After saying that, the woman closed the tent, leaving Rovan and me bewildered by her words. I was curious about how Rovan interpreted what she had said. Gently, I pulled at his hand.

"Rovie... What do you think that woman was saying?" I asked, full of curiosity. My mind was still trying to process the information I had just received. How could that woman know I wasn't from this world? And why didn't she have an information bar above her head? Even the people passing by on the street had information bars that I could access at will.

"Hm? I don't understand. She seemed to be speaking a foreign language. I've learned a few languages in Aragon, and that wasn't one of them," he replied, looking indifferent.

"A few languages in Aragon? Why have I never known about this?"

I wasn't sure what languages were used in Aragon, but they were definitely different from the ones I used in the real world. It was hard to explain. Simply put, the language they used sounded like their native tongue to them, but in my mind, I understood what they were saying. I didn't know their language, but if I thought about saying 'A' in my head, when I opened my mouth, I would say 'A' in their language.

'It seems I need to find out more about this world!'

After that, we bought some skewers. Rovan seemed to forget about the incident with the fortune teller altogether; he didn't mention it again. He acted very indifferent, as if it had never happened.

As night deepened, Rovan escorted me back to the Loraine residence. The Marquess and Marchioness Loraine were already waiting for me at the door. Rovan helped me down from the carriage, and after paying his respects to my parents, he quickly returned to the Marquess Erlando's residence as it was already late. The Marchioness greeted me with a beaming smile, as if expecting something.

"Welcome back, dear Estelle! How was the party?"

.

Without answering her mother's question, Estelle entered the house with a sullen expression. The Marquess looked panicked, understanding why Estelle was behaving that way; he wasn't prepared to be disliked by his only daughter. Meanwhile, the Marchioness sighed inwardly.

"Estelle, we've been through this," the Marchioness thought, responding inwardly to her daughter's behavior.

The couple quickly followed Estelle inside. The Marquess gazed at his wife, his eyes full of hope, silently urging her to explain the situation to Estelle so that the misunderstanding wouldn't escalate any further.

"Estelle dear, is there something you'd like to talk about?" the Marchioness asked, matching Estelle's brisk pace. She tried to ask without provoking her daughter further by forcing her to stop walking.

"I don't think so, mother," Estelle replied coldly. The Marquess, hearing this, grew increasingly panicked and finally spoke up.

"WE CAN CANCEL IT IF YOU WANT, ESTELLE!" the Marquess shouted.

"DEAR!" the Marchioness yelled, scolding her husband. From their reactions, Estelle finally understood—the arranged marriage had been planned by her parents without discussing it with her. Her brows furrowed deeper as she turned, ready to protest. Because of the betrothal, she had to lie to Rovan, and that lie had been exposed by the Crown Prince himself! If the Crown Prince reported it to the King, their family would be ruined. But the awareness that she was merely a stranger living in their daughter's body stopped Estelle from protesting.

"Father, Mother, it's quite late. How about we discuss this tomorrow morning after breakfast?" Estelle suggested, her soft tone bringing smiles back to her parents' faces. After agreeing to explain everything to Estelle in the morning, she retired to her room. Emily, her loyal maid, promptly offered to help her change.

"How was the party, My Lady?" Emily asked cheerfully, her expression like a puppy eager to play with its owner. Estelle let out a long sigh, causing Emily to quickly cover her mouth with her hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry, you must be very tired."

"Emily..." Estelle threw herself onto the bed, the warmth of the blankets and pillows soothing her.

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"M-my Lady? Did something happen at the party?" Emily asked worriedly, rushing to Estelle, who had buried her face in the pillow.

"Mmfh mmh mmfhh!"

"Y-yes, miss?" Of course, Emily couldn't hear her clearly. Estelle sat up, her bright blue eyes shining.

"Take me to the library!"

Though the early morning air was quite cold, Estelle, accompanied by Emily and the dim light of a lantern, diligently read through the books in the Loraine family's private library. Emily yawned several times, but her duty as a maid kept her awake alongside her mistress. Before long, the sun began to rise, waking Estelle and Emily, who had fallen asleep in the library.

"HUH!" Estelle awoke with a start, her eyes still heavy with sleep, but her mind forced her to get up, remembering the important discussion she had that morning with the Marquess and Marchioness. After covering the sleeping Emily with a blanket, Estelle went to her room to freshen up and prepare for breakfast.

