The ‘him’ she knew in her past life.

“Are you saying our dear mastermind’s next target will be to steal the Augite of Mystreal?”

Leonardo of course quickly grasped what Francesca was trying to imply. While nodding to affirm his suspicion, she recalled the memories of her past life.

(The incident that takes place during the third arc of the game. That is the robbery of the Augite of Mystreal, the treasure of the allied nations……)

To bring harm to this stone was enough to shake the very foundation of this country.

The nation loses the trust of the other nine allied countries, and it is seen as a complete breach of the alliance itself, and could even used as a pretext to start a war.

“If that happens, the trust in this country will turn to dirt. I suspect that’s what the Mastermind’s real objective is, rather than the actual worth of the Augite itself.”

She once recalled the name, [Crestani], that Graziano’s father shouted as he fought against his brainwashing.

After the brainwashing was cured however, he couldn’t recall anything related to this [Crestani] guy unfortunately. It was nice to have gained a solid clue towards the identity of the mastermind but they were still chasing shadows.

“And because you figured this all out, you decided to show up here in person to stop it, is that correct?”

“Sorry for not discussing with you beforehand. But I feel the safest way is to keep my cards close to my chest until the very limit.”

Still wearing the doll head with the dangling eyeball, Francesca spoke with a very serious tone.

“……….to keep the risks at minimum, in case either of us were to get brainwashed.”

“……………”

The mastermind that was hellbent on dragging all the families into these incidents possessed a [brainwashing] skill.

The drugs incident during the first arc, as well as the assassination attempt during the second, they were all enacted with the help of Crestani’s brainwashing skill.

And 7 years ago, he was responsible for triggering the events that led to the assassination of Leonardo’s brother and father as well, and ever since, Leonardo has been chasing after that man.

(I do trust Leonardo very much but, if he got brainwashed, he would end up becoming my enemy as well. And the reverse is also true for Leonardo I imagine.)

That’s why, they had promised each other to not reveal their trump cards to each other.

The fact that Francesca was a reincarnator, and that she knew the events occuring in this world because they were following the scenario of the game she played were both things she had kept secret.

And tonight as well, she decided to keep her plans a secret until the very last moment because it was safer.

“And so Leonardo! I know Sofia-san and the Ranieri family are protecting the Augite with all their might but, we should secretly help them as well. I have a feeling that at some point during this event, the lights are going to go out.”

In the game, the culprit used the cover of darkness to steal the Augite and disappear away.

By the time the chandeliers were lit again, the Augite was gone from the showcase and the hall would be filled with boos and jeers towards the Ranieris, demanding them to take responsibility for their failure.

(In the game, the climax reveals that the thief was a person that did it under the effect of Leonardo’s domination skill. However, I know that the real Leonardo wouldn’t do that so that means it was always [someone] under Crestani’s control…….To  Crestani, the culprit could be anyone for all he cares. He could change the personnel involved even at the very last minute if he so pleases.)

Which means, tracking and capturing the culprit from the game beforehand won’t make any difference.

Even with the game’s knowledge, Francesca had no way to capture and stop the culprit pre-emptively.

“I don’t know who the actual culprit will be though, so we have to focus on making sure that the robbery doesn’t happen in the first place. Especially because chasing after the culprit after they have stolen it would be extremely difficult.”

“Even if that were to happen, it’s not something you need to fret over. Finding and chasing down the culprit is the Ranieri’s family’s job. Calvino’s daughter should be unrelated to it all.”

(………..but I’m not unrelated. Because the actual [scenario] involves me and David searching for the Augite together.)

Unable to say those words out loud, Francesca could only droop her head.

(All the problems in the game’s scenario need to be dealt with by the [Protagonist Francesca]. If I simply run away, more and more things will start falling apart in the future……..)

Of course, she had no intention of letting everything happen exactly as the game’s scenario either.

But, for the sake of the peaceful and normal life Francesca so yearned, she wasn’t going to ruin someone else’s future either. Real villains don’t hurt innocent uninvolved people after all.

(……..However!!)

Francesca clasped her fists tight as she once again swore an oath to herself.

