A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 126: The Snare

“...Ah, you’re here too.”

“.......”

“But what’s with that expression? Is it because of me?”

I finally snapped out of it at the cold voice coming from in front of me, after having stood dazedly for a while, staring at the betrothed standing beside Maier.

‘As long as Saintess Hestia is alive, that woman shouldn’t be appearing in the main story. What is going on?’

She’s said to be another “main heroine,” but even in the original, she was suspicious to an extreme degree.

And for good reason—her appearance conditions in the game required the death of Saintess Hestia. So if she became a companion or main heroine, the player would be inevitably steered toward a bad ending.

On top of that, for one of the two main title heroines, her information was strangely scarce.

Other characters, like Meredia or the Emperor—well, sure, they had a few redacted details, probably held back for DLC.

But “that woman”? There was no information at all. Literally none—she simply didn’t exist within the game data.

Even her name had to be chosen by the player upon first meeting her. That says everything.

“Excuse me, but what’s your name?”

“Oh my?”

“Hah?”

As that fact suddenly returned to my mind, I asked her the question, wanting to confirm something.

I couldn’t just keep calling her ‘that woman’—there was one thing I wanted to check.

“How dare you, who do you think—”

“It’s alright, Maier.”

Anyway, I maintained a polite smile. She gently held Maier back and introduced herself with a serene expression.

“My name is Ember. I’m of commoner birth, so I don’t have a family name.”

And just as I expected, the name that came out of her mouth was the default name.

It was the preset name the system assigned if the player chose not to input anything.

“Rather boring name, isn’t it?”

“...No, not at all.”

“It should be. Fufu.”

Feeling an odd emotion stir inside me, I narrowed my eyes at Ember’s whispering laughter and subtly furrowed my brow.

‘...What is this?’

From the moment Maier and Ember entered the shop, a vague unease had been creeping over me.

“Ha! Hahaha...”

Still watching the smiling Ember closely, I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of the lady’s cold laughter beside me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, just... I find it hilarious.”

Continuing to chuckle with clear mockery in her expression, the lady finally opened her mouth again, face turning frosty.

“If anyone knew the kind of crap you usually spew about commoners, they’d all look at you with disgust.”

“.......”

“Did your entire ideology suddenly change? If not—”

As the lady continued to speak, I noticed a growing menace in Maier’s eyes. I was preparing to step in, watching the situation carefully—until—

“Fufu, Lady Meredia. Maybe Maier was like that in the past.”

“Huh?”

Ember, turning her gaze from me, suddenly walked forward and took Maier’s hand. As if in a grand stage play, she declared:

“But... love can overcome all such things, don’t you think?”

In that moment, the entire interior of the dessert shop froze over.

Of course, the only people inside were me, the lady, and the Maier couple—but with everyone except Ember frozen in place, it was effectively the same.

“Right, Maier?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s right...”

Even more shocking than the statement itself was Maier’s response.

Was this really the same man I knew—the one who treated commoners and women like rocks in the street?

Even if “Ember” was one of the two title heroines in the original game, that was only in the context of the game.

And she was meant to be the heroine of the player. There was no reason for someone like Maier, who stood as a natural enemy to the player, to be affectionate toward her.

‘Wait, no—this whole situation is strange.’

Now that I think about it, the fact that she’s become Maier’s fiancée is itself absurd.

One of the main heroines getting engaged to the worst of the villainous trash? If such a storyline came out in a game update, the entire community would’ve exploded.

‘...Though it’s not like I care, since I only need Lady Meredia.’

That thought flickered through my mind, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

I needed to consider how something like this came to be.

‘Could this be the butterfly effect of everything I’ve done so far?’

The thought crossed my mind briefly, but no matter how much I considered it, it didn’t make sense.

Everything I’d changed in this world since reincarnating—poisoning myself and reviving, entering a contract engagement with Lady Meredia, altering the Saintess’s fate at the ball, becoming the champion of the Prodigy Selection Tournament, threatening the Emperor, and forcing her into retirement...

Hmm. Okay, maybe I’ve done quite a bit.

But still, all those things followed logical cause-and-effect chains resulting from my actions.

Even if the butterfly effect is real, it doesn’t explain Ember—a main heroine alongside Hestia—suddenly appearing as Maier’s fiancée.

‘What the hell is going on?’

In other words, what lay before me now was an unknown variable.

Something completely outside of my control. Something I couldn’t calculate for.

But why does this strange sense of déjà vu keep nagging at me?

‘Feels like I’ve had this sensation before...’

Following that unpleasant intuition back through my memories, one word flashed in my mind—Prodigy Selection Tournament.

‘Right, even then...’

Even before I had recovered my memories from my previous life, the Prodigy Selection Tournament had already been delayed due to cheating.

