The Maid In The Reverse Harem Game Wants To Quit

Phylloxera was an insect that attached to the roots and only woke up in the spring, after the winter. And even if it seems warmer now, it’s still early spring, so it would be rather early for Phylloxera to wake up after the winter and be so prevalent.

‘Of course, you could say that they woke up early because the weather was warm, but…’

Was it because the firm way of thinking unique to a naive academic seems a little unnatural?

‘Unusual things can happen at any time in nature.’

Therefore, it was even more important to record the results of various experiments. As she thought so, Edith stretched to relieve her stiff body.

‘Come to think of it, I need to find out when and how much the medicinal effectiveness of the potion is when taken.’

The medicinal effect of the potion was immediate. However, it was a bit strange that the information had only come to Lichpen two weeks later.

‘I should’ve asked Henrietta for details.’

She couldn’t ask for details because Henrietta was so fussed that Edith hurriedly sent her off… Would she have already left the mansion by now? Considering Henrietta was making such a fuss, it seemed safe to say that she had taken the medicine and immediately left for Lowens.

As the thought reached her, Edith remembered something she hadn’t realized…

‘Then, am I the only one left in Lichpen?’

…The fact that the mansion was now deserted.

Henrietta went off to Lowens to deliver the medicine. Meanwhile, after making a fuss, Veronica, too, went off to find an income tract instead of a vineyard.

“…I can’t quit the liquor business now. I have to find an alternative.”

“Then, do you have any other sharp moves?”

“Yes. This week has a good return on sales.”

There was only one thing currently banned from alcoholic beverages.

A hard liquor, absinthe.

“Absinthe will be strictly controlled, will it be okay?”

“Are there any things that I do that are weakly regulated? The moment you lose money to Ahibalt, you lose. Even so, the executives keep turning their backs on me, so it’s a headache. Still, if I get pushed to this point, it’d be the end!”

Veronica’s power began to decline rapidly when District 7 was taken away after she visited Lavrenti.

In the aftermath, she became obsessed with showing off her power and the well-being of her wealth. It wasn’t enough to buy luxuries, which strained her finances, she recently even tried unsuccessfully to dabble in Otis’ usury.

“Sooner or later, when Ahibalt becomes the head of the family, those raccoons* will look down on me even more. They can never push me away. I’m Veronica Lavrenti…”
[ T/N: 너구리 figuratively means a sly/deceitful person. ]

‘I’m the consigliére…!’

In order to restore her wounded ego, it was necessary to protect her source of income somehow. Because of that, Veronica immediately left the mansion to do business with the absinthe manufacturers.

The problem was that absinthe was a highly toxic drink that could take away one’s life, and the control was as severe as that. It was clear that if they started selling enough absinthe to satisfy Veronica’s greed, they’d be caught in a crackdown.

‘And, the executives in Knox will cut ties with her faster than they are now.’

Because what executives did best was cutting off their tails. Even though she may not know herself, Veronica was gradually self-sabotaging herself.

Hence, her downfall was inevitable.

‘Should I find another source of funds soon?’

As she thought so, Edith rubbed her sore eyes and gazed at the pile of research materials piled up like a mountain before standing up. Like Veronica and Henrietta, she couldn’t back down yet.

‘…I still have to continue my research.’

Her research, which had been going on for decades, was only now revealing its outline.

She hadn’t made much significant progress in her research since three years ago, just before she left the Lavrenti mansion when she found out about ‘the correlation between her likability and fate.’ All she was doing was trying to figure out if she could manipulate fate by creating a drug that could manipulate likability.

Recalling that fact, Edith always felt frustrated.

‘Still, since there was a result this time, should I think positively?’

As she hadn’t made any progress so far, the research would come to an end if she successfully carried out a few more prepared experiments. The high ground she had been clinging to for decades was now just around the corner.

‘I’ve confirmed that you can artificially manipulate the likeability.’

