The Ominous Invitation

Rachel stood before the full-length mirror, her expression somewhat downcast as she gazed at her reflection.

Not far away, Vera watched Rachel, a worried frown creasing her own features.

To be fair, Rachel’s appearance was undeniably striking; in her original world, she could have easily thrived on her looks alone.

Her petite frame, just over 1.5 meters tall, was even shorter than Vera’s, adorned with a beautiful cascade of silver-grey hair.

Clad in a black, high-collared, cinched-waist gown accented with red lace, she resembled nothing so much as an exquisite doll.

Her only flaw was her overly flat chest, a difference made all the more apparent when she stood beside Vera, the maid with the youthful face and ample bosom.

Judging solely by her figure, Rachel might have been considered the ‘cute’ type, possessing an innate charm.

However, her naturally upturned eyes marred this impression, and coupled with her poor eyesight, she would instinctively squint when looking at people.

Consequently, even without any specific expression, Rachel always appeared aloof, projecting an aura that kept others at a distance.

Rachel attempted to force a smile, but her reflection responded with a chilling sneer that sent shivers down one’s spine, as if plotting her next torment for Vera.

Vera, standing behind Rachel, visibly shivered, prompting Rachel to quickly suppress her smile.

Still, this was hardly a situation that called for smiles.

With a quiet sigh, Rachel tried to concentrate.

Her vision was once again stained crimson, and a black countdown materialized before her eyes.

[Time until death]

[80:24:31]

This countdown seemed to be visible only to her; Vera saw nothing.

‘This must be it, then—the quintessential system from transmigration novels.’

‘Yet, while everyone else’s systems summon wind and rain, helping protagonists show off in style, mine has become an ominous harbinger of death.’

‘It simply tells me how long I have left to live, offering absolutely nothing else beyond displaying the countdown.’

‘It won’t even reveal the cause of death, serving no purpose other than to needlessly distress me.’

‘It would have been better if it had said nothing at all; then I wouldn’t be in such a quandary right now.’

‘After all, having advance knowledge of my demise, it’s impossible for me to do nothing and simply wait for the countdown to reach zero.’

Rachel sighed, and the countdown before her eyes vanished instantly, her vision returning to normal.

“Eighty hours, then…”

It was currently morning, so by her calculations, her death seemed destined for the evening three days from now.

Three days—a duration that was certainly not long, yet not so brief as to render her completely helpless.

It was a peculiar amount of time.

‘Before I even consider what to do, I really should figure out the cause of death.’

Pondering this, Rachel snapped her fingers, beckoning Vera closer.

“Lady Rachel, what are your commands?”

With a brilliant, innocent smile, Vera cheerfully positioned herself before Rachel.

“Vera, do I have any engagements scheduled for the evening three days from now?”

‘If someone intends to murder a noble, they would surely choose an opportune moment, perhaps during a public event.’

‘Especially in a world where the disparity between nobles and commoners is so vast.’

‘Even a low-ranking noble like myself, protected by Vera, would be quite difficult to assassinate.’

Indeed, the seemingly clumsy Vera before her was surprisingly capable in a fight, a fact Rachel had only recently discovered while reviewing her memories.

“Engagements?”

Vera furrowed her brow, appearing to ponder seriously.

“It seems there are no special arrangements.

The Grand Procession is still some time away, and it’s not yet your birthday, Lady Rachel…”

“Ah!” Vera, deep in thought, suddenly seemed to realize something, glancing timidly at Rachel.

“C-could it be that you’ve added something to your schedule without telling me, and now you’re going to use it as an excuse to punish Vera…?”

As the word “punish” left her lips, a suspicious blush crept across Vera’s face, but Rachel, currently preoccupied, simply waved her hand to dismiss the topic.

‘Just as I thought.’

Rachel sighed inwardly.

In her own memories, there were no special events scheduled for the evening three days from now.

After all, the Lockwood territory where she resided was quite remote.

While not far from the imperial capital and relatively accessible, it lacked any distinctive features.