(I will absolutely avoid all the bad incidents from the game’s scenario as well!! I won’t let the augite get stolen, and I won’t let myself get turned into a child either. No matter what, I will avoid it all!!!)

“haha, Francesca, you sure look all pumped up for this. How about we enjoy some of the sweets they are offering in the hall and formulate our plans then? You have much more to tell me, no?”

“Yeah! You see, after all this………”

As they continued their chat, they continued to observe the showcase that had the Augite in it. Beside it stood a smiling Sofia, chatting with a bunch of guests, telling them all sorts of stories about the rock.

(………in the game’s third arc, while chasing after the stolen Augite after being turned into a child, [Francesca’s] main problem involved her letting out her true feelings. And then, the other storyline was about David’s own problems that he had been shouldering as well.)

Very soon, the family head Sofia will relinquish the seat of the family head to her younger brother David.

While it was possible for women to inherit a family, the reality was that such cases were really rare. Sofia was only made the family head because the Ranieri family wanted to wait for David, the previous head’s eldest son, to come of age before he could inherit the title.

(In the game, Sofia was more than happy to give the title to David. But David himself was wrought with worry and anxiety over whether he truly had what it took to succeed her incredibly talented and excellent older sister.)

And in that moment, he would come to meet the protagonist Francesca, and was able to vent some of his worries to her.

(With a push to the back from [me] in the game, David would find the resolve to inherit the family head’s position. And thus the third arc would end with a bright epilogue……..but in this world, let alone turning into a child, I want to outright avoid ever even meeting David in the first place!!)

After all, what Francesca wanted was a peaceful, and normal life on the [surface].

(In the first place, as long as the theft of the Augite is avoided, I’d have no need to work with David. While I do want to help him resolve his personal issues, I’d prefer to do that from faraway if possible, rather than by directly contacting him like in the game……..)

“Francesca?”

“Ah!!”

She was so lost in her own thoughts, she jumped in surprise upon hearing Leonardo call her name.

“Sorry, Leonardo, I was so deep in my own thoughts that…….”

“??”

In that instant, she finally took a direct look at Leonardo through her dollhead, and Francesca finally realized something.

“……….Leonardo, that look really, really suits you, you know…….”

Even when masquerading as a pirate, the build quality of the costume was absolutely first class.

The navy long coat was dark black in colour, with golden embroidery adorning it. The colour combination of the dress alone wasn’t the only thing that made it great, as it matched with Leonardo’s own black hair and golden eyes, further emphasizing the incredible harmony between the entire getup.

Under the coat, he wore a white shirt with a classy frill attached to the collar. The button on the cuffs and the vest were a brilliant shade of ruby, the same as Francesca’s own hair.

The tail of his coat hung all the way down to his ankles, further emphasizing his own tall height.

And even though he was almost certainly hiding a weapon or two underneath that coat, the line of his silhouette was as straight and perfect as it could be, leaving no room for any suspicion. Thanks to that, you could tell exactly how thin and slim Leonardo’s own waist was as well.

(He’s the type that looks pretty no matter what he wears but, seeing him all dressed up today really reminded me just how incredibly handsome he is…….if I recall he even had an entire railway station wall poster ad, just to himself back in my previous life as well……..)

Francesca recalled her own past memories, from when she first saw [Leonardo].

Meanwhile, the real Leonardo narrowed his eyes, and laughed happily from the bottom of his heart.

“……..to hear a compliment like that from you, it truly is my greatest honour.”

“!”

Unable to look at his smiling face straight in the eye, Francesca hurriedly averted her eyes.

“wo…Wow, I kinda feel a little embarrassed right now……..? I wonder why? Leonardo is always looking cool and yet!!”

“…………”

She wondered if it was because of the memories of her past life that had resurfaced. While she was struggling to calm herself down, Leonardo pointed his finger towards a certain corner in the hall.

“Francesca.”

“……..Eh!?!”

Seeing the person there, Francesca couldn’t help but be wide eyed.

Golden blonde hair, tanned skin, a man that bore very similar characteristics to Sofia was standing in a certain balcony.

(David!? But he wasn’t supposed to even be here, so why…..!?)

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