Next, it was necessary to conduct an experiment to identify the controller of destiny. Edith found out that there was a controller of destiny through various studies at Lichpen.

Ugly beings playing with themselves on the timeline… All she had to do was drag them in front of her eyes.

‘At that time, it’s really over.’

Just thinking about the ending made her feel tired.

She thought she should finish making coffee first. And so, Edith put some pens in her pocket and picked up the empty cup.

The window she saw as she turned around was black. Only then did she realize that the currents around her were still. It was given since all the people who always made a fuss in the mansion had left, and she was left alone.

It was pitch-black outside. Though since it was nnighttime of course, it was natural.

…Still, why was it so eerie?

The moon tilted to the west, and the sky, black like ink spilled all over a paper… Ordinary things seemed strange.

‘It’s a bad omen.’

Curious at the ominousness, Edith stepped a little quicker and opened the door across her lab.

At that moment…

“Huh.”

She faced the face, which shouldn’t be here. Her hair, which had been covered with darkness, had become closer to scarlet. Contrary to the unique contemplative atmosphere, the person in front of her had sharp eyes and a pretty face without a smile.

Edith’s variable.

…Irene Casimere.

“Found you.”

Clink.

The moment the cup fell from Edith’s hand and made a loud noise, a gun was pointed right over her heart. It seemed that Irene had drawn a gun out of her bosom and aimed it towards Edith before the cup even fell.

Click.

The sound of unlocking the safety echoed through the back hallway.

At that moment, Edith seemed to be able to understand all this oddity—the unnatural outbreak of Phylloxera, the effect of her quick-acting potion, which was only known to her after two weeks, and even bad omens…

A mischievous laugh escaped Edith’s lips.

“Haha…”

…All this oddity was a ruse against her.

In a dilemma, Edith asked with her hands raised.

“How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“From start to finish, everything.”

“It wasn’t much. All I had to do was just sprinkle a little bit of the early hatched Phylloxera and trick the spy.”

“Then, about the medicine?”

“In case you’re curious, let me tell you, the effect of the drug worked well. It’s just that the person who drank it was wrong.”

“Aha… Then, did my son drink it as planned?”

“Yes.”

“And Otis? Was it a lie that he turned his back on you and went to Lowens with Charlotte?”

“No. That’s true, too, except for one thing.”

Irene lightly affirmed. However, there was one thing that Edith misunderstood.

“There’s no one in Lavrenti who would turn against me.”

Unfortunately.

Saying so, Irene didn’t look nervous at the moment of impediment, unlike someone who had the upper hand at the moment.

It was an opportunity for Edith.

“Hm… I see. Thank you for your kind explanation.”

As Edith nodded her head with her eyes shining, she suddenly lowered her body and struck Irene in the shoulder.

Puck!

“Uuk!”

A groan escaped from Irene’s teeth, and the gun fell.

At that moment, Edith hurriedly picked it up and ran away… no, she was trying to escape. It would have been so if Irene hadn’t nimbly turned her body around and grabbed Edith by the neck before pressing her against the wall the moment Edith picked up the gun.

“Huuek…!”

A sound escaped from her lips as Edith was pushed against the wall.

“Don’t make a fool of yourself. The reason I kindly answered the questions was because I had something to talk about with you.”

“I’m sorry, kuuek, but that’s not going to happen…”

Edith’s hand fumbled as she desperately adjusted her grip on the gun. Grunts leaked out through her teeth as her airway was pressed and choked. Still, she was moving her hands busily.

‘Just this gun. If I shoot this gun…’

Thanks to the release of the safety, the gun was designed to fire by simply pulling the trigger. So, if she fired the gun, she could create an opportunity to escape. Nevertheless, it wasn’t like Irene wasn’t unaware of that fact. She, too, hurriedly tried to snatch the gun, but unfortunately, Edith was the one closest to the trigger.

The moment her finger was on the trigger…