Despite her exhaustion from staying up all night, Estelle's efforts were not in vain. She had uncovered crucial information about Aragon that was never mentioned in the game.

Allow me to explain, dear readers. Aragon is a vast kingdom surrounded by the vast blue ocean. To the north lies the mountainous region of Nevada, divided into two territories: one governed by Marquess Loraine and the other by Marquess Erlando. The people of Nevada are mostly miners, and the largest mine is located in Marquess Loraine's territory, the source of their wealth. In the southern part of the kingdom is the region of Arthenia, ruled by Archduke de Alba. It is a fertile land divided by the Elarion River, famous for its beauty due to the remnants of magic in its waters.

Speaking of magic, a hundred years ago, mages still existed in Aragon. Magic was legal, and the kingdom even had a special magic army. However, the great-grandfather of the current King of Aragon hated mages, fearing they would one day use their powers against the kingdom. So, all those with magical abilities were killed, leaving only the de Alba family, the holy family and descendants of the strongest mages in Aragon. The family was spared under the condition that they would marry their daughters to the royal family and that magic would be forbidden within the de Alba family, rendering their descendants unable to use magic, even though the sacred blood of mages flowed in their veins. This left Aragon as the only family able to use magic—fire magic, capable of incinerating anything.

"If the royal heir must marry into the de Alba family, why am I, Estelle, from a mere Marquess family, betrothed to the Crown Prince?" Her thoughts raced, contemplating the possible conspiracies and cruelties the Kingdom of Aragon might inflict on her if she married Elias.

The new knowledge she had gained about Aragon made her more convinced that something was amiss with the royal family, which unfortunately was working with her own family. Hastily and without any makeup, Estelle walked to the dining room unaccompanied by any maids. Strangely, there were no servants in the mansion that morning at all. Estelle thought they might be busy with something that coincidentally kept them out of her sight.

"Why is the dining room so quiet?" she wondered, her heart pounding in response to the oddness of the morning. Even the servant who usually opened the dining room door was not there.

"Empty!" Sure enough, when she entered the dining room, it was empty—no food was prepared, and not a single servant was present. Suddenly, a scream echoed from afar.

"That voice, it's the Marchioness!" Without a second thought, Estelle ran towards the source of the sound. Relying only on her hearing, she navigated the large mansion.

"Russel, my child! Oh, my poor child!" the old woman wailed, collapsed on the floor. Behind her, Marquess Louis, unable to hold back his tears, tried to comfort his sobbing wife.

"What is going on?!" Estelle cried out, confused by the scene before her. There were no servants, only the Loraine couple and her brother, Eric.

"Russel... he's contracted the plague," Eric said softly, his voice strained with the effort to hold back tears, though his eyes were already wet with them.

"What?" Estelle scanned the room and found a small boy lying on the bed. His face was covered in red spots, which looked like they were filled with fluid. His body was wrapped in thick blankets, exposing only his face to let him breathe. Despite his severe condition—his hair damp with sweat, his lips dry from dehydration, his pale face flushed with a high fever—he was still recognizable.

'This is just smallpox!'

Estelle tried to approach the bedridden Russel but was held back by Eric.

"Estelle! You can't go near him, you might get infected! You could catch it!" Eric shouted, his voice filled with emotion, though Estelle knew he was yelling out of concern.

"It's only smallpox! He can be cured!" Estelle retorted, her voice equally loud, as she struggled to free herself from Eric's grip.

"Only? Cured? Estelle, I know you don't like reading the news, but I didn't think you were this ignorant. Have you not studied? When has there ever been a cure for smallpox?" Eric's face reddened with anger, furious at Estelle's nonchalance regarding the dire situation.

"W-what...?"

"What do you mean, 'w-what'?! Haven't you read the newspapers? Hundreds of lives lost in Lumindale! If only... if only that foolish old man hadn't killed all the mages...!" Eric's anger escalated. Lumindale was a village in Arthenia, under the jurisdiction of the de Alba family. It was famous for its fertile lands, nestled in a green valley. Estelle remained silent, unable to respond, her body feeling weak. She had forgotten that in her world, modern medicine didn't exist. It was natural for them to panic over the highly infectious smallpox. The only way to handle smallpox patients was...

'They will be burned alive...'