My Fiancé Fell in Love with My Older Sister. After Locking Myself in My Room for Five Days, 500 Years Had Passed. - Chapter 17

When I returned to the mansion, I made a shut-in declaration.

“I’ll stay in my room for five days to think about what to do next. Please prepare my meals.”

The maid, Liza, opened her eyes wide at my words.

“Five days!?”

I nodded in response to Liza.

Then, I looked around the entrance hall.

Father and Mother still hadn’t come home.

My older sister, after losing control of herself, felt sick and was taken away by Felix.

I didn’t want to see my sister’s face anymore.

I didn’t even want to believe she was my sister.

But reality didn’t allow me to say that.

Unlike my past life where I could “cut ties and be done,” in this world, I have no choice but to continue interacting with my sister.

I could show my hate and push her away completely. I could do that, but it would be a bad move.

To others, it would just look like I was jealous and treating my sister badly.

(I need to come up with a plan…)

Just to be sure, I asked Liza:

“Father and Mother haven’t returned yet, right?”

“Yes. His Excellency is at the gentlemen’s club. Madam went to the art gallery.”

“I see…”

They’ve probably already been told.

That I asked Felix to break off the engagement.

Father wouldn’t oppose it, since he thinks my sister’s wishes are the most important.

The problem is Mother.

If she finds out that I was the one who asked for the engagement to be broken, she’ll definitely show a cold, icy anger.

Convincing Mother will be very hard─

But before that, there’s something I need to do.

I spoke to Liza:

“Hey, Liza. I have a favor to ask─”

☆

An hour later.

I stayed in my room, holding what Liza brought to me.

It was a collection of Tsobellar newspapers.

From common tabloid papers for regular people, to classy broadsheets for the upper class.

I spread out several newspapers, but instead of reading the content, I focused on the design.

Yes─I planned to use (handwritten) PowerPoint to make a presentation for Father about my future life…!!

(There’s no way I’ll let them marry me off to Arnold after breaking the engagement with Felix. No way.)

To avoid that future, I was going to persuade Father.

But even if I said ‘persuade,’ Father wouldn’t listen to the words of a young girl.

So, I decided to prepare a weapon.

Not something to literally attack with, but more like a charm to make my presentation a success.

(Now’s the time to use all the skills I learned in my past life when making presentation materials…!!)

This world has no PowerPoint, no Excel—not even the internet!!

But if I remembered my elementary school social studies, I might manage.

(Back then, we weren’t allowed to use a computer to make presentation materials~~… I had to search the library for reference books and make it by hand…)

If I remembered those times, I should be able to do it.

However…

Even though I made tons of presentations in my past job, my past life’s idea of ‘easy to understand’ might not be accepted in this country.

That’s why I had Liza bring me newspapers to study first.

Some were common papers the servants subscribed to.

Some were high-end papers that Father subscribed to.

By comparing the two, I wanted to figure out what was considered ‘easy to read’ in this country.

I sat in front of my writing desk, placed the newspapers beside me, and wrote down whatever came to mind on parchment.

[Maybe think of it more like a picture-story show than slides?]

[Might be better to make it more like a thesis than just notes?]

(I can tell the common papers try hard not to use difficult words…)

Most of the readers are regular citizens.

Even if they can read simple words, there must be many who can’t read hard ones.

After thinking a bit, I added to my notes:

[Use easy-to-understand words]

If I suddenly brought up serious topics, Father would definitely think, “Who does this little girl think she is?”

Making him feel defensive from the start would be a bad idea.

At first, I should present something more childish.

(My goal is: After breaking the engagement with Felix, I don’t want to get engaged to anyone else.)

A woman making her own way with a job─if I say that…

(……He will definitely disown me, right?)

A duke’s daughter becoming a working woman… There’s no way Father would allow that.

(In that case… maybe instead of persuading him, I should aim to make him give up?)

My mind was a mess, and I couldn’t organize my thoughts well.

(I’m glad I said I’d take five days…)

This would take more time than I thought.

And also.

(My foot is also worse than I thought─)

It really hurts.

(It hurts… so much!! Just really, really hurts!!)

It hurt so badly I accidentally shouted in the words of my past life.

It wasn’t a dull ache—it felt like my foot was being gouged out.

Back at the mansion, I got simple first aid, but the pain didn’t go away at all.

If anything, it felt like it kept getting worse as time passed.

(I could walk, so it’s probably not broken… but it might be cracked!!)

If only this world had X-rays…!!

Tsobellar has magic, but no science.

Probably because they have magic, science didn’t need to develop.

(But still, couldn’t they at least use magic for medical care…!? Why is there nothing like that!? What’s the point then!!)

I felt like flipping a table.

I slowly let out a breath I had been holding.

I had been trying to ignore it this whole time, but I had reached my limit.

I pressed the snowman-shaped crystal I was using as a hand cooler to my ankle.

“…………”

I let out a small laugh.

I knew it already─

It didn’t help at all!