Chapter 164: Preparing for a Speedrun
“...Haa.”
As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, I returned from the Duke’s estate to the Ringaarden household and slumped into my office chair with a long, weary sigh.
“I feel completely drained...”
Looking back, I’d only been away for two days.
But I’d gone straight from attending the Shadow Gathering to Meredia’s mansion without even a moment’s rest. Physically and mentally, I was utterly exhausted.
‘And to think things would end like that...’
Especially the incident at the very end—it had managed to tighten an already suffocating timeline into something borderline impossible.
Who could’ve predicted that the Duke of Embergreen would take his own life right then and there?
Even Lady Meredia herself had said there was no way her father would commit suicide, which said everything.
‘Still, it was the simplest and most destructive move he could’ve made in the end.’
In the original story, the Duke desperately clung to life, constantly scheming in hopes of regaining his position.
But that was the original narrative. The chain that prevented Meredia from becoming the official head of the house—marriage—had been broken, thanks to my existence.