Chapter 30 : Secret
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a delicate frost-like glow over Ailiya’s chaotic room.
Her eyelids twitched. With a pained groan, she clutched her throbbing, hungover head and struggled to sit up on the cold floor.
“Ugh… didn’t expect to drink that hard…”
She scanned the room. The lamp had gone out, the table was a mess of cups and plates, and empty bottles lay scattered like a storm-ravaged beach.
Liliane and the others seemed to have left, leaving her alone.
The silence was eerie, broken only by occasional insect chirps outside.
To soothe her parched throat, Ailiya shakily stood, groping for a cup to fill at the hallway tap.
A few steps in, she tripped over something soft and fell with a thud.
Looking back, she saw a squirming bundle wrapped in a blanket on the floor.
What the—?
Startled, Ailiya grabbed a broom from the corner and cautiously prodded the bundle.
“Ow… who’s that… stop poking my butt…” a muffled, sleepy grumble came from within.
The bundle rose, the blanket slipping to reveal a cascade of golden hair.
“Aurora? You didn’t go back?” Ailiya asked, surprised.
“Your floor’s too comfy,” Aurora said, rubbing sleepy eyes and yawning widely. “Fell asleep without noticing.”
“A noble lady like you enjoys sleeping on the floor?” Ailiya said, incredulous.
“Hard surfaces are good for the back~” Aurora replied, scratching her messy hair with conviction.
Ailiya didn’t bother arguing, grabbing a drink and pouring one for Aurora too.
“Thanks.”
Ailiya opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
The room reeked of alcohol, and she needed fresh air to clear her head.
The cool night breeze, carrying the scent of grass, eased her foggy mind.
Exhausted but content, she felt oddly at peace.
Aurora, now more awake, followed with her cup, leaning on the railing.
“Ailiya, what’s your plan now?”
“Me?” Ailiya blinked. “Liliane’s vacation for me is over. Back to being her maid, starting formal training, I guess.”
“No… anything special?” Aurora pressed.
“Why ask?” Ailiya gave her a curious look. “I’m just a debt-ridden maid. What grand plans could I have? Work hard, pay off my debts, gain freedom.”
She stretched and headed back inside. “It’s late. Stay over tonight. I’ll make your bed.”
Aurora watched her go, sipping her water silently.
From her inner pocket, she pulled a palm-sized booklet with a plain cover.
It was her handwritten record of the full storyline of The Rose of St. Freya, an otome game.
The story began after the academy’s entrance exam.
In the original plot, the protagonist, Sylvie—a commoner genius—aced the exam, claiming class leader.
At a joint ball with St. Ross Men’s Academy, she fatefully met Prince Leon of Tartaglia, her unique commoner charm catching his interest.
This sparked jealousy in Leon’s fiancée, the game’s “villainess,” Liliane, who began tormenting Sylvie.
But that was the scripted path.
Who knew how Ailiya, the ultimate wildcard, would twist the story?
That’s why Aurora probed her, expecting some bold move. Instead…
She really just wants to be Liliane’s maid?
No different from the game’s background character, mentioned only once.
Am I overthinking this? Aurora wondered.
Ailiya had finished making the bed.
Tomorrow was the weekend; she planned to sleep like the dead.
Aurora entered to find her bedding neatly laid on the floor.
“You said hard surfaces are good for your back, right?” Ailiya said earnestly, pointing.
“…”
“Kidding!” Ailiya laughed at Aurora’s speechless expression. “My bed’s too small for two, so I’ll take the floor, you take the bed.”
“No way!” Aurora protested, rushing over and grabbing Ailiya’s arm. “I’m not that delicate! We’ll squeeze! Friends should be close—physically too!”
“What does ‘physically too’ mean?!” Ailiya laughed, exasperated.
“My bed’s tiny! We’ll fall off!”
“Let’s fall then! We’ll both ache tomorrow!” Aurora said, dragging Ailiya onto the bed.
The small single bed creaked under their weight.
“See? It’s cramped!” Ailiya said, squished against the wall.
“Cramped? It’s cozy!” Aurora teased, elbowing her playfully.
“You’re still at it!” Ailiya fought back.
The two girls, like actual kids, tussled and laughed on the tiny bed, pillows and blankets flying.
Amid the chaos, a small, plain-covered booklet slipped from Aurora’s pocket, landing with a thud on the floor.
“Hm?” Ailiya, sharp-eyed, spotted it first.
She paused, hopped off the bed, and picked it up curiously. “What’s this? Your diary?”
Aurora glanced at it, a sly smile flickering across her face, unnoticed.
Go ahead, look, Ailiya, she thought smugly.
You’ll just think it’s my novel outline. You’re the type to get hooked on third-rate pirate stories, after all.
Hiding a huge secret in plain sight—that’s a master player’s trick.
Ailiya didn’t think much, sitting cross-legged on the floor, flipping open the booklet under the bright moonlight.
But as she read, her expression froze.
[The Rose of St. Freya Core Storyline (ver1.0)]
[Main Characters: Protagonist—Sylvie (Commoner/Class Leader), Love Interest—Leon von Tartaglia (Prince), Main Antagonist—Liliane von Winter (Villainess)…]
[Opening Plot: After the entrance exam, Sylvie takes first place. At a joint ball with St. Ross Men’s Academy, she meets Prince Leon, sparking Liliane’s jealousy…]
[Mid-Game Plot: …]
[Final Outcome (Liliane Route): …Family ruined, engagement annulled, exiled to the Northern Wastes…]
Ailiya flipped through, her curiosity turning to confusion, then outright shock.
Her breathing quickened.
The room’s playful atmosphere vanished.
Aurora sensed something off.
Sitting up, she saw Ailiya’s rigid back, a twinge of unease stirring for the first time.
What’s wrong? She shouldn’t react like this…
Finally, Ailiya closed the booklet.
She sat still, as if processing a massive revelation.
After a long silence, she turned, meeting Aurora’s eyes with a calm yet piercing gaze Aurora had never seen.
Under the moonlight, Ailiya’s face held no trace of jest. In a deadly serious tone, she asked, word by word:
“Aurora, are you a transmigrator too?”