No Secrets (5)

Asking 'Who are you?' felt too obvious given the established role.

Should I be surprised that someone presumed dead turns out to be alive, or should I be shocked that my protagonist has seized control of the body?

No, first, I need to maintain my expression. Playing the comes first. Thanks to quickly prioritizing my thoughts, I managed to keep my mask intact, but internally, confusion was still surging. I had imagined scenarios that might arise, like Leonardo's unusually sharp attitude toward Count Ertinez potentially leading to a situation like this. But who would have guessed that a person could change so suddenly, as if flipping a palm?

Celestina's eyes widened in shock as she covered her mouth with her gloved white hand. Vittorio seemed to be the most startled among us. He flinched in his seat and, upon meeting my gaze, looked as if he was silently asking, 'Is this also an act?'

In the midst of this confusion, the character who had died and returned began to dominate the scene.

"Tell me, who says I'm not your brother?"

"Uh, no… that's strange. Now that I see you like this, you really do look like my brother."

Celestina, still dazed, nodded in agreement, her expression bewildered. A third question mark formed in the air like a puff of cloud.

"You definitely look like my brother right now, but why were you acting like someone else just a moment ago? Everyone thought you had come back as a different person, including Father and Big Brother."

Then, Leonardo reached out and casually draped his arm over my shoulder. It was a very relaxed posture, almost like a friendly embrace. But he didn't stop there. With a flex of his arm, he pulled me closer, causing my upper body to lean toward him. Without even using , the deep tone of his voice buzzed in my ears like the sound of bees, resonating against my eardrums.

"Well, I thought I had to show off at least this way, so that he'd see me in a better light."

Leonardo finished his excuse nonchalantly, as if nothing was amiss. I wondered if such a flimsy explanation could really suffice for why he had acted like a completely different person. Surprisingly, though, it seemed to resonate perfectly with Celestina.

Pop! The indicator for the final question burst, and Celestina, who had been sitting rigidly as if about to spring up from her seat, relaxed her posture against the backrest once more. Should I compliment him for such an effective tactic?

But hearing such words from Leonardo's face felt… strange. No, technically, it was the 'original' body of Leonardo, so this was the real deal. It was driving me insane!

The Leonardo I knew wasn't like this at all. He would make sure to match his gaze with the other person's before speaking, often enunciating each syllable clearly like a soldier. He wouldn't try to squirm away from questions with such a sly demeanour. And damn it. It's natural for someone to act differently if they're not the same person.

Right now, though, I needed to focus on something more pressing. Where had my Leonardo gone while the original was active?

was a function connected to Leonardo, so… perhaps I could reach him?

'Leo! Can you hear me?'

Then a whisper echoed closely in my ear.

「I can hear you, darling.」

A shiver ran down my spine again. This guy was definitely not Leonardo.

「Oh, was I the one you called 'darling'? Well, who cares?」

What the hell is going on here…

If he knew about the 'darling' incident with Leonardo, could it be that he had been watching all this time, perhaps from the depths of his subconscious?

「I have to play along in front of Celestina, so don't beat around the bush and just give me the floor.」

'Are you not going to explain the situation since you suddenly appeared?'

「Do we really have the luxury for that in this situation?」

No, we don't. I was just being oddly irritated and pushing back a bit. I was also testing him since he was being cooperative.

Anyway, the truth is I had no way to resolve the situation right now, so I kept my mouth shut. I also intended to use this opportunity to observe the original Leonardo.

Celestina narrowed her eyes and pointedly asked Leonardo, "Why did you act like someone else to get on Isaac's good side?"

"It's my choice. You know I like to play with how others perceive me."

"Are you talking about that bottle of water I found?"

Is she referring to the water bottle found in Leonardo's room? If so, that must be an explanation for the clue. As if she felt my tension while I strained to listen, a low laugh came from a direction closer to my face rather than from behind me.

In the meantime, Celestina muttered with a sigh.

"Back when I was younger… I was curious about what you were always talking about, so I asked if I could have a sip. You actually let me drink from it. I took just one sip, but Big Brother happened to pass by and got really mad."

The original Leonardo, having tasted the terrible tea that he made, grimaced in distaste but soon interjected lightly into Celestina's recollection.

"He's too uptight."

"Maybe he took all the seriousness you lack? Anyway, that's when I realized that you, Brother, was truly an exceptional liar. What kind of alcohol? You just gave me plain, tasteless water and told me to 'shush' and keep it a secret."

So, the fool was just maintaining an image, huh?

