.

Everyone’s eyes turned quickly towards her, surprised that she was acting uncharacteristically.
However, as her pupils trembled, she did not pay any attention to this.

“Rumors about Sister… What… Just what kind of rumors are they?”

She just wanted someone, anyone, to answer her question.

Her pale fingertips grabbed my elbow.

Her grip was enough to convey just how desperate she was feeling.