Chapter 19: In the Frontier, and…

Three years after marrying Cedric.

The year the original game begins has finally arrived.

But the protagonist hasn’t yet transferred to the magic academy.
There’s no sense of the game’s story starting yet.

However, Cedric now looks exactly like his game counterpart.

Pale gold hair reaching his shoulders, clear blue eyes.
Chiseled features, tall stature, broad shoulders.
A low voice, graceful movements.

It’s as if the game’s character portrait has come to life.
For me, who adored him in the game, this is sacred.

I never get used to seeing him daily.
My heart won’t stop racing.

(My favorite, right in front of me…)

In the swaying carriage, I glanced at him sitting across from me.

His perfect profile gazed out the window.
The poise of a noble, the confidence of the academy’s top student, the dignity of a ducal heir.

Everything matches the Cedric I fangirled over.
The only difference is that I could reach out and touch him.

…Not that I would!

We’re traveling from the capital to a remote region again.
The Favier frontier, my family’s domain, ruled by the Favier Count.

The water there is tainted by miasma, and my purification magic is needed.
Over the past year or two, my water magic’s prowess has become renowned in the capital and beyond, making such requests frequent.

I travel often, and Cedric, naturally, comes along.

“You really didn’t have to come,” I’d said once.

I can handle purification alone; it’s second nature now.
But he shook his head with a gentle smile.

“Where you go, I go. My grades at the academy are fine.”

He maintains top rank effortlessly—unfairly so.
The academy even counts these trips as field studies, making his absences no issue.

As expected of my favorite. No, my husband.

As the carriage rolled on, familiar mountains appeared in the distance.
The scenery of my childhood.

“We’re almost there,” Cedric said, turning from the window.

“Yes. Once we round those mountains, Favier’s town will come into view.”

I replied, feeling a tickle in my chest.
Returning to my family home as Amelia, after so long.

I’m a duchess now, but I was born a count’s daughter.
My parents were gentle, rarely raising their voices.

Yet the game’s Amelia became a “troublesome party girl.”
Truly unfilial.

At the estate, a familiar stone gate greeted us, the Favier crest glowing in the sunset.
As the carriage stopped, servants lined up to welcome us.

From behind them—

“Amelia!”

My mother’s voice, soft yet clear.
I lifted my skirt and stepped down, Cedric following naturally behind me.

Mother took my hands, pulling me half a step closer.

“You came. It must’ve been a long journey.”
“Mother, it’s been a while.”

She smiled warmly, then turned to Cedric.

“Welcome, Lord Cedric.”
“Thank you for having me, Lord and Lady Favier,” he replied.

Behind her, Father nodded warmly, his sturdy hand on a cane, eyes kind.
No one would guess the “villainous Amelia” came from such gentle people.

Kind, warm, earnest.
It’s baffling why the game’s Amelia turned out so wild.

Perhaps they spoiled her too much, raising her indulgently.

With utmost care, the Favier couple welcomed their daughter and her husband.
Servants carried our luggage, guiding us to our rooms.

As it was evening, we dined together.
The dining hall wasn’t grand but cozy.
The table held homely dishes—soup, bread, meat, vegetables.

Less lavish than the ducal house, but heartfelt.
Cedric’s honest “It’s delicious” delighted my parents.

As the four of us ate, my parents asked with concern.

“Amelia, you’re not causing trouble for the ducal house, are you?” Mother said.

“Are you troubling Lord Cedric?” Father added.

Before regaining my game memories, I was a difficult daughter.
Partying, drinking, chasing men.
I worried them.

Their concern was natural.
I felt a pang of guilt.

But Cedric shook his head immediately.

“No. Amelia is a wonderful woman. She cares for the household, and she’s far more than I deserve.”

“…!”

My cheeks burned.
What is he saying so calmly?!

My parents, stunned, exchanged glances.
They hadn’t expected their daughter to be such a good wife.

“Cedric, isn’t that a bit much?” I blurted out to the man beside me.

“Why? I could say even more about how wonderful you are.”
“Tch, I’m not that great.”
“No, you are. Too many qualities to list.”

I meant to scold him, but it only made me more embarrassed.
Arguing with him now might be pointless…

Seeing our gentle banter, my parents sighed with relief.

“Oh…” Father exhaled deeply, pressing his eyes.

“For our willful Amelia to build such a good relationship with you is truly heartening.”

Mother smiled softly.

“Meeting such a fine man changed you, Amelia.”

I thought to myself, (No, it was remembering the game…)

But I couldn’t say that.
They’d think I’m crazy.

Father turned to Cedric.

“Please take care of Amelia.”

He bowed deeply, Mother joining him.

“Please, we entrust her to you.”

Their sincerity pained my heart.
They’d truly been worried.

Cedric answered earnestly.

“Of course. She’s my irreplaceable treasure. I’ll never let her go.”

—Unfair words.

Under the table, I tightened my grip on my hand.
Joyful, from the heart.
But my chest ached.

(Because soon—the game will truly start.)

The protagonist will transfer, events will unfold, and Cedric will meet her.
What if he feels as he did in the game?
What if he chooses her over me?

…I plan to divorce, to not interfere with his happiness.
As his “fan,” I want to see his best ending.

Dinner ended warmly.
Father was content, Mother repeatedly said, “Thank you.”
Cedric was composed, his topics and manners flawless.

Is there anything this guy can’t do? I wondered seriously for a moment.

The next day, I headed to the water source with knights.
Upstream, the water was murky, miasma lingering.

But I was used to this.
For two years, I’d done it often.

Touching the water, I activated my purification magic.
The water glowed, miasma fading.

Soon, it was clear again.

“This should be fine. Keep monitoring it,” I said.

“Thank you, Lady Amel—pardon, Madam,” a familiar servant corrected himself.
I smiled and nodded.

The others thanked me.

“Thank you!”
“You’ve saved us!”

I responded with a smile.

With duties in the capital, we left the frontier soon after.
My parents saw us off.

“Take care, Amelia.”
“You too, Lord Cedric.”

They waved.
We waved back.

The carriage rolled away.

On the way back to the capital, we stopped at a town for lodging.
A modest but clean inn, with a dining hall on the first floor and rooms on the second.

As we rested in our room, a commotion erupted outside.
Hooves clattering, people shouting.

Something was wrong.

Cedric and I exchanged glances.

“What’s that?”
“I don’t know. Let’s check.”

We left the room and went downstairs.

“Lord Gilbert! Is Lord Cedric here?!” a man shouted, his face tense.
Seeing us, he rushed over, frantic.

“Lord Cedric, it’s urgent…!”

We tensed.

“Calm down. There are people here, so let’s go to the room,” Cedric said.

“Y-Yes…!”

We returned to the room, locking the door.
After drinking water to calm himself, the man reported, taking a deep breath.

“The ducal couple and Lord Darius’s carriage… it was in an accident.”

Cedric’s face froze.

“What…?”
“Their survival is unknown…”
“No, that can’t be…”

He was visibly shaken.
The knights around us seemed rattled too.

I was shocked, of course.
But not as much as him.

—I knew this was coming.

In the game, when Cedric turned eighteen, the ducal couple and Darius died in a carriage accident.
Cedric then inherited the dukedom.

It was the game’s setup.
The story was starting.

I took a deep breath, calming myself.

(The game has begun.)

What happens now?
Will it follow the game?
Or will something change?

Anxiety swirled in my chest.

But for now—
I had to support Cedric.

With that resolve, I gripped his hand tightly.