Which meant that, even without my interference, this world was already deviating from the original plot.

‘Wait a minute, don’t tell me—’

That line of thought struck me like lightning.

It might seem far-fetched given the current situation, but if it were true, it would explain a lot.

‘Let’s test it out.’

Alright. Nothing to lose, right?

If I’m wrong, no harm done. But if I’m right, I just hooked a major catch. Let’s throw the bait.

***

“Well, that’s all fine and good—but I’d like the two of you to leave now.”

“...What’s that supposed to mean, little brother?”

“You didn’t hear me? I’ve rented this entire place out.”

By the time Whitney had wrapped up his thoughts, Meredia and Maier, still recovering from the earlier shock, had started bickering again.

“Trying to show off with a few measly coins, huh? How typical of my gaudy little brother.”

“Maier, that’s not something you should say.”

“...Ahem. My apologies.”

Then, with another gentle smile from Ember, Maier fell silent after a small cough.

“...Ugh.”

Meredia, clearly uncomfortable with the scene, grimaced and rubbed her temples.

“This is honestly disgusting...”

Of course, it wasn’t the kind of thing one would expect from someone who'd transformed from villainess to tsundere noblewoman because of love—but people are always more lenient with themselves.

“Such lack of manners. I was going to leave as soon as I picked up my dessert anyway.”

“If that’s so... ha, whatever. Just finish your business and get out.”

“Watch your tone.”

Though she clearly saw Maier walking in the opposite direction, Meredia didn’t want to waste any more emotional energy on this.

Especially not during her first date with Whitney—something she had personally arranged.

“Alright, then—”

“No, you’re welcome to stay a bit longer.”

“Huh?”

Just as Meredia was about to wrap things up, Maier turned cold eyes toward her—but then Whitney, who had remained silent, suddenly stood and blocked their path with a suspicious smile.

“I’ve been wanting to have a proper chat with you, Lord Maier. Haha...”

“What... the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) hell are you on about?”

“Oh, and Miss Ember, was it?”

“Huh? Yes.”

“I find you rather interesting, too.”

As Maier involuntarily stepped back at Whitney’s unsettling grin, Whitney shifted his gaze toward Ember.

“M-Me?”

“Just recently, to be exact.”

“Excuse me?”

Taking a step forward, Whitney whispered low enough for only her to hear. Ember, like Maier before her, stepped back.

“What the hell are you saying...?”

“Well. To put it simply—how about a little bonding time between couples?”

“...Are you insane?”

As Whitney kept advancing, Maier finally raised his hand to stop him, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“Ahahaha... insane? I’d be quite hurt if someone said that to me...”

“If you come any closer, I’ll take it as a threat.”

“Oh dear. That’s not my intention at all.”

“...Your face itself is threatening.”

At that, Whitney’s smile vanished, and he stared Maier dead in the eyes.

“That’s a bit rude, wouldn’t you say, Lord Maier?”

“Rude? Do you think you’re a duke or something just because you’re cozy with that crazy bitch?”

“Maier...”

“Let me give you a piece of advice.”

Despite Ember’s attempt to calm him down, Maier’s anger had clearly flared past the point of reason.

“A dog who barks too loudly just because it has a good master is the first to be abandoned.”

At that, Meredia started to rise with fury in her eyes—but Whitney extended his hand and stopped her. Then, with a chilling grin, he spoke:

“In that case, it seems Lord Maier isn’t much different either.”

“...What did you say?”

“Oh, right.”

Suddenly leaning in close to Maier’s ear, Whitney whispered in a low voice:

“...The Shadow Witch sends her regards.”

“......!!!”

As Whitney let out a quiet laugh, Maier’s face went pale and he stumbled backward.

“You... you bastard... how do you know about that...?”

“Who knows?”

From her seat, Meredia stared blankly, finding the scene oddly memorable.

‘...I’ve lived too long.’

There was a reason even she, who was Whitney’s age, had such a reaction.

Partly, it was the satisfaction of seeing Maier—the root of so many childhood traumas—fall into panic before Whitney.

But more than that, it was the brief glimpse of Whitney opening one eye.

‘This is only the second time since then...’

Though not both eyes, Whitney had opened one while whispering into Maier’s ear—and in that brief moment, he seemed like an entirely different person.

“Oh, and Miss Ember? A word, if you will.”

“......?”

Perhaps because of that, Meredia tilted her head as Whitney turned to Ember and whispered something into her ear.

‘Is there some reason he needs to threaten her too?’

Once again, Whitney had opened one eye.

***

“I have a simple question.”

“...What is it?”

As Meredia suspected, the words Whitney whispered into the fiancée’s ear were practically a threat.

“...Are you, by any chance, a Possessed?”