Avoid the Death Route!

Still there.
“Yawnnn~”

I had a visitor in the middle of the night, so I was a little sleep-deprived.
So by the time I finished dinner, I couldn’t stop yawning.
It’s considered a shameful behavior for a young noble lady, but… I couldn’t help it.

(Are you sleepy, Ria?)
“N~ a little~”
(You were woken up early last night, after all~ Do you want to go to bed already?)
“N~…”

Hughley and Miria peered into my face worriedly.

“If I sleep now… I will wake up… in the middle of the night again, so I will try a little harder~…”

I said that, but I was quite sleepy.
I was going to try a little harder to stay up, but I fell asleep before I noticed.

◇　◇　◇

I was dreaming.
It was that dream again.
This time, it was a dream about Marietta falling in love with Duke Emerald… my Father.
My Father was a capture target, too!?
I’m surprised that Marietta’s Area of Effect is so broad!
Well, leaving Marietta’s preferences aside, the dream began with the Duke Emerald being saddened by the death of his daughter, and in the midst of his grief, he met Marietta.
The innocent Marietta spoke cheerfully to the grieving father.
At first, Father was perplexed by her, but Marietta talked to him again and again, and before long, he came to adore her as a substitute for his daughter.
And before long, those feelings turned into love… or something like that.

◇　◇　◇

(… Ah, Ria! Wake up, Ria!)
“!”

Someone must have carried me, since I seemed to be sleeping in my bed.
And then, Hughley woke me up.

(Ria, you had a nightmare.)
“Nightmare… ah, yeah, it was a very unpleasant dream.”
(I bet it was. I would be surprised if you told me you had a good dream after making so much noise.)
“Hahaha~”

This time, it was me who died for some reason!
Not dead after something bad happened, but dead from the very beginning!
I thought the age of nine was my turning point, and here I was, under nine and in mortal danger!

“……”
(Ria, are you okay? Do you want to drink water?)
“Thank you, Hugh.”

I took a swig of the water Hughley gave me and calmed down a bit.
After calming down, I tried to recall the dream I had just had, but… this was another troubling development.
After all, the cause of death is unknown to me.
I’m already set up to die!
However, isn’t the probability of my death by accident, assassination, or poisoning much lower?
Unlike in the dream, I now have guards, spirits, and even a former assassin on my side.
I think I have a high probability of preventing anything unnatural done to me…
So, I guess the only thing left is death from disease?
We have got all kinds of antidotes, but what about special medicines to treat rare disease?

“Say, Hugh. Is there any medicine that you know of that cures diseases that I haven’t made yet?”
(N? What is it all of a sudden? Let me think~ You made quite a bit when you were into medicine making, so I believe there isn‘t much you haven’t made yet.)
“Is that so? But, I would like to check things over once and for all, so could you compare against the medicines I have made?”
(If that’s what you wish.)

Hughley agreed, so I will check the inventory of medicines as soon as possible.
I have taken a lot of measures to prepare for the next two years, but here we are again, and my plans have gone awry.
However, I want to do everything I can.

Still… to think there were more capture targets~
Truly unexpected.