To avoid breaking the image of , I feigned calmness throughout the conversation, looking at the two of them with a faint smile, as if watching children. But my outward demeanour and inner thoughts were completely different.

'From how things are shaping up, it doesn't seem like the fool's story was entirely made up.'

「That's too much, don't you think?」

'Let's focus on the conversation.'

「You started talking first, and now you're saying I shouldn't pay attention?」

The original Leonardo, grumbling, changed the subject again.

"Enough with the dusty old stories. Thanks, little sister. Because of you, the way I was sweet-talking got exposed."

"Are you saying that it's my fault your ridiculous performance is over?"

"Is it not?"

Watching the two Ertinez siblings suddenly growl at each other like this showed exactly what being siblings was like, and I couldn't help but sigh.

Vittorio quietly slid his chair closer and, with a confused and even frightened expression, hid next to me while looking at Leonardo. I would have to explain this later. At this rate, I couldn't pass it off as all just an act. Even while I comforted the boy, I wasn't sure how I would be able to explain the situation later on.

The original Leonardo, unaware of these complicated feelings, glanced at the tea leaves settled at the bottom of his cup and said, "It's hard to say the performance is really over. The objective isn't complete, so the play won't end."

"What's your objective, then?"

"First of all, to make a good impression on Isaac, who's here."

'Shouldn't I consider that as already failing?'

The original Leonardo didn't respond to my thought about the secret meeting and instead recited the next line.

"And I hope this one resolves the family issues and all sorts of other headaches." 

'Me?'

「Yeah. Please take care of it?」

Celestina asked, cradling her forehead as if she had a headache. "Why would Isaac be involved in the Ertinez family issues—are you talking about our mother?"

The moment those words finished, my thoughts reached into the brooch in my pocket. The lady in the brooch. It's a clue linked to the Countess' brooch.

"Although our mother left suddenly, I still don't understand. Why blame Father for that? Just because he spent less time with us when we were little? But, Brother, there were disasters. It was unavoidable."

The original Leonardo remained silent, his face calm like the still surface of a lake with no wind. Celestina hesitated before adding, "Father loved Mother."

To this statement, Leonardo gave a brief response. "I know."

And he immediately turned his gaze away.

"That's enough. In truth, it's about issues that are more important than family matters."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm fulfilling a mission of sorts. Isaac here is my guide. And I suppose you could say I'm lending my body to the Sacred Spirit…"

'Are you crazy?'

「Don't worry. There's no one around. It's not a direct explanation, anyway.」

With that, Leonardo stood up from his chair. As we instinctively raised our heads to follow his movement, he casually muttered, "I think we've had enough tea. I still need to finish showing these kids around, so I'll be off."

Even though I had decided to remain silent amidst this whirlwind of conversation, it was difficult to wrap things up without having gained any clues regarding the third hint, the key.

"Wait, where are you going…"

As I urgently tried to stop him, the original Leonardo pulled me up from the chair as if trying to help. He crossed his arms over my waist.

「Just stay put.」

With his firm grip, he covered my mouth. Vittorio stood up from his seat and moved next to me, looking apprehensive.

Celestina asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the tall spire in the south."

"But that place is locked."

"Oh, is that so? Then we can go somewhere else. This place is unnecessarily spacious."

Though it seemed like a trivial exchange, I understood perfectly: Leonardo was hinting that the key was for the tall spire in the south. I had no choice but to follow Leonardo as he walked toward the garden exit.

Before leaving, I turned to Celestina, giving her a gentle smile as I said, "I'll see you again soon, Lady Celestina." 

At least this allowed me to raise my immersion in to 9%. That was all I could manage for now.

[Scenario Sub Quest Condition Achieved! – Have Tea Time with Lady Celestina (1/1)]

Finally, with only the three of us left, I looked at Leonardo. His grey eyes still held no seriousness or weight at all. Vittorio was tense, like a wary cat, sticking close to me and staring at Leonardo.

The original Leonardo whispered calmly, "Next time, make sure I don't have to butt in."

"Leonardo, you—"

"I can't tell you anything right now, so don't get your hopes up."

「Also, while it's fine to eat like a pig and turn this body into muscle, just handle these fingers a bit more gently.」

'Just one question: are you still alive?'

「I don't know. Are you going to make me alive again?」

'…..'

「See you again.」

The grey in his eyes vanished, replaced once more by a bright silver that glimmered like dew. The stark change made it clear just how much light Leonardo's eyes had held. 

As he glanced around and spotted me, he asked with a docile and innocent expression, "Isaac?"

It seems he doesn't remember anything. How am I supposed to explain this…