It had a sparse population, no notable scenery, and its land yielded nothing valuable.

Its sole export was wood, though not of a precious variety, merely sold to commoners as inexpensive building material.

Consequently, Rachel, as its lord, led a rather leisurely life, with ample time to tease Vera.

‘After all this, I still don’t know the cause of death.’

‘Initially, I wondered if it might be a revenge killing, but a quick review of the original owner’s memories revealed a multitude of past misdeeds and enemies, making it impossible to pinpoint a single target…’

‘I haven’t a single clue!’

Rachel lamented internally.

Ultimately, the phrase “I will die in three days” was simply too vague; even if she wanted to take action, she couldn’t find a starting point.

As she pondered this, Rachel suddenly heard a rumbling from her stomach.

It was then that she remembered she hadn’t consumed a single thing since her transmigration, and her stomach was now staging a protest.

‘I should eat first.

At the very least, I need to fill my stomach; I can consider other matters later.’

Rachel sighed with a touch of helplessness, then turned and smiled at Vera, though the expression still resembled a malicious sneer.

“Vera, is breakfast ready? Let’s go eat.”

“Breakfast?”

Vera froze for a moment, her demeanor clearly faltering.

“I-I haven’t prepared it yet…”

Rachel’s smile froze.

“Why!? Aren’t you a maid?”

“B-because of the urgency of the situation, Lady Rachel, you hadn’t woken up, and I was so preoccupied with attending to you that I simply forgot…”

“How could you forget something like that!?”

“My memory isn’t very good, Lady Rachel, you know that…”

Vera looked sheepish, and seeing her like this, Rachel found herself without the energy to continue scolding her.

“Fine, just go make it now.

Something simple is fine; I just need to fill my stomach.”

“Yes, my lady!”

“And from now on, write things down so you don’t forget again.”

“U-understood, Lady Rachel!”

Vera quickly stood at attention, bowed, and then scurried out of the room.

A moment later, she came pattering back.

“What is it?”

Rachel patiently watched her rather dim-witted little maid.

“L-Lady Rachel, I just remembered something important!”

Vera, breathless, hastily offered a letter.

“While you were unconscious, someone delivered this and instructed me to give it to you as soon as you woke up.”

“For me?”

Rachel frowned as she took the letter.

The outermost layer was a dark gold envelope that appeared quite valuable, meticulously sealed with an elaborate wax stamp bearing the image of a dragon.

It was the crest of the Royal House of Holy Loga Empire, the Loganis family.

‘The Royal Family…’

‘What merit could a low-ranking noble like myself possibly possess to be involved with royalty?’

A sudden sense of foreboding rose within her, and Rachel tore open the envelope.

Inside was an invitation, a deep red card embossed with a subtle dragon pattern.

Beautiful cursive script adorned it, and Rachel took some effort to decipher the contents.

“We cordially invite Baroness Rachel Lockwood to attend the Royal Banquet at the Silver Mistletoe Estate in the Royal Capital, Eredia, on November 5th at 8:00 PM.

This invitation grants admission.”

Rachel read it several times, confirming she hadn’t misread anything.

She fell silent for a moment, then turned to Vera, who was anxiously awaiting a scolding.

“Vera, what’s the date today? Surely you haven’t forgotten that.”

“O-of course, I can certainly remember the date!” Vera replied with a hint of panic. “Today is the second day of November, Lady Rachel!”

November second.

Rachel nodded silently.

According to the countdown she had seen earlier, she would die on the evening three days from now, which would be the night of November fifth.

November fifth, 8:00 PM, a royal banquet she was inexplicably invited to attend.

‘How could such a coincidence occur, matching the time so perfectly?’

‘It seems the cause of death I’ve been desperately searching for must be this.’

As she gazed at the invitation in her hand, the corners of Rachel’s mouth curved upwards involuntarily.

Vera, standing nearby, shivered once more.

She felt that Lady Rachel’s smile this time appeared far more sinister and vicious than any she had witnessed before.